Looking for a Job in England
Relocating and looking for a job in a foreign country can be a challenge. Obtaining work visas can take a long time, and a lot of requirements are needed before you can obtain one. Even once the visa is issued, there are still the hurdles of trying to find a new job while trying to settle into a new country. Luckily, England, particularly London, has numerous foreign employees in their workforce, and that obtaining advice and support in England isn’t as daunting as it might seem.
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Instructions
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Obtain a work visa. Before you even begin looking at jobs in England, you should first research your options for obtaining a work visa. If you hold an EU passport or are a member of a Commonwealth country with a grandparent that was born in England, you may not need a work visa. The UK Border Agency website is a good place to start looking at visa information. Once you have a visa, visit the Department for Work and Pensions so that you may apply for a National Insurance number. You need that number in order to gain employment in Britain (see Resources below).
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Find accommodation. An employer will expect you to have an address that they can keep on file. It’s better to find your accommodation before you even make your travel arrangements. Hotels, particularly in London, can get costly. Craigslist is a popular site for finding accommodations in England, as is Loot (see Resources below).
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Get a phone number. Employers will require you to have a contact phone number that they can reach you at. If you don’t have one, consider getting a mobile phone. You can either buy a pay-as-you-go phone, or if you already have a mobile phone that takes a sim card, simply buy a “pay-as-you-go” sim card when you arrive.
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Create a CV. A CV is similar to a resume. It is one to two pages long, and contains a summary of your employment history, education and skills. While some employers may require you to fill out an application form, having a CV is critical to your job search in England.
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Begin your job hunt. There are many places that employers will advertise in England. These include Craigslist, local newspapers (the "Evening Standard" has a popular job section) and Monster.co.uk. Other places to look for jobs are at your council’s local job center and with recruitment agencies such as Blue Arrow. There are many different jobs in England where foreign workers are being hired ranging from the food industry to nurses and pharmacy workers (see Resources below).
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Obtain a bank account. As soon as you are able to, get a current account at a bank. Most employers in Britain require you to have a bank account and will only very rarely pay by check.
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