Living and working abroad is one of the best options for people in the modern world. This will not only help you learn more about yourself but also make your resume more valuable. In today’s job market, employers want employees with a lot of experience both at work and in their personal lives.
Being a thriving industrial hub with a variety of jobs, England will surely give you a satisfying experience working there. You can make great friends while working, get to know delicious British food, and visit the sights of Britain in your free time. However, working in the UK as a foreigner has difficulties and obstacles that you must overcome before working in this country, including obtaining a work visa. Stay with us as we tell you everything you need to know about working in the UK in this article.
Types of work visas in England
The UK’s main immigration route is through the points-based system (PBS). First, immigrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) apply for one of five levels based on their desire to work, study, invest, or train in the country. They must pass a points-based assessment that focuses on eligibility, eligibility, and entry requirements for each tier. Applicants must obtain a sufficient number of points to be granted permission to enter or remain in the UK based on age, qualifications, language, income, and budget.
All five tiers include special visas:
- Tier 1: These visas are intended for highly skilled workers, entrepreneurs, investors, and graduate students residing outside the European Union (EU) and the EEA. These candidates do not need a job offer to apply.
- Tier Two: Skilled workers, professional athletes, and clergy members from outside the EEA can apply for Tier Two visas if they have a job offer and can fill gaps in the country’s workforce.
- Tier 3: Tier 3 visa is intended for low-skilled workers provided temporary labor. However, the government decided not to accept non-EU migrants for Tier 3 positions and has since scrapped these visas.
- Tier four: Students over 16 from outside the EEA must apply for a tier four visa if they want to study at a school, college, or university in the country.
- Tier 5: This category has six sub-categories of temporary workers, covering creative and sporting positions, charities, religious workers, and young people working on working holidays in the UK.
Necessary conditions for obtaining a UK work visa
The requirements for a UK work visa vary based on the level and visa you require. Tier two covers most long-term visas, except for special talents listed in tier one. The UK General Tier 2 work visa is the most common work visa for expanding companies, as it is for people from outside the EEA and Switzerland who have a job offer in the UK. All general work visa applicants must have a licensed employer or sponsor. Although requirements vary by work permit type, the most common are:
- application form
- Two color photographs taken within the last six months
- Valid passport
- Proof of financial ability to cover the cost of living in the UK
- proof of residence
- Detailed itinerary
- Tuberculosis test results
- Biometric information
- A visa invitation to stay with friends or family members
- UK visa fees have been paid
- Certified translation of any document that is not in English
Work in England
To be completely honest with you, right now, the official statistics aren’t really in your favor. While the UK economy is indeed still strong and there are plenty of job offers in the UK, the competition is just as strong. In addition, the unemployment rate is the highest it has been in five years. At the same time, compared to 2019, there are 30% fewer open positions. But don’t lose hope! There is always a way and it will be easier to find a job in the UK as a foreigner if you:
You are looking for it in the south of England. Overall, the South is a powerhouse of the UK economy and we recommend you start your search there. You are looking for a position in a field with a skilled labor shortage. Among the desired professions, you can find IT specialists, engineers, doctors, or educators. So if you qualify for any of these job vacancies, good for you!
You are very fluent in English. Even if English is not your native language, it is naturally expected that your command of it is very high. Remember, you will be competing for the job not only with a number of experts, but also with locals.
Apply for a job in the UK
Once you have found a job in the UK, you need to prepare your application. If you go into the interview stage, you need to know what to expect in a UK job interview, and what to do – and what not to do – during the interview.
UK job applications usually take the form of an application form (often available online) which includes a personal statement in which you meet the required specifications or a request for a CV with a cover letter.
Interviews for UK jobs usually last between 30 and 60 minutes and are often conducted with 2 to 3 interviewers. Some interviews include tests or additional tasks that increase the overall length of the interview. Before the interview, research the company to get an idea of its values and work culture, and prepare yourself for the questions you will be asked. Try to keep calm and be friendly.
In case of a job offer, the company will contact you by phone and in writing. They will also contact your references. You will usually need to provide 2-3 of these items as part of your application.
The process of receiving a UK job offer
Look for job offers in your field. Start by visiting some of the top job search portals, such as Indeed, Monster, or Jobsite. This way you can get a relative mindset about the number of opportunities.
- Look for work online. Search LinkedIn regularly to check for any interesting vacancies. Also, post your resume on the site. Try to write an attractive resume for yourself, so attractive that employers will be eager to hire you. Although you should not write anything but the truth in your resume, you should write everything in an attractive way in your resume. Providing an excellent and standard resume will make you visible sooner.
- Have your resume and cover letter ready so you can quickly modify them to suit individual job requirements and send them immediately.
- Get the right visa. Research the specific visa requirements properly and make sure you can meet all the requirements to enter the UK once you get the job.
- Get a National Insurance (NI) number. When you start working in the UK, your employer will ask for it, even if you are a foreigner.
- Open a bank account in the UK. This is a requirement so that your employer can pay you in British pounds.
