Love advice Ive read, Question in regards in getting started (come 1st of Sep)

Hey everyone,

Still pretty much a novice at posting, but I'll try and be as concise as possible.

My wife and I are finally (after years bouncing from Germany back to me going to the states, her staying in the UK) going to get settled down. She's currently working in London, so we're trying to set up shop there and needless to say, its one tough nut to crack as an American from the South! I'm pretty cultured at this point, but its still a really massive change up for me.
We'll have my visa by the beginning of September, and we're hoping to have a flat sorted by then as well in the Hammersmith/Shepherds Bush area *crosses fingers*, but its sooo difficult finding something within a young couples price range.

She has a pretty well paying job, but for me its still really up in the air. I'm trying to sort what it is that i want to pursue whether it be teaching (dream job) or sales (my most recent job experience that I fared well in back in Atlanta). But I just feel entirely overwhelmed in going about searching for jobs. The internet seems like a cesspool of superfluous advertising for everything except relevant jobs, and job sites seem to take up more time than its even worth.

That being said, I suppose I'll break it down into 3 questions:
1) Are recruiters a viable option for US citizens relocating to London via a spousal visa? If so, is applying online more likely to yield results over applying in person?
2) People have told me to begin by pursuing a bar/pub job in the beginning and sorting things (for a serious position) concurrently, who was successful taking this route? How viable an option is this?
3) In terms of applying for serious job candidacies, if you are living in the UK as a spouse of a UKC is priority still given to UK nationals over others when applying for jobs?

I could naturally post more questions, but I feel like thats a good start. and I appreciate advice I've read prior to posting. It quells some of the fears I've been experiencing when tackling such an undertaking.

Thanks a lot!

Looking forward to hearing back. 

Hey there!

I hope things go smoothly for you with your application! You've got the easier track at the moment.

You're biggest hurdle when you first arrive is you have no British Work experience. That's a huge thing for employers, some of them have a lot of trouble seeing around that.

Absolutely get yourself set up with some recruiters. Even if you sign up online you will have to stop by their offices to be registered. It's filling out a form, having a chat, and possibly doing some assessments. They only get paid when you have a position.

I don't live in London, so I'm not sure what 'the best' route is. But I just applied for every single job that seemed like it fit my skill set and writing a killer cover letter. An important thing for you to do with your CV is to make sure you include UK equivalents of your US qualifications.

I wouldn't say the employers I have worked with give preference to UK citizens, but I haven't really been involved in any hiring processes. To be honest, a lot of people I have met with just love my accent, I'm from the Midwest and never really thought I had much of one. The important thing for most employers is they want to make sure they're hiring someone who has staying power. (EDIT: I've not been the one doing the hiring. I've  had two successful hirings, had to leave both jobs because of poor work environment. One the boss literally screamed at employees several times a week. The latest was my manager wasn't very good, never managed before and the HR head was terrible.)

Hope that's helpful! Have a great day.

You are in for an adventure and I hope it goes well for you. 

1.  In my experience, recruitment consultants don't want to talk to you unless you are here.  They get 10 emails a day from people who are going to get a visa or need sponsorship and your letters will just get chucked in that pile.  I'd suggest you apply online once you get here and get a NI number.

2.  That's not really a UK specific question.  If you were moving to a big city in the US, how would you look for a job? Would you start off working in a bar?  If so, then do that.  If you'd start applying at Unilever for sales positions, then do that.  The UK isn't that different from the U S in that respect.  You already know the answer to this. 

3 As far as I know, there was never any formal preference given and that would most likely be illegal.  IMHO , people like Americans because we remind them of their holidays so they like to have us around.  They don't know what to make of our qualifications so they just assume they are high.  Your competition in any job will be a bunch of unconfident people who can't blow their own horn American Style.  So yes, Informally, you may get some mileage out of being American.

Until you get here, I'd focus on networking and finding a job through friends. 

You are in for an adventure and I hope it goes well for you. 

1.  In my experience, recruitment consultants don't want to talk to you unless you are here.  They get 10 emails a day from people who are going to get a visa or need sponsorship and your letters will just get chucked in that pile.  I'd suggest you apply online once you get here and get a NI number.

2.  That's not really a UK specific question.  If you were moving to a big city in the US, how would you look for a job? Would you start off working in a bar?  If so, then do that.  If you'd start applying at Unilever for sales positions, then do that.  The UK isn't that different from the U S in that respect.  You already know the answer to this. 

