Post
by paulus_1975 » Tue Dec 20, 2005 12:58 pm
As someone who has been on both, go straight for the HSMP. This is from my personal experience.
As it stands at the moment, unless you obtained WHM before Feb 05 (correct me if I am wrong about the date), you can only work for one year. Even with the old, work for a full two years with the intention of taking a holiday, some employers and recruiters will not consider you for the role, even if you meet all the other requirements. The reason is that they see WMH as being unstable and therefore a flight risk. The other perception is that you would look for sponsorship. This is exactly what happened to me. I had to give working in the sector that I liked because the City companies perceived that I was a flight risk. Having said that, you can always contract.
With HSMP, it signals to the recruiter, that you don't need sponsorship, that you are making a commitment to both the UK and to the employer, and definately want to be here.
Hope that helps.