Operation: Big Ben - Pipe Dream???

[Abe Sargent]

As many of you know, I journeyed to London for a week over the recent holidays and I have to say that I absolutely fell in love with the city.

During the early to mid-70's, my father and mother lived in London for three years while my dad got a degree in divinity from the University of London. They then moved home, and I was shortly after conceived.

I remember growing up and having great grammar, despite living in the tremendously accented southern WV. I remember being teased because I said "Either" "I-ther" instead of "E-ther." I remember reading all of my dad's old Doctor Who novels. Playing some of his old games - like Hare and Tortoise and a London version of Monopoly. It wasn't Clue that I played, but Clue-do.

The years that my parents spent in London filtered into my life in various ways, and now I find myself wistfully longing to return to London. I've never felt so comfortable in a large city before. Remember, I am from the southern coalfield of WV - about as rural as one can get in the continentinal US. Detroit, Pittsburgh, New York, Boston, Cincinnati, Chicago, DC, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Philadelphia.

I've never felt as comfortable in a large city as I did in London. The people there are genuinely friendly - and that was even outside of tourist areas. I loved every affectation about the place. I love London.

For the past several months I've felt like it was time for me to move on from my current job, but I've not known what I wanted to do. Now, I know. I want to relocate to London.

I did some research and I found out that I need to get a job and then my employer applies for a Work Permit, which can take up to 8 weeks. Once I get a work permit, I then apply and get my VISA. I need a job - it's as simple as that.

Therefore, it is my quest to find a job in London, and then relocate. This dynasty will document my journeys as I try to relocate. Will I find a job? WIll my work permit be approved? Will I succeed or fail? What obstacles will raise their head before me?

Please give me your input and information as I go through this process. It is my hope that those of you with experience can guide and assist me.

Welcome to what may be the last dynasty of this part of my life.


-Anxiety

[DeToxRox]

This is a great idea.

Good luck.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by DeToxRoxDVHStyle

This is a great idea.

Good luck.

My first reply - thanks!!!

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Okay - let me lay out the beginning of a plan:


I am currently working three jobs. My main job is as the Area Complex Director for a two building residential complex here at Eastern Michigan University. I supervise a staff of 22, control a budget around 1.3 million, have almost 500 residents, run judicial hearings, supervise occupancy, and so forth. This is job number one. I really enjoy this job - especially the ability to set my own schedule to some degree. I can set about 18 hours of my job a week to my own schedule.

Job number two is an adjunct lecturer for the Political Science department here at EMU. I teach the occasional PoliSci class on American Government or Public Administration. I am not teaching this semester, as I am just a lecturer, which means I teach as needed by the department. I taught last semester and I still have the position.

My third job is a freelance writer. I have a weekly column for a major game site (and I am paid) , I write for a major gaming magazine, and I just recently had my first articale accepted for another major gaming magazine.


I have my Masters in Public Administration.


I really enjoy higher education. My search for a job should begin with universities and colleges in London for positions that I enjoy and feel are nice segues from my current jobs and training. Ideally, I'd get a job supervising a residential hall in London for a University. This is my first goal.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Okay - allow me to talk a bit more about what I am looking for:

I was looking at picture of London online and I was feeling an awful pang of nostalgia - like I wanted to get up out of my chair and walk into the picture. I have never been wistful about any vacation site I have ever been to. The only place I feel this sort of love for is West Virginia, but I know that I can't go back there - I've outgrown it.

My love is not necessarily for the entire UK - just for London. Additionally, it's not my desire to end up with some random job on the outskirts of London or in the suburbs. I am not looking for a job at Slough or anything. Just London. My preference, and this is merely a preference, is to get Central London or just outside of it.

Obviously, I'll take a job in London that's not centrally located over no job at all.

