Top 7 European Cities for Grads was originally published on Resume.io.
Top 7 European Cities for Grads
If you are looking at options after graduation, deciding on where to settle down to begin your career is a complicated process. If working in Europe is an option, there are many tantalizing options, but the some of the most grad-friendly cities may surprise you.
Many would consider Paris or Berlin to be leading contenders, but there is more to graduate life than living in a bustling capital city filled with young professionals and wealthy tourists.
In a new interactive guide from Resume.io, using data from the European Commission’s Eurostat program and Numbeo, they looked at rent levels, cost of living, economic indicators, the graduate community, sports facilities and the local culture. That is what really matters to someone who has just graduated and is looking for their first job.
The original article shared the Top 15 European Cities for grads (selected from a long-list of 32 cities) and we would like to share some details about the top performers. While you can have a look at the graphic in the guide for the breakdown by category per city, we have picked out some of the highlights.
Let’s begin with sharing those top seven European cities for grads:
- Glasgow
- Prague
- Munich
- Budapest
- Stockholm
- Hamburg
- Manchester
This list will vary with each of the individual considerations, but as the cost of living (alongside employment opportunities) ranks high on a graduate’s priority list, you can see why expensive global icons such as Paris and Barcelona are not on the list.
How did Glasgow come top? Doesn’t it rain a lot?
Glasgow ranks highest on the survey for satisfaction with sports facilities and number two on the arts / culture list (with a wealth of music and entertainment venues). An impressive 51% of Glasgow’s graduates opt to stay in the city to begin their careers, and with a one-bed apartment costing €700, the city is an affordable and fun place to begin your career. Yes, it does rain a lot, but you will be having too much fun to notice.
Where is the least expensive accommodation for grads in Europe?
A one-bedroom apartment in Sofia costs an average of just €367.29 ($442.50) a month. Bulgaria’s capital and largest city is home to 1.2 million people and has the second-lowest cost of living. There is an equal split between Eastern and Western Europe in the top 15, and Eastern European cities offer tantalizing job prospects in high-growth industries. The lowest cost of living for a recent grad (in the top 15 list) can be found in Bucharest.
Which city offers the best chance of finding a job?
Munich has a vibrant economy with several leading industries (technology, engineering, finance) and with a low 3.3% unemployment rate, there are plenty of jobs available. It is one of the most innovative places to work in the study and the average earning top the list at €3,053 a month. Employment in the technology industry grew 36% over a five-year period – according to the Department of Labor and Economic Development.
Which European city has the best social life for grads?
While many of these cities are in the top 7 (or 15) because of the low cost of living and broad employment opportunities, many of them are also fantastically fun in terms of the social life. Top of the list is Madrid, the party capital of Spain which is packed with recent grads and has a wealth of entertainment options. When every bar, club and restaurant is full of young professionals, the social life is off the charts.
Which city offers state-of-the-art sports facilities?
Whether it is the mountain biking, indoor ski facilities (longest indoor real-snow slope in the UK), wake-boarding park or plethora of gyms and sports stadia, Glasgow is at the top of our recent grads list partly thanks to its sports and leisure facilities. Sport is a great way for young professionals to meet other people and many of the facilities are easily accessible via affordable public transport.
No matter what your priorities as a recent grad, these top seven cities (and the broader top 15) offer amazing opportunities for anyone seeking career and life adventures in Europe. It does help to speak the local language but depending on your choice of occupation this is not always essential.
For the full research behind this ranking, including the sources for each city, visit http://bit.ly/GraduatesAbroad
