WORKgateways UK e-newsletter
Monthly e-News for the UK Working Traveler
1 March 2006 Volume 3 Issue 7
WORKgateways e-newsletter is written for UK working travelers whether you are in the UK, impatiently awaiting your departure date or thinking about going in the future.... Scroll down to view this month's topics, articles and info.
CONTENTS
Introductory Comments
- Our L’Oscar nominations
What's New:
- Check out what’s happening this year in your Industry
- Bank or bust
Focus:
- Take control of your UK employment
- Industry Focus: Construction, Consulting Engineering and Property
In every issue:
- A traveller’s tale: your first month in London
- Travel cheap
- Star site of the month
Introductory Comments
Roll out the red carpet; it's Oscar season! While we're slipping
into our party-wear and sipping champagne, WORKgateways have decided
to nominate some of our favourite London icons for their very own
L'Oscar working-traveller awards. Check out our must-not-miss
nominations for your ultimate guide to London!
Now is a great time to travel to the UK - winter is officially over
and you'll have plenty of time to settle in and plan your summer
holidays. Check out our links to budget airlines at the end of this
newsletter to find out just how cheap travel in Europe is.
Travellers are still being welcomed into hundred of jobs across
the UK everyday. Read our Job Focus for news about an industry that
loves travellers, and get tips straight from a recruiter. There's
also the regular article from our roving traveller, Pru, who is
still living it up in London.
Our L'Oscar nominations
This year WORKgateways is holding its own award ceremony, with
the top accolade going straight to London, a top destination for
working travellers across the world!
Our nominations:
Best Costuming
For the trendiest clothes to fit every style, head straight to the
fashionista's mecca: Camden Markets in London's north. From second-hand
shoes, new designs and vintage clothes, to punk-wear and head-to-toe
Goth: there's something to suit everyone at this London institution.
Visit Camden Markets for a taste.
Best Soundtrack
London is a goldmine for music lovers of every genre. Two of the
best scenes for travellers are the Hammersmith
Apollo and The
Shepherd's Bush Empire
Upcoming gigs are Sigur Ros, Feeder, The Black Crowes, The Strokes
and Hi-5!
Best Comedy Act
There's an abundance of brilliant comedy clubs in London that are
great for a laugh. Venues where you can try your hand at spontaneous
stand-up are also fun for the brave. One of our favourites is the
Big
Night Out Comedy Club in Leicester Square
Best Special Effects
Yes, it may be little clichéd, but a visit to Madame
Tussauds gives everyone a kick. Drape your arm around a waxy
Brad and Angelina, or cuddle up to Kylie - a must-see!
Got any of your own nominations? E-mail prue@workgateways.com
We've got a prize for the best one! Find out the winners in next
month's newsletter.
What's New
Bank or Bust
Organising a bank account before you get to the UK will save you a lot of trouble and effort! Many travellers say it's the one thing they wish they did before they came.
E-mail WORKgateways to find out about the Bank Account Kickstart Package. It's cheap and easy!
Focus
Take control of your UK employment - A timely reminder
Are you registered
with the best agencies up to 2 years before you arrive?
ALSO - If you are arriving in the UK in the next month - Apply directly
to jobs
Why use the Agencies on
WORKgateways?
Industry Focus: Construction, Consulting Engineering and Property
We spoke to Lucy from Potensis, a construction, engineering and
property recruitment agency based in Bristol. Lucy specialises in
the Consulting Engineering sector dealing with major Engineering
Consultancies, multi-disciplinaries and Local Authorities.
Tell us about the opportunities in your industries for working travellers.
We have dozens of vacancies open since there is a real skills shortage
in our industries in the UK, especially in Consulting Engineering.
The core sectors within my team are: Highways and Transportation,
Building Structures, Building Services, Clean and Dirty Water, River
and Coastal Engineering, Ground and Environmental Engineering.
My clients love to employ working travellers especially Aussies,
Kiwis and South Africans because they are solutions-orientated,
eager to learn, with bags of initiative and a great work ethic.
