PeteH

Hi there, new to the forum.

I've been living in the US for nearly 7 years now, working in academia, currently as an Assistant Professor. I'm increasingly keen to move back to the UK soon.

The academic job market in the UK isn't very good and I'm definitely willing to move into other lines of work in the UK. However, the prospect of actually getting a job in the UK is very daunting. In particular, I worry about how to complete an applications process from several thousand miles away and am doubtful how realistic it is to expect to get a job before moving back home (e.g. attending in-person interviews and the like).

I was wondering what sort of experiences others of you have had. Did you apply for UK-based jobs while in the US? Did the distance complicate the logistics of successfully getting through the entire process to the point of having a job offer before moving back? Did you move back first and then apply? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Pete

britinchina

Hi Pete,

I'm also a Brit and spent the last 10 years living and working in China. After 1 year of intense searching I managed to secure a job in the UK that (touch wood) is going really well. I also work in the education Business but not quite the same as what you are doing. However I did apply to a number of Universities and had a handful of interviews both via Skype and face-to-face in the UK.

See below some lessons that I learned from probably 100's of hours I spent searching that hopefully might be useful to you:

1. Firstly, it is harder but definitely possible to find a job in the UK while in the US.

2. When applying for jobs in the UK I put my Mum's UK address on my CV. If you have a house in the UK or parents/relatives in the UK I suggest doing the same.

3. I would work on the assumption that you will probably need to return to the UK for a face-to-face interview. You could get very lucky a secure a role via just a Skype
interview but this is rare.

4. With point 3 in mind I would apply like crazy for many different jobs and hopefully when you secure several interviews travel to the UK. I visited the UK last April I think and had 3 interviews. Unfortunately I didn't secure any of the jobs which was frustrating to say the least. However, I kept applying while in China and visited the UK again in October and had 4 interviews. Fortunately I secured one of the jobs. Sure it is expensive and time-consuming, but in my opinion it is more risky just moving back to the UK without any job as if you get desperate you might accept a job that is not ideal if money is tight. It also depends if you have a wife and kids to support. I have kids to support and my wife doesn't work full-time so it was critical for me first to secure a job.

5. Strategies to find a job:

I'm not expert but despite everyone raving about networking and Linkedin.com (which I use almost everyday) all the interviews I had came via job boards or general job websites that post specific jobs in the industry i work in. In your field I'm not sure if it is worth posting your CV and profile on all the job boards like CV Library, Totaljobs, Reed, Monster, Jobsite etc. as I think all the Universities post job ads directly on their own websites, however I found many also use this big job boards. I would definitely try jobs.ac.uk I assume you already know this one. They have a lot of academic related jobs.

Anyway, I've already written a lot so last thing I will say is that I spent dozens of hours completing literally 30-50 applications at Universities where you have to fill out all your details in these time-consuming websites with your name, address and separately write details about each job you have done and each University you attended (even though this is all in the CV you usually attach). If you look for jobs other than as a Professor / Lecturer I would seriously consider uploading your CV on the main jobs boards I mentioned above. One headhunter found me on a job board and I had several interviews and was very close to securing a decent position as a result but just missed out.

Anyway, I did get several interviews with Universities after completing these long Taleo job application forms, however the job I secured was via a job board. I registered, uploaded my CV and tweaked my cover letter in literally a few minutes and forwarded my CV. I had two Skype interviews while in China then a face-to-face interview in London. So the moral of the story is that " it's a numbers game. " You might get lucky if you have friends or contacts in the industry, if not you need to just start applying and be prepared for a first round Skype interview then eventually a face-to-face interview in the UK.

Good luck!

PeteH

Hi britinchina

Thanks so much for your reply - the tips and info you've given are really useful and it's very reassuring to hear from someone who's gone through the process successfully!

Hope you continue to enjoy your new role.

Pete

Elnino05

PeteH

Hi Elnino05, thanks for your comments! I would never have considered mapping my US number to a UK number, but it sounds like a great idea.
Pete

Elnino05

chipsncurry

Were you teaching English in China, britinchina, or something else, you mention education business, are you now gainfully employed as a recruiter or something like that? Or are you teaching back in the UK?