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Job in the U.K.?

 
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Hey everybody! Is someone here from the U.K.? I have some questions about java job and related, thnx in advance for any info

- Assume I have 3 years experience, including core java, j2ee platform (such as websphere or jboss), and related technologies: xml, ant, jsp, ejb etc. etc. What salary can I expect?
- Do english employers prefer to hire native speakers? Can I have any problems with finding a job just because I'm polish? I have a Cambridge Advanced English Certificate, would it help me?
- What is the cost of living (food, taxes, accommodation)? How much money can I save approximately?
- What is the standard of working time (hours/week) in the U.K.?
 
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Hi Michal,

I am not originally from the UK but I have lived in the UK for almost 2 years when I did my Masters there. Its very difficult for a non-local person to get a job in UK. Thats for sure. I am telling you this by experience. Most of the companies only advertise that they are an Equal opprotunity employers. However, only during the selection process you will come to know that you cannot be selected because you do not have a permit to work in the UK.

Well, since you say that you have a Cambridge certification in English, communication will never be a problem for you. Even otherwise, as long as your English is good, no one cares really!

Regarding living expenses, I needed about GBP 800 to have a comfortable life there being a Bachelor. This ofcourse, depends upon your life style
With a good job as a Software proffessional, I guess you can save anywhere between GBP 500 to 1000 a month, ofcourse, this depending on your spending habits.

On paper, the standard working hours will normally be 9Am to 6Pm. But no matter where you are in the world, being in the software field for almost 3 years now, you would definitely know that the timings are totally unpredictable. Isn't it? I mean, one day you will probably have relatively lesser work so you can go home by 6 in the evening. Sometimes, you would not even be able to leave office until midnight because of heavy work load.

Moral of the story: Getting a job in the UK, if you don't have a permit to work, is very difficult
 
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Originally posted by Michal Wiezik:
Hey everybody! Is someone here from the U.K.? I have some questions about java job and related, thnx in advance for any info

- Assume I have 3 years experience, including core java, j2ee platform (such as websphere or jboss), and related technologies: xml, ant, jsp, ejb etc. etc. What salary can I expect?
- Do english employers prefer to hire native speakers? Can I have any problems with finding a job just because I'm polish? I have a Cambridge Advanced English Certificate, would it help me?
- What is the cost of living (food, taxes, accommodation)? How much money can I save approximately?
- What is the standard of working time (hours/week) in the U.K.?



Well,

since you're now an EU national I don't think you need any permits to come and work in the UK.

The market has improved ( the last two years have been very bad and I would have advised you to stay at home, but at the moment there seems to be a shortage of good candidates. ) As long as you speak english and can demonstrate that you've got the experience you mention you should be ok. Find a good recruitment agent ( you may have to try 3-4 to do that ). Foreign nationals, as long as they're legally allowed to work here, can get work anywhere - I've worked with loads of Indians, South Africans, Aussies and Kiwis, French, you name it.

Standard working time is something like 9 - 5:30 5 days a week. Don't know what sort of salaries you can expect - more if you contract, less if you're permanent. You may have an issue with tax and bank accounts but I don't know too much about that. London is an expensive place to live, especially if you come from Poland - you may get a shock.
 
Michael Wiezik
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Thnx for response, Vijayendra!
I think a permission to work wouldn't be a problem as Poland is in the European Union now. From may 2004 I don't need any special permission.
You said it's possible to save about GBP 1000 a month (living fragily) and that you've spent GBP 800 a month living there. Does it mean I can expect to get about GBP 2000 a month? I've seen some job offers, they end up on GBP 4000 a year for 3 years experienced developer - you think it's impossible to get such a job?
Where do you live now? Can you suggest any other country good for saving money ? I mean good income (earnings)/outcome (accommodation, food) ratio. I'm totally mobile and adaptive person, I can work anyplace in the world. If it would be such a need, I can even learn japanise.
Once again, thnx for posting!
 
Michael Wiezik
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Hi Steve,
I've been in Brighton last year. It was indeed a financial shock . Bus ticket is about ten times cheaper in Poland.
The problem with Poland is you spend a lot of money on food and accomodation. Two rooms a month cost about GBP 120 a month, and that's about 1/2 of average month salary.
 
