Graphic Designer jobs! SOMEONE HELP ME!!!!!!!!!!

I have been applying for all kinds of Graphic designer jobs in London.... but no luck... they are too afraid to hire someone outside the EU  :\\\'( i need help....... anyone know of any newspapers, magazines, or ad agencies in London willing to hire an American!!!!!!!!

It might not be that they are afraid to hire outside the EU, but that they have to PROVE they can't find a qualified EU resident to take the position.  I don't know what kind of difficulty a place would have finding an EU citizen or if Graphic design is a shortage area.  I don't think it is.

Don't know of any places but keep at it and good luck.

Hi. Lucky (fully permitted to work) textile designer here. I don't think there is any shortage of graphic designers here. If you have particular graphic skills, something that would be hard to come by here, it would be a very good idea to feature those in your CV. For instance, I know Point Carre, a graphics program specific for textile design. I checked with the NY Point Carre office and asked them for a list of businesses in the UK that used it. It turned out there were only five, unfortunately none near where I live in the UK. Still, I'm willing to fill in when their regular person is on holiday, and they will have a hard time finding someone here who knows the program. Look for businesses like the one you work for in the US, so your skills, and particularly your experience, exactly match what they need, so they have a rationalization for why they should be allowed to hire you rather than home-grown talent.

Good luck.

DJC

It's very hard to find graphic design or web design jobs in the UK, even for people who have lived here all their life.  :\\\'( Highly competitive and there's definitely no shortage of applicants. I learned a bit too late in my education just how hard it is to find a job in that field. I'm considering getting a master's in childhood education to supplement it, because at least I know there's a high demand for teachers.

yeah i think i should go into teaching too.......

Honestly, if you plan on going into teaching because it's a 'fall-back' kind of job, it's not meant for you.  I'm a teacher because I love it.  But I would never recommend someone become a teacher because they need a visa or a way to find a job overseas.  To be quite blunt, I resent the implication that teaching is just something to fall into because jobs are easy to come by.  Teaching is demanding, exhausting mentally and phsyically.  It's also very rewarding.  But becoming a teacher isn't something you should do just because what you love (graphic design) isn't an easy way to emigrate. 

Honestly, if you plan on going into teaching because it's a 'fall-back' kind of job, it's not meant for you.  I'm a teacher because I love it.  But I would never recommend someone become a teacher because they need a visa or a way to find a job overseas.  To be quite blunt, I resent the implication that teaching is just something to fall into because jobs are easy to come by.  Teaching is demanding, exhausting mentally and phsyically.  It's also very rewarding.  But becoming a teacher isn't something you should do just because what you love (graphic design) isn't an easy way to emigrate. 

Quite right.  My sister is a primary school teacher and loves it.  But as she says, it has to be something you really, really want to do.  I don't know how she juggles such a demanding position with her busy family life, but she does b/c depsite all the bureaucracy involved, she likes helping students learn to read and write better.  The whole 'summers off' thing is a farce, too.  It hardly makes up for all the extra time she puts in outside classroom hours during term times and she's back at work next week - a fortnight before the students arrive.  She spends most of the summer honing up on skills teachers need to do their job better. 

Quite right.  My sister is a primary school teacher and loves it.  But as she says, it has to be something you really, really want to do.  I don't know how she juggles such a demanding position with her busy family life, but she does b/c depsite all the bureaucracy involved, she likes helping students learn to read and write better.  The whole 'summers off' thing is a farce, too.  It hardly makes up for all the extra time she puts in outside classroom hours during term times and she's back at work next week - a fortnight before the students arrive.  She spends most of the summer honing up on skills teachers need to do their job better. 

Yep, that's exactly how it is.  Mentally, there's never really a break.  As soon as school is over, there's about 2 weeks to really stop and unwind before starting to think about the next year, planning, preparing, attending conferences or seminars.  Having a personal life can be difficult.  I can't count the number of weekends I've given up just to grade notebooks or something.   

All that said.. I do love it.  I've missed the rapport with kids during this last year out of the classroom.  I would never make the decision to teach lightly.  People who do are often the ones who leave the profession within the first 5 years... about 50% do anyway.

There's a reason for the shortage:  it's because teaching is a real skill that most people don't have. 

It does interfere w/one's personal life in that some spontaneity is lost - you cant' just decide to take a mini-break in October (or other term time) b/c you find a good fare, or meet the pals after work if you've got a load of marking to do that evening.  You get there before the students and leave long after them. 

You're also under far more scrutiny than in other professions that don't come into contact w/children. 

This summer, my sister's been on no less than 4 required, multi-day conferences on professional issues regarding working with kids, new rules and regulations governing how teachers are to do their job, test administration, etc., as well as all the courses necessary to keep her license current. 

Back to the original query... Yes, graphic design is highly competitive. That's partially b/c there are SO MANY graphic design courses in the UK so you're not just competing with designers with experience, but each batch of new grads. It's also a highly insular field with a lot of 'who do you know' type stuff dictating who gets the jobs. On top of that, since the UK isn't all that big and the jobs tend to be in the cities, you have people more willing to relocate.

So to sum it up, there's not much chance of you getting a visa through a graphic design job.

As for the teaching, the folks above are right. Teaching is a calling - dont' do it just because it'll get you a job - which, in actual fact, it may well not. There are a few folks on here who have US teaching qualifications who have not had an easy switch to the UK.

Honestly, if you plan on going into teaching because it's a 'fall-back' kind of job, it's not meant for you.  I'm a teacher because I love it.  But I would never recommend someone become a teacher because they need a visa or a way to find a job overseas.  To be quite blunt, I resent the implication that teaching is just something to fall into because jobs are easy to come by.  Teaching is demanding, exhausting mentally and phsyically.  It's also very rewarding.  But becoming a teacher isn't something you should do just because what you love (graphic design) isn't an easy way to emigrate. 

Oh no, I didn't mean to come across that way at all! I have always been interested in being a primary school teacher ever since I was in primary school myself. I would always make up pretend worksheets and envision running my own classroom. Plus, I've had experience teaching and caring for kids in the past, and kids really seem to take to me and I love teaching them. So it's not something I'd "fall back on" at all... I know I would enjoy it immensely, and I wish I had researched this option much earlier in my educational career.

FWIW, I've found that many graphic designer often get involved in education... for some reason people in this field seem to do well in education, too. I'm working on teaching at Uni level... but I've also done lots of education outreach at lower levels in the US.

FWIW, I've found that many graphic designer often get involved in education... for some reason people in this field seem to do well in education, too.

Interesting to know. 

hahaha sorry to upset all teachers... haha i didn't mean to say..."guess i'll go into teaching too' hahaah to be honest i have been really wanting to be a teacher at an elementary level.... i love kids! heck my mom and my sister are teachers so i know what headaches they go through trust me!!!!!! i've been thinking about going back to school and getting a teaching degree i think i'd enjoy it... i think it could be a very fullfilling job...but i'll still keep aiming for that graphic artist job... the companies seem interested it's just the whole "AMERICAN" thing that gets in the way haha... oh well