They tend to really add to the office dynamic!
Your office is based in Bristol - what do you say to travellers
thinking about working there as opposed to the more traditional
destination, London? Bristol is great for working travellers because
it's such a great, lively city - almost like a mini-London but much
cheaper! It's so central too, ½ an hour from Cardiff, ten minutes
from Bath, Europe is so close and now you can fly to New York from
here. There's also a huge sporting culture. Millennium Stadium in
Cardiff, Bath and Bristol Rugby Clubs and Gloucestershire Cricket
Ground are all really close by.
Any tips for candidates looking for work?
The best CVs are the ones that summarise the core skills and capabilities
on the first page (along with other details, character statement
etc), then two more pages of supporting information. If I'm looking
for a Structural Engineer for example, it is useful to see immediately
what design skills you have and what material-types you can design
with.
What about other preparations?
You should definitely do some research into the industry you're
hoping to enter in the UK. Particularly in industries like engineering
and construction, the terminology used might be different to how
it is in your home country. So update your resume!
What kind of experience are you looking for in candidates?
We can place any graduate candidate with pretty much any level of
experience - from six months to ten years; permanent or contract.
If you have 2-4 years' experience we could place you somewhere tomorrow,
but we could still place you even if you only have six months.
We are also really lacking in Senior to Associate level that are
keen to move more permanently to the UK and with the successful
Olympic bid our clients are starting to look to Oz, NZ and SA.
Apply
to Potensis
In Every Issue:
A traveller’s tale: your first month in London
Brought to you by Pru, resident Aussie in London
“He who is tired of London, is tired of life,” said Samuel Johnson, famous doctor, writer and great friend of William Shakespeare. Well, London may have changed a lot since Bill and his mates performed at the old Globe Theatre, but Johnson was definitely on the money. In my first month in London, I feel like I’ve only sampled such a tiny morsel of this great city, yet the thrills and frissons of excitement just keep on coming.
Hopefully by the time your first month in London is up, you’ll have found at least somewhere semi-permanent to live and some kind of work (unless you have the finances to last a while longer). I took up some temp work as a receptionist to keep me going until I found a job that I really wanted to do. You can earn around £10 an hour in office work, compared to about £5 per hour working in hospitality, but it just depends on your skills and what you can imagine yourself doing, as well as the clothes you’re bringing with you (shorts and sandals won’t go down well in an office, but there are also plenty of shops and markets where you can pick up fairly cheap executive wear once you get here). I’ve run in to a few travellers who have done all sorts of things to earn a little extra cash on the side while they look for work in their profession, even participating in drug trials, which you’ll find advertisements for everywhere! Whatever you do, make sure you’re getting the right money. A guideline to your average wages can be found here.
When you start working, you’ll need to get yourself a National Insurance Number, so your employer can take out money to contribute to your health insurance. Read all about the NI and how to apply for it.
In the first month here you will learn the trials of combating annoying flatmates, negotiating rent agreements, how to territorially guard your right to a mini space in the share-house fridge, face interview panels after perhaps too many pints at the pub the night before, and the squiggly lines on the tube map will start to make a little more sense. The great thing about London though, is that whatever corner of the globe you are from, you’ll find a new circle of friends amongst fellow travellers united by the excitement of life in a new city. And that’s what it’s all about isn’t it?
To read more adventures of an Aussie in London, check out Pru’s Big OE blog BigOE.net - - Leave a message or subscribe to get regular updates.
Travel cheap
Why buy a pint at the pub when it’s cheaper to jump on a plane to Venice? A price war amongst budget airlines in the UK has lead to insanely cheap prices on many European routes. Perfect for working travellers watching the pennies!
Some of our favourites:
Or if you want to compare prices:
Star site of the month
For all the trash in UK television and entertainment - Low Culture
Your Say: email your say to jane.stewart@workgateways.com
Do you have questions, comments; is there anything you'd like to see addressed in WORKgateways e-newsletter? Please email with any comments.
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