ezzie

Chatted to someone who'd been in Sydney for 15 years before going back to the UK, they said what bugged them most was that work conditions in the UK is very class driven, it's all based on 'who you know', is completely pressured and extrememely back-biting. Now I've found the bitchiness around the same here, there seems to be no class division but most of the frustration comes from lazyness and inneficiencies rather than pressure as such. I haven't worked in the UK for over 20 years, so does anyone know what sort of differences exist between a managment position in the UK and Oz?

BadgeIsBack

In the UK, I find that someone can open their mouth and you'll know instantly, if say, they are a 'Little Englander'..in Australia you can never be sure if that person has had the benefit of an exclusive (or expensive) education..I've met blokes who have gone to the most regarded GPS school and you'd never really guess..

Depend on the company and the area, and the role.

There is a bit of networking going in in Sydney as well as London.

I found the City of London a fairly class-driven, or rather, cliched environment, Sydney and Melbourne less so - but you'll find it - if you are looking for it.

jmh

One of the benefits of being a Kiwi in the UK is that I am outside of the class system and therefore not pigeonholed. I think Kiwi's who stick around do quite well for this reason. While there may be class prejudice in some work places, the main barrier is in your own mind. You can overcome the barriers if you don't believe them, IMO.

Having said this, my experience of work culture in the UK is very that people are very friendly, and you can make friends at work in a way you probably wouldn't in some other countries. People seem to socialise with colleagues more.