I'm 24, American and would love to work in London (or another comparable city) for a few months or more. I'm not eligible for the BUNAC program because I graduated two years ago from uni.
1) How likely is it that an employer would hire someone without a work permit? It seems like you can't get a work permit without a job and you can't get a job without a work permit. The old catch-22! I suppose it really doesn't matter where I work, I'm just there to experience all the city has to offer.
2) Where are the best places to find jobs? In the local paper? Online?
Background on myself in case it matters: Degrees in journalism and Spanish; working in media relations at a trade association for 17 (long) months (looking to leave this job by the way); experience with kids- six years spent as a camp counselor, several as a tutor (however, am not certified as a teacher).
I know this is a long shot, but if anyone has any info, I'd appreciate it.
Stephanie
P.S. I failed to use the search function before I posted this, so sorry if there's an overlap.
To be honest, forget it...an employer will not take the chance these days. We have an abundance of Eastern Europeans working here for minimum wage legally.
Why would an employer risk it.....why not try and get a visa legally if you want it that badly.....why come here illegally, I am pretty sure tat if a Brit tred the same thing in America they would be thrown out pretty quickly if found....
Oh, no, I didn't mean that I would work illegally. I've just heard that if you're hired and don't have a permit, then the company could get a permit for you. Cheers, thanks.
There are a couple of posts about exactly this subject a bit further down - scroll down and see if you can find them.
Basically, unless you fit the highy skilled migrant programme, or unless you have specific skills that an employer in this country needs and can't find within the EU, it can't be done.
The one way of aiming for it, but there are no guarantees, is to get a job with an American company that has offices over here, and see if, in time, they'd transfer you for a while.
It's difficult but people do it so it isn't impossible.
It doesn't sound as though you have any skills that would not be found by an EU person, so an employer would have a tough time getting a visa for you, and realistically, why would an employer bother with all that palaver unless they had any other choice.
Check out whether Americans are able to come here on the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme? Problem is, again, that this isn't intended for very short term jobs.
How about a student visa? If you are eligible and get yourself on a course over here, you are allowed to work up to 20 hours per week.
Since you have a degree in journalism, the easiest way to get to London is to get a job in the US with a newspaper or magazine back in the States then try to transfer over to their London bureau. I know several Americans working in London for the Wall Street Journal and CNN who came over this way.
Are you eligible for a passport from any EU country? Any Irish/Italian/Polish grandmothers etc? Once you have a passport from an EU country you have the freedom to live and work in the UK.
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