Bband Speed Crackdown, Grads Earn Less, Really Clever Student…
Customers can soon leave over slow broadband
Have you ever taken out a broadband contract which promises high speeds, but in reality it takes ages even to just load Facebook? Were you promised a certain level of speed? We know how it feels.
Ofgem have realised that slow internet speeds are the spawn of Satan and have found a way to help consumers – customers will soon be able to leave their broadband contract if the internet speeds are less than the speed guaranteed at sign up. The latest that this new rule will come in to force is January 2016. Happy days!
Our take: If you’re promised fast broadband – you want it. It’s what you pay for! There’s nothing worse than being stuck in a 12/18 month contract with slow internet. Looking for a great broadband deal? Bookmark this page.
Graduates earning less money
Data from the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills suggests that more graduates are currently in employment – 87.5% to be exact, the highest rate it has been since 2007.
On the downside, the data also suggests that graduates are earning £1000 less a year compared to 2010. Boo!
Our take: Well… it’s better to earn some money rather than no money, right? And to put your degree to use? It’s still great news as it’s scary thinking about making the leap between education and employment! Want help writing your CV or finding graduate jobs? We have LOADS of guides here to help you out.
Get a job instead of taking a gap year
A top lawyer for HSBC has argued that students should get a job at a supermarket or sports shop like JD Sports instead of taking a gap year.
Sandie Okoro said that taking a gap year suggests “daddy is rich” whereas getting a job suggests a student has “real experiences” and knows how to support themselves.
Our take: Okay, a lot of students can’t afford a gap year, exploring Thailand or Australia. We can see her point. However, a lot of students feel that a gap year would be their last opportunity to see the world before officially being a grown up and moving out. There is the option of travelling after university, of course, like doing a TEFL course and moving abroad. Interested? We have all you could possibly want to know about them here.
Student achieves best grades in 50 years
Ufot Ekong, a Nigerian student who studied at Tokai University in Japan, has set the bar for all students. He left uni with a First in electrical engineering and got the highest grades since 1965. Impressive right? But oh wait – there’s more!
Ufot also solved a 30 year maths equation in his first semester and has also won six awards for six awards for academic excellence. He is currently working for Nissan, and has two patented two products. Oh – and he also worked two jobs whilst he studied. Not bad going!
Our take: That Ufot sounds kinda smart… It was an achievement for us to go to our 9am lecture in our first semester (and maybe the others…)
Student changes name to avoid Ryanair fees
Adam Armstrong changed his name by deed poll because it was cheaper than paying Ryanair’s admin fees to change his name on his ticket.
His girlfriend’s stepdad booked the ticket under the name ‘Adam West’, his name on Facebook after the actor. (Good choice!) Ryanair wanted £220 to change the name – instead, Adam just had to pay £103 for a new passport. That’s some great money saving, right there!
Our take: £220 is pretty steep just to change a surname – Ryanair are pretty cheap as it is! Still, there are worse names to have than Adam West…Maybe he can run as Mayor of Quahog now?
