Sri Lanka
Most UK and European graduates will be engaged in voluntary and relief work, teaching English to children and adults and other activities with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Paid employment may be difficult for foreign graduates to find, but certain growth areas such as the tourism industry, which have picked up since the civil war ended in 2009, may provide suitable openings.
Although Sri Lanka is no longer plagued by internal conflict there are many other problems requiring international aid intervention. There are opportunities for graduates to get involved in projects addressing a range of issues such as poverty, the marginalisation of vulnerable groups, and the rebuilding of communities following war and natural disaster.
You should secure a position before travelling to Sri Lanka because visitors are not allowed to be paid to work if they are travelling on a tourist visa. However, you can undertake voluntary work on a tourist visa. If you are going to be paid to work, you will need to secure a business visa before travel and many companies will help with this. Applications should be made in writing with a CV and covering letter, the format of which is similar to that used in the UK.
CVs should cover qualifications, experience and key skills, as well as personal information including date of birth, marital status, number of children, nationality, and citizenship(s). CVs are long by British standards - up to four pages - and should always be accompanied by a covering letter and a brief summary page. Attaching a head and shoulders photograph to a CV is becoming popular.
Interviews are generally formal. The interview process is similar to in the UK and usually involves at least two or three people on a panel. Psychometric testing is not the norm but is becoming more popular, especially if companies use their own European staff to conduct the interview. In business, you should address people using their surname unless you know them well. Employers place importance on smart dress and punctuality with a tradition of conventional and conservative dress. The exchange of business cards has some formality. If given one, you are expected to study it briefly, acknowledging the connection between the person and the information on the card. It is considered highly disrespectful to hastily stuff a business card away or write on it.
Your qualifications should be recognised in Sri Lanka, as long as your degree or other qualification has been awarded by a recognised UK university or academic institution.
If you are planning to live and work in Sri Lanka check your UK tax and National Insurance position with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to ensure that you are not losing any UK pension rights.
Recruitment agencies can also be found through Lanka Business Directory Online and the Sri Lanka Yellow Pages .
The Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment is a government body that also provides a searchable database of employment agencies.
The following newspapers include business news and may include job vacancies.
Employers may target universities for all vacancies. The Jaffna Education Fair is one of the leading education fairs in Sri Lanka, held at Jaffna Central College. Biz Trade Shows has details about this and other events.
Building contacts through networking may provide opportunities in some areas of work. Networking events are common in Sri Lanka, especially in the banking sector. People do not usually make speculative applications for jobs, however. Many vacancies are advertised in Sri Lanka’s Sunday Observer newspaper, which has a large job section every week. This paper has a very wide readership in Colombo.
Projects Abroad has a number of placements running in the country, such as print and radio journalism in Colombo, and teaching, healthcare and IT in a range of locations along the coast in the south west of the island. There are also often placements in Galle, Kandy and Ratnapura. You will normally stay with a host family, which helps you experience Sri Lankan culture and lifestyle. A country director at Project Abroad, who is usually based in the UK but has a wide knowledge of Sri Lanka, organises the placement. Volunteers are picked up at the airport, and visas and accommodation are arranged in advance. Students can then shadow a project supervisor in Sri Lanka. Most placements last for three months, but there are shorter and longer ones available.
Various UK universities have exchange programmes with Sri Lankan universities, such as:
AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) runs an international exchange programme for students involving 24 universities around the UK and includes Sri Lanka as one of the host countries.
IAESTE (The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience) offers paid, course-related placements for students in science, engineering and technology. The placements usually last up to 12 weeks during the summer but longer-term placements at other times of the year are also available.
For details of teaching opportunities in Sri Lanka, see Teach Abroad . Volunteers can also find teaching opportunities with the LEO Project Foundation , in a range of subjects including English and sport.
Voluntary work placements are available in a range of roles including teaching, conservation, health and social care. Elephant and turtle conservation, working with orphans and building and construction work are just some popular examples but there is a wide choice of placement type available.
Organisations currently providing such opportunities in Sri Lanka include:
The following international charities and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operate in Sri Lanka and may be able to offer volunteering opportunities:
Casual work for overseas students does not exist unless they have a visa that permits them to work, and in many cases casual work is given to local people as a priority over foreign workers.
Short-term opportunities in the education sector and short-term volunteering roles are available. There are vacancies advertised online at Devex for short-term educational positions in Sri Lanka, specialising in electronics, automotive and mechanical engineering, civil engineering, agriculture technology, ICT, and languages. The British Council in Sri Lanka will also be able to help with details of short-term opportunities.
