How To Find a Job in the United Kingdom as a Foreigner

The United Kingdom is located in Europe. The official language is English, and the capital (as well as the most populous city) is London.

Getting a job in the UK is not going to be easy. You have to be super persistent and leave no stone unturned in your job search.

I recommend you take a look at this list at the UK government website, which lists the skill shortages. A good portion of the jobs are in technology, so if you’re an IT professional or a software engineer, you should have a lot more opportunities available to you.

Below is a selection of resources for searching for employment opportunities as a foreigner. In the search bar on these sites, you should type “visa sponsorship” to get a listing of jobs that might offer sponsorship for a work visa.

General Job Search Engines and Classifieds

With the sites below, you can expect to get a 0.5 to 1.0% response rate (people who will respond back to you to whom you sent your application/CV.) Nevertheless, I encourage you to give these sites a try as you never know what you will come up with or what connections you can make from a simple e-mail or application.

• Jobs.ac.uk: A big UK job site.
• The Guardian: The Guardian has job postings.
• Career Jet: I’m sure you’ve heard of Career Jet. They have job search options for the UK.
• Glassdoor: Glassdoor has a slew of opportunities in London.
• Indeed: The UK version of the big U.S. job search site Indeed.com.
• Jobsite: Big boys in the UK job search field.
• Reed: These guys have a ridiculous number of job postings. One of the things I like about this site is that they actually show the number of job postings. Other job sites should look and learn from these guys.
• Monster: Monster has been around since pretty much the dawn of the internet era.
• Gov.uk: Government-run job site.
• Manpower: Recruitment agency.

Other Websites and Blogs

• Expatica: A good primer on working in the UK.
• Transitions Abroad: Transitions Abroad has a really comprehensive list for anyone considering becoming an expatriate in the UK.

Overseas and Expat Job Portals

• Michael Page: An international executive recruitment website that I’ve used in the past. This site is targeted towards high-end job seekers.
• eFinancialCareers: My favorite search engine for finance jobs on the web. I used them during my Wall Street days. They have lots of jobs for the UK.
• Overseas Jobs:  I find that there is often significant overlap between the postings on this site and that of other sites. Nevertheless this site has been around for a while.
• Go Abroad: I’ve always been a fan of GoAbroad. In fact, on the visa information portion of my website, you will find where I have linked to their global embassies directory. They have a good job portal too.
• Linkedin: Last but not least, this huge professional social network is a resource for building contacts in the field and location of your interest.

There you have it. The best places to find jobs in the UK as a foreigner. For information on visas for the UK, be sure to check out my United Kingdom visa page. If you are looking to spice up your dating life, check out my post on the best online dating sites in the UK.

Further Reading

• How to Answer the 150 Most Common Job Interview Questions: Get sample answers to the most frequently asked job interview questions.

• Worldwide Jobs Guide: Be sure to check out my posts on how to find jobs in any country in the world.

• Worldwide Apartments Guide: If you are interested in renting an apartment in this country, take a look at my articles on how to find an apartment in various countries around the world.

• Worldwide Dating Guide: Also, check out my posts on the best online dating sites in 60+ countries around the world.

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