KNOWING that I was coming back to the UK but with (very) limited funds, this time I decided to be proactive and line up a job before I came.
I Googled ‘London pub jobs’ and very soon I stumbled across a company that promised to set applicants up with a live-in bar tender job at a pub or, if that didn’t suit, they could also find you work at a VIP catering company.
Perfect!
I quickly emailed them my details, and was impressed with their hasty reply, less than 24-hours later. Who would have thought that getting a job would be so easy?
But it wasn’t until browsing their website later that day that I started to get suspicious. The site promised work for everyone, regardless of experience. And the application form they made you fill out seemed pretty thin.
Finally, after a few more clicks, the penny finally dropped for me.
This wasn’t a nice hospitality company kindly offering to assist young workers; this was a business, which would only help you if forked out $700!
“Don’t waste your money while you search for work,” the site said.
Instead, they seemed to suggest you should waste your money now, before you’d even stepped off the plane, let alone had a look at Big Ben.
Now I know that moving to a new country without a job is a pretty daunting thought. You don’t have any of the connections over here to help you out, and after hearing tales of the disastrous UK economy you worry you will end up going home after two months being an utter failure.
At least, that was my fear before I first came over, at the start of 2010. Last year, in fact, I may very well have paid that $700, just to have the peace of mind that came with knowing I would be established once I arrived.
But not this time.
This time I had experienced living in the UK. I knew what to expect and also knew that while getting yourself established in a new country isn’t exactly easy, it is nowhere near as difficult as these companies make out.
Paying $700 for some organisation to forward on your resume seems ludicrous to me. Especially considering that I was applying for jobs in hospitality, an industry with frequent staff turnover rates.
Yet these types of companies seem to be flourishing.
Before I first came over I stumbled across many organisations that promised to ‘take the pressure off your trip’, by making sure you had filled out your visa forms correctly and given you access to their jobs board.
But after landing in London I realised pretty quickly that jobs boards can be found in most backpackers’ hostels. Hell, there are recruitment agencies that will find you a job without you having to hand over your hard-earned dosh!
And as for the promise to ‘check your forms’, well writing your name and address correctly isn’t exactly rocket science!
Maybe I’m just cynical, but it seems to me that these organisations are operating on the fact that they know people will be nervous.
Moving to a new place where you don’t know anybody is certainly a frightening idea. But at the end of the day, I don’t think these types of companies will have much impact on your experience. Even if they promise you a job and the comforts that come with that, there’s no saying you’ll like where they send you.
And despite some of the hassles being taken out, the most challenging part of moving to a new country, like making new friends and missing your family/friends back home, will still be there.
Of course, there are reputable visa organisations available that can help people who don’t have the time to sort out the nitty-gritty of life in London.
But I would say to anybody considering signing up with one of these other, predatory organisations asking for 700 bucks: be careful and don’t bother.
This is my second trip to the UK and both times I’ve found jobs by myself.
Rather than blowing your hard-earned cash on these types of schemes, save your $700 for the more important things, like booze and food!
[ Source: Australian Times ]