Canadians & Americans in the UK » employment agencies

Social Media & Recruitment – An Award Meant for ME!

Victoria Westcott — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:30:18 +0000

This is a reprint from a post I wrote for my Classroom Canada blog.

I’ve decided to tell you what my New Year’s Resolution is. A bit late I know, but still – I am focused on one goal and I know I will reach it. Are you ready?

I want to win an award in 2010.

It doesn’t really matter what the award is, but something that fits my work would be amazing.

So, imagine my delight when I opened my inbox to find an invitation to apply for an award honouring recruiters who use social media. Seriously? Could this award fit my work any better?

Let’s see:

Classroom Canada now has a zero advertising budget because of my use of social media.
I write this blog.
I write this other blog.
I wrote this ebook.
I use Facebook & Twitter.
I participate in online forums discussing life in London as an expat, and teaching in London in general.
I encourage and participate in this blogging community & love a good discussion.
I ask for testimonials from teachers to tell what it’s really like to teach in London through the Coffee Time Series (which I am most proud of by the way – I love their stories!)

This award was meant for me!

Right?

If you read this blog, or have just stumbled across it and like what you see, please support me in my goal and vote for the “Teacher Recruitment” button on this link. I want to win an award!

If not this one, well, then I guess I’ll go for an Academy Award instead. That would be pretty cool too.

If you want me to just shut up already and get back to talking aboutteaching in London, well…you better vote so I stop harrassing you. Oh, and vote often. Every day would be great!

Please leave me a comment here if you do vote. And if you don’t, well…7 years of bad luck is coming your way! (Just kidding) (Sort of)

Thanks so much!

PS) GO CANADA GO!

PPS) Please read Colleen Wagner’s post today about my efforts to win this award. She is far too kind!

Interview With an American Expat in London & Fellow Blogger

Victoria Westcott — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 18:03:32 +0000

Today I am excited to share an interview with Kristina Smith from “American Expat in London” fame. She took the time to answer common questions about moving to the UK from the states and what her life is really like in London. Thanks Kristina!

Read on my friends…

Name: Kristina Smith

Current Location: London, UK

Home town: Orginally from Hickory, NC. Most recently from Seattle, WA-which is ‘home’ to me.

Education (if relevant): Undergrad in Accounting from UNC-Charlotte (*so* not relevant any longer, thank goodness!). MBA from UNC-Chapel Hill. Concentration in Marketing. Definitely relevant…

Hi Kristina. Thanks so much for letting me interview you for this little blog. So you are an American now living in the UK, and specifically in London.

When did you make the move across the pond?

I landed on March 1, 2008.

Why did you decide to move to London?

I relocated with my company. I’d always wanted to live abroad, and knew I’d never have such an opportunity practically given to me like this. So, I decided to take full advantage.

What was the visa process like for you?

I got lucky. My company handled all of the ugly paperwork for me. I completed the application, and gathered all of necessary documentation, but in terms of actually liasing with the British Consulate, that was all handled for me. Talk about being made to feel like you have to prove your worth! Literally.

Do you have any stories to share about flat hunting in London?

Well…my first experience was quite easy-again, thanks to the corporate relo. I worked with a company who specializes in helping expats flat hunt. The 2nd time I searched for a flat-to move in with my boyfriend-was on my own. I can certainly say, I’ve probably had both ends of the spectrum by now. The truth of the matter is: the rental market-and aproach to renting is so completely different from the US (except perhaps NYC?…), and Rental agents can be vultures. Sorry. Not all, but a good number of them; and, some companies are good-some certainly aren’t. I’ve been fairly fortunate wtih both of mine, but have heard the horror stories. Regardless, a good starting point-whether you have help or not-is www.findaproperty.com it’s like a ‘clearing house’ of rental properties that most, if not all, agencies post their property to. Provide your post code, and a few details of what you’re looking for, and voila.

Contrary to what I’ve heard about landlords, both of mine have been exemplary. The contract that is used is *definitely* in the landlord’s favor-and makes me rethink the silly one-pager I’m using to rent my place back in the US- but assuming your landlords are reasonable humans, actual dealings with them shouldn’t be that bad.

What do you do in the UK? (Job that is…)

I’m in Search Marketing (PPC & SEO) for a large, online retailer.

Was it easy to find this job? Can you tell us more about the job application process?

