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:
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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 and Vets
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Physicists, geologists and meteorologists
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Biological scientists/Pharmaceutical vacancies
Civil/Chemical Engineers and Engineering technicians
Care Assistants/Chefs
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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
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Call the telephone jobs service,
Jobseeker Direct +44 (0) 845 6060 234
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Jobcentre Plus offices are self-service
with Jobpoint computers
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
Looking for work
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UK newspapers have internet jobs sites
www.wrx.zen.co.uk
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Visit company websites for job vacancies,
company application forms and company
information
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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)
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Working week on average is 37- 48 hours
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Minimum holiday is 4.8 weeks (24 days if you work a 5 day week)
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Your wage is usually paid monthly into a bank account
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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
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Trade Union Congress http://www.tuc.org.uk help with
employment questions, disputes, trade unions, health and
safety at work etc.
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Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/migrantworkers/index.htm
help with tax, national insurance, working contracts and hours
etc
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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
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40% on earnings of over £36,000
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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
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Everyone working in the UK has a National Insurance
number (NI No.)
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You must apply for a number when you start work
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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
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:
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Income Tax
National Insurance
You will receive
£25
£14
£190
Living expenses could include:
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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
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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
Health
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You need a European Health Insurance
Card (EHIC) to use the UK National
Health Service (NHS)
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You can see an NHS doctor without paying
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You can get NHS hospital treatment without paying
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Prescribed medicines cost £7.10 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
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
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Application forms
Many companies use application forms instead of a CV
and most large companies now use online application
forms
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Read the form carefully
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Follow the instructions
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Photocopy the form and practice filling it in
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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
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Some professional people must apply for UK
recognition
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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