-Anxiety

[Eaglesfan27]

I certainly don't want to discourage you, but as someone who has considered this in the past (I've also fallen in love with London on my previous 3 trips there) I believe it is VERY hard to get a Work Permit approved for the UK unless you have some good contacts. My understanding is that you have to be able to fulfill a job that a local could not do. Perhaps those restrictions have loosened in the past few years. Anyway, good luck. I'll be reading with interest.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I certainly don't want to discourage you, but as someone who has considered this in the past (I've also fallen in love with London on my previous 3 trips there) I believe it is VERY hard to get a Work Permit approved for the UK unless you have some good contacts. My understanding is that you have to be able to fulfill a job that a local could not do. Perhaps those restrictions have loosened in the past few years. Anyway, good luck. I'll be reading with interest.

Obviously, I certainly hope that is not the case Note that I will be applying, at least at first, for jobs that require Master's level of education. I can understand rejecting an application for a work permit for a janitor or a cashier or a fast food manager. But a guy who runs a residecne hall at a university that requires a Masters degree? That's quite different I think.


At least I hope


I'll go over where I started (I started a few days ago) tomorrow.

-Anxiety

[Emiliano]

Good luck Anxiety! I'll be following this one with interest.

And BTW, do you know that your EMU dynasty is the first dynasty I've ever read? That was a great one man.

[Icy]

Why London with that crap climate, it's always raining there, come to Spain, the sunny country where is easy to get a work permit

That was a j/k, i underestand your desire to go there, must be a nice place and looks it was your desire since you were a kid, go for it.

I wanted to visit London with my wife past year, but we had other travels and now she is pregant so it will take some time. About the work permits, it must be hard for a non european, i have friends that moved there for a couple of years, to learn English while working. They had to take the typical inmigrants jobs, at McDonnals, cleaning in restaurants, hotels etc even having university degrees. There is plenty of that kind of work there, but as you said, i doubt you can get a work permit for that kind of non qualified jobs (while is easy in Spain with any kind of contract/job). My friends had no problems, because as Europeans, we can live in any other European country without problems. One of the jobs that has big demand there is the medical staff, every year, a lot of Spanish doctors and nurses who just finished their studies go there invited by the UK goberment for a job in the public sanity as seems they have problems finding qualified personal.

Anyway you could pm Marc Vaughan as he is English and probably knows better how is the situation there and all about the work permits.

Good luck Anxiety, will be reading this.

[Icy]

Dola, here you got some of places to take a look:

http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk

http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Fr...=1018721068127

http://www.studios92.com/guide/visas.htm

In the last link i have just read stuff that confirms what i said about medical staff shortage:

The current list of occupational shortages is as follows:


Chartered Clinical Psychologists
Neonatal Nurses
Veterinary Surgeons
Occupational Therapists
Pharmacists
Actuaries

NURSING:
Intensive Care
Pediatric
Mental Health
Neonatal

The list changes frequently. Updates may be obtained by contacting your nearest British Embassy

[Abe Sargent]

Great stuff! Thanks to Emiliano for making me feel all fuzzy and to Icy for great information. Let me get you caught up to the stroy thus far:

I began by perusing the Yahoo! London directory borough by borough, going to every webpage of colleges and universities that I think might have what I am looking for. At those webpages, I then search for job vacancies, or look for their residence life web pages.

A few things I've learned:

Most universities have what are called accomodation offices. This office can supervise residence halls as weel as give info regarding local hostels, host families and whatnot to students. Not every university with an accomodation office has a residence hall.

Most universities call their residence halls something slightly different - halls of residence. Not a big deal, but enough to notice. I want to use their jargon as much as possible.

I haven't hit every boruough yet - I've hit City of London, Westminster, Camden, Islington, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Greenwich, Lewisham, Southwark, Lambeth, Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea and Wandsworth. Here are the nine institutions that appear to have what I am looking for:

Univ of London
Regents College
Univ of Greenwich
London South Bank University
London Metropolitan University
City University
City and Islington College
University of Westminster
Huron University



-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

I began by e-mailing each of these institutions the following letter:

Hello:

I am interested in employment in a managerial position with your houses of residence. I am currently in my fifth year as a housing complex director at a public university here in the US, and I would like to relocate to London in a similar capacity. I would like to get more information about London South Bank University and its residence halls. I was hoping that you could send my enquiry along to the appropriate people or send me contact information so that I can do so. Thanks for your time.


