Moving to London for work - what are the steps?

jtiernan

Myself and the girlfriend are moving to London for work as she is a teacher and cannot get work here

What are the steps?

Has anyone gone yet?

Any advise will be appreciated.

jkmanc1974

jtiernan wrote: »

Myself and the girlfriend are moving to London for work as she is a teacher and cannot get work here

What are the steps?

Has anyone gone yet?

Any advise will be appreciated.

Do either of you have any work lined up already over there? You should definitely head over there with enough money to tide both of you over for 3 months at least.....things are tricky over there as well..

Brgds
Johnny

jtiernan

She already contacted the teaching agencies there and they have guaranteed her work. I have a third class hons degree in Computer Science. I am currently studying the MCSE and CCNA. I have two years experience in tech support 2nd level and will get an excellent reference from them as I am very dedicated to my work and have worked on additional projects for the company and recieved good feedback. Of course I will not leave unless I am guaranteed work.

Ouchette

jtiernan wrote: »

Of course I will not leave unless I am guaranteed work.

Actually, if you do have any savings to tide you over or if your girlfriend is willng to support you for a bit, just heading over there and then looking HARD for work might be your best option. It's much easier to find work if you're already in the country, maybe because recruiters tend to think people will back out of relocating abroad. Just do your research first and make sure there are still jobs out there in the field you have experience in. Otherwise your girlfriend could move there first, then you use her address on your cv and be ready to fly over for interviews at a couple of day's notice.

If your girlfriend moves over first and you'll be living with her, get her to put one of the utility bills in your name. That way you'll have proof of address as soon as you arrive so you'll be able to open a bank account straight away, ready for getting paid.

tHE vAGGABOND

abroad forum - has a brilliant sticky at the top

GiftofGab

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

abroad forum - has a brilliant sticky at the top

where's the sticky?

craichoe

jtiernan wrote: »

She already contacted the teaching agencies there and they have guaranteed her work. I have a third class hons degree in Computer Science. I am currently studying the MCSE and CCNA. I have two years experience in tech support 2nd level and will get an excellent reference from them as I am very dedicated to my work and have worked on additional projects for the company and recieved good feedback. Of course I will not leave unless I am guaranteed work.

You will need alot of savings to do it, the burn rate for cash moving to a city like london is big, personally i'd try to get something before ye go.

Maybe around 7 - 8 k to cover moving, rent, deposit, utility deposits, food, up to 2 weeks in hand before getting paid, look for work, public transport (which is expensive), phone bills.

Remember there'll also be the emotional stress on your relationship of moving to a new place, also if one ends up supporting the other and you also dont have the same support network, i.e. family you had at home.

If you have a car, don't bother bringing it with you unless you live in the outskirts.

Seanohea

The most important thing u need to do is apply for a national insurance number. This is important for a number of reasons, its used in all correspondence with the revenue, it records ur entitlements. Try and get the national insurance number as soon as possible, you'll need to go for an interview to a jobcentre, provide identification, and you should have it within a couple of weeks.
Theres definetley more opportunities over in london than here. I was in london for the past year working as an electrician and moved back for personal reasons, i'll definetley be looking to go back in the new year. the transport in london is cheap compared to here, and the service is amazing. Best of luck, get an oyster card as soon as you get over, its great for travelling, and cheaper than buying travel cards.

craichoe

Seanohea wrote: »

The most important thing u need to do is apply for a national insurance number. This is important for a number of reasons, its used in all correspondence with the revenue, it records ur entitlements. Try and get the national insurance number as soon as possible, you'll need to go for an interview to a jobcentre, provide identification, and you should have it within a couple of weeks.
Theres definetley more opportunities over in london than here. I was in london for the past year working as an electrician and moved back for personal reasons, i'll definetley be looking to go back in the new year. the transport in london is cheap compared to here, and the service is amazing. Best of luck, get an oyster card as soon as you get over, its great for travelling, and cheaper than buying travel cards.

London public transport is NOT cheap, they jacked the prices up again 2 years ago.

Two years ago it was the most expensive in the world
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2007/jan/03/consumernews.transportintheuk

That Oyster card is the biggest load of crap ever, they have the same system in the Netherlands the "OV-Chipkaart" there has been a huge amount of problems with it, such as if you dont check out properly you lose all the money on the card.

Also TUI Delft in the Netherlands showed that the system is insecure and can easily be hacked.

Anyway back on topic, you can't get an National Insurance Number without an address, if you can spend a while looking, maybe ask friends if theres anything available there ?

Fajitas!

As soon as have an address, get a bank account, Loyds TSB I've found the be the handiest over here, the rest are quite a lot of hassle. Ring up for your interview for the NI number too - There's 6 weeks between my phonecall to book the interview and actually going for it!

You can get yourself a statement from the bank then with address on it, and that along with your passport and driving license will sort you out for the NI number interview.

craichoe wrote: »

That Oyster card is the biggest load of crap ever, they have the same system in the Netherlands the "OV-Chipkaart" there has been a huge amount of problems with it, such as if you dont check out properly you lose all the money on the card.

It's really only the tube that's pricey, buses are quite reasonable if you use the Oyster card - A pound a journey - which is cheaper than Dublin at the moment afaik.

It's really difficult not to check out properly on the tube, ie; you'd have to go (run and push!) through the barrier while someone else has it open.

csm

Well I've done it at some tube stations by accident (H&C out of Paddington it's easily done IIRC) and still kept all my cash.

Back on topic, my girlfriend is having trouble finding work over here because she isn't living here. Granted I'm not in London, I'm in Plymouth, but the majority of recruiters here won't touch her because she doesn't live here (they don't say as much, but inferences have been loud and clear). Been looking since May. Obviously this is a different industry and city, but I wouldn't underestimate the advantages of living in the city you are looking for work in.

Also, if you have somewhere to live over there before you leave (friend's place, girlfriend's) change your Irish bank account to that address and get a bank statement. It's a handy way to get a proof of address before you go and you'll find it difficult to get a bank account without that. Also, you can then keep your Irish bank account and avoid paying the debit/credit card duty.

daveirl

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mikeruurds

daveirl wrote: »

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Agreed. I was relocated here 3 months ago by my company and I use my Oyster card daily. No problems at all with checking out and being overcharged. I have it registered online and check my balance a couple of times a week.

You can always contact the TFL customer service if you believe you've been docked too much cash.

craichoe

daveirl wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

I have it by default, any travel card you get in the Netherlands is an OV-Chipkaart and soon it'll be implemented all over the country.

They've sunk so much money into it they can't change it now, its been proven insecure.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/23/dutch_clone_oyster_card/

In practise its a great idea but they need to do it properly and not make a half assed attempt.

cashback

I'm currently looking for work in the UK. Is it possible to apply for jobs, go for interviews etc if you have not yet obtained your NI number?
My girlfriend lives over there so I'm back and forth quite a bit. Is it possible to apply online for the NI number?

daveirl

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cashback

daveirl wrote: »

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That's good news then. Thanks.

Mucco

cashback wrote: »

That's good news then. Thanks.

You'll pay emergency tax with a NI no., but you should get it back once the NI no. comes through.

London is not that much different from Dublin, so there's nothing to be afraid of.

daveirl

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susanroth

jtiernan wrote: »

Myself and the girlfriend are moving to London for work as she is a teacher and cannot get work here

What are the steps?

Has anyone gone yet?

Any advise will be appreciated.

Was just wondering if you had any luck moving to london. Also I know a girl considering the move ( she is a teacher) She is worried the pay will not be enough. Does your gf think it is okay?