I am overwhelmed

 I realized just now that is has been almost exactly one month since I moved to the UK to be with my husband. The being with my husband part is amazing and I have no complaints there.

However, I began my job search last week and it has me terrified. I have updated my CV and got my transcripts from HS and College. The job ads sound like they are in a different language. I was a social worker in the states but from what I understand I am not qualified here and I don't have a car and I'm not ready to drive anyway. I am very interested in working in schools but there seem to be a lot of acronyms that I don't have. I am interested in going back to school for my teaching degree but I need to get a job and make some money first.

So, I just had a major emotional breakdown and I think some of it is homesickness but I need to know if its going to be OK or if I should break it to my husband that we are going to have to live in a cardboard box. It would be a nice cardboard box but I don't know if he will be very excited about it.

What are some of the acronyms? Maybe we can help decrypt them .

It takes time to get your bearings in a new country. Be kind to yourself.

Aw, you must be feeling quite confused. I really sympathise, it can be so hard moving to another country and culture.

This is a nice friendly board, and I am sure you will find a lot of support here. I can't help you myself with the teaching thing left, but there's another person in the UK who's thinking of you

You are so normal!

Definitely be kind to yourself and even allow a little pity party if you need it.  There are some experienced social workers here who will be able to help you out.  It may take a bit longer to find a job than it would have taken in the US, but that's very common.

Honestly the first couple of years are hard.  At least they were for me.  And some days things are still hard.  Hugs!

I realized just now that is has been almost exactly one month since I moved to the UK to be with my husband. The being with my husband part is amazing and I have no complaints there.

However, I began my job search last week and it has me terrified. I have updated my CV and got my transcripts from HS and College. The job ads sound like they are in a different language. I was a social worker in the states but from what I understand I am not qualified here and I don't have a car and I'm not ready to drive anyway. I am very interested in working in schools but there seem to be a lot of acronyms that I don't have. I am interested in going back to school for my teaching degree but I need to get a job and make some money first.

So, I just had a major emotional breakdown and I think some of it is homesickness but I need to know if its going to be OK or if I should break it to my husband that we are going to have to live in a cardboard box. It would be a nice cardboard box but I don't know if he will be very excited about it.

I love a teaching acronym! Especially a challenge!

Might be an idea to look for a job as a teaching assistant? There are salaried places for teacher training, but they are quite competitive, so the more UK school experience you have, the better. Not that I would recommend working in UK schools at the minute... lots of shortages and changes for change's sake.

Have a look on tes.co.uk for more on teaching! Or google get into teaching.

i feel the same way!! I've been in the UK now exactly two weeks and I've started looking for a job and i don't have a car yet so i have to take the bus. I also live in the country were jobs are not easy to get. I find filling out the online applications is kinda difficult. I cant even begin to figure out how to redo my CV either ( i have a job hopper type resume)...and do most jobs wanna know about traffic offences? i  mean i understand criminal offences but traffic tickets??  i really had no idea how much my driving record would be such a big deal ( i have a few speeding tickets and an accident on my record)... lol

i feel the same way!! I've been in the UK now exactly two weeks and I've started looking for a job and i don't have a car yet so i have to take the bus. I also live in the country were jobs are not easy to get. I find filling out the online applications is kinda difficult. I cant even begin to figure out how to redo my CV either ( i have a job hopper type resume)...and do most jobs wanna know about traffic offences? i  mean i understand criminal offences but traffic tickets??  i really had no idea how much my driving record would be such a big deal ( i have a few speeding tickets and an accident on my record)... lol

Hey, I understand how difficult it is to read the job postings to see if you are even able to apply, especially when they use all the acronyms for various certificates and that sort of thing. I was googling what they meant a lot! I still have trouble sometimes.

Have you asked your partner to help you with your CV, they have a slightly different way of doing things here. It's one of the things my husband helped me with while I was over here on my fiance visa.  

What do you mean by job hopper?
My CV has restaurant jobs, jewellery sales, hospitality, front desk, limo sales, and my first real job in my field was here in the UK (Brand Marketing Assistant). I lived in a small town that didn't have as many PR opportunities, I was saving to move away. Then I moved FAR away. haha.

What I have found is important is to make sure your cover letter tells the prospective employer how your work experience covers their candidate requirements and responsibilities.

