Getting a graphic design job in the UK

April 23, 2023 2:12 PM

My son is finishing up three years of graphic and web design education in Ontario, Canada. He has met the love of his life here who, unfortunately, must return to the UK (long story). He wants to emigrate to join her. He can fulfill all the other requirements -- notably, he has a grandparent born in England. And he has done all the paperwork, except for actually applying for residency and a work permit. He must also have a job offer.

He's not getting much success on LinkedIn. He says "you have to have connections."
I am very aware that the British economy has tanked. His area of expertise is so far outside my own that I don't even know which questions to ask.
She lives in Devon.
His prospects seem dim.
Any suggestions?

posted by feelinggood to Work & Money (9 answers total)

Not direct advice on the job hunt, but if your son is a Canadian citizen and 30 or under, he is eligible for the Youth Mobility Scheme visa which gives him 24 months to live and look for work in the UK. Having a local address to put on applications and being able to network in person is likely a big advantage when looking for a job. I have a friend who was in almost exactly the same situation who took this option and is now happily married and employed in the UK.
posted by btfreek at 2:28 PM on April 23, 2023 [5 favorites]

I was also going to say being there physically will likely help a lot. I did the working holiday scheme mentioned above and applied for tons of jobs before I arrived in the UK. I did not get one interview. Once I was physically in the UK, I started to get interviews very quickly and could also go to placement agencies (which I would also recommend).
posted by My Kryptonite is Worry at 3:04 PM on April 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Is he looking at university jobs on jobs.ac.uk? This one for instance. Also local government jobs, though I'm not sure if all councils use it.
posted by paduasoy at 4:32 PM on April 23, 2023

Response by poster: Thank you, btfreek and My Kryptonite. I didn't know about this, but he probably does. Unfortunately, he's 32 😥. A late bloomer like his mother and father.
But isn't there a Catch-22 here? He needs a local address to get work, but he can't get a local address unless he has work (or at least work-offer). Not trying to be a smart-ass.
posted by feelinggood at 4:33 PM on April 23, 2023

And Civil Service jobs like this one. There's some information at the end of that about applying from Commonwealth countries. If I remember correctly from my last CS application, they ask you not to include any details that might lead to discrimination (names of schools and universities for instance), and I think that may include address. Not that I'm suggesting he should elide the information about whether he's in the country or not, just that it may make that section of the application simpler.
posted by paduasoy at 4:46 PM on April 23, 2023

Wait, is he sure that he needs a job offer in order to qualify for residency, given that he has a grandparent born in the UK? The gov.uk page for the UK Ancestry visa seems to indicate otherwise.
posted by btfreek at 6:38 PM on April 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: Hmmm. You're right, btfreek. I will speak to him about it. One hitch might be the lack of a steady income. We could for a while, but I'm not sure how long we could support him at whatever level they require. Also, how does he prove parental support as "income"?
But thanks very much. I'll follow up.
posted by feelinggood at 8:08 PM on April 23, 2023

I applied for and gained the Ancestry visa about a decade ago. I ended up staying and became a citizen. A few thoughts:

- Proof of funds to support yourself doesn't mean income, it means sufficient savings to cover your first few months of rent and potentially a flight home. For me, that was circa £3000.. which was proven via three months of bank account statements when I applied. £3k is probably not enough now due to the cost of living crisis.
- Address — can't he just use his partner's address for mail? I seem to remember using Virginia Woolf's old Bloomsbury address for anything that needed a postcode.
- Applying for jobs from abroad, unless he has extremely rare talents is a waste of time in my opinion. Much better to get the lay of the land when there and be able to meet people.
- Focus on getting a bank account if possible — e.gm. an HSBC account locally which can then be used in the UK/switched easily. For most people I know this was the hardest part.

Bonus thoughts:
- On his CV, once he has the visa, he should put it in the first line in a statement e.g. I have the right to work in the UK for 5 years, so employers feel a bit more security up front. Same for cover letter.
- I missed the healthcare surcharge back in my day but be sure he puts it into his budget as well!
posted by socky_puppy at 10:46 PM on April 23, 2023 [2 favorites]

On the UK address question, I was in a hostel for my first month. I either used that or my Canadian address. The main differences, I think, was that I had a local mobile number and could do interviews in person.
posted by My Kryptonite is Worry at 8:45 AM on April 24, 2023