Global aspirations and local limitations: Employment experience of Nigerian international students in the United Kingdom

Nigeria is the UK's third largest market for higher education, but there is limited empirical research on Nigerian international students' employment experiences. Drawing on the concepts of neo‐racism and agency, this research explores how 25 Nigerian international students exercise their agency to pursue or refrain from seeking employment during their postgraduate taught studies in the United Kingdom. Their lived experiences of systemic barriers are analysed, including visa restrictions, lack of support from university careers services, difficulties in securing career‐oriented work and racial prejudice in job applications. Most of the research participants were in a precarious vulnerable position when it comes to employability prospects in the United Kingdom, but they demonstrated resilience and exhibited agency by way of creating opportunities within constraints and building stronger identities and skills for future employment. Recommendations are proposed concerning how national policy and institutional practice could better support Nigerian international students to improve their career prospects.