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U.K. I.T. Jobs
If you’re considering a move to the U.K either permanently
or on a working holiday and are looking for an I.T. job then you’re
probably starting your search at the right time. The U.K., like
most other Western countries, has been through an I.T. slump in
recent years and the competition for positions has been extremely
tough. This has been more noticeable in the contract I.T. market
where many visitors to Europe pin their hopes to finance their working
holidays. With chip manufacturers however reporting record sales
in recent times the prospects are generally good for an improvement
in the I.T. job market in the U.K. Recent surveys in the U.K. have
also reinforced the general ‘feel good’ factor with
most of those surveyed believing that the I.T. jobs market in the
U.K. will improve over the coming year or two. |
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Most of the economic powerhouses in the U.K. are in London and it’s
no surprise that this is also where the majority of I.T. jobs in
the U.K. are. This is not to say that there aren’t any jobs
outside of London, but by far the greatest concentration of I.T.
jobs are in and around the London area.
If you come from within the E.U./E.E.A. area you will generally
be able to visit the U.K and look for work immediately. If you come
from outside of that area, but come from one of the countries that
the U.K. has a reciprocal working holiday scheme (and you are of
the appropriate age), then you can apply for your working visa and
look for computer jobs in the U.K. as soon as you arrive. If you
fall outside of this bracket, or are intending to migrate to the
U.K. permanently, there are a number of immigration visas and permits
which you may be able to apply under. For a general overview of
the immigration requirements for the U.K., click
here.
If you intend to be actively seeking an I.T. job in the U.K.
it is vitally important to your chances of success that you keep
informed of the current developments in the U.K. market. By doing
so you will be able to better determine your suitability with regard
to your skill set and upskill accordingly if needed. Additionally,
having a grasp of the local industry will enable you to converse
more freely at interviews and this point should not be overlooked.
A candidate from overseas who is obviously aware of the U.K. market
will undoubtedly have more success than one who doesn’t, all
other things being equal. Keeping abreast of trends and market conditions
means you can also have a few tailor-made versions of your C.V.
ready. Given that a C.V. shouldn’t be too long, it pays to
emphasize the skills and attributes that are relevant to the job
you are applying for. Each job will have a slightly different set
of requirements so using specially focused C.V.’s will enhance
your chances. Currently the I.T. jobs in the U.K. that are most
in demand are I.T. management, analysts, support, security and architecture
- but trends can change so make sure you keep up with the latest
developments.
There are many ways with which to locate a computer job in the U.K.
One of the most obvious will be through the use of online job boards
of which there are many. Most of these I.T. job boards will
have a profiling ability, where an applicant can tailor make a profile
for the kind of jobs they are interested in and have them e-mailed
to them on a daily basis. Take advantage of this facility and register
with as many boards as you can. At the very least you’ll get
an idea of the amount of jobs on offer for your industry, and the
kind of perks and salary you can expect. This will arm you with
information for any interviews that you attend.
Recruitment agencies are also a rich source of I.T. jobs and
the U.K. certainly has no shortage of them. Many will have their
own group of clients that they cater for so you should register
with a number of them – but don’t spread yourself too
thin as you need to keep in contact with them on a daily basis and
remind them of who you are. If you feel you are not getting good
service from an agency don’t hesitate to drop them and sign
up with another. We’d like to hear of your experiences with
agencies, good or bad, so that we can remove bad agencies from our
listings, and support good ones. When dealing with agencies it is
imperative that you have a mobile phone so you can take calls at
all times. Make sure that you call the agency every morning to let
them know you’re still around and still looking for work.
It’s a fine line between annoying them to the point that they
won’t bother to look for you, and being in their face enough
to have them think of you when a job comes in.
Whatever your intentions in the U.K. (i.e. a long-term stay or a
short-term working holiday), you might be best served by working
as a contractor or doing temporary work to get you started. In many
cases a contractor or temp worker can be offered a full-time position
after an initial period, but irrespective this type of work allows
you to gain U.K. experience and perhaps even develop more skills
along the way. Contracting is more involved in setting up as you
will need to start your own business but it has advantages of higher
pay and more flexibility tax-wise. Working as a temp is more straightforward
and may be a good introduction to working as a contractor later
on.
Newspapers and travelling magazines can also be good sources for
finding I.T. jobs in the U.K. Although the competition can be
tough for jobs advertised in this manner it is certainly worth considering.
The U.K. has many local and national newspapers so it’s worth
checking out the papers in the area you wish to work to see if they
carry I.T. jobs listings. The U.K. also has a number of specialist
traveling magazines dedicated to working holiday travellers from
Australasia and South Africa (TNT, New Zealand News UK, and S.A.
Times), and these can sometimes carry a good job or two. You can
pick them up for free outside most of the major tube stations in
London.
If you’re trying to locate an I.T. job in the U.K from
abroad in an effort to gain sponsorship for your immigration application
you may find yourself hitting a brick wall on more than one occasion.
The Internet has made it possible for candidates to apply for jobs
from half way around the world and many people do just that. An
employer may not particularly welcome applications from overseas
and often the advertisements will reflect that with a declaration
stating that unless you have a work permit or relevant immigration
status not to apply. You must respect those comments and refrain
from submitting your C.V. regardless. You can however conduct a
mail campaign targeting companies in the area you wish to work by
sending your C.V. and a covering letter direct to the company. Put
some thought into a campaign like that, and make sure that your
presentation is of a standard to warrant further attention from
the employer. It’s not always a successful method of obtaining
work, or indeed sponsorship, but it can sometime pay dividends.
For more tips, hints and suggestions for landing an overseas job
you may wish to read our feature 'Finding
Overseas Jobs'.
We have collected a number of Internet resources together to assist
you further in finding an I.T. job in the U.K. We trust they
will be of use to you and we would welcome any feedback or suggestions
for links that we can add - click
here. |
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