3 As far as I know, there was never any formal preference given and that would most likely be illegal.  IMHO , people like Americans because we remind them of their holidays so they like to have us around.  They don't know what to make of our qualifications so they just assume they are high.  Your competition in any job will be a bunch of unconfident people who can't blow their own horn American Style.  So yes, Informally, you may get some mileage out of being American.

Until you get here, I'd focus on networking and finding a job through friends.

Thanks for your response, love it.

And yeah, a lot of Brits think to say that 'I don't have much of an accent' but they love when I do put on a Southern accent. So i'll def use to my advantage.

I worked for 2+ years in a hostel in Germany, so I'll most probably take that route to start. London obvs being the city that it is most likely has some hospitality opportunities.

Thanks for your help so far.

I would also work on getting written references from any past employers you can think of.   Many potential employers are put off by trying to call your references long distance, so they'll be perfectly content with a letter saying how great you are.  If you've got time to kill, get a copy of your CV online, and another in World that you can send out. 

You could look into teacher training, my wife was actually paid to get certified as a teacher but that was a long time ago.  Depending on your experience you may qualify for something similar.  Google it.

You can certainly get a job in a hotel, there's plenty of those.  People don't tip here, so I hope your wife is making enough to cover the rent in Hammersmith.  That's not cheap!

In Britain any worker handling food or drink is required to receive training in Food Hygiene. I think some places do it themselves through an accredited instructor, but one thing you may consider is getting your Level 2 Food Safety & Hygiene for Catering certificate before applying. It sort of shows you are willing, is something for the CV, and in all likelihood you will have to get anyhow. 

You can take it online for about £15 I think. About an hour and a half long if I recall.

I know this because I worked in a burger trailer during a very cold winter here (no, there ain't no warmth in a burger trailer - don't tell the burger guy, "Oh it looks warm in there"....it's an ice box).

What were those burgers like?  Scary dog meat?

You can certainly get a job in a hotel, there's plenty of those.  People don't tip here, so I hope your wife is making enough to cover the rent in Hammersmith.  That's not cheap!

yeahhhh, its quite pricey. I suppose i should have said Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. We're looking right now at something in Shepherds Bush/Acton area. Its better for her work, and once i'm earning we can split it pretty evenly.

You'll have a great time.   Every day is like a new adventure, you see something funny all the time. 

When you get here, post and we'll go out for beer.

What were those burgers like?  Scary dog meat?

They were pretty bog standard pre-made patties.....but I have a weakness for that kind of thing. I think what gave them a nice flavour was the gunk build up on the grill grate....you could have dug into the grease like they do with arctic ice cores and probably have learned a lot about years passed. 

Thanks, I'm hungry for a burger now.

Hey everyone,

Still pretty much a novice at posting, but I'll try and be as concise as possible.

My wife and I are finally (after years bouncing from Germany back to me going to the states, her staying in the UK) going to get settled down. She's currently working in London, so we're trying to set up shop there and needless to say, its one tough nut to crack as an American from the South! I'm pretty cultured at this point, but its still a really massive change up for me.
We'll have my visa by the beginning of September, and we're hoping to have a flat sorted by then as well in the Hammersmith/Shepherds Bush area *crosses fingers*, but its sooo difficult finding something within a young couples price range.

She has a pretty well paying job, but for me its still really up in the air. I'm trying to sort what it is that i want to pursue whether it be teaching (dream job) or sales (my most recent job experience that I fared well in back in Atlanta). But I just feel entirely overwhelmed in going about searching for jobs. The internet seems like a cesspool of superfluous advertising for everything except relevant jobs, and job sites seem to take up more time than its even worth.

That being said, I suppose I'll break it down into 3 questions:
1) Are recruiters a viable option for US citizens relocating to London via a spousal visa? If so, is applying online more likely to yield results over applying in person?
2) People have told me to begin by pursuing a bar/pub job in the beginning and sorting things (for a serious position) concurrently, who was successful taking this route? How viable an option is this?
3) In terms of applying for serious job candidacies, if you are living in the UK as a spouse of a UKC is priority still given to UK nationals over others when applying for jobs?

I could naturally post more questions, but I feel like thats a good start. and I appreciate advice I've read prior to posting. It quells some of the fears I've been experiencing when tackling such an undertaking.

Thanks a lot!

Looking forward to hearing back.

Hello!!! I just moved to the UK from Atlanta about a month ago!!! people told me the same things about getting a cust serv type job in the beginning and then focus on finding a job your more qualified for..it has been a bit of a struggle but I got national insurance last week so I'm hoping to find something soon...people also suggested I try a temp agency as well..i have a criminal justice degree and I'm still trying to figure out what I should do with it here