Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

I'm moving back to London on August 10 after many years in L.A. I have been reading all kinds of horrendous reports about how there are "no" jobs or if there are, at least 30-40 applicants for each one. I've been a PA for all my working life, and have worked for the same person, who is managing partner of a fairly large law firm in L.A., for over 20 years. He's very demanding and is asking me every day if I've changed my mind (no) so I must be doing something right. I've stayed there so long mainly because it took me 10 years to earn 4 weeks vacation and visiting family in England has always been important.

From what I've read on the UK Yankee forum (I'm English, by the way), the general consensus appears to be nothing I've done in the USA will count in the UK! I find this hard to believe - after all, countless people from all over the world end up finding good jobs in the UK. I'm wondering if there is some bias against people who have worked in the States.

Is there anyone out there who has moved back who can give me any insight? I'm going to call some agencies and see what they have to say, but I must be honest, it's a little nervewracking to say the least.

:unsure:

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

The job market there is better than California from what I've read. Here it really is dire.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

I returned to the UK and found something in just over a month which, as an "older" worker, did not think was bad. One of the stumbling blocks I found was that the term "direct experience" is used quite a lot here. Companies like you to be familiar with their software packages, equipment, etc. They don't take the point of view that a suitable candidate may pick some of the easier aquired skills up quickly.

And, of course, it is easier to find a job in some areas than others.

Try posting your CV on this site and see what happens:

www.jobsite.co.uk

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

Don't you work in the Oil & Gas industry johnh? Would you not think that is an industry which would currently be favourable for employment in the UK over many others in spite of your age. You should state that fact when giving people a positive perception of the UK job-front and how many job offers you have had. It is critical to job seekers exactly what field they are in as well, as you say, as the location they are looking in, particularly when they have gained overseas experience and are trying to show that experience is now relevant in the UK. Others may need to spend more time tuning up their resumes to demonstrate the skills they have acquired which lend themselves to jobs in the UK office environment in terms of management/supervisory/interpersonal/communication/systems/technical/knowledge etc. as well as glowing current references as to character and ability.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

i returned to the uk in november 09 ,i worked in construction in perth for many years and had a lot of contacts ,so please bear that in mind when looking at my run down of what ive done since .................

sept ,oct, nov 09 still in australia ,earning on average $2500 per week

nov09 moved to uk

nov09 to jan 09 ,no work ,due to bad winter

jan 09 to march 09 , around 10 weeks work earning on average 300 pounds per week

april to end of may 09 around 8 weeks work earning around 600 pounds gross per week

june09 to july around a months work earning around 250 a week gross in wales

middle of july 09 to end of august , around 4 weeks work in brugge belgium earning around 1000 euros cash per week

sept 09 to middle of dec 09 around 10 weeks work averaging around 300 pounds per week

dec 09 till end of jan 10 , no work ,winter very bad

feb ,march ,april 10 return to australia for 12 weeks found work immediatly and averaged $ 1400 gross per week

end of may 10 started driving noddy wagon for asda delivering shopping on contract hours of 24 per week at 6.13 per hour .


this has been my experience , i dont want to enter into a do you wish you had stayed in australia debate etc , but if you plan on returning to the uk my experience has been a slow dumbing down . personally i do feel wasted from a professional point of view as i feel i still have a lot to offer even at 50 ,i still have a good days work in me .
others experiences maybe different , but if you do the math on my income and deduct around 7000 pounds in fuel chasing the work it will give you an idea of what ive earnt .
there are lots of part time jobs but due to national insurance contributions threshold for employess ,you will not be offered more than 20 odd hours a week , this may sound simple ie get 2 jobs but the reality is trying to find the second job to fit in with the first , others do it i guess but i find it frustrating when you may spend 7 days a week just trying to get the 40 hours or more you need to work .
on the cynical side the jobs market is set up for part time , to save employer costs and also to keep a lot off the dole .
im firtunate i own my own home , but with council tax , fuel ,food etc ,you dont have much left over for ermmm luxuries .
do i have regrets ? no , i had to come home , would i go to australia again ? never say never

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

I can only speak from my own experience, I would not claim to have all of the answers. I have a mechanical engineering background and have looked at other engineering disciplines also. Along with mining, engineering took a hammering in the UK so I would not say it is easy. In my opinion, age discrimination is rife in the UK but I like to do contract work so I am not looking for a permanent position which may be difficult to find in this job market for an older worker. They are a bit more forgiving about age with contract work. I have only had one job offer to date but then I only wanted one job. I am a firm believer that luck plays a big part in it all but some would say you create your own luck. Look at it another way, over 90% of the working population are employed if you believe the stats but these may not be good jobs. I think Australia is one of the better places for work in these current times but I know it was also tough when I lived in Canada.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

I came back home on February 27th and started seriously looking and applying for jobs after a 2 week "holiday" to myself.

