A new careers advisory company
has arrived in Oxford and is set to
compete with the University’s own
careers service.
In the past week, ‘Career Matters’
has begun to attempt to build a
customer base within the University,
becoming a potential rival for
Oxford University’s Careers Service.
‘Career Matters’ is a private
company which, for a variety of set
fees, offers a number of services to
students to help them with their
career choice. Their initial offer has
been to give two students from a
college a free careers consultation
before introducing their lowest
priced package, £197 plus VAT, to the
rest of the student body. Offering
three kinds of services from a basic
test and feedback session to assess
your strengths and weaknesses,
through to CV and interview advice,
the service’s prices range from £197
to £397 plus VAT.
These prices are in stark contrast
to the University’s careers service
which provides a range of facilities
and assistance free of charge.
Director Jonathan Black told
Cherwell, “We are aware of this
organisation and the offer they
have tried to make to students. We
recognise that there are many such
firms offering these paid-for services
and have no intention of restraining
their trade; however, we are unclear
why any student would spend
significant funds on a commercial
service that they can access for
free as part of the services they are
entitled to at Oxford.”
With services such as unlimited
1:1 guidance meetings with
experienced careers advisers,
training events in CV writing and
interviews and a whole number of
events and career fairs, some people
have questioned the need for outside
competition.
Helen Robb, a 3rd year PPEist,
argued, “Our careers service is an
invaluable resource for everyone
who is studying at Oxford. I can’t
see why anyone would go anywhere
else.”
OUSU president David
Townsend echoed this sentiment,
commenting, “Students should be
wary of expensive private providers,
especially where there’s a much
more comprehensive, free service
provided by the University. ‘
The University careers service is
regularly utilised by the student
body and its results paint a
seemingly successful picture.
One JCR Careers representative
said, “Oxford already has a truly
fantastic careers service. It’s a
service that has proved invaluable
to the 90% of Oxford grads who get
into employment or further study
within six months of completing
their degree. With the legacy of
recession, that’s a good statistic,’
The service is not without its
flaws however, as the Careers
representative added, “The
problem that needs to be addressed
isn’t the volume of Careers advice,
but the accessibility between
colleges and their utilization of the
wider University service.”
A new careers advisory company has arrived in Oxford and is set to compete with the University’s own careers service.
In the past week, ‘Career Matters’ has begun to attempt to build a customer base within the University, becoming a potential rival for Oxford University’s Careers Service.
‘Career Matters’ is a private company which, for a variety of set fees, offers a number of services to students to help them with their career choice. Their initial offer has been to give two students from a college a free careers consultation before introducing their lowest priced package, £197 plus VAT, to the rest of the student body. Offering three kinds of services from a basic test and feedback session to assess your strengths and weaknesses, through to CV and interview advice, the service’s prices range from £197 to £397 plus VAT.
These prices are in stark contrast to the University’s careers service which provides a range of facilities and assistance free of charge. Director Jonathan Black told Cherwell, “We are aware of this organisation and the offer they have tried to make to students. We recognise that there are many such firms offering these paid-for services and have no intention of restraining their trade; however, we are unclear why any student would spend significant funds on a commercial service that they can access for free as part of the services they are entitled to at Oxford.”
With services such as unlimited 1:1 guidance meetings with experienced careers advisers, training events in CV writing and interviews and a whole number of events and career fairs, some people have questioned the need for outside competition.
Helen Robb, a 3rd year PPEist, argued, “Our careers service is an invaluable resource for everyone who is studying at Oxford. I can’t see why anyone would go anywhere else.”
OUSU president David Townsend echoed this sentiment, commenting, “Students should be wary of expensive private providers, especially where there’s a much more comprehensive, free service provided by the University.
‘The University careers service is regularly utilised by the student body and its results paint a seemingly successful picture. One JCR Careers representative said, “Oxford already has a truly fantastic careers service. It’s a service that has proved invaluable to the 90% of Oxford grads who get into employment or further study within six months of completing their degree. With the legacy of recession, that’s a good statistic.’
The service is not without its flaws however, as the Careers representative added, “The problem that needs to be addressed isn’t the volume of Careers advice, but the accessibility between colleges and their utilization of the wider University service.”
