Job Hunting in London

Monday 15 May 2017


Feeling Shitty in the City | Job Hunting





Most of us have gone through the disappointment of not getting a job we've applied for. Pouring blood, sweat and tears into cover letters and CV's, interview prep and trying to put into writing why YOU would be the perfect candidate for the job, all to be told that 'thank you, but on this occasion we are not taking your application to the next stage'.




I had gone through this a little bit in New Zealand, but what I was not ready for was the job hunt on such a big scale. Trying to get a job in London is like sitting an exam (i.e. the interview) and thinking, 'yeah, I've got this, I answered all those questions well and I know I would be great at that job' (i.e. being perfectly qualified for the job), only to be told that although you get the answers right, you have in fact failed the exam (you didn't get the bloody job. Again.). 

The fact of the matter is that there are just too many people in London with the same qualifications and skills as you, and they all want jobs. A friend told me the other day that when they first moved to London they applied for 80 jobs, and she got a call back for 1. 


Arrive with savings

Coming from a small back-of-beyond place like South Island New Zealand, I'm not used to those numbers! I apply for 5 or 10 jobs and feel confused when I hear nothing back. Employers advertise the line 'due to the number of applications we receive, you will not be contacted unless you are successful' on the job description, before you've even applied! but while the odds are against you, keep trying. If you have some savings to live on, the job hunting process could take months and you're going to need all the help you can get. That money cushion you have to have in your bank account when applying for your visa might not make sense when you're applying, but when you arrive you'll wish there was double.


You are now a tiny cog in the machine of industry

So you finally get a job? Great, well done you! Be prepared to start at the bottom of the pile, get paid less than the London Living Wage, and stand around in the cold for hours on end. Be prepared to be ignored by senior colleagues, to be told you are out of line for doing more than your job title indicates, or for talking to your workmates while on shift. Be prepared for seriously idiotic tourists, extremely rude mothers, or over-entitled pompous aristocratic middle-class twits. It is hard to progress if you firstly arrive to London without specific work place experience or skills, and secondly, to progress once you've been slotted into your first job. 


So THAT'S why you moved to London!

I realised that the main reason anyone who has been in London longer than two or three years, is for the jobs. Living here is over-priced, the streets are crowded, the weather is shit, the commute is long and the Government has shat the bed more than once, so why do people still keep coming?
Because of the history, culture, new and exciting exhibitions and culturally diverse environment? Yeah, for the first 12 months when you can be bothered to leave your flat on your day off and spend your whole pay check on brunch and a ticket to the movies. 

But mostly because climbing the job ladder is possible in London, if you have that financial stability to wait it out and jump in when the right job comes up. Moving here on a short term basis with no industry specific qualifications isn't going to change your situation; just because you're in London doesn't mean you'll magically get a job above your skill level. 

I like to describe London as a slow slippery upwards corkscrew. If you stay long enough and keep sloooooowly grinding your way upwards, eventually you will achieve your career dreams. But if you have a cut off point, and your corkscrew won't go any higher, to put it simply, you're wasting your time my friend. Sure, London is great outside of working hours, but if you have to work 50 or 60 hours a week at Pret to be able to afford it, you're not living your dream, and this is not your best self. Stop pretending like it is.


Shut up and take my money

So after all this internal dialogue playing on a loop in your brain, you still want to move to London and get an entry level job? You're here anyway, so let's fucking make the most of it? Fine, here are some websites that I use when looking for jobs - but don't say I didn't warn you!



This is my go-to website when I'm looking for jobs. There are lots of categories you can refine your search with, and they have a wide range of companies who advertise vacancies here.



Good for arts or museum type jobs in Retail or Visitor Services roles. These types of places usually pay a little better than hospitality based roles, and you get to be in nicer environments. Also most big established companies will advertise for job openings on their own websites, i.e. the Tate, so visit them to check.



The basic search engines when you first arrive, good to start here, get depressed, and then set the bar to whatever level you want to achieve.


Those are the main ones I used when I arrived. I remember paying to be able to view adds in the film industry, which was insult to injury as nothing at all came of it. The websites I've listed here aren't very useful if you don't want to work in the arts sector, but I always like to know how other people manage to find work! If you're really good with tech stuff and you are also a creative, a lot of start up companies are always looking for people, as well as companies who advertise via 




Let me know if you've tired any of these, or what you do to find work. 

Good Luck!




NB: This is a non-profit blog, which I run in my own time. 
None of the websites listed here are aware of this free promotion, and I do not receive any credit for mentioning them.

2 comments:

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  2. Dear Gamel,
    Yes!! we do get jobs at times using these job websites... you might want to check this site Gigajob GB to find online jobs in london

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