Important points in the resume to get a UK job offer
Remember that you shouldn’t include a photo of yourself on your resume unless you have to or you’re applying for a job like acting or modeling where your appearance is important to your future job. In general, it is not common to have a photo on a CV in the UK as it can make some job applicants question the competence and thus be damaging.
The UK labor market aims to be inclusive. Not only will they not expect you to include your photo on your resume, but sometimes they’ll also ask you to remove your school name, so that doesn’t determine who gets the job. Therefore, before sending the documents, read the job description carefully. Use ready-made British contracts. Look at it as the first step of cultural assimilation.
Provide personal information such as date of birth or nationality. As a result, your potential employer will know whether you need a work visa or not. Mention your grades. Especially if you are a recent graduate. People’s grades are very important in the UK, so make sure you convert your grade to the UK scale. List them directly under your school name next to your degree title (unless specifically stated otherwise).
If you need inspiration, take a look at the sample standard British resumes (you can even filter them using the keywords “UK” or “London”).
Important tips about the cover letter to receive a UK job offer
Try to keep your cover letter short. Limit yourself to a few short paragraphs and make sure you don’t exceed the limit of an A4 page. Try to avoid repeating words in your cover letter and only mention information that compliments your resume.
Try to emphasize why you want the job, not why you want to live in the UK. Maybe you’ve dreamed of living in London since you were a kid, but the company that’s going to hire you won’t be impressed. Therefore, try to talk only about how you were attracted to that job post and that organization and not about the attraction and pull of England.
Language requirements for working in the UK
If you speak a language other than English, you’ll have a huge advantage over many British applicants – most of whom can only speak English – but you’ll almost certainly need to be able to speak English yourself to get the job. To get a UK work visa, you may need to prove your English language skills anyway.
Salary in England
The official minimum wage in the UK changes every year and varies by age. This year the minimum wage for over 23s is £8.91 an hour. However, if you’re under 21 you’ll earn just £6.56 and if you’re under 18 you’ll only get £4.62 an hour. The current average annual salary in the UK for full-time workers is £31,461, up slightly from the previous year. You will earn the most if you work in the medical profession, IT business, or marketing.
The best UK job sites
Job sites are great places to provide job opportunities to job seekers. There are various job sites in the UK, we will get to know some of them below
Indeed
Indeed is one of the most famous job search sites that was launched in 2004. This recruitment site is available in more than 55 countries and in 28 languages. You can find any job, no matter where the job is posted. This site has more than 15% of the overall market share among job search sites. In addition, it is one of the most popular job sites in the UK. This site actually collects job listings from thousands of websites, including job sites, different companies, and company job pages. Employment sites are the main source of labor recruitment
Glassdoor
This recruitment website is more than a job site. Because here, various information related to companies are also displayed. On this site, you can check the reviews and ratings given by employees to your company, and you can also find out about the wages and salaries of each company’s employees. Therefore, the job site Glassdoor allows candidates to have a look at various aspects of the company such as reviews, salaries, interview questions and many more.
Totaljobs
Totaljobs is one of the most useful job sites in the UK, which was established in 1999. This recruitment site has become the UK’s largest online recruitment business. They have over 20 years of experience in recruiting the best talent across industries. Totaljobs helps millions of job seekers find the right job. Currently, Totaljobs publishes 28,000 job ads and attracts 6 million job seekers per month. Thousands of small regional recruiting firms and staffing agencies use our services to attract top talent.
Reed
The site has a large database where you can search for locations, organizations and departments to get the most relevant results. This site offers more than 24,000 job opportunities in the public and private sectors. It goes without saying that this site was the first online recruitment site in the UK. Currently, Read has the most web traffic of any UK recruitment site. In 2017, the total number of visitors was 199 million. And in 2019, it hosted 250,000 jobs daily.
Monster
Monster is a global recruiting site owned by Monster Worldwide, Inc. This site is a global pioneer in effectively connecting people with different work situations. With over 5 million UK website users per month and thousands of positions ranging from entry level to management positions, it’s definitely worth a look on your career path as, in addition to providing applicants with job listings, career advice is also available on It is up to them. For advice, they provide you with CV tips, interview tips and salary calculators.
Jora
It’s a UK-wide job site that currently has over 5 million job vacancies where people can search thousands of jobs, all from a variety of job platforms across the UK. Jora aggregates jobs from a variety of sources such as job sites, the recruitment industry, industry associations and traditional job posting sites such as newspaper classifieds. Jora operates in 36 countries.
DevITjobs
DevITjobs is a new player in the job market and currently offers job postings for free. This site only works in the field of jobs related to the IT industry. Job seekers can filter benefits, telecommuting and even visa-sponsored jobs for candidates outside of Europe. While software engineers are the main audience, DevITjobs is a place for everyone working in the IT industry: data engineers, system administrators, product managers, UX/UI designers, etc.
JOB TODAY
With JOB TODAY, you’ll check out positions and get updates for jobs in the grocery, hospitality and service sectors. Easily find a job and develop your career with one click. Job Today connects employer and job seeker, which is one of the rare features of job sites. In November 2018, they surpassed 100 million job applications on their website. Job Today empowers both parties to communicate with each other to meet their mutual employment needs.