Hello to all BE in this forum,

I just wanted to start with a big thank you for all the information you provided by sharing your experiences, thoughts and feelings.

Thanks to you, my to-do list for moving back to Brighton has now grown considerably. To 11+ pages

At least I still have almost 10 months to get it all done and save a little more so I don't have to panic if the job search takes a few months, which it probably will, considering the current situation.

Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks for helping - even if you didn't know you were!

Cheers,
Nic

I, too, would be totally lost without this forum. I had no idea how much was involved but, thankfully, now that my time has come, I am somewhat prepared.

Some people have had luck getting jobs from the US before even arriving in the UK - interviews via Skype. It's worth a try depending on your field of expertise. From Austria, it should be even easier.

Good luck!

Thank you very much, windsong.

I haven't actually considered Skype, as so many people said that a CV with a foreign address won't even make it off the slush pile, but you are right, so I will look into this. See? This forum is worth its gigabytes in gold.

Where will you be making landfall, if I may ask?

Would you include your Skype username in your CV I wonder...

It's a great idea....

Not sure that I would, but when called for an interview I certainly would give it - and might mention Skype as a possibility in my cover letter and give the ID when requested.

PS: On second thoughts, I don't think there is any harm in quoting your Skype ID in the same spot you give your email and phone number. Europeans are much more forward thinking in this regard so it should be fine.

Thanks for mentioning this. I think I will do this, too.

Hi Vienna Nic. Nice place to be an ex-pat! I've spent quite a lot of time in Vienna, because my husband spends about a month working there each year.

Coincidentally, my family home is in Sussex and so I spend quite a lot of time in Brighton too -- and that's a nice place to be moving to.

What field of work are you in, if you don't mind me asking?

This is weird! Editha's post is buried above but yet it is the latest post. Must be a bug in the site update. Is it just for me that this is the case, I wonder?

PS: Checked a few other threads and then came back here. Now it is fine. Odd.

Hi windsong and pondhopper,

Another thing I haven't considered but I would definitely include my skype ID. Thanks for the idea, pondhopper!

However, I would have to register a respectable ID first as my current alter ego bears no resemblance whatsoever with the real me. I'm loath to give my real name on social websites. It might show my age but I want to separate my professional from my private life. How do you both feel about this?

Which allows me to segue to EDITHA's question (Hi by the way! What a lovely coincidence to see you familiar with both Vienna and Brighton - any preference?).

I'm working in HR for a clothing retailer (think Armani but the other end of the price range). This week I received an application from somebody called "Bambi Honey". Now, you don't need a degree to work in retail but I question people's professionalism whenever I come across things like these. Oh dear, rambling again. Sorry!

Vienna, I do this all the time - separate personal from professional - and I feel the same way you do about it. By all means, make a separate, professional sounding ID before quoting it.

My preference is for Brighton, but that is partly because my spoken German is very poor (though I do have a Viennese accent). Also the scary toilets. I've spent enough time in Vienna to get bored with the place, but we have a lot of friends there.

A Viennese accent? That sounds great! Now I'm envious. I've spent a decade in this place but as soon as I open my mouth, people know I'm German.

Scary toilets - dare I ask? Don't want to pry but it sounds like there's a story lurking and I'm a sucker for travel stories.

You don't know what I mean by scary toilets in Vienna? I think this is because you are German. We Brits expect our poo to fall into water, not a special ledge where it can sit and steam until you flush.

Of course! They're ghastly and I hate mine. It's actually one of the many things I'm looking forward to in Brighton - more privacy. I don't need such an intimate knowledge of my body

We do have both versions but the ledge seems slightly more prevalent. I've been told by an architect that hypochondriacs prefer the latter to keep on top of potential health issues, if you excuse the pun.

Lollllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um... This thread is 1. Scaring me, and 2. A biiiit too deep on the TMI side!