IT work in the north/northwest of England

Hi -

I'm a Briton married to an American and currently resident in NJ.  We're looking at moving to Britain as soon as we can, but getting started on the job search is... weird.  I haven't been working, as I've had a long history of illnes (which, touch wood, seems to be changing), so he's the breadwinner.  He's been a Unix systems administrator for 10 years, and currently has a secure job with decent pay; this means we're not in a state of desperation, and there's an element of being able to pick and choose.  That said, there are certain things that concern us:

* Though he has the right to enter the country and work straight off the bat because of my UK citizenship, will employers be unlikely to help with the cost of relocation?  We've always been careful not to rack up debt, but we don't have a vast amount of money, and the current economic climate means what we have will be basically cut in half when we cross the pond.

* How can we find out about regional pay-scales?  Is it even possible to get an industry-specific range?  The only person we know in the IT industry is in London, and that's a very different kettle of fish than Cheshire or Yorkshire or Wales or...  I'm going slightly mad looking at websites, trying to work out what the standard of living is all over the show.  My family is in the northwest of England, and we'd prefer to be in striking distance of them (Cheshire, Manchester, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Yorkshire, etc.); that said, we're open to other areas. 

* Jobserve and many other online recruitment/job ad places seem to be concentrating on recent graduates.  Does anyone in the IT industry have tips on where to look for jobs for experienced Unix sys admins? 

* My husband's really interested in full/flexible telecommuting.  He loves his job, and he'd happily do it at home on sick days or snow days if only his company would allow him to.  One of the things that is getting on his nerves is a) not being trusted to work from home when it's impossible to get to work, regardless of how much honesty and enthusiasm he demonstrates, and b) being interrupted by people who want him to be tech support instead of allowing him to get on with his job (the company outsourced most of their desktop support, and he is one of the only people that anyone trusts with their computers - the outsource people routinely mess up, so now he's basically doing that on top of everything else).  He'd be fine with a company that would basically just let him do his job, but if anyone has tips on telecommuting, he'd be your friend for life.

* We're hoping to move somewhere:
  a) With reasonable public transport (by American standards; Britons constantly complain about public transport, but there's none where we live), and pavements (we have NOWHERE TO WALK round here!!) where we won't need a car every day.  We are so sick of driving.  So, so sick of it.
  b) Veggie-friendly (we're both vegan, and we are spoiled by living in an area where there are lots of veggie options).
  c) Has a health food store/co-op in striking distance.
  d) Has a diverse population (colour, religion, sexual orientation, politics, etc.) - we don't want to be the local freaks because we don't eat meat, for example, or think that asylum seekers are not the scum of the Earth and think it's not outrageous to pay taxes to support other people's kids and... we're blue-staters.
  e) Has access to a range of public ameneties (libraries, theatres, etc.).
So it looks like we're looking at an urban area or somewhere close to one.  We don't need a huge house or to live in opulence (though that would be nice); we do need a place with a friendly,  neighbourhood.  Any tips?

This seems to have turned into the GigantaPost.  The GigantaRamblingPost.  Sorry about that.  But any help is gratefully received.

Try totaljobs.co.uk, monster.co.uk as well as IT recruiters.  Again, with telecommuting, I think it is more of an American thing than a British thing.  As I mentioned before, I work for an investment bank, a US bank, and from what I have seen here in London, less people tend to work from home.  It is done, but not to the extent that I saw back in the States. 

bvamin

Good to know. I've passed along the urls - thank you

Have you thought about Scotland? I don't know about the IT industry up there but Glasgow has good public transport and is definitely veggie friendlyand has quite a diverse population.  Edinburgh seems to be easy to get around too.  And both are good for amenities and the arts etc.  I would live there myself if it wasn't so cold!!!

Try this

http://www.theitjobboard.co.uk/

Have you thought about Scotland? I don't know about the IT industry up there but Glasgow has good public transport and is definitely veggie friendlyand has quite a diverse population.  Edinburgh seems to be easy to get around too.  And both are good for amenities and the arts etc.  I would live there myself if it wasn't so cold!!!

