Job prospects affected by taking time out after graduation?

Hello everyone.. id like to ask the community a quick question.

Im a final year student studying in the UK and am considering taking a few months of time (3 or so.. ) off after i graduate in order to travel and live a little .. having gone directly from high school to college and then uni.
I plan to also use this time to consolidate and further my physio skills through attending post-grad courses.


Im wondering how this may impact on my job prospects given the current competitive climate.. how the fact that ive not wanted to go directly into work as a physio may be interpreted by potential employers, and whether uk employers are willing at present to 'hold' jobs for candidates. should i abandon the idea all together and immediatly begin the job hunt inorder to secure one?

Im aware that this is a very subjective-ish question.. however id realy appreciate any thoughts or opinions on the matter.

Thanks in advance & seasons greetings,

Pete

I wouldn't worry too much, I know people who took time off after graduation and managed to get work....as long as you continue to do some CPD type stuff as you mention you've planned to do then I'm sure you'll be fine, 3 months is nothing in the larger scheme of things! If you're not fussy about where you work then you've a good chance of getting something.....

Whether you go away or try to get work straight after uni its probably going to be just as tricky to get work....so you may as well enjoy yourself for a bit before starting that ordeal!:)

Don't worry, I agree with Oscar. Although I went from school to physio to work then took my time "off" to travel a bit later after earning the money neccesary to do so. And as you have a potential working lifetime to consolidate and develop your physio skills I wouldn't try to do it all in the first 3 months after graduation! It may be a different working climate in the UK nowadays but physios have the possibilities to work in all sorts of situations and sometimes the direction changes amazingly depending on what experience brings. The big questions of which CPD you need may not arise in the first year or two of working after graduation.
Good luck from an ancient physio, 32 years after qualifying and still doing CPD!

thanks very much for both your posts : ) im glad to see the responses are going in that direction!

does anyone else have a view on the matter?

would going away and not being ready to start a job until septemberish affect my job prospects?

im not sure if there are common periods of the year where most recruitment in the uk nhs takes place or if jobs are put on the market as and when they appear... any insight to this would be much appreciated!

Pete

Hiya,

I'm not a physio, I'm just about to start the physio degree this sept, but I would say don't worry about taking time off as long as you truly enjoy yourself! There are many ways to keep your skills up and stay 'in the know' wherever you are. Time off will make you a more well-rounded person in the long run. Have you thought of trying to get abroad by doing some voluntary physio work? (I don't know where you'd start with this, but this is my little dream for when I get out of the other side of uni in 3/4 years time). xxx