Sincerely,


Abe Sargent
Area Complex Director
Eastern Michigan University




Obviously, I change the univeristy's name to suit the letter. I want to find out more about any halls of residence. Do they have professional staff? Is there a central office that oversees operations? Do they have any anticipated vacancies? That sort of thing. What will happen next?


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

The first institution I heard back from was Regent's College. I had e-mailed the accomodation officer my query, and he emailed me back the contact information for a different person who worked with the halls. I e-mailed the new gentlemen, and I haven't gotten a response back yet. This was the middle of last week.

The worst e-mail back that I received was from City and Islington. They told me that they didn't have any halls of residence. I must have misread their website. I guess that leaves just eight possible institutions.

The University of Westminster e-mailed me back the following day. They are the only school to name their housing office something I recognize, instead of accommodations or somesuch. They are Student Housing Services. The e-mail response that I received was simply their own job postings page, instead of any helpful information.

London South Bank University e-mailed me the same information. A gentle pointing towards their own job postings page, and that's it.

Several other institutions still haven't responded after 4 work days. However, I did get one response that was a bit better. Who was it, and what did it entail?


-Anxiety

[Eaglesfan27]

I'm guessing Huron University. Don't keep us in too much suspense.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm guessing Huron University. Don't keep us in too much suspense.

I just got back from lunch, so I'll help you out

I received the following e-mal from City University:



Mr Sargent,

Thank you for your email. You can read about City University's Halls
of Residence at www.city.ac.uk/accommodation the site also contains
virtual tours of the student accommodation that we have here in London.

We do not currently have any staff vacancies in our residences, however,
as and when we do recruit we would advertise on the City University
website and also on www.jobs.ac.uk, so you might want to periodically
check these sites for further information.



There are two major interesting bits about this e-mail. Firstly, it's quite friendly and warm. Secondly, it gives me a new and powerful tool: www.jobs.ac.uk

I e-mailed her back to inquire about any anticipated openings. She responded very quickly:


Mr Sargent,


I don't know of any anticipated vacancies at the moment. At the end of
last year our Hall Managers all moved into new roles and we recruited an
Assistant Hall Manager as a result of that process. We don't have a
very high turnover in our Hall Management team, so I would not expect
that we would need to be recruiting again for some time.

Having said that, it's impossible to predict when people might decide to
tender their resignations, so it is probably worth checking our website
once a month or so if you're still interested in a career at City
University.



That's a fine response, and the best I've received yet in terms of information. Now, its time to do more research, this time on my new website!


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

I took a look around www.ac.jobs.uk

I quickly surmised that I needed to search by role: professional/managerial and by location: London. I got a list of hits and investigated job postings that seemd like they might work. That's when I found it:

A job posting for a student affairs officer. Housing is in the student affairs field. That's right where my expertise lies. It's not a perfect fit, but it's very close. I checked out the job posting and here is the 411:


* An honours degree as a minimum, preferably educated to Masters level ( I have a Masters)
* A minimum of 3 years experience working within a UK or international educational institution in a similar position (EMU is international from a UK perspective plus we have a large international population, so check)
* Proven record of excellent administrative and organisational skills (of course, so check)
* Experience of academic record keeping and management (I teach a class, soobviously I keep hold of grades and whatnot, plus record keeping on residents and their judicial history, check)
* Experience of Residence Life Programme management (obviously I have tons of res life experience, so check)
* Familiarity with student counselling procedures and resources (Yep, have to do lots of these in a year, so anotehr check)
* Excellent proficiency in written and oral English (I'm a writer, absolutely check)
* The ability to deal sensitively and empathetically with people from a wide range of cultures (obviously, I like to think so, so once again check)
* Excellent computer, communication and interpersonal skills (Sure, check)
* UK/EU citizen or appropriate permission to work in the UK

And here we have a losing proposition. I do not have permission to work in the UK yet. Still, I am not easily discouraged. This is a great position for an institute that resides in Bedford Square - which is right beside the British Museum. Its in a perfect location. The job seems great. I will not be easily discouraged.

