UK DUers: I will be coming to the UK for six months!

[WildEyedLiberal]

I recently graduated college and wanted to do something exciting and different before I go down the grad school/career path. I found out about a program that arranges for work visas for American students to live and work in Britain for up to six months, and decided it sounded like just the kind of thing I was looking for. I applied, got my visa and airfare, and I arrive in the UK in early May. I'm extremely excited but also apprehensive; I don't have a job or an apartment lined up, and will be doing all of this from scratch once I arrive in country. There are a few job leads I will follow up on here, but the program handbook says that about 70% of participants find work once they're in the UK, so I'm not *too* scared.

However, this is a big leap, and I'd really appreciate any help from any of you awesome people. I'd love to meet a few DUers if I can, and if you have any tips, suggestions, etc about finding a job or a place to live, I would definitely welcome them. I'm looking more for the London area just because that's where the program office is based, but if I found a great job/accomodation combo in another city, I'd consider that as well. ANY help would be awesome. Feel free to pm me with specific details, beyond posting in this thread.

I'm looking forward to seeing your amazing country as a resident, not just as a tourist. I've never been, so it's doubly exciting. Thanks so much!!!!

:bounce: :bounce:

[non sociopath skin]

1. Make sure you check out options in the North of the country ...

...(ie the North of England or Scotland). London is a ruinously expensive place to live: you'll have more dough to do what you want to if you spend your time outside the capital.

I reckon the people are friendlier too ... my wife is American but lives here now and would agree.

I will ask her for advice on employment stuff hereabouts and send it to you.

Good luck!

The Skin

[WildEyedLiberal]

5. There is also a program office based in Edinburgh

So that's my second option. From what I've seen of rent, it seems MUCH cheaper, but the Scottish job boards on the program's website tend to be mostly live-in hotel arrangements, and since I'd like to travel and have a few visitors, I don't know if that would work too well. But if you do hear of any opportunities I'd certainly be interested. Thanks so much!

[WritersBlock]

2. I second the first response... don't dismiss the North too soon!

You don't say what field you're interested in, but if Scotland's an option for you, www.s1jobs.com is a fairly decent site for Scottish job hunting. And there's always the http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/index.html">Job Centre for UK-wide jobs, although their website search facility isn't the most user-friendly.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

3. I agree--don't automatically think London

Some of the provincial cities are lovely, with a lower cost of living and a less hectic way of life, but still with plenty to see and do. You could base yourself in a provincial city and still go to London and/or Edinburgh to play every once in a while.

I was over there last summer to attend a translators' convention, and looking over the list of attendees, I noted that almost all the British attendees were living in smaller towns or cities precisely because the cost of living in the UK is extremely high, but one can minimize it by living in an out-of-the-way place.

I suggest buying the Insight Guides to England and Scotland (available in most large bookstores in the travel section). They give great info on the culture and history of each region, lavishly illustrated with photographs, and narrative descriptions of the principal cities and sights.

For a younger person, a university town might be a good bet, and there are lots of universities in places other than Oxford and Cambridge.

[WildEyedLiberal]

6. The only problem is that almost all of the job leads seem to be in London

I've been thinking pretty heavily about York, though, because I'd actually love to go to grad school there. I'd like to study medieval history and York has one of the best programs. I have zero job ideas for York, though. I'm excited about going to the UK but the prospect of being a temporary foreign national trying to get a job is kind of intimidating.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

8. York is wonderful, but from what I hear, trendy, and therefore

on the expensive side.

[SeekerBlue]

22. York is cheap compared to the SE

And beautiful, and friendly, and chockablock with history.

I did my master's there and miss it terribly. (Now back in Texas. Sigh.)

[fedsron2us]

4. Remember that the UK is not that big

so you can live somewhere relatively cheap like my old University town of Sheffield (built on 7 hills like Rome) but still get to London in under 3 hours by train. Some of the big northern urban cities have seen a glut of Buy to Let flat building in the last few years and the property market in this area is on the point of a major correction so you might find it quite easy to pick up a relatively cheap flat (appartment) to let in one of these towns. This would free up money to allow you to travel to other parts of the UK. You should also consider staying in one of the South Coast towns within easy commuting distance of London (avoid Brighton as it is a bit pricey) as these have a fair amount of rental accommodation. Forget about driving as most Americans I have known find the UK road system with its congestion, roundabouts, lack of any straight roads etc a complete nightmare. See if you can get some sort of Student Railcard and get to know the British railway timetable

http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/times_fares/

http://www.thetrainline.com/default.asp?href=ppcg_brand&gclid=CLu-7ZGts5ICFQxrMAodaDEcNg

Most places are accessible by public transport.

Prepare to be shocked by how much everything costs and how warm we drink our beer.

[WildEyedLiberal]

7. Yeah I'm not looking forward to the exchange rate :(

Thanks for the advice, everyone... I will have to look into some smaller cities more closely.

[Nihil]

9. What sort of thing are you looking for?

What subjects did you graduate in? What sort of industry type are you interested in?
What sort of thing do you do?

Good luck to you wherever you end up.

:hi:

[WildEyedLiberal]

10. I was a history major

It's very unlikely I'll get a "career" related job, and most of the temp jobs seem to be office work, retail, or pub/restaurant. I'd be okay with any of those, actually. It'll basically depend on where offers me the best salary vs. best cost of living.

