In a previous post, I discussed the difficulties of adapting to my new life here in the UK, but things are moving a long and a lot of positive things have happened as well.
As of late, I have had quite a bit of luck with the job search, culminating with a few different offers. I haven’t been in the position to choose from such a variety of positions before, so this is a new experience. It is really hard to compare the jobs (and their corresponding salaries and benefits) to my previous employment in the States because the salaries and paid leave are on completely different scales, but I’m very happy to have gotten offers at all, and especially so quickly.
One major difference I’ve found while job hunting here is that recruitment companies, or headhunters as we called them at home, are much more prevalent here, and it seems less common to apply directly to a company yourself. That being said, the ones that I have worked with have been very helpful, and have taken a lot of the stress out of the process, although it does add a bit of pressure to make decisions more quickly.
Applying for a National Insurance, or NI number has been another (so far not too bad) project. From what I’ve gathered, this is similar to a social security number in the US, and is used for taxes and benefits. Hopefully the rest of the application will go smoothly!
My second cat (of 2, don’t worry) has arrived finally, after some paperwork delays that kept her in the states for extra weeks after I left. She fared well on the flight and is successfully adapting to life across the pond!
I’ve also been working on expanding my social circle. There is a core group of Americans in the area which has been great, as they have been very welcoming and helpful in showing me around. I’ve also managed to find a running club, which has allowed me to meet more locals as well, this has also helped me increase my mileage…hopefully for a spring race! I’m sure I will meet more people when I begin German lessons in the new year, and hopefully with employment as well.
How did you meet new people and expand your social life after a big move?
Amanda Afield 
This is an interesting post. What are your tips for dealing with recruiters ? I’m not used to them. In Belgium, you apply directly to the company, and I must say it scared me a bit.
I think you are doing the right thing to meet new people ! And I’m sure you will meet new people through work as well !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think the key is knowing that they make a commission off getting you a job, so they do put a bit of pressure on to attend interviews and make decisions quickly. So don’t be afraid to tell them if a position isn’t right for you or that you need more time to make a decision. Other than that, I found them to be very helpful, as they do a lot of the legwork for you and have relationships with the companies. I found it a bit strange as well since in the US you generally apply directly to companies as well, but it worked out well for me in the end, and once you interview with the company and talk to someone who works there about the positions, it feels a lot more comfortable.
Keep me posted on your move! 🙂 and good luck with everything!
LikeLike
Thanks for this ! I have another (silly) question, did you have a problem with your diploma ? were they recognized without any problem ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not a silly question because I was worried about that too. I’m not sure what your degree is in, but mine is in engineering, and since it was accredited by ABET ( the body that accredits and verifies American engineering degrees) they were fine with it. So maybe there is something similar you can check on. I hope that helps!
LikeLike
My main concern is that I got a master in biology from a Belgian university, so my diploma is in French. I supposed it is best to get them translated in English and certified to be sure…
LikeLike
True. That or you could apply to jobs and when you speak with companies/recruiters ask if you needed to do anything to verify it (such as provide a transcript in English or a copy of your thesis). The main reason they were concerned about my degrees was because they wanted to check if I was eligible to apply to be a chartered engineer, so it may not matter so much if you aren’t trying to get a specific license.
LikeLike
I see ! since it wouldn’t be my first job, maybe it’s not going to be a big problem. We will see. But I should dig a bit into that for sure 🙂 Thanks !
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve never moved to a new area, so I don’t know what it’s like to not know anyone. I’ve always at least had my family!! Getting settled into a job should help, or going and finding hobbies to partake in. I also meet new people at my gym a lot too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah, the gym is a great place to meet people. And this is the biggest move I’ve ever made, I’ve never lived more than an hour drive from my family before. Luckily, Skype/FaceTime work pretty well 🙂
LikeLike