This is a branch of Aga Khan University, normally located in Pakistan. They only have a small number of employees and they may not know all of the nuances of British employment law. Therefore, I decide to fire off an e-mail to the contact person in order to find out if I can still apply. I send out the following e-mail:


Hello:

I read your post over at jobs.ac.uk and I am interested in getting more information before I apply for the position. I am currently employed at a large, diverse university here in the US as a housing officer and adjunct lecturer and I am looking to relocate to London. I was reviewing the requirements of the position, and I saw a line that read "appropriate permission to work in the UK." As this is my first time looking to move abroad, I am unfamiliar with what that permission exactly entails. I did some reaserch online and discovered that I would need a work permit in the UK, but that a prospective employer would have to apply for it, not myself. I was hoping that you could illuminate this area of the application process for me. Thank you for your reply.


Abe Sargent
Area Complex Director
Eastern Michigan University



I heard back just this morning. Here was the reply that I received.


Dear Sir,

Thank you for your interest in our Institute for the Study of Muslim
Civilisations however, I would like to reiterate that the Institute is
not in a position to arrange work permit for this position. Hence,
applicants must have permission, in their own right, to work in the
EU/UK.



Ah well. I reply with the following, just in case.


Dear *****:

Thank you for your reply. It is unfortunate that you are unable to consider me as a candidate for the Student Affairs Officer. I believe that you would find me very qualified and I was looking forward to this position. I was hoping that you would be able to hire me and then apply for a work permit on my behalf, but if you are unable to do so, then I understand. Should this situation change, please do not hesitate to contact me as my interest will remain. Thank you again for your consideration.


Abe Sargent
Area Complex Director
Eastern Michigan University


(Please note that I removed the gentlemen's name from the Dear field.)


*Sigh* What else is there?


-Anxiety

[Super Ugly]

Well, this will be an interesting thread and I wish you the best of luck with your search. I was looking into emigrating to the States a couple of years ago but became put off by it being, well, nigh on impossible. Believe me, if we could get our governments to arrange a straight-up swap, I'd do it in a second.

I'm worried that you might be limiting yourself in that you're insisting on central London. I didn't study there, but I have a feeling that most students in the city live 'off campus' in either accomodation that's owned by the university or in private housing. I remember meeting someone who went to Imperial, though, and he mentioned something about living in a residence hall somewhere over in Notting Hill. That's another university you could check out, if you haven't done it already.

Outside of London there are lots of campus universities that might be a better bet, and you could quite easily commute from London out to towns like Cambridge and Brighton inside an hour (I went to Sussex University in Brighton, and the halls of residence are similar to what you'd find at an American college). I know that you're set on working in London, and I don't want to discourage you, but it might be very difficult to find what you're looking for.

Oh, and one last thing. If you are successful in making the move, I'd advise against working and/or living in the Tower Hamlets area. It's not a good place to be.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Super Ugly

Well, this will be an interesting thread and I wish you the best of luck with your search. I was looking into emigrating to the States a couple of years ago but became put off by it being, well, nigh on impossible. Believe me, if we could get our governments to arrange a straight-up swap, I'd do it in a second.

I'm worried that you might be limiting yourself in that you're insisting on central London. I didn't study there, but I have a feeling that most students in the city live 'off campus' in either accomodation that's owned by the university or in private housing. I remember meeting someone who went to Imperial, though, and he mentioned something about living in a residence hall somewhere over in Notting Hill. That's another university you could check out, if you haven't done it already.

Outside of London there are lots of campus universities that might be a better bet, and you could quite easily commute from London out to towns like Cambridge and Brighton inside an hour (I went to Sussex University in Brighton, and the halls of residence are similar to what you'd find at an American college). I know that you're set on working in London, and I don't want to discourage you, but it might be very difficult to find what you're looking for.

Oh, and one last thing. If you are successful in making the move, I'd advise against working and/or living in the Tower Hamlets area. It's not a good place to be.

Good advice here. One of the things I have to do next on my plate is investigate the outer boroughs of London.

