Heading to the UK in July....tons of questions, obviously!

Hello friends! First, I must say that the many times I've been plagued by boredom in the past few months, this board has kept me busy. I finally decided it was time to get an account so that I could ask some of my own questions and I hope you can all help!

So, first off a mini introduction, my name is Paige and I'm 22. I reside in Saskatoon, SK and I have just completed my B.Ed. Anyway, I decided LONG ago that once I finished my degree I would hop across the pond and take on the UK.

I've decided to go the SWAP route just for some of the convenience factors. Anyway, I luckily have 1 friend who lives in London and I've thrown LOADS of questions her way and she's been very informative. But, there are some more that I'm not sure she'll be able to help with.

Basically, I've spent my time doing tedious amounts of useless research -- useless only in the way that I'm leaving in 4 months and can't make any concrete plans as far as living or work arrangements. I'm mostly curious as to which area I should seriously consider living in.

2 things to consider: my friend that lives in London has suggested the SW and says to definitely avoid anything on the East. Yes? No? Secondly, I also have a family friend that might have a place for me to stay and it's in Central London. Thoughts?

Lastly. I have looked pretty much everywhere and have yet to come across a concrete answer: where do most Canadians live when they're abroad in London!?

Thanks so much -- Paige

Good luck finding a job. Tier 1 is going to "You need a master's degree to get in here", Tier 2 isn't letting a lot of people in (if any), Tier 3 is getting suspended for the time being, and Tier 5... who knows what's happening with that? My guess is they're not going to let many in, because of this: if they are suspending/limiting visas, then it stands to reason that they won't let many foreign youths come in and take the jobs that should go to their local unemployed.

I have a feeling that it's going to be difficult for you as a foreigner to find work in the UK. They have 4-5 million people out of work over there, and they're going to try to hire the locals before they go to the EEA and outside.

At least, that's how I'm interpreting the news I got. Anyone have any new info?

By law, it's illegal to discriminate in hiring or immigration against any national of an EU state, but given all the protests lately I wouldn't be surprised if there's a crackdown on people coming from other countries.

Good luck finding a job. Tier 1 is going to "You need a master's degree to get in here", Tier 2 isn't letting a lot of people in (if any), Tier 3 is getting suspended for the time being, and Tier 5... who knows what's happening with that? My guess is they're not going to let many in, because of this: if they are suspending/limiting visas, then it stands to reason that they won't let many foreign youths come in and take the jobs that should go to their local unemployed.

The SWAP program is totally separate from the highly skilled worker visa program. My understanding is that the working holiday visa programs have been unaffected by the economic situation insofar as the issuance of these visas is concerned. They form such a small part of the overall immigrant workforce that they are not really seen as being much of a threat. That's not to say that the OP won't have a hard time finding work once in London. I don't have on-the-ground knowledge to be able to comment on that front.

Thanks for the input -- I have found in the numerous forums I've visited that finding work is less than ideal but call me an optimist. And I'm not immigrating nor will I be searching for a permanent job -- I'm honestly OK with random work. In fact, that's actually why I want to go there, to work random, short term jobs and travel.

Any insight on the other questions?

Hello,

I moved to the UK about four months+ ago from Canada, after finishing my BA. I'm on the holiday work visa as well, though I did it on my own rather than going through SWAP. I'm living in Guildford, which is about 40 minutes train SW from London. My partner is from here and has a fairly secure and good job in the UK but I have been totally unable to find work. Permanent jobs won't look at me since I have a limited visa and even though I'm registered with several temp agencies, I've only recieved about a weeks worth of work in the last two months. I have plenty of work experience and I've never had a problem getting a job in Canada.

I hate that I can't give you more positive info, maybe another area would be better off. Its just a terrible time to take the chance in the UK. My advice would be to wait, if you can and come when the market is a little better. I'm probably going to have to go back to Canada and work for awhile and then come back later in the year. Best of luck though!

I understand that your intention is to go with SWAP and I hope that works out for you. Just a heads up -- since you are a teacher Protocol Teachers is a agency that sets up "supply" (substitute) teaching for many school districts thoughout the UK (and other countries). If you are looking for teaching work, I'd suggest them. They are reputable and help get things pre-arranged. They interview here in Canada (they came to my Education Faculties job fair), so you can get set up before you leave.
Congrats on choosing to live overseas right after grad. Especially if you are debt-free, that is the way to do it!

Allyssa

Thanks so much Alyssa for the advice! The only reason I'm doing it through SWAP is to have the before and after support. And I was thinking about doing some teaching, specifically supply because it's temporary and all, so thanks for the heads up. Any other useful tidbits you'd have for me?

Hi there,

I am planning on heading over to the UK at the end of summer to teach as well. I am going through the recruitment agency Timeplan and am thinking of setting up shop in Kent. They seem to offer pretty good support (airport pickup, help with accomodation and monthly get togethers with other Timeplan staff).

Just something to think about...