Transcript Document

Living and working in the UK
Maria Turner & Christina Cuthbert
UK EURES Adviser
September 2008
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Living and working in the UK

Working in the UK

Employment law

Living in the UK

Looking for work
Great Britain
 Great Britain is England
Scotland and Wales
 The public employment
service is Jobcentre Plus
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
United Kingdom
 England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland
 Population - 61 million
 Unemployment varies across the UK
average is 5%
 Language - English
 Welsh is spoken in some parts
of Wales
Northern Ireland
 Northern Ireland is part of the UK.
The public employment service is:
 The Department for Employment
and Learning (DEL)
www.jobcentreonline.com
 The Republic of Ireland is not part
of the UK.The public employment
service is:
 FAS - the Training and Employment Authority
www.fas.ie
Working in the UK
Job opportunities
Opportunities vary across the country, but include:

Construction middle & upper management roles i.e. Quantity
Surveyors, Estimators, Project Managers
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Opportunities are mainly in London & South East
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Dentists, Pharmacists, Specialist Nurses
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Drivers – buses, heavy goods vehicles

Chefs and hotel workers

Biotechnology/Pharmaceutical vacancies
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Engineering
Jobcentre Plus
Strongly advise people not to come to the UK
if they do not have a job to start
Good English is essential to work in the UK

Search for jobs online

Call the telephone jobs service,
Jobseeker Direct +44 (0) 845 6060 234

Jobcentre Plus offices are self-service
with Jobpoint computers
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Looking for work

UK newspapers have internet jobs sites

Visit company websites for job vacancies,
company application forms and company
information

Private agencies – many are registered with the
Recruitment and Employment Confederation
www.rec.uk.com
Employment law in the UK
Employment conditions and law

National Minimum Wage is:
£5.73 per hour for over 22 years, (£229 per week for 40hrs / €275)
 £4.77 per hour 18 – 21 years approx (£191 per week / €229)
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
Working week on average is 37- 48 hours

Minimum holiday is 4.8 weeks (24 days if you work a 5 day week)

Your wage is usually paid monthly into a bank account

20 minute rest break is allowed if you work more than 6 hours
each day
www.berr.gov.uk
www.acas.org.uk
National Minimum Wage Helpline: 0845 600 0678
Useful Sites

Trade Union Congress http://www.tuc.org.uk help with
employment questions, disputes, trade unions, health
and safety at work etc.

Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk help with tax, national insurance,
working contracts and hours etc

Health & Safety Executive http://www.hse.gov.uk help
with safety and guidance at work etc.

Direct Gov http://www.direct.gov.uk this is the central site
for all of the UK’s public services, includes information
on health, driving in the UK, education, jobs, local
councils, housing etc.
Income Tax

Tax is deducted from wages every week or month

Tax is 20% of gross income

40% on earnings of over £36,000 (€43,200)

Self-employed people pay their own tax
www.hmrc.gov.uk
Council Tax

Council Tax is paid to the council where you live,
to pay for local services

The amount you pay depends on your
accommodation and family circumstances.
Council tax for an average property is
approximately £100 per month (€120)

Council Tax may be included in your rent. Check
with your landlord
National Insurance

National Insurance is deducted from wages (11%)

The amount you pay depends on how much you
earn

Self-employed people must pay their own National
Insurance
National Insurance Numbers

Everyone working in the UK has a National Insurance
number (NI No.)

You must apply for a number when you start work

If you have worked in the UK before, you do not need a
new number
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Phone 0845 600 0643 to apply (Great Britain)
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In Northern Ireland, contact the Jobcentre
www.dwp.gov.uk
Example of weekly earnings
If you earn £229 (€275) p/w, your employer will deduct approx:
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Income Tax
National Insurance
You will receive
£25
£14
£190
(€32)
(€17)
(€233)
Living expenses could include:
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Rent (room)
£40
Council Tax
£25
Travel
£10
Food / entertainment £50
(€48)
(€30)
(€12)
(€60)
… but you may have to spend more – particularly in London!
Living in the UK
Accommodation

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
Flats – furnished and unfurnished
£400 - £500 per month (€480 - €600)
Houses - furnished and unfurnished
£450 - £700 per month (€540 - €840)
Rooms
£200 - £350 per month (€240 - €420)

You pay one month’s rent before you move in and
usually 1 month’s deposit
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Large cities are more expensive and accommodation
can be difficult to find
Shopping basket
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Bread
Milk 3.41litres
Sandwich
Cup of coffee
Cigarettes
Pint of beer in pub
Chocolate bar
Fish and chips
Cinema ticket
Short bus journey
Football match
£1.00
£1.90
£2.50
£1.80
£5.50
£3.00
£0.60
£5.50
£6.00
£1.50
£15 - £100
€1.20
€2.30
€3.00
€2.15
€6.60
€3.60
€0.74
€6.60
€7.20
€1.80
€18 – €120
Health

You need a European Health Insurance
Card (EHIC) to use the UK National
Health Service (NHS)

You can see an NHS doctor without paying

You can get NHS hospital treatment without paying

Prescribed medicines cost £7.10 (€8.50) per item
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You will have to pay for spectacles and dental
treatment
www.dh.gov.uk
NHS Direct 0845 46 47
Looking for work in the UK
Curriculum Vitae - CV
A CV helps you get an interview – not a job
 Keep it simple – 1or 2 sides of A4 paper
 Do not use handwriting or include photographs
 Employers read CVs for 20 seconds – it must make a
quick impression
 Prepare a new CV for each job application – to match
the job description
 Access Jobcentre Plus website
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk for examples of Graduate
level cvs and covering letters

Application forms
Many companies use application forms instead of a CV
and most large companies now use online application
forms

Read the form carefully

Follow the instructions

Photocopy the form and practice filling it in

Write a short letter to support your application
Graduates

Good written and spoken English is essential
 It is hard to find media jobs
 Competition is very high
 Graduate vacancies are declining (more competition)
 Many employers do not understand foreign
qualifications
 The UK does not have many work placement
opportunities
www.prospects.ac.uk
Qualifications and degrees

Qualifications can differ in each European
country

Some qualifications are recognised across the
Europe

Some professional people must apply for UK
recognition

The National Academic Recognition Information
Centre, NARIC can compare your qualifications.
You will need to pay for this service.
www.naric.org.uk
Any questions?
Christina Cuthbert
EURES Adviser
Location: Sheffield
Phone: 0044 (0) 114 294 3593
Email:
[email protected]
Maria Turner
EURES Adviser
Location: South East
Phone: 0044 (0)1273 647577
Email:
[email protected]