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.
Victoria Westcott
kikimoo
