Moving an engineer to the UK: IT sector, work visa, taxes

The eternal fog, a symbol of Great Britain, no longer frightens off our compatriots who dream of settling on the island at least for a short time. Working in England attracts thousands of people from all over the world, but not everyone manages to get a vacancy and work legally. The traditional conservatism of the British, strict adherence to the letter of the law and respect for letters of recommendation create certain difficulties.

Features and advantages of working in England

The British disdain any education other than the British one, and experience of working in a distant and mysterious country is of no value to them.

In resumes, employers prefer to see lines about cooperation with international companies. Russian diplomas are not quoted (not all have equivalents in Britain) and you have to start everything from scratch. Getting an education locally increases your chances, but is very expensive.

The unemployment rate in the country is falling, and competition in the labor market is accordingly increasing. There are several ways to obtain a work permit in England. But even when everything is over and the place is staked out, it is difficult to get used to a different work culture, when everyone works without breaks and smoke breaks without going to Facebook and Odnoklassniki.

Nevertheless, employment in England has obvious advantages:

• high earnings, decent standard of living, wide social package;
• a wide range of contracts - permanent, temporary, fixed, the possibility of working for part of the salary;
• flexible schedule ─ if necessary, working hours can be agreed upon with management;
• modern comfortable conditions, high level of safety and labor protection;
• unlimited opportunities for professional growth, free trainings that allow you to improve your skills at the expense of the employer.

In-demand specialists

The most in demand in Shakespeare's homeland are financiers, programmers, doctors, engineers, architects, scientists, ecologists and analysts. Representatives of creative professions are always well received here.

In the field of unskilled labor, vacancies in England are filled by immigrants from Africa, Pakistan and less developed countries of the European Union, in particular Poland. Finding a legal job is difficult, but possible.

While residents of the British Commonwealth and EU countries have no problem entering the country, citizens of the CIS countries will have to take care of a visa. To get a job, you need to find an employer in advance: a visa can only be issued at his request.

As for blue-collar jobs, the most common requests from potential employers relate to the following:

• junior medical staff;
• medical consultant (various areas);
• driver (different categories). Working as a truck driver requires EU citizenship (having a license from any EU country and a tachograph chip card);
• restaurant and hotel business personnel;
• shop assistant;
• nanny, housekeeper;
• Social worker;
• technologist;
• secretary,
• tutor;
• tourism business manager;
• art critic;
• seasonal agricultural worker.

Employment Opportunities

Working in England without knowledge of the language will be neither prestigious nor highly paid. Fluency in English is the most important requirement for foreigners looking for work in the country. In addition, you will not be able to obtain a national visa without the appropriate certificate. To officially get a job, knowledge at level B1 according to the CERF system is required.

A significant advantage is knowledge of a second European language. If this is not the case, you can only count on the lowest salaries for janitors, loaders, packers, auxiliary workers on farms and laborers on construction sites.

Seasonal agricultural workers in England earn good money, but this is temporary work. It is easier for married couples and students to get this job. During the season there are enough offers for milkmaids, tractor drivers, agronomists and fruit pickers.

For Russian speakers, convenient options for working with living in Russian-speaking families are often offered: as governesses, tutors, personal drivers, security guards and au pairs. English companies often offer temporary work to photographers, factory workers, construction workers, waiters, models, office managers, administrators and bartenders.

Job search

Before finding a job in England, it is recommended to enter the country on any visa. For young people, the best option is to enroll in a local university and come on a student visa, which allows you to work a certain number of hours per week.

If there are no acquaintances, and the diaspora does not want to help, all that remains is to start searching. There are, as always, two options:

• with the help of intermediaries ─ contacting recruiting agencies (the service may be paid). The full list is available online at ;
• independently ─ through the media and the Internet.

You can find out how Russians get settled and who they work in England on specialized forums. It’s good if the specialty is on the list of shortages: these are programmers, engineers, architects, scientists, doctors, ecologists, analysts, representatives of creative professions.

It is more difficult for other specialists to find work, and they will pay less for it.

The most convenient English sites offering employment are:

• ;
• ;
• .

Other specialized ones include the following:

• ;
• ;
• ;
• .

The British themselves more often use two resources: and.

If the search is targeted, it is also worth regularly checking advertisements on the websites of companies for which you are interested in working.

Social networks Linkedin and Facebook, where headhunters are active, also work well. Searching in groups and direct contacts with business leaders often yields results.

The English press today does not provide a wide range of up-to-date information about vacancies, so printed publications are rarely bought by foreigners. Although he publishes similar information. Moreover, today it is also available on the Internet.

Working conditions in the UK

The British are now very interested in skilled workers from countries outside the European Union (non-EU). This is due to the fact that many EU citizens have left the country due to Brexit. The vacancies of specialists who have left need to be filled by someone, which gives a chance to educated people with in-demand skills and experience.

