My girlfriend and I were talking and watching House Hunters International. We then got the idea that it would be an adventure to live overseas. We currently have, literally, no ties except family to abandon; no children, jobs with careers that *could* go somewhere, but could also be picked up and continued elsewhere. We were thinking the best place to relocate would be somewhere that speaks the English language (we're both trying to learn languages, but I digress). ANYWAYS. First and foremost, being young, we don't have a lot of money. That means finding a job before we move over there. Most likely, we're going to sell everything before we leave, so housing and furnishings can come later. How do I find a job in the UK while I live here? Logistics can come later. I need a job first!
Ok, well, you've picked a bad time to emigrate, since there aren't many jobs, and there'll likely be lots of interest. If you've got good qualifications and experience, I'd look on one of these job sites such as http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/ or http://www.monster.co.uk/ Remember that you'll need all the paperwork before you come here and it's probably better to move to a job rather than moving then looking for a job, because IMO that's a recipe for disappointment.
You will only be alowed to stay for 12 months i think it is. Unless you were born in the UK you can't just move here. Even if you have a job you will only be granted a working visa for so long. 24months?
Very bad time to try and locate elsewhere, especially to Europe and more so the UK, which is still deep in recession and with the current "budget" which has just been passed by the Chancellor I would think it will get worse before it gets better, so I would suggest staying where you are for at least another year or two and then when (hopefully) things are a bit better, look at it again... ________ Vaporizer-info
Really bad time to try, but good luck to you. There are some jobs available, but competition is pretty brutal. Have you ever been to the UK? Probably best to go on an exploratory trip (holiday!) before you start the process to find out if you even want to live over here. Oh and if you find that some of the house prices etc are a bit steep, try further north - it gets cheaper.
Why not move to some very distant part of the US? From what I've heard, Texas is really different than many other states. You might get some adventure by just moving to somewhere like Alaska or something.
If you find an employer in the UK, first off you need to ensure they have a licence to allow them to employ migrant workers. Check the Sponsor Register to see if your employer has one. If they dont, they cant offer you a job because you went get past entry clearance. Then you should use the points calculator to see if you will score the 50 points required to be issued with a visa to work. Good luck!
Thanks for the current events update! Many thanks for the links as well. We have considered other parts of the country, from Seattle to NYC; while those are options, we wanted to be aware of the greater world as well. There's no immediate need to move, but knowing that there are recessions to consider before moving, we may consider waiting a bit. Anecdotally, what are your feelings on a 'yank' coming to the UK and securing employment? From what I know, it's not a big deal here in the US, but I imagine there is some stigma associated with it?
As long as you don't use the words "quaint", "devonshire" and restrain from the "have a great day" that Americans seem to love, you should be cool. You also need to remember that Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England are seperate countries within the United Kingdom, with their own traditions, dialects etc. There are also more cities and towns in England than just London. Something some Americans I know struggle with.
I've never been to the states but I would like too, I love the American accent. If you want to come here then I wish you well.
And when we say it rains here, we mean it rains ALOT. Also I've been told the sun here is 'different' when it gets hot, that its really 'over head and full on' whatever that means. You'll need to workout what part of the UK you want to go to, as its very diverse for such a small country. The people in one county can be very different to the next. I'm a southerner, Surrey born and bred, but I'd suggest staying away from that area, as it's one of the most expensive places to live and get housing outside of London. My dads 3 bed terrace house got valued recently at a minium of £250k! its massively commuter belt country. I'm living in Bristol currently and I love the atmosphere here, its the culteral centre of the UK apparently. Its alot cheaper than where I'm from, but its still like a mini London with alot less people. I've visited 90% of these fair lands over the years, so give me a shout if you want a comparative view on areas
if you move to scotland you will most likely have to learn the language there - but to be fair the same goes for liverpool, newcastle, most of wales, and birmingham. there are lovely people in newcastle though, but you will find the weather a shock.
There's not much orientation in many parts of Scotland - certainly it's hard to talk in Glasgow, but certain parts have very mild accents - I've been on holiday to Shetland for the last few years and there's no strong accent there.
Ain't is a very popular word in the UK, depending on accent people say it as "i'nt" "ayn't" "isn't" they are all used, so i wouldn't worry about that. Ma'am isn't exactly unpopular here either. Though it is commonly pronounced "marm".
Your accent woud probably cause less comment in most areas than mine does - people in the UK are more used to hearing the whole gamut of American accents from cinema and TV than they are old fashioned, received pronunciation English. Some rural areas will still tend to be a touch insular (my own being a prime example) but even then it would be more down to the fact that "you're not from round here" rather than from the USA. More than 10 miles down the road is still considered "foreign parts" and treated accordingly, you aren't considered a local unless you have 3 generations living and at least 2 buried locally. That may be a slight exaggeration but there'll always be a few who take exception to anyone who "talks funny" and "ain't from round here".
Another idea might be to see if your current employer has any offices over here and could potentially do some sort of secondment. I know a few people in my company who did that.
jobserve.co.uk is a great site for finding work. getting work depends entirely on your skillset to be honest... there are plenty of jobs all across the uk if you're suitably skilled - though rates can be a bit of an issue. Of places to go I wouldn't look outside London personally, the rest of the country is a bit dull. I moved to the netherlands which is worth a punt - basically english speaking and with good connections to the rest of europe.
