Companies are fighting to secure the best students from NTNU. Then it turns out that they cannot get advice from them after all – several months after the contract has been signed.
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An education from NTNU is considered by many to be a safe way into working life. In many industries there is great competition to secure the best students for summer jobs. This leads to many signing a contract over half a year before starting their job.
In September last year, NTNU student Helene Bjørnsen signed a contract for a consulting company, and everything seemed to be in place for an internship in the summer. In mid-April, however, the message came that the contract was terminated.
– It was incredibly boring. I panicked a bit, as I had envisioned working there since the autumn semester, says Bjørnsen, who is studying a master’s in computer communication and cyber security.
Demanding economic times and increased competition lead to the fact that several companies do not have the opportunity to employ the students anyway. Even after the contract has been signed for a long time. Thus, the contracts are terminated shortly before the students were due to start their jobs.
Took matters into my own hands on LinkedIn
Bjørnsen is currently on exchange in Madrid, and speaks with UA over the phone. She believes the development may lead to students becoming more skeptical of the consultancy industry.
– We attend a course where we are told that we will get a job before we finish. But now we see a development where more and more people are losing their contracts, she says.
For over half a year, Bjørnsen thought the summer job was in the works. She therefore panicked when the consultancy she signed for terminated the contract, only months before commencement. Hoping to find a new job, she took to social media.
– I was very “lost”, so I just had to try.
Bjørnsen published a post on Linkedin. There she wrote that the summer job she had been looking forward to had been terminated, and that she needed a new job. At the time of writing, the post has close to 500 likes and 29 comments.
These students will decide on your semester fee
– Now I’ve got a new job. It’s a lot because of the post on Linkedin. It was incredibly cool that so many people got involved and wanted to help, says the IT student.
Signed in October, terminated in April
Anna Doan, like Bjørnsen, experienced losing the summer job she had signed up for. She is studying computer technology, and in October she signed a contract for a summer job. In April, she was informed that it was terminated.
– It was crazy. I understand that these are difficult times, but it was stupid that they spoke up so shortly before the start, says Doan.
She speaks to UA on the phone from Valencia, where she is on exchange. She does not want to be pictured in the case. Doan says that she knows several students who have had their contracts terminated.
– The companies can’t do anything about the bad times. At the same time, they are aware of their own finances, so they should not hire students until they know they can afford them, she says.
Students who travel to these countries can receive more grants from Lånekassen
Doan himself had arranged an apartment with a friend in the city where she was to work in the summer. She says they had spent a long time securing a place to live. Now it may look like the apartment hunt was a waste.
You have confidence in the company you sign for
Doan also chose to use Linkedin in the hope of finding a new employer. So far it has not yielded results.
– If I don’t get a new job, I have to take it as a sign that I will take this summer off, she says.
She still thinks it’s a shame to miss out on both income and relevant experience. She is therefore critical of companies choosing to dismiss students shortly before commencement.
– You have confidence in the company you sign for, she says.
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