How Bad is it?

[sam_acw]

I've been talking with my wife a lot recently about moving back to the UK - largely due to her wishes and the level of bureaucracy here making life almost impossible .
Now, the big question is what is the job situation really like? I can see numbers etc. being shown on the web but are there still positions available in supermarkets, pubs etc.? Finding work for the summer is no hassle as we're both well qualified TEFL teachers but it isn't a job with a long term demand.
Any real, empirical, information would be much appreciated!

 

[spamel]

What pubs? They're all closing down!

 

[Toddy]

If you speak Polish and English to teaching standard, and are prepared to do social work/ immigration interpretation there shouldn't be much to worry about. There's a large, albeit, mostly transient/ short term residence, Polish community here.

Try googling under those sort of terms with the qualifications you have. Might give you a clearer picture.

atb,
Toddy

 

[w00dsmoke]

Not sure about that one Toddy,

in my line of work SW were not prepared to fork out more than a couple of hours per week when I needed one full time.

As for the Uk, I think it's a lot worse than the media are making out. Sure you'll always get work in Macdonalds but for anything else...it's going to be hard. Forget working for charities as funding for these are usually the first to go, forget the care field as it's usually charities that are working for the LA's and funding is being cut significantly. As for supermarkets...well there's waiting lists for the biggies. As for admin work for the banks...many are getting paid off.

As for agency staff...yeagh tried that...for education, admin, childcare, youthwork and auxiliary nursing... nothing yet and I've got a masters degree and a post graduate degree in community education Means bugger all if you can't get work.
It's not good out there in the UK I'm afraid.

 

[Scots_Charles_River]

TEFL might be good but in Scotland, the education budgets have been cut.

Nick

 

[Toddy]

I know of three foreign nationals working in this field and they are busier than ever

Sorry to sound so confident if your experience is otherwise Woodsmoke.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[w00dsmoke]

Ach regradless of need it must be down to local budgets as usual...

 

[British Red]

As usual in England Sam, theres work out there. If people get picky about where they live or what they do its harder than it was, But if you are willing to locate wherever there is work, work hard, for maybe a bit less than a couple of years back, theres work

Red

 

[BigShot]

I'm not sure how bad the beurocracy is in Poland, but if you're looking for an escape from that I'm not sure the UK is a good idea.
I suppose it depends what you want to do but there's a stupid amount of it here.

Just today I was having a natter with someone about my line of work and we were talking about the utterly stupid situation where you're legally entitled to do certain things to your house without planning permission, but if you're doing something that requires planning permission those very same things will not be allowed because the beurocrats who deal with the planning applications won't allow it. The sheer stupidity of the contradiction seems lost on them but it's a constant source of irritation to us and several of our clients.

With things like the identity register, ID cards and the various other databases and so on, I don't think the level of beurocracy will be falling either. It'd have to be pretty nasty in Poland to make the UK a desirable place to head on that front.

I'm glad to say that work's ok for me, not as much money in it as this time 12 months ago but it's still coming in. I just hope it stays that way.

 

[sam_acw]

It is not comparable to Britain. The whole system is based upon hundreds of thousands of regional petty bureaucrats who love being rude and unhelpful. It isn't the case that you can go to one office and sort something out, taking a week and going to 7 is more likely!

Thanks for all the information so far!

For those interested in the level of craziness:
Taxes have to be paid by the employer but the employee is responsible for it, then the forms have to be collated and sent to the tax office. The tax offices are not national but regional and each different company has one they use whilst the worker will have paid tax to different ones. If you send the documents to the wrong office they just ignore them and fine you as if you hadn't sent them but you can't find which is the right office. Despite EU law about freedom of movement you still need registration documents to be here (not really legal but no one can afford to challenge it) and a registered address, of course if you don't own a flat you can't get a registered address. The information for foreigners wanting short term residency permits is only available in very legalistic Polish - we're talking for people who would only be here a few months.

 

[BigShot]

Sounds suitably mad.
The UK certainly isn't as bad in that respect (though I dunno what it's like for immigrants here who want to keep it all above baord).

All this just deepens my feeling that the answer to most of the world's ills is less government. Let people get on with things and it'd all be much better.

Good luck with the move if you can afford to do it.


I don't know how relevant it is to the UK, but I'm told that most of the Polish migrant workers have left Ireland recently. There were a LOT there not too long ago, but the recession over there has led to a fairly high number going hom e(or perhaps elsehwere). If some people are right the same might happen in the UK at some point reasonably soon. nothing empirocal for you there though.