Well, since I transferred with my company from headquarters to the UK, my process wasn’t like it is for most. That being said…for the particular field that I’m in, I don’t think I could live in a better city for what I do. The Search industry is very strong here, a bit more advanced than in the US, and unlike the US…people in this space are refreshingly open about what they do-and what they do for their companies. I really enjoy it, and at this stage in my career, am appreciative of the experience.

To the general question about job searching…like flat-searching, it’s also a different beast. Agencies (Recruiters) are the norm here. I don’t know of many people who don’t have their current positions not due to a recruiter. I’m not even sure if some companies hire in the more direct approach (ie internal recruiting) from the US. Recruiters are very direct here-I probably get a phone call a week, and a ping on LinkedIn weekly. I recognize that the level of activity is somewhat due to my industry, but nonetheless-if you’re looking for a job here, get yourself on LinkedIn!

Okay, so now that we understand your life history in regards to moving to London and what your work is, let’s get into some more nitty-gritty details.

What do you absolutely love about your life in London?

Borough Market on Saturday mornings, free museums and the vast selection of plays to be able to attend, the ability to ‘pop’ over to the continent-for next to nothing-for the weekend, public transportation (I know, I know-it can be a nightmare, but comparitvely, it’s leaps ahead of the US). I’ll stop there-I could probably list another 10 things!

And what could you do without?

Tourists who clog up the sidewalks, the intrusion of my personal space when on said public transport, and the cost of living. I could also probably list another 10 things, but will try to stay positive.

Do you miss “home”? Or do you call London your home now?

There are days when I miss Seattle, my friends & family, a good, cheap-meal, and a good IPA to the point it physically hurts. Then, there are days when I’m so flipping happy to be here, I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Which side of the coin seems to change almost as frequently as the weather here.

Who are your friends and community? Do you mostly spend time with other Expat Americans or do you have other friends as well? Were there any cultural barriers to overcome?

My friends here fall into 2-3 clusters….Expats (and a few who aren’t) from work, my British boyfriend-and his friends-many of which are mine now, and other various, random folks that I’ve met-thru pup quiz, industry events, friends of friends (of friends…). It’s a somewhat diverse group. Probably 50% US; 40% Brit; 10% ‘other’.

Cultural barriers?…yes and no. I’ve thought a lot about this in the two years I’ve been here. I think the ‘cultural barriers’ I’ve personally experienced have nothing to do with differences between the US & UK. Rather, my experiences are due to living in a truly *big* city for the first time. I think that’s where I’ve struggled the most. I’m not used to the crowds-and the need to be aggressive to sometimes get from point A to B, and the brusque attitude you can sometimes encounter. I don’t think that’s a UK thing-I think it’s a big city thing.

The actual ‘cultural’ differences don’t seem too noticeable to me. Again, having thought about this a bit, I think it’s due to having been raised in the South. I see a lot of similarities in the culture of the South-and British culture, and think that becuase of this, it was an easy transistion for me. Either that, or I’m completely oblivious!

But, the fact that my bf is British certainly helps. He gives me ‘street cred’ immediately when we’re out & about, and I’m sure I’ve picked up on cultural bits from him-even subconsciously-that have made my living here seem so smooth.

In terms of lifestyle, what do you think is different about your lifestyle in the UK compared to your lifestyle in the states? And what’s the same?

WHERE DO I BEGIN?!?!?

In short, everything-both good and bad: I walk, I don’t drive. I pay more for rent here than my mortgage in the US. I never wear a shoe that’s higher than 1 inch. I drink coffee without half & half. I get tons more vacation. I don’t exercise as much, but I drink more. I eat less Asian food, but more Mediterannean food. I don’t go shopping every other weekend, and buy more ‘stuff.’ I realize how good the customer service in the US is now-actually, make that *exemplary.* I don’t go out during the week as spontaneously as I used to-but at the same time, have more scheduled social events.

If you could offer any advice to fellow Americans considering the move to the UK, what would it be?

Whew. Where do I begin?…Brace yourself! I think you won’t even realize how valuable of an experience living in the UK has been-until you move back to the US. Assuming you do!..

Thanks so much Kristina! I really enjoyed this interview. Keep up the great blogging!

Check out Kristina’s blog here & please tell her that I sent you. Thanks!

Any other questions for Kristina? Please share your thoughts in the comments, and be sure to let me know if you know of another blogger I should interview for this blog. Thanks.