Students looking for voluntary work placements in gap year can work in a range of roles including teaching, conservation, health, social care and IT.
There are 15 state-run universities in Sri Lanka. Several universities offer postgraduate programmes, mainly in business and education. There are no opportunities for foreign students to join Sri Lankan universities other than students who are engaged on exchange programmes with UK universities or who have parents working in Sri Lanka. There are no private universities; however, there are institutes (mostly in partnership with foreign universities) offering diplomas and degrees to foreign students.
Postgraduate courses in business and management are run by Sri Lankan institutions. Many medical, engineering and science courses are taught in English. Degree courses usually take three to four years. Postgraduate courses typically take one to five years to complete. Online study resources are available for many courses which help prepare for the Sri Lankan examination system.
A list of the universities in Sri Lanka is available from Universities Worldwide . Some offer postgraduate courses for students who have parents working in Sri Lanka, or who are on an exchange programme, such as the University of Colombo which operates a programme with the University of London.
Also included in the list on the Universities Worldwide website are the postgraduate institutes in Sri Lanka, such as the Postgraduate Institute of Pali and Buddhist Studies and the Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture.
For a postgraduate course you would typically need a Bachelors degree. Mature students with substantial work experience are welcomed and will be considered for postgraduate or undergraduate study as appropriate. Contact the relevant university or institute for specific details.
All courses have their own application deadlines and entrance requirements, but applications are usually due by September or October. Check with individual institutions for exact dates.
Information and application forms can be obtained from individual institutions and/or downloaded online. The University Grants Commission in Sri Lanka has an application form that can be downloaded. Among the documents that need to be submitted with any application is a letter confirming eligibility to study, copies of relevant educational certificates, copies of your passport and visa and an original letter stating the financial situation of a parent or guardian.
Check with the individual institution for specific course costs as they will vary in each one. There is a fee for international students on an exchange programme or if their parents are working in Sri Lanka.
Scholarships are not widely available but it is worth checking with individual institutions to see if they offer any.
Demand for international qualifications continues to grow and a number of UK institutions are establishing jointly run courses with institutions in Sri Lanka. Leeds Metropolitan University is one such institution that offers an exchange programme. Contact individual universities to see if they have any connections with Sri Lanka.
UK nationals wanting to compare their UK qualifications with those of Sri Lanka should contact UK NARIC (National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom) , which is able to give information and advice on qualifications for more than 180 countries.
It is necessary to obtain a visa for a trip to Sri Lanka. British Nationals receive a 30-day visit visa, free of charge, on arrival. This can also be used for voluntary workers and can be extended for up to 90 days at a local embassy.
Visas, including for those undertaking voluntary activity and paid or unpaid work, should be obtained at a Sri Lankan High Commission or embassy upon receipt of a job placement before you travel. There are tourist, business and resident visas. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond the end of your intended stay.
Non-UK citizens should contact their embassy or the Sri Lanka High Commission London for full details.
Visa application forms can be downloaded at the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Sri Lanka but applications cannot be made online. Contact the Sri Lanka High Commission London for full details.
If you are not a UK national, contact the Sri Lankan embassy in the country where you are currently residing about how to obtain visas and work permits. If you are living in the UK, go to the Sri Lanka High Commission London .
You might also find it helpful to contact your ministry of foreign affairs (or your own embassy if you are not living in your home country) to ask whether there are any issues to be taken into account when considering working in Sri Lanka.
Foreign nationals wanting to invest monetary capital or to engage in business activities in Sri Lanka can apply for a residence visa, as can volunteers and foreign students in universities, educational institutions approved by the State or other institutions. More information is available from the Department of Immigration and Emigration in Sri Lanka .
Jobsnet Sri Lanka is an online and service centre employment service in Sri Lanka. It aims to help jobseekers in Sri Lanka or overseas, as well as assisting Sri Lankan migrant workers/expatriates to find employment back at home.
Career guidance centres exist in some universities and they should be approached individually to see if they will accommodate overseas students.
The British High Commission in Sri Lanka provides a range of services for British citizens including issuing British passports, birth and death certificates and offering assistance when things go wrong. See their website for details on what they can and cannot help with. The phone number of the British High Commission in Sri Lanka is 94 11 539 0639.
Other emergency contact numbers in Sri Lanka are:
Find the latest travel advice and a traveller’s checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) .