Vijayendra V Rao
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Originally posted by Michal Wiezik:
Thnx for response, Vijayendra!
I think a permission to work wouldn't be a problem as Poland is in the European Union now. From may 2004 I don't need any special permission.
You said it's possible to save about GBP 1000 a month (living fragily) and that you've spent GBP 800 a month living there. Does it mean I can expect to get about GBP 2000 a month? I've seen some job offers, they end up on GBP 4000 a year for 3 years experienced developer - you think it's impossible to get such a job?
Where do you live now? Can you suggest any other country good for saving money ? I mean good income (earnings)/outcome (accommodation, food) ratio. I'm totally mobile and adaptive person, I can work anyplace in the world. If it would be such a need, I can even learn japanise.
Once again, thnx for posting!



No problem!

Well, if you say that getting a permission to work in the UK is not a problem, then I think you can definitely expect to get jobs that pay you somewhere about 3k or more than that per month. Like Steve said, even I used to notice that Contract jobs pay more than permanent jobs. With 3 years of experience, you definitely have a very good chance of getting well paying jobs I guess

Regarding your tax...I am not the right person to give you any suggestions on this one since as an international student doing my Masters there, I didn't have to pay tax. So I was able to save a little more

Once you get an employment, bank accounts and other minor formalities shouldn't be a problem as long as you have a recommendation letter from your employer.

Obviously UK is more expensive! But its a fantastic place to live too!

Regarding suggesting you about some other country, I think Steve is a much more experienced person than I am to do this. So...I would suggest...ask the expert
 
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Michal,

If you have experience in financial domain then its bit easy to get job in London.

Cheers, Sridhar.
 
Vijayendra V Rao
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Hi Michal,

You can try in a company called Data Connection. Its a really good company to try for if you have 3 years of experience.
 
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Thanks Micheal, for asking my questions
By the time I was here I got to read all the replies!!

Need advice on something more though..!!

I see a lot of posting for jobs in London. But I am in Wales.

1. I did send my CVs to the postings in nearby towns. But I do not hear from them at all! I can work in UK. Do I need to mention it specifically to them while applying? Does processing take a lot of time here?

2. One chap had called out of all. But the 'location' mentioned in the posting was the location of his consultancy and not that of the job!! Now this put me in a fix. If I used to see location as London or something, I did not send my CV against the post. Anyone knows if the locations mentioned in the postings are the consultancy locations or the job locations or .... (hope it is not like this) it depends on the one who is posting the job oppotunity?

Any help would be great!

Regards,
Leena
 
Vijayendra V Rao
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Originally posted by Leena Diwan:

1. I did send my CVs to the postings in nearby towns. But I do not hear from them at all! I can work in UK. Do I need to mention it specifically to them while applying? Does processing take a lot of time here?



Oh my God! Please do! Please do! This is one of the most important things that you have to include in your resume. As far as I know, if they want to talk to you then they take not more than 10 to 15 days to call you for an interview. 15 is the latest that I have seen.

Originally posted by Leena Diwan:

2. Anyone knows if the locations mentioned in the postings are the consultancy locations or the job locations or .... (hope it is not like this) it depends on the one who is posting the job oppotunity?



I think the postings should mention the location of the job rather than the location of the consultancy. Hmm...this is a bit strange

But please make sure you clearly mention in your resume that you already have permission to work in the UK. Trust me this will make a lot of difference
 
Leena Diwan
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Hope its not late!

I will do it ASAP.

And its already 2 weeks since I started applying.

Thanks a lot!

Regards,
Leena
 
Vijayendra V Rao
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Originally posted by Leena Diwan:




Its never too late

Good Luck
 
Sridhar Garimella
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Leena,

It would be good if you mention following stuff on top of your CV.

Date of this document:
Status:
Availability:
Salary Requirements:
Contract or Permanent:
Willing to relocate or telecommunicate:

Cheers, Sridhar.
 
Leena Diwan
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Hey Im re-applying to the jobs with mentioning this. Yeah its never too late. Hoping for the best!

Thanks Shridhar! When I apply through job site, all this does get posted to the employer. Thanks though. I will keep an eye and mention all these things when I am not applying through sites.

Thanks to you all!

Regards,
Leena
 
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