-Anxiety

[3ric]

Another forum member who might have some local knowledge about London is Katon, he did move to the States last year but he's a Londoner (and Chelsea fan)

[Abe Sargent]

As an aside - does anybody know what getting a work permit is like if you are hired by a church? I know in America, if we had the British work permit system, if a church hired a foreign minister, they'd likely get a work permit with no trouble. Are work permits easier for ministries? I'm an ordained minister with a great deal of experience working with youth and I wouldn't mind being a youth pastor.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

I've been checking ac.jobs.uk regularly and I've found a few minor jobs, but nothing up my alley. For example, there was an Event Coordinator position. I've done hundreds of programs in my ten years in res life, so I have plenty of experience with that. Then I read the job description and saw that the events here were business conferences. That's not my area at all.

So, I've been striking out on this special website for higher education jobs. I was browsing the University of London website when I came across another link.

www.thesjobs.co.uk

Another higher education job positng website. I searched, but to no avail. It seems pretty bare.

I'll keep a sharp eye out, however.


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Alright, let's talk about the University of London.

Here's a quick primer on the U. of L., my father's alma mater, for those unaware. There really isn't a University of London. Instead, there is the Univeristy of London system. There are a bunch of colleges and universities that together comprise the University. Some of these individual colleges and universites run their own halls of residence.

The University also runs 8 intercollegiate halls of residence that allow any students at one of the schools to live there. Today, I called up the International Hall and spoke with the assistant bursar. Here's what I found out.

Each of these 8 halls operates as an indepedent entity. They each hire and supervise their hall on their own. That's eight individual halls within the U of L system that I am going to need to check out. Unfortunately, she informed me that a massive audit is currently ongoing at the U of L and they have a hiring freeze.


So that's where I currently stand with the U of L.


I checked out the job postings page for the central U of L offices as well as the indivudal job postings page for every school within the U of L system. There were no current vacancies. I did not, however, check each individual school to see if they even had halls of residence.


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Here are a few To Do items for me:

- Find out if Lewisham College has halls of residence. I couldn't tell from their website.
- Swing through the outer boroughs looking for colleges and universities
- Check out the U of L schools to see which schools have them, so I can send an e-mail or follow up
- I was investigating Middlesex University and then Univ of East London, but their websites do not come up. Try again later.


-Anxiety

[Icy]

Regarding to this:

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your interest in our Institute for the Study of Muslim
Civilisations however, I would like to reiterate that the Institute is
not in a position to arrange work permit for this position. Hence,
applicants must have permission, in their own right, to work in the
EU/UK.

I think that their problem is that they are also foreign themselves (Pakistan?)and probably they don't have the rights to apply for work permits for their staff.

[Abe Sargent]

Hello Kingston University! I was tripping through the outer boroughs (I'll detail my findings later) when I checked Kingston University's job vacancies page. Let's take a look:

Head of Accommodation Services (This would be a promotion, when I was rally seekign a lateral move, but I wouldn't mind. I have tons of experience in this field, and many people with less move up.)

The requirements:

1). Knowledge of development and training of staff (I have loads)
2). Reviewing established procedues and encouraging improvements (This is one of the things that I am always doing - I love to tinker with things and improve them. So far so good.)
3). Ability to allocate and manage resources over a broad area (Easily done)
4). Long term strategic planning and goal setting (I'm one of the few of my peers who has a vision and a quest for what my halls should be like)


So far, I am nailing these. Let's keep going:


5). Ability to manage time and prioritize during heavy workloads. (One of my strengths)
6). Ability to cooperate with others (My evals from my staff say that I am great at build teamwork and a sense of camaraderie)
7). Self confidence and an ability to provide guidance (I'm fine here)
8). Ability to be assertive when appropriate (No problems here at all)


Okay, still looking good. Let's see what other requirements they have:

9). Experience of a supervisory nature in a management environment (Tons)
10). Knowledge of higher education accommodation services (Yep)
11). Up to date knowledge of housing law

Oh no. The last one requires knowledge of British law. Remember, however, I am not easy deterred. Let's take a look at their preferred qualities because up until the last one, I was great for the job.

