Work in the UK
The job market in the UK-
The UK has Europe’s third-largest economy. And also a 4 percent unemployment rate. At the end of July 2018 and the lowest joint since 1975. There are also just over 3.5 million non-UK citizens employed. Because there were 74,000 more non-EU nationals employed in the UK. And also at the same time, the number of EU nationals working in jobs decreased by 86,000.
It’s easier to get a job if you don’t need a work permit. It is relatively easy to get part-time or casual jobs but the pay will be a lot lower.
want to Work In The UK, Know here-
Job websites
General, You can browse thousands of full and part-time jobs, upload your CV and manage applications on websites such as CV-Library, which is the UK’s leading independent job board with nearly 200,000 live jobs across all sectors:
Specialist
- Careworx– care workers, social workers, nursing and managers
- Caterer – hospitality, restaurants, hotels, pubs, bars, and catering
- Charity jobs – charities
- Computer weekly – IT
- CWJobs – IT
- Design Week– design, branding, copywriting, artwork, exhibitions, graphics, interiors, furniture and packaging
- Exec Appointments – executive jobs
- Hays – management and professional level jobs
- Justengineers – engineering
- Madjobs – marketing and advertising
- Mandy – TV and film
- Music Jobs– all aspects of the music industry including performers, producers, teachers
- NHSjobs – jobs in all sectors of the National Health Service throughout the UK, from medics and nurses, through administration to cleaning and services
- Prospects – graduates
- Splashfind – top 100 UK specialist job sites
The biggest sectors in the UK in terms of the number of employees, according to the 2018 ONS Business Register and Employment Survey, are:
- wholesale and retail
- healthcare and social work
- administration
- education
- scientific and technical
- manufacturing
- hospitality
The largest UK-based companies in terms of market share in 2020 are:
- Unilever (consumer goods)
- AstraZeneca (pharmaceutical)
- Royal Dutch Shell (oil and gas)
- BHP (mining)
- Rio Tinto (mining)
- GlaxoSmithKline (pharmaceutical)
- HSBC (finance)
However, public sector organizations tend to be the biggest UK employers, with the NHS, the British Army, and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) having the most employees in 2018.
Job vacancies in the UK
The UK government website publishes and regularly updates skills shortage occupations on its website. The shortage list in August 2020 includes:
- scientists (biochemistry, physics)
- engineers (civil, mechanical, electrical)
- IT (analysts, systems designers, programmers, web designers, software developers)
- medical (practitioners, psychologists, radiographers, nurses, vets, occupational therapists)
- education (secondary school teachers)
- graphic designers
- skilled chefs
Job salaries in the UK
The UK national minimum wage is updated each year. From April 2020, it stands at:
- £8.72 per hour for employees aged 25 and above;
- Between £4.55 and £8.20 per hour for employees aged 18–24;
- £4.15 per hour for apprentices
Average UK salaries vary greatly in the UK according to factors including job sector, region, gender, and skill level. In 2019, the median weekly salary for a full-time worker in the UK was £585. The gender pay gap stood at 8.9% in 2019.
See more in our guide to the UK minimum wage.
How to find jobs in the UK
Expatica jobs
Check out Expatica’s UK job pages to find a constantly updated selection of jobs throughout the UK in a range of different sectors.
EURES
If you’re from the EU or the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), you can still currently look for a job in the UK through the EURES (European Employment Services) website. EURES is a job portal network that is maintained by the European Commission and it’s designed to aid free movement within the European Economic Area. As well as looking for work, you can upload your CV and get advice on the legal and administrative issues involved in working in the UK.
Public site
Find a job is the government-run online search engine for jobs throughout the UK. There are also Job Centers on the high streets of larger towns throughout the UK where you can browse job vacancies in person.
If I Don’t Have A Job In England Already, How Do I Get One?
There are several ways: the easiest is to apply to an American-based company that has offices in London. Even if you aren’t immediately placed in the London offices, you can make it clear that that is a goal of yours, and have that be one of the steps in your advancement. Here is how an intra-company visa sponsorship works:
If you are an existing employee of an international company and are being transferred to the UK branch to fill a specific and highly skilled vacancy, that cannot be filled by an English worker, you can qualify for an intra-company transfer. There are 4 subcategories to this type of visa:
1. Long Term: if you have been working for your organization for at least 12 months directly prior to your transfer, you can get a visa of up to 5 years under this route (or 9 years for any staff earning £155,300 a year or more).
2. Short Term: if you have been working for your organization for at least 12 months directly prior to your transfer, you can get a visa of up to 12 months.
3. Trainee: if you have recently graduated and must be sent to the UK for training purposes, with the goal of being equipped for a managerial role, you can get a short-term visa.
4. Skills Transfer: if you need to impart your specialist skills, or need to acquire specific skills from the UK office, you can get a visa for a maximum of six months.
Recruitment agencies
Most recruitment agencies specialize in a particular sector like IT, retail, childcare, or secretarial. Some agencies are headhunters who are employed by large companies to recruit executives and professionals on their behalf. Others are ‘temping’ agencies who can help you find temporary work in offices and retail, for example.
Look on the online phone book under ‘recruitment consultants’ or at Agency Central or Recruitment Search.
Newspapers and print
The Guardian is one of the best sources of graduate and professional jobs, especially in the arts, culture and media, marketing, government and politics, housing, social care, environment, and education. Look online for jobs across the sectors; the print editions focus on a different sector each day.
Also for professional positions, check out The Telegraph. See online jobs at The Big Issue for employment in the charity and not-for-profit sector around the UK. For London-based jobs, see the Metro.
