finding employers that are looking for Canadians?

[mschole]

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum so thought I should introduce myself before I launch into my questions...

I just moved here about 8 months ago to live with my boyfriend just south of London (Kingston area). Prior to that I'd been living in the Netherlands for 3 years. I was born and grew up in Canada (Ontario and BC), my dad is Dutch and my mum is English so I've been retracing the heritage trail as it were. Because I have dual Dutch and Canadian citizenship -- and technically qualify for UK citizenship too though it'd cost quite a bit of $$ to get it -- I can work here without any special permission.

When I moved here, I'd been working for an international IT/media company for 2 years in Holland. I quit that job to come here and have happily taken some time off as that job had burned me out a bit. I had saved up some money to live here without working for a while, getting to know the country and just enjoying my time here with my boyfriend. It's been nice, but now it's time to get back to work.

So here I am, mid-30s with a CV containing diverse and non-linear career experiences, employment gaps, Canadian university degrees, a Dutch passport, and basically being mistaken for an American wherever I go. It's been somewhat of a shock to me (naive I guess) to discover that unlike in Holland, being Canadian in the UK means nothing and in fact probably works against me in trying to get a job. There, I was a native English speaker in a country that is quite outward-looking in its approach to business, here I'm just one of millions of English-speaking job hunters, only with a funny accent. I've applied for several different jobs in my field with what I thought were good cover letters and a solid CV only to get nothing in return, not even an interview.

So it's time for some radical change I think. Up to now, I've been looking for jobs as I would in Canada -- stuff in my field, that I'm qualified for, that catches my interest or looks like a good lateral career move. I'm pretty used to trying new things, starting at the bottom, and moving up quickly as I prove myself. But now I'm thinking I'd better start looking for companies that are specifically searching for employees with a North American-style work ethic and perspective. It's been a sad but sure realisation of mine that for the jobs I've been looking at, if a recruiter or employer is faced with my CV and that of an equally qualified Brit, I'll lose out every time.

I have a degree in Outdoor Recreation, various research/teaching experience from my still unfinished Master's degree, 6 years of working on-set in the film/tv industry in Vancouver and Toronto, then this IT/digital media/project management work in the Netherlands. Not exactly an orthodox career trajectory, but definitely one that's helped me develop many skills and abilities. How do I make this look good to UK employers, who strike me as more than a bit traditional when it comes to assessing prospective employees?

For those of you who have a similar situation to mine, what have you done to secure work in the UK? Any tips to offer me on how I should rework my CV, write my cover letters, or just approach finding work in general? Especially with regard to trying out a new career direction? I'm quite happy to take less pay for the privilege of avoiding an ugly commute into London, though if I can't find anything closer to Kingston, I may have to go further afield just to get any job.

Any/all advice welcome, especially if anyone can recommend recruiters that are looking for what I'm selling...

[lesterb]

Welcome to the immigrant experience worldwide.

You/me are the equivalent of the highly educated Pakistani/Chilean etc etc professional driving a taxi in Canada.

Look at it from the employer’s point of view. Everyone has a comfort zone, you((I) have degrees from a place they have never heard of, use funny words and you even worked for that "socialist" mob across in Europe. To complicate matters you are looking for work in the middle of a recession.

I moved here 13 yrs ago with a couple degrees and a solid work history. I lost track of the amount of times I was told I lacked "British" experience and that my Canadian degrees were not up to "British" degrees. I have no doubt there are Brits in Canada with a parallel story.

In many ways they did me a favour, it made me look at markets where there were opportunities and I started my own business which has flourished.

How do you to deal with it? There are many ways, join an expat/business/social club, update your skills and network. Look for opportunities in your own field or maybe one outside of it and start your own business/consultancy.

[gburns]

Actually I have had the opposite experience in London - I was fortunate that I was able to get help from recruiters and did quite a few temp jobs until I found my current role working for a charity in London. Like you I had a non-linear work history, my partner and I spent three years living and working in Tokyo, Japan before coming to the UK and we did spend our first year in London just getting settled and finding work. We had arrived in November and I didn't have permanent work until April/early May of that year. In that time I applied for many, many jobs and got to the interview stage with no problem. I have a Bachelor's Degree in English from the University of Victoria and worked as an English as a Second language teacher for six months for Berlitz in Tokyo then made a career change while still in Tokyo to work as an Administrator/Recruiter for an internship program who places Japanese Teaching Assistants to Host schools abroad for two years.

If you are persistent and apply to recruiters who specialise in your field/or related fields and if they offer you temp work and you do well they will assist you to find a more permanent role. In this recession I think being different than the average British applicant is an advantage and your work experience abroad shows that you can survive in any situation and get along with a different people which is essential in any workplace nowadays.

You can ask the recruiters how you can better present your CV so it is more desirable to British Employers. Overall I would say as long as you have a valid visa and don't require a work permit and have the relevant skills the majority of employers will generally give you a chance.

However the key is persistence and taking the initative to put your best foot forward and not limiting yourself because of geography if there is a job that you feel you would be right for. If you do land an interview, then be yourself and tell the prospective employers what you have accomplished in your work and how you feel that you would very much like to work for them and that you feel that your skills and experience would fit the job very well - afterwards if you have the prospective employer's email address send them a short note via email to thank them for their time and summerise briefly that you are interested in the job and look forward to hearing from them soon. Employers in England rarely get a follow-up post interview email from British applicants and it will help keep you in their mind as it shows attention to detail and good manners which can mark you above the rest of the competition.

[free room]

Hi everyone
We have a large house with eight rooms and we are looking for a live in handyperson, the handyperson will have good building skills , carpentry, painting and decorating , plastering. Also keeping the place secure ,reporting any tresspassers to start as soon as possible.
You can work this around your daily job , evenings, weekends.Please provide references

Also we need a carer for a lady who is able to look after herself physically, cooking , dressing shopping but needs a companion to make sure she is not taken advantage of socially. you can recieve money from the satate in this country for being a full time carer and this can be arranged.Please provide references.

You will be living in Woking Surrey a suburban commuter town 45 minutes from London Waterloo close to the M25. We are close to the station shops and amenities.

Please reply giving email and telephone numberslandline and mobile,
thanks. email todaycontact@yahoo.com