Something to bear in mind.  As I say, we're pretty open to other areas

Try this  http://www.theitjobboard.co.uk/

Thank you - I've passed it along 

Just a small warning, Kaz, your husband can't work immediatly upon arrival in the UK. He'll need a visa (I am assuming you'll get a spousal visa) before he can start to look for work. 

And as far as cities with all the stuff you described in the North, the ones that are off the top of my head are Manchester, Sheffield, York, Leeds and Liverpool.

Like Britwife said, Scotland would be a good place to look as well.

Just a small warning, Kaz, your husband can't work immediatly upon arrival in the UK. He'll need a visa (I am assuming you'll get a spousal visa) before he can start to look for work.

Ashley, I'm afraid that's not true.  I am American married to my British spouse when we moved over.  We had to have the residency sorted out through the British embassy in DC, but the day I landed on British soil I could start working for a company (assuming one would hire me that quickly!)  You might be thinking of fiance visa people?

I would guess somewhere like Manchester would be the best place to start in the northwest of England.  Big cosmopolitan city, large variety of eating establishments.  You'll probably be more likely to find jobs there than many other smaller places.  Lots of train lines into the city.

Matt

Ashley, I'm afraid that's not true. I am American married to my British spouse when we moved over. We had to have the residency sorted out through the British embassy in DC, but the day I landed on British soil I could start working for a company (assuming one would hire me that quickly!) You might be thinking of fiance visa people?

No, you had a residency visa, I'm assuming. Americans cannot come into the country with no visa (whether you're married to a brit or not) and simply start working. You have to have a visa (any visa) that states you are able to work.

Re: Cities: It really does look like the major university towns are the most likely to have the diversity and ameneties we're looking for, as well as more employment opportunities.  We're slowly narrowing it down   

Re: Right to work:  When last I contacted the UK Immigration and Nationality Directorate (some years back), I was told by them that a spouse of a British citizen entering the country had both right of residence and of work.  Now, I know that immigration policies tend to shift over time, so I've just emailed them again to clarify - and be assured that I will post their answer verbatim here 

And a bit more furtling round the UK government pages brought me to:

UK Visas Guidance - Husbands, wives and partners (INF 4):

Can I join my husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée in the UK?
You can apply to join your husband, wife, fiancé or fiancée in the UK as long as:

    * they currently live and are settled in the UK, or
    * they are coming to live permanently in the UK.

How do I qualify to join my husband or wife?
You must show that:

    * you are legally married to each other
    * your husband or wife is present and settled in the UK (see below)
    * you both intend to live together permanently as husband and wife
    * you have met each other before
    * together you can support yourselves and any dependants without any help from any public funds
    * you have suitable accommodation, which is owned or lived in only by you and your household, and where you and your dependants can live without any help from public funds
    * your husband or wife is not under 18, and
    * you are not under 18.

If your husband or wife has more than one wife or husband, only one will be allowed to join them in the UK.

At first, you will be allowed to stay and work in the UK for two years. Near the end of this time, if you are still married and intend to continue living together, you can apply to stay permanently in the UK.

The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) will deal with your application to stay permanently and give you information on what you will need to do. Contact details for IND can be found at the end of this guidance.

If you and your husband, wife or partner have been living together outside the UK for four years or more, there will be no time limit on how long you can stay in the UK.

Sorry, I wasn't saying your husband couldn't come to the UK and work. As a spouse, yes, he has a right to apply for a visa. I was simply saying, he'll need to apply and get the visa first before he can look for work. He'll need to get a FLR (Further Leave to Remain) or ILR (Indefinate Leave to Remain).

If you have any questions about the visa aspect then I suggest looking in the Visa Section of the board but you look like you've got it covered.

Yes I would say the key point in Kaz's quote is the heading ... UK Visas Guidance.  US spouses of Uk citizens most certianly need a spouse visa before they arrive  in the UK. Don't even think about coming without one unless you want to be turned around at the airport and sent straight back.  Do check out the visa board as Ashley suggests for more details.

I must have been misreading you - of course we shall be applying for the appropriate visa before entering the country, but I was under the impression that you were saying that once here he could not work and would need a seperate visa after arrival.  It simply did not occur to me that we might enter the country without the paperwork.