Emigrants work here both as simple workers and as highly qualified specialists. The minimum wage in England is £1,200 per month, which is the same amount as the living wage. The minimum hourly wage in 2019 is £8.21. You can find out the current salary for your profession, taking into account experience and education, on the website at: https://www.payscale.com/.

All immigrant income is subject to income tax. The tax system is progressive and is determined based on total income (not just wages):

1. Professional social network Linkedin - it is recommended to create and maintain an active profile on it;
2. Thematic groups on Facebook, VKontakte;
3. Recruiting agencies Manpower, Blue Arrow, Michael Page, Kelly Services, etc.
4. Information about vacancies in the media.
5. Through acquaintances, friends, relatives living in the UK.

Staying to work after graduating from a British university is the optimal immigration option for young people. If you are a final year student at a British university, you should start searching for an employer to obtain a work visa no later than six months before graduation. Since you are allowed to work full-time during the holidays, it is wise to use this time to practice in companies. Education received in the UK is a significant advantage. Particular attention is paid to recommendations from previous employers.

EU citizens find it easier to find work in England than other foreigners. Competition between applicants is aggravated by difficulties in obtaining documents and visas. However, highly qualified specialists with spoken English and experience always have a good chance of finding a job.

It's easier to find a job in London, where the number of offers is almost 10 times greater than in any other UK city. More than 200 thousand Russian-speaking specialists and entrepreneurs work in the capital.

Work for CIS citizens

Immigrants from the CIS have access to any, even the most prestigious and well-paid positions. Work in England is quicker for Ukrainians, since in Europe the image of hardworking, proactive and responsible workers has taken root for the residents of Ukraine.

But there are always places for Russians under the Highly Skilled Migrant Program (HSMP) for highly qualified specialists. There is also the opportunity to get a job after training, internship, or go to England to work as part of business immigration. In addition, there are much more Russians in the country than other citizens of the former Union.

In principle, no differences are made for Belarusians and Kazakhs. The main thing is professionalism, work experience and knowledge of the language. With such luggage you can go anywhere.

To work only with a visa

As in all Western countries, Foggy Albion has strict rules for foreign workers. It is not prohibited to enter Britain for work. However, you must first obtain a work visa. Such documents are issued to Russian residents only if there are compelling reasons. And without them it will not be possible to get a job in the former empire.

Key requirements for employees from the Russian Federation

• Availability of a work visa and work permit.
• Proficiency in English. Language skills are tested according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). Level B1 or higher required. Knowledge of the language is confirmed by an appropriate certificate.
• Qualification (in cases where work is sought under programs for qualified specialists).

Main requirements for a British employer

• Post a vacancy for which a Russian employee is applying on the local labor market.
• Confirm that there are no responses to the vacancy from suitable local specialists.
• Obtain a special license or sponsorship certificate to hire a foreigner

Features of employment in different cities

It is not necessary to look for work in London, although this is where the most offers are. Working conditions do not depend on the region, but salaries and requirements for job seekers in the outback differ from those in the capital.

In large industrial centers, representatives of industrial professions have more chances, in small ones - specialists in the field of trade and marketing.

If you believe reviews about how to get a job on some farms, in such cases employers do not even pay attention to the type of entry visa of the hired worker. But this is rare, rather an exception to the generally accepted rules.

Remote job search experience in London

A year ago, an agent from London called me - they were looking for Javascript programmers for Badoo. Vaguely remembering that working in the UK requires a complex work visa, I immediately informed them that my citizenship was only Russian. The agent said that this is not necessarily a problem, and that Badoo has several quotas for people without the right to work in Britain. Later he actually called back, apologized, and said that the quotas had ended. This year I received EU citizenship and decided to try my luck again. The active search took about 3 months. There will be a list of various thoughts that came up during the search process.

• You should approach your job search like a game. There are rules to the game, there are winners and losers, and there is always another game to play. Don't take the whole process too seriously.
• Interview rules, technical assignments and questions are more likely to have no relation to real projects. Likewise, the team's final impression of you may not have anything to do with what you can actually do.
• It’s worth figuring out very clearly for yourself which positions you want to get into. This will save a lot of time - you can quickly weed out everything unnecessary. I started my search as a front-end developer, then I decided to become a full-stack developer with the prospect of becoming a project manager.
• Skype interview - ok. Technical specifications for the weekend - approx. Flying to London for your first interview or first technical assignment is not ok. It only makes sense to fly when everyone already likes each other, and both parties have a positive idea of ​​how things can turn out. Or just if you want to see the city.

