I am new and have a few questions!?!?!?

Good Morning everybody,

I am 26, engaged to a wonderful man named Rich and we live in NY State.  We plan on moving to the UK in about a year.  We are planning so far ahead because we have a dog(the process takes 6-7 months)  and we are both finishing school.  Our big concern is finding jobs.  Rich will graduate with a dual degree in geography/global information systems(GIS, for short) and I will have a degree in art history.  We both know, from our research, that there is a plethora of jobs in the UK for both of us, however from what we have been reading getting someone to hire us will be a problem.  From what we have read it seems like companies have to prove that you are more qualified than a Brit or someone else from the EU to do the job.  Can anyone shed some light on this topic?

Also, would you be willing to share some of what life is like there in the UK?  We are both really psyched to be moving there, we can't wait for the next year to pass.

 

Have you been in touch with any companies who want to hire you?  Getting a work visa is difficult because the company in question must prove that you are more qualified than any current resident of the EU to do the job.  If there's already a company interested, then you have one foot in the door and you're a step ahead.  Don't get me wrong--it is possible to get a work visa, but it's certainly one of the more difficult visas to obtain.  Do you have any ties with the UK that would allow you to claim residency?


For a rundown of life in the UK, I'd suggest you check out the "Expat Life" section of the forum first...that contains more info than any of us could share in a single post.

Good luck (and welcome to the site!).

We haven't been in touch with any companies...yet.  Since the decision to move to the UK is a fairly new one (we made it two days ago) we haven't really been able to.  We have to get everything into full swing, probably this week.  Along with all of our planning, we are scheduling a visit to the UK around the end of November to see what is in store for us.  We were going to start with American companies that have brances over there and then work our way to actual European companies.  This is still really new to us, however we really want to start our life together in the UK and are committed to making it happen.

I don't know what type of things you plan to research, but there is a great program (BUNAC) that offers a 6-month work visa for recent USA graduates to work in the UK.  If nothing else, it gives you a 6 month trail run.  I would think that you could get a foot in the door by saying: "listen, I have this temporary work visa, hire me for a six-month trial run, if you like me THEN we can fill out the paper work and pay the filling fees for a work sponsored visa"

It's a way for a potential employer to see if you are a match and if you are worth the hassel and paper work.  Plus, it gets you into the UK for 6 months.  Check out thier website and send for an information package. 

http://www.bunac.org/

Good luck!!!

Good luck and welcome to the coolest site in town 
Melissa