New Newcomer.

Hello all,
I am a college student in Tennessee who wants to move to the UK, more specifically England, after graduation. I am working on getting a licence to teach History, with my major focusing on European and British history. I also invest time into learning languages I think would be useful to an employer in the UK such as German, Japanese, and possibly Polish. Basically this is my introduction post, and I'm mostly here to learn the hows of moving, work visa, and getting a job before or shortly after I arrive. 

Welcome, and very good luck. I'm not sure it's possible to get a visa for teaching in a non-STEM field anymore, so you may want to consider that before getting too involved in planning a move.

Welcome, and very good luck. I'm not sure it's possible to get a visa for teaching in a non-STEM field anymore, so you may want to consider that before getting too involved in planning a move.

I'm mostly finishing college for the CV line. Id take basically any job in order to move.

The problem is not any job qualifies for a visa. You have to have a very specific set of experience, education and skills -again, the shortage occupation list is mostly STEM professions -- and meet a minimum income requirement. In addition, if the job isn't a shortage occupation, the job has to pass the resident labour market test, meaning no one in the UK or EU could fill that position.

Immigration is not an easy thing right now.

So if I am not certified in STEM, do I essentially have no options? I have been going over visa information today and all I could find is that I would need a sponsor job for the visa, with no information as to what jobs I could get with this.

the shortage occupation list is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/423800/shortage_occupation_list_april_2015.pdf

I was pretty much thinking of that list.  Outside of medicine and engineering there doesn't really seem to be much else unless you're world class at something.  Looks like I have to switch my life's passion to engineering pretty much. I guess if I can do it it would be worth it.

There are a large number of unemployed history students in the UK already, and teaching places in humanities subjects are overprescribed in the vast majority of places. Unless you speak fluent Gaelic or Welsh and are willing to teach in an isolated community that struggles to recruit, you've basically got zero chance of getting a job as a history teacher here. Pretty much the only option you would have is to come over for postgraduate study and hope the immigration situation improves while you're here, or that you meet someone you'd like to marry. Sorry, but the UK has made it very difficult to move here.

Looks like I have to switch my life's passion to engineering pretty much. I guess if I can do it it would be worth it.

Welcome to UKY!

Unfortunately, as mentioned, the UK is very anti-immigration at the moment so it is very difficult to secure a work visa. 

IMO, I wouldn't base your education and career on something that may give you the opportunity to get a visa for the UK.  If you are genuinely interested in a specific subject that happens to be in demand and on the shortage list, then by all means, go for it!  But remember that UK immigration changes, and if you only choose a career path solely for immigration (and not because you are genuinely passionate about it), you could find yourself in a situation where you're working in an area you don't like, and it didn't help you get a visa either. 

You could find that by the time you qualify for an occupation on the shortage list now, when you want to apply for a visa, that skill is no longer on the list and it won't help you to get a visa after all.  Or, you could obtain a visa to live and work in the UK and not end up qualifying for permanent residence after all those years if the rules change during your stay. 

If you want to get into a career that may be beneficial in getting a UK visa, that's great and worth a shot, but make sure it's a career you would be happy with no matter where you are.

While I think all of the above is pretty much true....we are in period of great flux at the moment. There is no way of knowing how immigration will change in the next months/years.

So in addition to thinking about all of the points made up-thread....also keep an eye on the news, and on boards such as these.