• Some companies have a pair programming session during the interview. In my case, this took from half an hour to an hour. You are assigned a computer and one or two people from the team. They set a task for you and watch with interest how you will get out. In 10 years of working in Finland, I had never programmed in pairs, and for the first time I was struck by an incredible stupor. It helps to speak out loud your entire train of thought, as well as paper and pen.
• Startups often offer low salaries, but require a lot of experience and assume a lot of responsibility. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially if a share in the company can be negotiated.
• Agencies. They will look for positions, arrange interviews, push companies and you to move things forward. They will tell you how to dress for an interview and what questions they will ask there (it’s not a fact that it will match, but they will try). They can even send you a zip solution to the technical task, which in my opinion is completely cheating. On the other hand, between you and your immediate position there will be a layer in the form of an agency. All communications will be conducted through them. When the solution to a technical task does not suit the company, you will not be able to ask directly the person who evaluated it what he did not like and how to improve it. The agency will send feedback, which usually boils down to “the level of code does not correspond to the requested salary level, we already have candidates who code better for less money”
• It is worth keeping in mind that for the employer's company, an agency is an additional waste of money. For this reason, the agency will recommend that you reduce your salary requests - even to the point of receiving less than you already receive.
• For the same reason, it makes sense to take the initiative and contact companies yourself, without agencies. Many vacancies and companies have a postscript - “if you are an agency, please do not disturb.” The cool company FT Labs directly writes: “if for the first time you are represented by an agency and not by yourself, this will create a bad impression.”
• If you asked for a technical task, then it is worth stipulating in advance the deadlines and the day when you will return it. A task delivered on time creates a positive impression.
• Technical specification code without tests is an automatic failure.
• Another thing about agencies - if you are talented and your Github sparkles with stars, agencies will quickly find you many positions. If you have 0 followers on Github (like me), agencies will send you random items in the hope that someone will take the bait on you. Conclusion - a talented person can quickly find a job through an agency. But a talented person can also find a job without them.
• Searching for a job should happen constantly, even if you are already happy with everything. You should not take this too seriously - then there will be no time left for the main work. But it must be such an ongoing process to keep yourself updated with the real cost and demand in today's world. What technologies are used in real projects. Several interviews can provide an excellent snapshot of work techniques and processes in teams of modern companies. Each company (especially a large one) is like a separate world, which has its own laws and does not recognize anything else. Startups are more unified, everything works approximately the same.
• A good approach is to keep a short diary of the main events of the process. If the technical task or interview did not go smoothly, write down your thoughts and take them into account next time. There's always next time.
• If you don't look for a job, you can quickly become detached from reality and have inflated ideas about yourself.
• Two interviews a day directly in company offices - the ceiling. After this, it’s a good idea to have at least a fasting day.
• Most companies will try to save themselves and you time by immediately asking questions about salary, citizenship, and when you can move. An excellent sign would be if the company offers a (reasonable) technical specification even before the very first interview - then you don’t even have to waste time on the interview if something doesn’t suit them.

Salaries and taxes

In terms of wages, London occupies a leading position in Europe. Average pre-tax salaries fluctuate at 4 thousand pounds per month (at the current rate - 324,946 rubles).

From April 2021, already high earnings in England have become even higher. The minimum wage for workers over 25 years of age was increased by government decision to 8.21 pounds per hour.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the average salary in the country, including bonuses, is now £528 per week and £2,288 per month. In rubles, respectively, 42,893 and 185,869.

English taxes are also amazing in size. The non-taxable minimum is 12.5 thousand pounds. VAT in the country is 20%, but there is also a corporate tax of 19% and compulsory social insurance, which for an employee is 12%.

Reduced rates (0-5%) for electricity, baby strollers, social housing and services, mobility aids for the disabled, as well as books, newspapers, children's clothing, animal feed, passenger transportation and food do not help much to survive.

Jobs and salaries in England

The official minimum wage in England from 1 April 2021, based on age, is (pounds per hour):

• for persons under 18 years of age - 4.62
• for persons from 18 to 20 years old - 6.56
• for persons from 21 to 22 years old - 8.36
• for persons over 23 years old - 8.91

The average salary in England in 2021 is about 2,480 pounds per month ($3,435). This is one of the highest rates in Europe. Of course, when looking for a higher-paying job, you need to make adjustments to the region.

Average monthly salaries in England by specialty (pounds per month):

• Doctors – 5800
• IT specialists – 3000-3500
• Civil engineers – 3350
• Nannies and housekeepers (official employment) – up to 1500
• Waiters, bartenders – up to 600–1000

England has very strict labor laws, especially regarding foreigners. If it is legal to stay on British territory and work officially, then qualified specialists can count on decent wages and not be afraid of deception from the employer.

Vacancies in England for Russians, Belarusians and Ukrainians in 2021 are mainly offered by large British or international companies that are seeking to find experienced specialists in scarce professions. Financiers, bankers, engineers, programmers and doctors have a good chance of finding work.

Unfortunately, citizens of the CIS countries most often take unskilled and, accordingly, low-paid jobs, mostly seasonal, and do not require deep knowledge of the English language. These are harvesters, loaders, auxiliary workers, nannies, nurses, cleaners, and so on. Pay here is mostly hourly. Few people manage to earn more than £1,000 a month.