1). Seeking ideas and input of colleagues. (I usually do this)
2). Highly developed IT knowledge and skills (I'd say I'm fair here)
3). A first degree or equivalent. (I don't know what this means)


I don't know if I have number 3 above, but I'm pretty good as a candidate as a whole. What I need is a basic knowledge and understanding of housing law. If they demonstrtaed an interest in my candidacy, then I could do the research necessary in order to demonstrate basic knowledge and comprehension.


The closing date for this vacancy is on Friday, so I'll likely apply tomorrow.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

While looking for job information at Brunel Univeristy, I came across the following interesting bit of information pasted from their website


Work permits are not issued for unskilled jobs or for certain clerical and administrative positions.

To qualify for a work permit a job must be at the level described below (which will be defined in the Job Description and/or Person Specification for the post, and/or requires the individual to possess (this is not a guarantee):

EITHER - the following qualifications:

· a UK equivalent degree level qualification;

· a Higher National Diploma (HND) level qualification, which is relevant to the advertised post;

or

· an HND level qualification, which is NOT relevant to the post being advertised BUT you must have acquired a least one year of relevant full-time work experience;

OR the following SKILLS:

· 3 years full time experience of using specialist skills acquired through doing the type of job being advertised. This must be a N/SVQ level 3 or above.




-Anxiety

[Chas in Cinti]

Anxiety:

Just so you know... I have worked overseas on a couple of occasions and even had a 2 year Employment Visa (Germany). Usually, companies (again, this is corporate and not academia) do not hire internationals simply because there is a cost and lead-time associated with the permit application. Since there is hardly an employment "boom" going on, I would guess you'd find it difficult to get a position DIRECTLY into London. HOWEVER: it would be easier to take a position with an international organization and "transfer" to London. Perhaps some universities are international? You could then apply with the US business and, using your above methods, negotiate a staff position in London.

Just a thought...

I managed a facet of regional recruiting for a Fortune100 company at one point an time, and even they sent me out with the instructions of NO international hires. Even here in the USA they didnt want to mess with Visas or Permits.

Regards and Good Luck!

Chas

EDIT: Woot! Post #350, just under 5 1/2 years to do it, too...

[Katon]

Originally Posted by 3ric

Another forum member who might have some local knowledge about London is Katon, he did move to the States last year but he's a Londoner (and Chelsea fan)

And a college freshman - which is to say, my total experience of job hunting and shopping for houses is essentially zero. I can't even comment on the local universities, as I was always planning on going to college in the US. I'd be delighted to help if I can, but I'm not sure any of my local knowledge is actually all that relevant.

[Abe Sargent]

I'm in between meeting right now but I have a coupleo fupdates that I'll do when I get back.


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Yesterday afternoon and early evening I did several things on my to do list. I posted a few discoveries as I came across them.

I fired off an e-mail to Lewisham College asking if they had halls of residence or on campus housing of any sort. I await a response.

The outer boroughs of London called to me, and I swung by most of them. Here are those I found that had what I am looking for:

Richmond University
London College of Management and Technology
Brunel University
Kingston University


Add these four to my list. I fired off e-mails to the first three and I'll be applying to the open position for Kingston.

I received a response from Brunel, and it's actually quite detailed compared to many others:


Abe
Thank you for contacting me
We are not currently recruiting to any positions in residences at Brunel,
however that may change in the near future with the continuing expansion of our
residential stock. I suggest you look at the Brunel University website under
prospective students for further information on the accommodation we offer our
residents and further details on the University itself. The University also
advertises any job vacancies on our website, so I suggest you check this
regularly for any adverts which may be of interest to you. This will also
include further details on how to apply for each job advertised


I'll update further as I continue to investigate.


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Katon

And a college freshman - which is to say, my total experience of job hunting and shopping for houses is essentially zero. I can't even comment on the local universities, as I was always planning on going to college in the US. I'd be delighted to help if I can, but I'm not sure any of my local knowledge is actually all that relevant.

There is something you probably can help me out with. Can you explain to me the various "levels" of education? One job posting mentioned a first deree or equivalent. What is that?