 

[gunslinger]

As usual in England Sam, theres work out there. If people get picky about where they live or what they do its harder than it was, But if you are willing to locate wherever there is work, work hard, for maybe a bit less than a couple of years back, theres work

Red

Hi Red
My guess would be that you are in full time employment and not looking for a job at the moment,simply unless your area is dramatically different then your statement is far from the current reality.

I have my own business in the summer but winter time I usually work for agencies driving HGVs,but this past winter there has been virtually nothing available ,in fact two agencies I have worked for in the past would not even sign me back on as the couldn't keep their existing drivers working.
I have made probably in the region of 200 applications this winter (and no I didnt tell them I couldn't work the summer) and I cant count the actual replies on my fingers and no takers,despite having a number of skills and qualifications.

As to supermarkets several of my applications have been to them ,for jobs ranging from shelf stacking to home delivery driver, and nothing,0.nada.

My 19 year old daughter with two years of dealing with the public in a retail environment and 3 languages could not get a job in McDs. TBH unless you are as thick as porcine fecal matter they dont want you. Too much of a threat to the managers job.

That is however the SW of England and it could be different in other places but other than cities ,I doubt it.

I know its not Poland but if I had the chance I would be back in France tomorrow.

GS

 

[spoony]

i watched an ad on local \TV last night and it seems they are screaming out for teachers.
Im in the ne england btw

 

[Kerne]

i watched an ad on local \TV last night and it seems they are screaming out for teachers.
Im in the ne england btw

This is because the drop-out rate for teachers is higher than ever in my almost 30 years in the job. If you can teach maths or Physics they will bite your hand off. History, English. Geography - not so good. But teaching always gets more recruits during a recession, who then go onto a "proper" job when times get better.

 

[SimonM]

i watched an ad on local \TV last night and it seems they are screaming out for teachers.
Im in the ne england btw

Teaching isn't the easy option. As Kerne said, there is a huge drop out rate.

I finished teacher training in 2003 and from the original 16 on my course there are only 2 of us still teaching!

My old course leader was saying that the college he works for expects 80% drop out rate in the first 3 years!

Simon

 

[John Fenna]

The care sector is always needng more staff....

 

[British Red]

Hi Red
My guess would be that you are in full time employment and not looking for a job at the moment,simply unless your area is dramatically different then your statement is far from the current reality.

We do both as well - we have our own business (at least one of us working at all times) the other works either for the business or as an employee.

Totally different field to yours but for us there is still work out there. Not glamorous work but steady and plenty of it. It may not last but right now we are still turning work down.

Red

 

[xylaria]

The care sector is always needng more staff....

I went for a job interview for carework minimum wage, not sharp end , they had over 100 applicants for one job. There are job adverts but there is a lot applicants too. I certainly don't mined getting my hands dirty nor I am fussy, and quite frankly I fined British Red tone offensive, arrogant and not based on reality.

 

[British Red]

I can only report the work we do in the area we live Xylaria. As I said in previous psosts - some of the rates are lower and the work less exciting but, in this area, and our field, its still around. That is the current reality here.

Red

 

[falling rain]

As usual in England Sam, theres work out there. If people get picky about where they live or what they do its harder than it was, But if you are willing to locate wherever there is work, work hard, for maybe a bit less than a couple of years back, theres work

Red

I went for a job interview for carework minimum wage, not sharp end , they had over 100 applicants for one job. There are job adverts but there is a lot applicants too. I certainly don't mined getting my hands dirty nor I am fussy, and quite frankly I fined British Red tone offensive, arrogant and not based on reality.

I disagree xylaria..... BR is spot on. There IS work if you really want it. It may be folks are massively overqualified for a particular post and their pride won't let them do a particular job,
but if you're willing to get stuck in no matter what the job is, you'll find something. Till I retired from the rat race recently, I was working in a newsagents for £6.00 an hour and I've done plenty of jobs over the years that I've hated but just got stuck in anyway. My top hated jobs I've done is pilchard unpacker from container lorries by hand. Scaffolders labourer, furniture removals, unpacking waste vegetables from cages (from supermarkets) and cleaning the trays they came in. Turfing cardboard boxes into crushing machines.
I don't think BR was being offensive at all. When things are tough....if you want work you need to pick up the sword. I've chosen to make my own way from now on so don't want a job. I'll do what I can when I can get it, but it'll be what I want to do. I've done the 'any old job no matter how cr@p' bit for too long, and now I'm going to start enjoying my life with very little granted, but I'm very happy now with my freedom. And freedom means more to me than loads of dosh.
But Red is right, you CAN find something if you forget the 'the that job is beneath me' syndrome.