And yeah, they care about what your UK driving record is because so many people commute over here or the position you are applying for may include duties where you travel (drive yourself) places. They only care about your UK driving license, they have no way to check your US one. My husband also told me they can't even check your UK one without you getting them the info. Same as the US.

hi!! i was told by a lady who i had help with my resume years ago that i had a job hopper type resume which basically means I've had multiple jobs over the years which meant i had to go with a more skills based resume as opposed to a chronological resume.  I actually was supposed to have an interview today for a call center but they turned me down when they found out i didn't have a NI number yet ...
ive decided to wait for my NI number ( i applied for it on tuesday and they said i should get it back sometime next week)..i was reading somewhere about a site called naric who takes your degree and finds what its comparible to in the UK..is this something i should do?? its like 55 pounds so im kinda skeptical..

a site called naric

My beef with naric is that they hold a very high opinion of the UK education system. I think the US is at least equal. They don't.

My beef with naric is that they hold a very high opinion of the UK education system. I think the US is at least equal. They don't.

Agreed. NARIC is so prejudiced it is basically xenophobia. If you have a degree you have a degree. Don't waste your money.

Thanks everyone.

Yesterday I called a school about a Teaching Assistant position and the woman on the phone suggested I don't go ahead with the job once she found out I would be taking public transportation. She said that the school would not be able to count on me being on time and was firm about it. She was nice but I was startled that there would be concern over how I would get to work. In the states that was my problem.

OK, so a DBS check is a background check, right?

What is the DfE?

I have been looking at nursery positions as well and NVQ keeps coming up. I have worked with children in various roles for the last 17 years and have never needed qualifications. How do I get qualifications?

Does anyone have any other suggestions for where to look if I am great with kids but I don't drive or have any UK qualifications? I am a US Licensed Child Welfare Specialist but IDK if that means anything here and I don't have a car.

P.S. you guys are awesome
 

DBS is the basic criminal record check. It is required if you work with children, but it's really easy to get and normally your employer takes care of it.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/disclosure-and-barring-service/about

NVQ is National Vocational Qualifications. It refers to your level of education or training. If you have a degree, it's NVQ level 6.
https://www.gov.uk/what-different-qualification-levels-mean/compare-different-qualification-levels

DfE is the Department for Education.
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education

The car thing is super annoying. I used to commute on the train and my boss gave me such a hard time about it. The train made me late maybe three times in two years but every time she gave me feedback on my performance she brought it up. I kept pointing out that cars break down, get stuck in traffic, etc (had to cover for people stuck in traffic multiple times) but for some reason the fact that I was on public transport was a BFD. No solution to that problem, but sympathy.

My advice is to figure out the closest NVQ equivalent to your US qualifications and present it to employers that way. They don't want to have to think too much so if you explain things in language they understand you might have better luck.

hi!! i was told by a lady who i had help with my resume years ago that i had a job hopper type resume which basically means I've had multiple jobs over the years which meant i had to go with a more skills based resume as opposed to a chronological resume.  I actually was supposed to have an interview today for a call center but they turned me down when they found out i didn't have a NI number yet ...
ive decided to wait for my NI number ( i applied for it on tuesday and they said i should get it back sometime next week)..i was reading somewhere about a site called naric who takes your degree and finds what its comparible to in the UK..is this something i should do?? its like 55 pounds so im kinda skeptical..

Yeah, that's my resume. I've had 9 different job titles over the last 10 years, but I stayed with the jobs/employer for several years at a time and several overlap. I think you may have spoken with someone who is a bit behind the times. Most people do a lot of moving around, it's not typical to stay with the same company for your entire career anymore. 

Yeah, the NINo is pretty important. I just held off on applying after I found out a lot of places require you to have it to even apply.
Wow, they said only a week to get your NINo? When I applied it took about a month to come back in the mail, I had an in person interview as I had a marriage visa before my FLR (M).

A lot of employers don't like when you don't have your own car. I'm worried this will affect my getting a job right now as well. We will see... It didn't affect my last two positions too much though.

Can't believe that Juno!!! No way anyone on a TA's salary can afford the upkeep and insurance for a car!! Ridiculous!!!

You are well shot of that school!

I'll second putting UK equivalents right on your CV. I did this and my employees definitely appreciated it. It allowed them to focus more on my actual experience in my interview rather than spending ages having me explain about double majoring in undergrad, law school, the bar exam, etc.


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