Worth trying to meet with headhunters while visiting? (Engineering)

My husband and I are visiting relatives in the UK next spring and I'm wondering if it's worth trying to meet with some headhunters/recruitment agencies/actual employers while we're here. We'll be applying for a spousal visa based on savings, but since we don't actually want to spend all our savings, he'll need to get a job fairly quickly!

Relevant info:

• He's got a BS in Mechanical Engineering, currently working as a Process Engineer at a company that manufactures small-batch circuit boards for the aerospace/defense and medical industries
• His current company can only hire US citizens because of the government defense contracts -- is that generally true for the defense industry in the UK as well?
• We've seen enough jobs he's qualified for advertised on job sites that we're pretty optimistic, but have no idea what the competition for them or hiring process is like
• We'd prefer to end up somewhere in the Southeast (my family's in the Brighton area), but can relocate anywhere

We wouldn't likely be moving for at least 6 months, but I was thinking it might be worth talking to some recruiters just to get an idea of the availability of jobs in his field, what they're looking for in candidates, and the hiring process.

If anyone has any thoughts on how to best find a job in this area (eg, headhunter vs applying directly with a company), how long it typically takes to get hired, or recommendations for specific agencies, that would be greatly appreciated!

Tough one - never any harm in meeting with recruiters.  But they tend to only strike while the iron is hot.  As he won't be in the UK yet or have the right to work yet, it'll be near impossible to actually get anywhere with one. 

My husband is a mechanical engineer turned project manager for a construction company.  Their largest projects are MOD projects right now and do require security clearances.  He has been okay to be cleared with a foreign spouse but he's British.  He wouldn't be on the job if he was American.

Is your husband aware of the cultural differences of being an engineer in the US versus the UK?  It would be tough to go from it being such a respected profession in the US to be poo-pooed in the UK.  The average salary for a mechanical engineer in the UK is £29k versus $87k in the US.  I'm sure with time and patience he can find a job that is the right fit for him, but it can be a bit of a hit to the ego for a bit.   

My experience with recruitment consultants in the software industry is that if you don't currently have a visa, they don't want to know about you.  The possibility of your husband being able to make money for them is too remote to waste their time.  Every job advertised on line has multiple filters to specify that if you have no visa, don't apply. 

I could be way off the mark for real engineers so take my experience for what it's worth.

KFDancer's post made me sad, another job that should support a whole family living the dream has been denigrated to pay enough for a bed sit in Staines. 

Like the lecturers at my wife's UNIVERSITY who essentially make minimum wage with little or no job security.    They consistently work way more than their contracted hours out of terror that they'll be let go.  There's a line of people fighting for every position, hence the minimum wage.

The reality of how little respect engineers have in this country has really surprised me.  My husband will NEVER tell anyone he's an engineer.  He always says he's a project manager.  He genuinely enjoys that when he tells someone he's an engineer in the US, that they do that little "Oooo, very nice" nod.  We may try living in the US at some point, and I think he'll really enjoy that small change in culture.

He's done very well climbing the ladder at his company.  But I still cannot get past the shocking salaries engineers here receive.  Being in finance, I know what everyone makes.   

As a guy that writes software, I'm constantly getting people describing me as an engineer or trying to get me to call myself an engineer.  No way!  To me, engineers means something and it's not something you teach yourself like I did with software. 

My FIL is an engineer and he calculates the frequency of vibrations of composites materials on Ariane rockets . 

I'm an Aeronautical Engineer working for a civilian company on MOD aerospace projects. I don't think being American will stop you from getting a job or preclude you from obtaining a basic security clearance. In many cases, where US technology is concerned (which is almost everywhere these days), it may well be quite advantageous to be American (yes I'm referring to the ITAR).

What has been said above is true though; being an Engineer in the U.K. is not as respectable as being an Engineer elsewhere in the world. Many of us campaign regularly for the title to be legally protected like it is elsewhere.  The problem is that if you tell someone you're an Engineer in the U.K., they think you are a mechanic, a gas appliance technician, or any number of jobs that involve manual labour or workmanship. I've even seen trash collectors referred to as "waste refuge Engineers". Hence the reward is not nearly as good as it is even in places so close as mainland Europe. I guess you could say that most of us are doing it for the love? Lol!


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Thanks all! Your comments are really helpful. I knew the salaries weren't as good, but I had no idea about different perception of the field (I grew up in the US). I don't think my husband will mind too much, since he's generally not bothered what other people think, but it's the subtle things that can get under your skin over time!

It sounds like there's no point in speaking to an agency right now, but I've asked my relatives to see if there are any engineers in their extended circle that he could have a chat with.

As per your last sentence, head hunters may be a waste of time, but using linked in to contact professionals in the field might be smart.

Once he's 'in country' head hunters maybe interested in him. Most of my friends and colleagues have legions of them on LinkedIn, myself included. Get LinkedIn to some Engineers in the UK and the rest will follow.


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