Working in the UK?

Work in the UK and you'll enjoy a fast paced, vibrant and exciting environment in some of the most fascinating cities in the world. Best of all, the UK offers lucrative salaries and has a continuous need for contract and temporary workers across all areas. Experiencing working life in London, Edinburgh or Glasgow is a fantastic opportunity but it can be daunting; especially if you've only just arrived, don't know your way around and need to start working immediately in order to fund your stay.

At Joslin Rowe, we understand this. We work really hard to find your first assignment and to keep you in continuous work for the duration of your stay. However, there are also a few things which you can put in place to smooth your transition.

• About a month before you go make contact with a UK recruitment agency, such as ourselves, by sending your CV over by email. Hopefully, if your skills fit the type of jobs on offer, you'll have interviews set up before you even land
• UK financial institutions demand five years worth of references and if these are slow to arrive plenty of other working travelers will be ready to snap up the job on offer. Be organised! If you're considering working in the UK make sure, before you book that flight, you know who to name as a referee at your previous places of employment; as your old contacts may well have moved on
• Make copies of all your certificates including exam results and professional qualifications

We've also been asking our temporary workers for their tips. This is what they have to say:

1. Speak to a recruitment consultancy as early as possible - ideally before you even arrive
2. Try and do this even if, immediately beforehand, you're having the time of your life travelling. Don't think that just because you spoke to someone a couple of months ago that's your work done. A little regular dialogue (even if it's just an email) goes a long way
3. Double check that any qualifications you hold have an equivalent in the UK
4. Job titles can be very different. So make sure you look at the actual role not just the title
5. Not having enough UK experience for some more senior roles is a real catch 22. But if you're prepared to lower your expectations in the short term, it soon pays of in the long term and you'll have the pick of assignments
6. You may think your CV is great - but listen to any advice or coaching you receive. It can make a massive difference
7. Although lots of people are lucky enough to start working within days of their arrival, be prepared that the interview process can take a while - even for temporary jobs
8. However much assistance you receive, setting up a bank account and finding accommodation is a hassle. Be prepared for a bit of red tape.