First Things First: Moving to the United Kingdom from Canada or the USA

Victoria Westcott — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:13:12 +0000

Since I’ve been writing this blog for a few months, I figure it’s time to review the steps you need to take to move to the United Kingdom from Canada or America.

Step One: Legalities

Can you legally make the move to the UK? It’s not enough to have a Canadian or American passport!

Check out this blog post:

How to Get a Visa or Work Permit to Work or Study in the UK

Step Two: Bank Accounts, Accommodations and Flights

Once you know you can legally move to the UK, you’ll want to start getting everything in order to make the actual move.

How to Set Up a UK Bank Account From Abroad
How to Get a Cheap Flight to the UK from Canada or America
How to Find a Flat in the UK - watch this space for more details about my arrangement with London Relocation Services. They help you get a flat within 24 hours, and I’m working with them to get you a great deal on their services. Watch this space!

Step Three: The Job Hunt

Depending on your profession, this might actually be step 1 or 2. In any case, here are my two cents:

How to Get a Job in the UK

Step 4: Network with other Canadians and Americans in the UK

Make new friends! You are not the first American or Canadian to move to the United Kingdom, so why not make some new friends with others in the same boat as you across the pond?

How to Network with Other Canadians & Americans in the UK

Step 5: The Nitty Gritty – Health Care, Packing, Electricals, Shopping, Flights, Send Money “Home”…

Wow! That’s a whole lotta information that I wish I had when I moved to the United Kingdom from Canada. I hope it helps you.

I am currently looking for more ideas for this blog. Please help! What would you like to see on here? Any ideas? Please share your thoughts below.

How to Get a Job in the United Kingdom

Victoria Westcott — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:19:00 +0000

So you want to work in the UK and now you need a job. Where should you start your job hunt?

The first thing to do is exactly what you are doing now. Look online. Look at blogs in your industry and see how others in your shoes have gone to the UK and found the same work that you would like to do.

Make sure you read the post about visas and work permits before you start your job hunt! There’s no point wasting your time looking for that perfect job if you are not able to actually work in the UK.

Once you know if you can get a visa, you can look to employment agencies, like what I do withClassroom Canada. There are employment agencies for literally every career sector, and people like me who aim to help you find jobs in your given field.

Whether you work in health care, education, security, administration, design, information technology…there will more than likely be an employment agency out there that’s looking for your skills and experience and specializes in your field.

The trick is to find out which agency has the best reputation and go from there. Don’t just read the company websites! With the internet, you can find out so much more than just what the company wants you to know.

You can look to UK job websites like these:

Gumtree – originally for Australians, this is the #1 website for jobs in London (as well as flats, but that’s another blog post to come).
Monster UK – Just like the online job board in the USA and Canada, but in the UK.
The Guardian Newspaper Jobs Online
The Telegraph Newspaper Jobs Online
Reed – one of the larger employment agencies
Fish4Jobs – they try to compete with sites like Monster and have plenty of jobs listed.

You can also look to online forums and ask other Canadians and Americans who are already in the UK:

Canuck Abroad – See the UK Forum here. Chances are someone else has already asked the same questions you want answered.
UK Yankee - Just like Canuck Abroad but for Americans in the UK.

Facebook has a heap of groups for you to join and ask questions of others in the same boat as you. Here are some I know:

Moving to London – As of today, the group has 792 members and growing! It seems to be a group started by the folks at www.moving2london.com.
Canadians in London – 931 members, this one is more focused on the fun side of life in London than advice about moving there.
Canadians in the UK – 421 members and growing.
Canadians Living in the UK – 225 members.
Americans in England – 619 members, and it looks quite active in the notice boards.
American Ex-Pats in London – 1399 members! Wow.
Americans in London – 413 members.

One last thing.

Most employers in the UK will want to meet you face-to-face for an interview, so don’t expect to be hired while you are still abroad. I know this is hard to hear and that 99% of you won’t want to move to the UK without having work already lined up. But put yourself in the employer’s shoes. Why would they hire someone who is still abroad when they can hire someone who is already in the UK? It doesn’t matter if they have a shortage in your particular sector. They want to meet you in person, more often than not anyway.

Sometimes, people are sent to the UK with their company and their situation is quite different. They already have a job within the company, so being transferred to the UK is pretty simple.

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Wonderings? Please leave your thoughts below. If you have any advice to offer readers in regards to the UK job hunt, please let us know. In particular, if you have an employment agency that you would like to recommend, let us know by leaving your comment below and be sure to explain why you like them.