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Anxiety

There is something you probably can help me out with. Can you explain to me the various "levels" of education? One job posting mentioned a first deree or equivalent. What is that?


-Anxiety

Here's an example from another job posting:



Essential criteria
Educated to degree level (A)

Desirable criteria
Education post degree (A)



-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Apparently there is a power outage at Middlesex University, which is why their website is down. I did finally get ahold of the University of East London, and they meet all criteria. I just fired off my e-mail.


That makes the current institution list the following:

University of East London
Richmond University
London College of Management and Technology
Brunel University
Kingston University
Univ of London
Regents College
Univ of Greenwich
London South Bank University
London Metropolitan University
City University
University of Westminster
Huron University



-Anxiety

[Super Ugly]

A first degree or equivalent. (I don't know what this means)

A first degree is your standard undergraduate bachelor's degree (or its equivalent in the sciences).

As for our classifications, we don't do GPA or letter grades. Instead, it goes like this:

First class (not to be confused with the way I've just explained 'first degree' above) - If you received this upon graduation, you're a smart cookie. Phi Beta Kappa if we had it over here. Very few people obtain a first - I knew of just one girl who made it, and she was smart as hell.

Upper second, or 2:1 - If you're reasonably intelligent and put enough effort in, this is what you're likely to be looking at. Many respectable graduate positions in large companies will ask for at least a 2:1 when you're applying. I'm trying to think back to my days as an exchange student in the US, and I may be a little out, but it probably translates to like a 3.5 ...?

Lower second, 2:2 - This means you probably have brains, but spent too much time in the pub.

Third - You struggled quite a bit.

Pass - Oops. What a waste of three years, huh? But at least you got a degree. Of sorts (one of my best friends got a 'pass' and has found it to be a bit of a millstone. In a way he's better off striking the degree off his record altogether).

Fail - You likely died and the university never realised.

Hope that helps ...

[Abe Sargent]

This is great info Super Ugly. My BA was Cum Laude and a Univeristy Honors Scholar. My Masters was Summa Cum Laude with a 3.96 GPA. So, that should mean they'd really like me.

See, I don't think in America, high GPA means as much to potential employers, so I'll just stress that in my cover letter when I apply later today or tomorrow.


-Anxiety

[Super Ugly]

Yeah, you'll be fine. That would probably translate as a first. I don't think many people understand what GPA is, so just say Cum Laude and they'll be suitably impressed.

[Abe Sargent]

Okay - I'm filling out an application, and I come accross the folloiwng fields just after I entered my educational degrees:


Level/Award:
Subjects:
Grade/Class:
Date Awarded:

For my Masters, would the correct responses be:

Masters
Public Administration
3.96 GPA - Summa Cum Laude
August 2001


???


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Univeristy of East London e-mailed me back over the night. Here's her e-mail.


Dear Abe,

The residential services department here at the University of East London has
all positions filled and we will therefore not be able to help you gain a
position here in London.

I would suggest that unless you have already have the right to work in the UK
your best opportunity of gaining employment would be via one of the many
American universities who have campuses in London. Attached is the website
for the association that many are members of www.aasapuk.org

Good luck,


I'll take a look at that website later, but it seemed like she really wasn't interested.

-Anxiety

[Icy]

Originally Posted by Anxiety

Univeristy of East London e-mailed me back over the night. Here's her e-mail.


Dear Abe,

The residential services department here at the University of East London has
all positions filled and we will therefore not be able to help you gain a
position here in London.

I would suggest that unless you have already have the right to work in the UK
your best opportunity of gaining employment would be via one of the many
American universities who have campuses in London. Attached is the website
for the association that many are members of www.aasapuk.org

Good luck,


I'll take a look at that website later, but it seemed like she really wasn't interested.

-Anxiety

That looks like good advice to me, to apply at one of the many American universities who have campuses in London. Probably an American university will be open to hire another American than an English university. Why would they hire an American, have all the work permit problems etc when there are probably enought qualified English guys looking for that kind of job? I guess that the same would apply for an American company, they would hire first another American than one European.

[Eaglesfan27]

I agree with Icy. That appears to be good advice to me.

