Job Interviews in London

piby

I've got a job interview in London on Tuesday! Looking forward to it as I'm just finishing up in college so it'll be my first professional interview. Regardless of the outcome I think it'll be a good experience for me all the same and the practice will stand me in good stead. However as I was just contacted today to be informed about the interview, which is on Tuesday, the cheapest flights are just under €300!!! As a once off I can do it but if I were to get through to the second round that'd likely mean having to fork out a similar amount of money for yet another trip. On top of that most of the jobs in my area are in the UK, specifically London so I'll be applying for a lot of jobs there. Can you imagine the cost that could build up if I'm making even a couple of trips like that :eek::eek::eek:

So I guess I'm just looking for some opinions on this, perhaps from people who may have been in a similar situation! I've already suggestions such as getting interviews staged close together but at the same time you have take the slot offered i.e. this job was only interviewing on Tuesday! The other rtwo things to consider is that I'm:

1. Finishing my thesis
2. Have a part-time job

One suggestion that was made is that I could go over and base myself in London for say a period of a month. That wouldn't be a problem for my thesis which I could really finish anywhere once I had access to the internet but I do have a small job. It's not much but it's significant enough that I can't really do without it at present as it just about keeps me ticking over. I don't really have the capital to spend a month in London as it is.

So I don't know but if anyone has been in a similar situation before or could offer their two cents on easier or cheaper ways of going about this it would be much appreciated

judas101

Its standard practice for the companies to pay for travel expenses.

Most decent sized companies do but sometimes you have to ask.

I couldn't afford to travel over and back like that.

Perhaps contact the HR department and say "I presume travel expenses are reimbursed with receipt?"

Berty

If the position is based in London then I wouldn't put much hope in them paying expenses.

If the position is based in Ireland and the interview is in London then expenses should be paid.

Theresa Cloonan

I'm not sure that this helps or not but when confronted with high air fare previously, I've used a sail rail deal - get a ferry to Hollyhead and a train from there. The ticket for ferry and train is about 40 euro each way (in my case I could get a return flight for the same price but on the way out it was €200 cheaper to do the boat/train). Check out the Irish Ferries website.

You do spend a whole day travelling so it's no good for the day of the interview but is handy if you've got more time than money (you get a ferry around 11am in Dublin and get to London Euston around 5.30pm). It's very relaxing and you can work on your laptop on the train. The price doesn't go up the way airfares do so it's good for short notice trips. You could use something like a couch surfing website to sort out a free(ish) gaff.

Good luck with the interviews.

Malice

Is there any way that they could conduct an initial interview by phone? Last year I did a few phone interviews to save me having to travel to Dublin. In a couple of cases it was definitely a help as the companies wouldn't have been a good match for me and I would have been wasting my time.

3DataModem

Cripes.... I would never do an interview abroad unless the company sprang for the travel.

Malice

3DataModem wrote: »

Cripes.... I would never do an interview abroad unless the company sprang for the travel.

Maybe it's one way of ensuring only serious candidates get that far as nobody would stump up the cash for a return flight to somewhere just to do an interview for the practice or the experience would they?

LadyMayBelle

My boyfriend got offered an interview in London back in April. Had been out of work for almost two years (had done a masters for one of those though). Didn't have two cents to rub together, literally, and borrowed the 300 euro it cost for flights..left early morning and came home late that night..following day he got a call offering him the job!

He moved three weeks later and I joined him two months ago. Had he never scraped the money and gone for it, he would not have gotten the job, and imagine would still be on the dole in ireland.

I'd say go for it.


Oh and yeah, he didn't get that cost reimbursed.

LadyMayBelle

3DataModem wrote: »

Cripes.... I would never do an interview abroad unless the company sprang for the travel.

Times have changed. Sometimes you have to. Increasingly so also.

piby

Theresa Cloonan wrote: »

I'm not sure that this helps or not but when confronted with high air fare previously, I've used a sail rail deal - get a ferry to Hollyhead and a train from there. The ticket for ferry and train is about 40 euro each way (in my case I could get a return flight for the same price but on the way out it was €200 cheaper to do the boat/train). Check out the Irish Ferries website.

Yeah I did look into that it just wasn't an option this time round as I'm working Monday and Wednesday. But I think in future I'll be seriously considering it and the bonus is that my old man lives in London so I don't have to worry about somewhere to stay! I think the best strategy at the moment is to concentrate on getting my thesis done rather than going crazy for jobs (although this particular position was too good not to apply for!!). It's due in early September so just over another month to go. Then I can schedule work around trips to over without having anything else to worry about!

Thanks for your input folks

dr_funkenstein

I would definitely go over for the interview. I'm just finishing my thesis aswell, but have a job lined up in London to start in September. I still have to go across at some stage before to find somewhere to live. And whilst it'll a bit of hassle, and I might lose maybe a day of thesis work, I think its worth it. Your thesis and MSc is a means to get a good job, like the one you're talking about. Why wait until September when most graduate jobs will be filled/gone?

Malice_

Malice_ wrote: »

Maybe it's one way of ensuring only serious candidates get that far as nobody would stump up the cash for a return flight to somewhere just to do an interview for the practice or the experience would they?

And also, it's not their problem if a candidate lives in a different country. They're not going to fork out hundreds on flights when they have other people only a few Tube stops away. I've had several interviews abroad and all the employers made it clear that they weren't going to reimburse anyone. I'm not sure why people often expect it.

irishguy

piby wrote: »

I've got a job interview in London on Tuesday! Looking forward to it as I'm just finishing up in college so it'll be my first professional interview. Regardless of the outcome I think it'll be a good experience for me all the same and the practice will stand me in good stead. However as I was just contacted today to be informed about the interview, which is on Tuesday, the cheapest flights are just under €300!!! As a once off I can do it but if I were to get through to the second round that'd likely mean having to fork out a similar amount of money for yet another trip. On top of that most of the jobs in my area are in the UK, specifically London so I'll be applying for a lot of jobs there. Can you imagine the cost that could build up if I'm making even a couple of trips like that :eek::eek::eek:

So I guess I'm just looking for some opinions on this, perhaps from people who may have been in a similar situation! I've already suggestions such as getting interviews staged close together but at the same time you have take the slot offered i.e. this job was only interviewing on Tuesday! The other rtwo things to consider is that I'm:

1. Finishing my thesis
2. Have a part-time job

One suggestion that was made is that I could go over and base myself in London for say a period of a month. That wouldn't be a problem for my thesis which I could really finish anywhere once I had access to the internet but I do have a small job. It's not much but it's significant enough that I can't really do without it at present as it just about keeps me ticking over. I don't really have the capital to spend a month in London as it is.

So I don't know but if anyone has been in a similar situation before or could offer their two cents on easier or cheaper ways of going about this it would be much appreciated

If its a big company/ in financials then they will pay for it. If they dont pay for it I would ask for a phone interview first, its a lot of money to be spending when it/you might be totally unsuitable.
They may even offer to cover costs if they like you then