12. THE BENEFITS OF FTWISS
12.1 Overall, FTWiSS was seen in a positive light as a great opportunity by most interviewees taking part in qualitative research at the end of their FTWiSS time, regardless of whether they were intending to remain in Scotland or not. For those participants that had found suitable work in a field that they were interested in and appropriate to their qualification, career development and progression was a key benefit of having joined the scheme.
A Personal Opportunity
12.2 A more widely applicable benefit was the wider life experience, cultural knowledge and personal development gained from living in a country other than one's own. Interviewees particularly highlighted the difference between living somewhere as a student and as a working person, which was seen to allow for a fuller experience:
When you're doing the MSc you don't get to experience the culture itself, it's very busy and you have to look into so many courses, so one of the things I got from the Fresh Talent scheme was a look into the culture because I was socialising more with work people and with friends, I had more time to do that.
It was a real confidence booster for me to be living in a foreign country on my own, not in the context of education, because that's cheating a little, you're given your own social community, you're given a place to live, to be able to live in a foreign country without all this ready made support has been a real boost to my confidence, it's been a fantastic life experience that I wouldn't trade for anything.
Advocating for Scotland
12.3 As well as recommending Scotland in general, some interviewees had also recommended FTWiSS to friends and family, reflecting their positive experiences:
I've recommended it to my younger cousins who are looking for options for study abroad. My younger cousin, I was trying to convince him to come over here because he is trying to finish his studies and then do work and possibly settle down so I told him it's a good opportunity because you get two years after you finish, and in England you get one year.
12.4 These findings are in line with the qualitative comments received from the monitoring questionnaire, where most respondents said that they were grateful for the opportunity to work in Scotland and saw FTWiSS as a good programme despite the problems. Many respondents also stated that they had recommended Scotland to friends and family because of FTWiSS.