Canadians & Americans in the UK » job hunting

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!

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.