Thanks! :hi:

[KatyMan]

11. I've not seen much of the north

But I would say to try there first. London and the Southeast are so expensive that my wife and I are leaving by the end of the year, and we both make good salaries. Planning on heading to Ireland or back to Houston.

But as a history major, you'll love it here...! Good luck

[mr blur]

12. If you make it south of London,

say to Brighton and the south coast, we'd be happy to show you around!

[Cessna Invesco Palin]

13. Some thoughts from an American living in Blighty...

I came over here from California (more or less permanently) three years ago. It's been an interesting and amazing experience, and I'm sure you'll have a great time.

Some advice, for what it's worth:

Housing is very expensive, yes, especially in London and the southeast in general. Also, be prepared to have someplace that by American standards is very small. If your flat or house has a washer, don't expect it to have a dryer. Most people here dry their clothes the old fashioned way. :-)

Also prepare to be shocked by the price of many everyday items, all the way down the line from electronics to cans of Coke. It's the one thing upon which every American invariably fixates. It's best to try to stop thinking in terms of dollars and think in terms of pounds. It's the only way to stay sane!

Regarding language and culture, a friend of mine who is British once described speaking to Americans as "like playing a piano where some of the keys don't work," and the same is true in reverse. In some ways I think it's actually more difficult than traveling to or living in a country that speaks a completely different language, as in that case there's no assumption of cultural or linguistic knowledge. Be prepared to misunderstand anywhere betweeen 5% to 25% of what people say when you first arrive, be it unfamiliar words, words with completely different meanings (you don't want to know what "fanny" means here) or pop culture references. Don't be afraid to ask for an explanation or be asked for one, though Brits are generally more familiar with our lingo than we are with theirs (thanks to the Simpsons, amongst other things.)

I live in Cambridge, which is about sixty miles north of London. It takes about an hour to get here on the train. I'd advise against looking for jobs on Cambridge - not because it's difficult to find them, but because it's generally quite cliquey and difficult to meet new people relative to London (or just about any other place I've been in this country.)

Another thing you may want to investigate is low-cost airfares to the rest of Europe. It is quite inexpensive to fly from the UK to Italy, Spain, Germany, etc. Check out http://www.skyscanner.com for fares. If you're going to be here for six months, it's a great opportunity to check out more of Europe for much less than you'd be able to if you were flying from the states. There's something particularly great about being able to take a long weekend in Tuscany without too much hassle. :-)

Anyway, I'll be happy to answer any other questions you might have from my perspective as an American who has lived here through some time. Good luck!

[enlightenment]

15. Actually, I think it is important to know what fanny means

over there . . . just to avoid the humiliation of referring to that bag on a belt as a fanny pack! :)

I'll second Sheffield - a fantastic city! There are two major uni's there, so you may be able to find shared lodging with people your age (or close to it).

http://www.mysheffieldjobs.co.uk/
http://www.accommodationforstudents.com/sheffield.asp

Do check out getting a BritRail pass before you leave - it is NOT available once you get there. They are not cheap, but it will pay for itself and you'll be very glad you got it. If you're planning on popping over to the continent, think about Eurail as well.

http://www.britrail.com/
http://www.eurail.com/

Best of luck. You're going to love it. I'm an historian (British 18th century, primarily) and I'll tell you truly - stand still and let it soak up through your feet. You can lay your hand on an old stone wall and feel the centuries, close your eyes and almost hear the thousands upon thousands of voices that have echoed through that tiny isle. It's enough to make you weep - so much history it's almost too much to take in.

[LeftishBrit]

14. Best of luck with everything!

I live in Oxford, and like it here, but wouldn't really recommend it to you under your circumstances: the cost of living is very high, and although there are quite a lot of jobs here, the temporary ones tend to be grabbed by the many students that we have here.

As others say, do consider the North, unless you already have connections with London.

[insanity]

16. BUNAC

I'm on BUNAC exchange myself right now working for the SNP in Edinburgh. If you fancy a pint before July, let me know. Also, if you want a tour of the Scottish Parliament it could probably be arranged.

[dipsydoodle]

17. Only just seen this.

How did you get on ? Be interested to know.

[emad]

18. For a no-questions-asked £1,000 a week minimum temp job I recommend

lapdancing/poledancing at the Spearming Rhino.

Seriouisly, a lot of foreign national women friends have given up the idea of trying to find a proper temporary job after seeing what silly money they can make for an hour or two of dancing two or three evenings a week.....

[WildEyedLiberal]

19. Yikes, sorry I lost track of this thread - thanks once again for all your replies

So I have been living in metro London for about a month and a half now. Still no job :grr: mainly because my parents insisted on sending my sister out to visit which required me doing nothing but toting her around for two and a half weeks. I told them that if I have to put my plans on hold that long, they can give me some extra money to make it until I find a job, which will work as long as I find something soon. I enjoy London very much, especially once I discovered the city beyond Soho, which is too commercial and expensive for my tastes. I quite like the City and Southwark. I've traveled a bit - Scotland, Canterbury, Stonehenge & Avebury, Paris, so far. I'd really like to see Wales and Cornwall at some point, too. At this point I think a live-in job is my best opportunity to save up some money for travel - my rent is relatively cheap for the London area, but it's getting harder to find a decent retail or pub job.

So, anyway, thanks for the replies, everyone. I'd love to meet any of you, so feel free to send me a pm if you if you're going to be around the London area any time soon.

[Name removed]

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[LeftishBrit]

21. Glad things are working out for you!

Let me know if you're likely to visit Oxford any time and we could meet up!