Transcript Document
Living and working in the UK
Alison Carmichael
UK EURES Adviser
June 2009
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
United Kingdom
England, Scotland, Wales and Northern
Ireland
Population - 61 million
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
The UK Economy and Labour
Market
Unemployment rate 7.1%
Highest redundancy figures since records
began in 1995
Service and financial sectors performing
badly
UK job vacancies down 31% on same
period last year
Shortage Occupations
Opportunities vary across the country, but include:
Construction middle & upper management roles i.e. Quantity
Surveyors, Estimators, Project Managers
Opportunities are mainly in London & South East
Dentists, Pharmacists, Specialist Nurses and Vets
Physicists, geologists and meteorologists
Biological scientists/Pharmaceutical vacancies
Civil/Chemical Engineers and Engineering technicians
Care Assistants/Chefs
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
www.wrx.zen.co.uk
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 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)
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/migrantworkers/index.htm
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
Self-employed people pay their own tax
P86 form on entry to UK, P85 on exit to claim tax refund
www.hmrc.gov.uk/migrantworkers/index.htm
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
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
Phone 0845 600 0643 to apply (Great Britain)
In Northern Ireland, contact the Jobcentre
www.dwp.gov.uk
Workers Registration Scheme
You must register within 30 days of starting
work
Registration costs £90
Guidance in other languages available
www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk
Example of weekly earnings
If you earn £229 p/w, your employer will deduct approx:
Income Tax
National Insurance
You will receive
£25
£14
£190
Living expenses could include:
Rent (room)
£40
Council Tax
£25
Travel
£10
Food / entertainment £50
… but you may have to spend more – particularly in London!
Accommodation
Flats one bedroomed – furnished and unfurnished
£400 - £550 per month
Houses one bedroomed - furnished and
unfurnished
£450 - £700 per month
Rooms
£250 - £400 per month
You pay one month’s rent before you move in and
usually 1 month’s deposit
Large cities are more expensive and accommodation
can be difficult to find
Shopping basket
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
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 per item
You will have to pay for spectacles and dental
treatment
www.dh.gov.uk
NHS Direct 0845 46 47
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?
Alison Carmichael EURES Adviser
Location: Scotland
Phone: 0044 (0) 131 221 4114 E-mail:
alison.carmichael
@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk