Americans applying for jobs in UK

[jpwalston]

Hi all,

Are Americans having difficulty in finding work in the UK? If not, what kind of job are you applying for? Are most technical based such as computer software developers, engineers, etc...

I received my MA in Political Communications in the UK but came back to the US and am trying to find work in local government, non-profit, higher education, etc..

Any tips?

[UKbound]

It took me about 4 months of heavy searching to get an offer here.. I wasn't educated in the UK, but I do have an MBA and international experience. Anyway, the first offer I received was well below my experiences and capability. I turned it down. Then about 4 months of additional searching and I had a couple of offers that were closer, but still a slight step back. I took one of those.

In term of how difficult, I'd say without UK experience you may have to settle for something less than you'd get in the US. Also, if you require sponsorship then it will be much harder. If you have the right to work in the UK (as I did), it will be a bit easier.

It's also difficult to find something if you're not living in the UK, since most jobs are found from networking and meeting people. Since you went to school in the UK, you can use your contacts here and see if they can steer you to a role that you'd be interested in.

I work in financial services, not IT. It's generally a high demand area, with a lot of international firms, so that helped me out. I was at a pretty high level in the US, so it took me longer than it could take others. I would think your area is pretty competitive. Try to identify companies that are international or US-based, that will help since they will have experience with those coming from the US and they'll already know that your experiences in America will be similar.

Good luck.

[SYH]

My background is more social science based but I work in IT in a role that is dependant on manaerial skills rather than technical.
It took me awhile to sort myself out because the US is based on training as for fasttrack advancement where the UK values experience.
I would apply for positions I had in the US and be told that I dont have the total number of years experience associated with that position. So I applied for positions leading up to the position I had in the US and was told I was overqualified. Quite a vicious circle so recognize this value system off the bat and it will serve you well

[gordon]

My background is in social science (policy research), and my experience has been exclusively in the academic/charity sector. My job hunt has yielded offers in the academic/charity sector that pay 20-30% less than what one would earn in the US (Northeast) for the same work; it's not clear whether this is a function of over-supply or of the stereotype that we have private incomes.

I have a UK degree; the university careers service and former tutors were instrumental in getting me the work I now have. I'd go so far as to say that in the academic/charity sector, experience matters, but contacts matter more. In this sector, everyone has advanced degrees of one type or another, so credentials matter rather less. Was it any more difficult a search than in the US ? I'd not think so.

AG

[jpwalston]

Thanks y'all. I do appreciate the help and tips. When I inquire about positions in the UK, I'm mostly told by universitie that they are more than willing to file work permits. Best place to start is my alma mater I guess!

Thanks again.