NY Actress seeking to find work in the UK where I was trained, any tips or advic

Greetings,

 My name is Helen and I am seeking advice about looking for Theater work in London.

What I am finding is somewhat of a catch 22 situation. My grandfather was from London so I want to return to my roots. There are other reasons that have to do with the culture and mindset in London vs NYC.

So far I am finding that,
1 since i will be returning for a summer to study at RADA i will not be able to work or look for work because it's a short term
2 i will not be able to audition for paying roles without a visa
3 i will have to get a day job anyways to get between roles...but what are the odds that they will interview an American? And why can't i do this while i am already there? If i do get a job people are telling me that they could do my visa paperwork. But that's a long shot, right?
I am an excellent seamstress, costume designer and pattern drafter and I would try to find something in my field.

Any suggestions? I know of some actors that went to school in London and went right into roles but it seems the border rules have gotten stricter. At this point i will keep my plans to study drama and see what happens.

Thankyou for any help!! Helen

If you  go on the UKBA website, they publish a pdf on the Routes of entry for artists and entertainers or you can copy and paste this link:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/visitingtheuk/entertainer-artist.pdf

Otherwise, do you have EU / EEA ancestry or access to Commonwealth citizenship, which might entitle you to either EU / EEA citizenship or Right of Abode / Ancestry visa, if a Commonwealth citizen?

Mods, OP might get a more thorough answer if this is moved to the visa section?

Hope that helps, anyways,

MLG