I have lost count of the numerous jobs I applied for, some get back to you, others don't even bother. In a way the Internet has made things more difficult as you end up applying for the same jobs over and over as the agencies in the industry I am in (International air cargo) all seem to have the same jobs.

I think I had 8 interviews in total, I have been applying for jobs at the "lower" end of the pay scale as I have no experience of working in this industry in the UK, though do have 20 years in Australia, so the feedback was invariably that the interviewer liked me, he knew that I knew my stuff, but the job would be too menial for me and they couldn't afford to pay more and I had no UK experience, catch 22. :unsure:

The other week one of the employers phoned and offered me a position to start on June 1st, they will review my pay after 12 months, so it can be hard in your 50's but not impossible. Also DDL who used to post on the over 50's thread was a legal secretary in the US and is now working as a PA at a University in London........

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

I currently live in Ontario Canada, I got my Permanent Residence in September 2010. I have been looking for a job since..its been 8 months and no luck, it could partly be the fact that I wasn't able to work for 5 years due to immigration reasons and having a child. My Husband has a pretty well paid job $56k a year plus bonuses. He is looking for another job but looks like he would have to take a pay cut to do that!

Everything is so expensive here and pretty shoddy quality from furniture to clothes! The price of milk for example has gone form $3.30 for 4L to $5.40 in some stores in the last 3 years! And Gas prices have gone from $0.67 to $1.30 per liter! Its a wonder we survived on just one income as the wages have not been adjusted to the cost of living and there has been a new tax on some items in a store making it 18% tax!

We are looking to move to the UK in 4 -5 years time and hoping the cost of living is pretty good then!

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

Hi Barbara,

I am American, married to a Brit. My husband and I returned to the UK last August after 6 years in the States.

I was a career Legal Secretary with excellent references and experience. It took me 7 months to find the current PA position I now hold - although it is a temp position [for now]. [Both my husband and] I scoured the job market day in and day out. I submitted countless applications for jobs. It wasn't until I finally relented to accept a temp job that I was offered this brilliant position at Holloway College which I am hoping goes permanent.

The job market in our particular area is indeed dire. 30-40 applicants per job? Absolutely true ... perhaps even more!

I suggest you register with a good agency. Easier said than done, however. They are innundated with applicants. Your CV really needs to stand out. Use the internet and decide which agency is best for you and what you are looking for. There are a number of agencies specific to the law sector. Those might be a good starting place.

In our case, my husband and I also targeted specific companies we knew we would like to work for and we faithfully checked their websites for job openings.

I'm not trying to discourage you, Barbara, but chances are it's not going to be easy. Stay positive, be patient, be diligent in your job search, be prepared to perhaps start at the bottom of the pay scale - and have a contingency plan if it does end up months before you are able to find work.

At the end of the day, at least you'll be back home. The rest will eventually fall into place.

Good luck!

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

I'm finding it hard.

I took redundancy in Dec and have applied for countless jobs but have had only one interview. All the jobs have 30 + applicants.

I am actually amazed- I did not realise it was quite so harsh.
Even an electrician friend said that his work is the slowest in 33 years of working life.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

Financial IT is going through a boom I've never seen a job market so easy and well paying as it currently is.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

I think other areas of IT are starting to grow again, possibly linked to the boom in startups and the money flooding into this area (see the recent flotation success of LinkedIN). The problem is breaking into a niche - it's notoriously difficult to get an IT job in Finance without experience in that area.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

Small world- I am from Poole, my SIL boyfriend works at Asda in Poole! We are coming back on Monday for 2 weeks hols.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

Hi Barbara,

The best website for jobs in my opinion is

http://www.monster.co.uk/?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_n=Srch_UK_SK_G_GEN&s_kwcid=TC|210 30|recruitment%20agencies||S|b|6019606602

They have lots of international companies who would appreciate someone with your background.

Best of luck.

Re: Is the job market really as dire as I've been reading?
 

Here are a couple of the major employment agencies for PA and admin work in the London area:

http://www.office-angels.com/Pages/default.aspx

http://www.reed.co.uk/

Hope this helps! :)