Embassies and consulates
Look for job vacancies at your home country’s embassy or consulate in the UK. Whatever the job, you are sure to need a high standard of spoken and written English.
Networking
Networking is very important in the UK as many jobs are filled by word of mouth and are never advertised. So make as many contacts as possible. Join the professionals networking website LinkedIn and connect with others in the same field (trawl through your contacts’ contacts and ask for introductions).
You can also look for networking events near you. Another option is to join – or create – a meet-up group with like-minded people.
Create an online profile
Put yourself out there – virtually – with a dynamic online profile and a CV that employers can easily download. Make sure you use lots of keywords relevant to the type of job you’re looking for in the profile and filename, so that employers see your profile first (look at other people’s CVs and profiles to help you draw up a list).
Use a PDF or compatible format so it’s easily accessible by as many employers as possible. Once you’ve compiled your profile, download and print it out yourself to make sure if looks how you want it to look.
Self-employment and freelancing in the UK
If you have the right to work in the UK, this includes the right to start your own business or register as a self-employed freelancer. You will need to check visa requirements as you may need to apply for a business visa.
According to the ONS, 15.3% of the UK workforce was classified as self-employed in 2019. This is slightly above the EU average.
Traineeships, internships, and volunteering in the UK
You can currently find traineeships in the UK through the European Commission Traineeships Office. However, this is only until the end of 2020 when the UK officially leaves the EU. You can also search via the UK government website.
Search for internship opportunities in the UK on AIESEC (for students and recent graduates) and IAESTE (for students in science, engineering and applied arts). Europlacement and Go Abroad also advertise internships.
Support while looking for jobs in the UK
You can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) in the UK to support you while you’re looking for work, however you will need to have worked previously and made Class 1 National Insurance contributions in the last 2-3 years.
Skills training is available to help you build your career prospects and develop your employment skills. Each part of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) has its own careers service that runs courses and offers funding. Find out more on the UK government website.
Requirements for work in the UK
UK work visas
UK work-related visas are changing in light of the 2016 Brexit vote. From January 2021, EU/EFTA citizens will be treated the same as third-country nationals and need a visa to work in the UK.
Currently, there are only work visas available in the UK for skilled migrants and those working in shortage occupations. In 2020, the UK government announced the introduction of a new points-based system that will come into effect from the start of 2021.
Qualifications to work in the UK
You can find out how qualifications awarded in your home country relate to British qualifications through UK NARIC. The NARIC site also has a section with details on which professions are regulated in the UK, in other words, you need a minimum level of professional qualifications before you can practice them in the UK.
Tax and social security numbers in the UK
Once you start working and paying tax in the UK, whether employed or self-employed, you will be assigned a unique tax reference (UTR) number. This is a 10-digit number that is used in your dealings with the UK Inland Revenue.
You need to apply for a National Insurance (NI) Number before you start working in the UK. Your NI number is used for social security purposes in the UK and you will need it, for example, to claim benefits or a UK pension.
Starting a job in the UK
It is likely that you will start off on a probation period in your new job. During this time, the length of notice regarding the termination of your contract may well be shorter. Job probation periods in the UK should not be longer than six months.
Your employer should enroll you for social security and will make contributions from your monthly salary that will entitle you to benefits and the UK state pension. In addition to this, you will be covered by employers’ liability insurance in the UK in the event of any work-based illnesses or injuries.
Depending on your employer, you may also be offered the chance to opt in on a company pension to top up your state pension benefit. Many UK employers also offer other types of perks such as private health insurance in the UK.
Useful resources
- Find a job – UK government job search portal
- UK government working, jobs, and pensions – section of UK government website dealing with work and jobs
General Job Search Engines and Classifieds
With the sites below, you can expect to get a 0.5 to 1.0% response rate (people who will respond back to you to whom you sent your application/CV.) Nevertheless, I encourage you to give these sites a try as you never know what you will come up with or what connections you can make from a simple e-mail or application.
- Jobs.ac.uk: A big UK job site.
- The Guardian: The Guardian has job postings.
- The Independent: The Independent has jobs mainly in the areas of accounting, technology, and education.
- Career Jet: I’m sure you’ve heard of Career Jet. They have job search options for the UK.
- Glassdoor: Glassdoor has a slew of opportunities in London.
- Indeed: The UK version of the big U.S. job search site Indeed.com.
- Jobsite: Big boys in the UK job search field.
- Reed: These guys have a ridiculous number of job postings. One of the things I like about this site is that they actually show the number of job postings. Other job sites should look and learn from these guys.
- Monster: Monster has been around since pretty much the dawn of the internet era.
- Gov.uk: Government-run job site.
- Manpower: Recruitment agency.
Other Websites and Blogs
- Expatica: A good primer on working in the UK.
- Transitions Abroad: Transitions Abroad has a really comprehensive list for anyone considering becoming an expatriate in the UK.
Overseas and Expat Job Portals
- Michael Page: An international executive recruitment website that I’ve used in the past. This site is targeted towards high-end job seekers.
- eFinancialCareers: My favorite search engine for finance jobs on the web. I used them during my Wall Street days. They have lots of jobs for the UK.
- Overseas Jobs: I find that there is often significant overlap between the postings on this site and that of other sites. Nevertheless this site has been around for a while.
- Go Abroad: I’ve always been a fan of GoAbroad. In fact, on the visa information portion of my website, you will find where I have linked to their global embassies directory. They have a good job portal too.
- Linkedin: Last but not least, this huge professional social network is a resource for building contacts in the field and location of your interest.
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