The summer break is now in full swing for Scottish university students, many of whom will have graduated in recent weeks. If you’re a recent graduate from one of Edinburgh’s universities and you aren’t sure what to do next, why not hang around for a bit? Here are our top five reasons not to leave Edinburgh just yet.
1. Capital city without capital prices
You’ll have no doubt heard that your friends and classmates want to move to London in the near future. There are job opportunities aplenty in the Scottish capital, but this comes with a huge living cost. Fortunately, as a capital city in its own right, Edinburgh presents many opportunities of its own without the same expense.
For example, the prestigious Civil Service Fast Stream graduate employment scheme has most of its top jobs in London, but employees can rise to the same level of seniority in Edinburgh where others in places like Manchester, Leeds and Birmingham cannot. Many other companies base their Scottish operations in Edinburgh too, meaning that the city truly rivals other major players in the UK job market for the biggest pool of opportunity.
2. Luxurious options
If you have the cash to spare, Edinburgh also has a number of more opulent living spaces. The luxury property development Quartermile offers apartments right in the centre of the city, for enviable living in an unbeatable location. The apartments are minutes from the universities and just a 15 minute walk from the Princes Street shopping area. Indeed, Edinburgh does not disappoint in terms of its luxury shopping outlets: the renowned department store Jenners finds its home in Princes Street, whilst Multrees Walk houses a number of designer brands.
3. Excellent quality of life
The most recent Quality of Life Index rated Edinburgh the best place to live in the UK, and not without good reason. The city has the lowest crime rate in Britain, is one of the least polluted metropolitan areas and offers its residents superfast broadband of more than 30 mbps on average. It’s also easy to get around, with a vast public transport network and many walking and cycling routes.
4. Summer festival hub
If you’re a recent graduate yet to enter the job market, summer holidays might be off the table for a little while. Fortunately, there’s no need to leave Edinburgh for summer excitement as its mega festival season kicks off in July and spans throughout August. The Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are arguably the best known of Edinburgh’s festivals, but the city also hosts an International Film Festival, an International Book Festival, a Jazz and Blues Festival, an Art Festival and even a Mela each year. With a number of brilliant events each day to suit every taste (and every budget!), Edinburgh can be a great place to find your feet without missing out on any fun.
5. Keep links with your university
As an alumnus of Edinburgh University, Herriot-Watt University or Edinburgh Napier University, it is likely that you will have access to a pool of jobs advertised through your university careers service. Of course, a number of national employers advertise here, but many businesses choose to advertise through the universities to attract high-achieving, local talent.
Staying in Edinburgh once you’ve graduated means that you can take full advantage of the entire range of opportunities offered through this service. Even if you attended the nearby Queen Margaret’s Univerity, Musselburgh is only a six minute train ride from Edinburgh Waverley and so provides an excellent base to scour the listings for the perfect graduate job to suit your interests.