[digamma]

Just want to say, I'm finding this fascinating and will be following. Good luck!

[Abe Sargent]

I agree and I'll check out the website for more detail later when I have a chance.

I just wanted to also say that I just finished applying for the Kingston Univ Head of Accommodations job this afternoon.

A lot of this depends on what sort of people are making the hiring decisions. Some people love diversity, and would consider an international candidate who is highly qualified to be a great boon to the institution. Others would prefer not to worry about it. I have a great deal of confidence that if I were offered the Head of Accommodations job at Kingston, that a work permit would be easy coming, espeically in light of that information I found at Brunel University's webpage.


-Anxiety

[Chas in Cinti]

Originally Posted by Icy

That looks like good advice to me, to apply at one of the many American universities who have campuses in London. Probably an American university will be open to hire another American than an English university. Why would they hire an American, have all the work permit problems etc when there are probably enought qualified English guys looking for that kind of job? I guess that the same would apply for an American company, they would hire first another American than one European.

I could have swore I mentioned that a couple of days ago...



-Chas

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Chas in Cinti

I could have swore I mentioned that a couple of days ago...



-Chas

Two of the universities in my list (Huron and Richmond) are American in London, so that advice was followed. Now I may have an additional website tool and reference to help me out!


-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by Anxiety

Two of the universities in my list (Huron and Richmond) are American in London, so that advice was followed. Now I may have an additional website tool and reference to help me out!


-Anxiety

Feh. I just checked out the website and it was nothing. Just an association of schools that have study abroad programs in the UK and a handful of American schools with branches in the UK - and no way of telling with was which. Obviously, the first list is much larger than the second list. Both Richmond and Huron were on the list. There were no job vacancy postings or anything. This was no help.

-Anxiety

[Abe Sargent]

Middlesex University has their webpage back up. They have a lot of residence halls and I sent out the typical e-mail. Add them to the list.


-Anxiety

[3ric]

How about these:
American Intercontinental University, http://www.aiulondon.ac.uk/
British American College, http://www.bacl.ac.uk/index.htm
Boston University (London), http://www.bu-london.co.uk/
Delaware University (London), http://international.udel.edu/projects/default.asp
Notre Dame (London), http://www.nd.edu/~ndlondon/londonce...oncentre.shtml
Schiller International University

[Abe Sargent]

I've been really busy so far today. I have to finish aan article for a magazine since its due Monday and I don't like working weekends. I also have a bt of paperwrok to finish.

I haven't checked out 3ric's websites yet. The only e-mail that I received today was from Kingston U as a receipt that they received my application. If I have time later this afternoon, I'll do a bit more research.


-Anxiety

[tanglewood]

Wow how did I miss this?

I am a first year at King's in the University of London and am more than willing to help out with any information you might need to help you regarding the university system or general London.

One thing that may be different is that in the UK most students live in private accomodation as opposed to halls. This is especially so in London, where halls are almost entirely first years only. Therefore people in the UofL accomodation office spend a great deal of their time helping students find private apartments, advise them on tenating law etc. than actually administering university accomodation.

However, as a first year, I am currently in halls myself this very moment. To be precise Commonwealth Hall, which is one of the intercollegiate halls in WC1 near Euston. So again if there is anything I can do to help you in anyway possible, just say so.

Good luck.

[Abe Sargent]

Originally Posted by tanglewood

Wow how did I miss this?

I am a first year at King's in the University of London and am more than willing to help out with any information you might need to help you regarding the university system or general London.

One thing that may be different is that in the UK most students live in private accomodation as opposed to halls. This is especially so in London, where halls are almost entirely first years only. Therefore people in the UofL accomodation office spend a great deal of their time helping students find private apartments, advise them on tenating law etc. than actually administering university accomodation.

However, as a first year, I am currently in halls myself this very moment. To be precise Commonwealth Hall, which is one of the intercollegiate halls in WC1 near Euston. So again if there is anything I can do to help you in anyway possible, just say so.

Good luck.

Thanks! I may just pm you if anything comes up.


-Anxiety