1. Living and working in the United Kingdom
IO LAVORO TORINO
12-13th October 2012

2. What do you think of when you think of the UK?
London ?
London received 3 million visitors between April-June 2010, two-thirds were Europeans.

3. London is great but don’t forget the rest!
Edinburgh
Portsmouth
Many job opportunities are outside the capital where the cost of living is less expensive.
This presentation is to give you some of the information you will need to help decide if working in the UK is the right move for you. Will take 30mins approx.
Working in the UK
Information on finding a job and working conditions
Living in the UK
Information on the cost of living
You don’t need to take notes, a handout will be available afterwards containing useful websites and contact numbers.
The presentation is to give you a quick overview of living and working in the UK.
Belfast
Cardiff

4. The United Kingdom England
London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield,
Newcastle, Bristol, Nottingham
Scotland
Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen
Wales
Cardiff, Swansea, Aberystwyth,
Bangor
Northern Ireland
Belfast, Londonderry/Derry
Population: 62 million
Languages: English, Welsh
Currency: British pound £
Nationality: Briton(s), British.
Major languages: English, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic.
Main Religion: Church of England, Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh
Major ethnic groups: Anglo-Saxons, Scots, Welsh, Irish, West Indians, Pakistanis, Indians
Total population 61,792,000 (2009)
Annual population growth rate: 0.29%. (2004 est.)
Average age: 39 years
Population density per sq.km 245
Population by region: - Scotland 5,119,000 - England 49,753,000 - Wales 2,937,000 - N. Ireland 1,692,000
Top 5 populous cities: - London 7,285,000 (London Metropolitan 12m)
- Birmingham 1,018,000 - Leeds 725,000 - Glasgow 611,000 - Sheffield 529,000
€1 = 0.83 pence / £1 = €1.20 (17 January 2011)

5. Background information to working in the UK
Labour Market information Looking for work Working conditions
You don’t need to take notes, a handout will be available afterwards containing useful websites and contact numbers.
The presentation is to give you a quick overview of living and working in the UK.
This section will cover how to look for jobs, compare your qualifications and pay and working conditions.
I will begin with some background on the Geography and population.

6. Job Market The Labour Market UK unemployment rate 8,1 %
Under 25’s not in Full time education 9.7% unemployed
Economy growing: more people are finding work than losing their job
But the recovery is slow and fragile (2.5 million unemployed)
More redundancies expected in….. public admin & defence, retail, education & health

7. Shortage Occupations
Secondary education science and maths teachers (children years old)
Teachers in special schools
Doctors (accident & emergencies)
Nurses (operating theatres and neonatal intensive care units)
Veterinary surgeons
Engineers – Chemical / Mechanical / Electrical
Pipe Welders (high integrity with 3 years experience)
Butchers and meat cutters (skilled meat trimmer and meat boner)
Skilled Chefs
Social Workers
For more details search the Internet for ‘UK shortage occupations list’

8. Where to look for work Jobsfairs UK newspapers (online)
EURES
Jobsfairs
UK newspapers (online)
Company websites
Private recruitment agencies
Online agencies / jobsites
Public employment services – Jobcentre Plus/ Department for Employment & Learning
Refer to handout with website addresses

9. Job application process
Curriculum Vitae – C V 2 pages maximum, typed
Create a CV to match the job
Typed Application letter (covering letter)
Company application forms (often online)
Interviews – it depends on the job applied for
CV – 2 pages to include Personal details, Qualifications and Work experience. State first (whatever is more relevant to the job you are applying), your work experience or your qualifications? Include Personal achievements, IT, Language skills… An employer will judge your CV in 20 seconds. It must make a quick impression!!
Application letters, one page, typed. A brief synopsis of your skills/experience. State when you are ready to start
Interviews are usually formal; dress smartly. There are usually 2 or more people interviewing you. Research the company before the interview.
Websites will give you samples of CVs and Letters and helpful hints on preparing for interviews

10. Employment Law 48 hour working time regulations
National Minimum Wage: £6.19 per hour (age £4.98)
48 hour working time regulations
Verbal / Written contracts
Equality Act law to protect against discrimination
NMW £5.93 (21 years+) £4.92 (18-20) £ If you are not being paid at least the minimum wage you should contact the Pay and Work Rights helpline (the telephone number is on the presentation handout)
If you are 18 years+ and wish to work more than 48 hours a week, you can choose to do so. This must be voluntary and put in writing to your employer.
All workers have a statutory right to at least 28 days' paid holiday if you work five days a week. Your employer could choose to include bank holidays in the 28 days
Average weekly hours worked in the three months to August 2010 were 31.6, up 0.1 from the three months to May Most people in full time employment work between hours per week.
Contracts can be verbal but you have a right to ask for a Written Statement of Employment Particulars (ie contract in writing)
Equality Act 2010
The first wave of changes arising from The Equality Act 2010 came into effect on 1 October The Act simplifies the current equality laws such as the Disability Discrimination Act and Race Relations Act and puts them together in one piece of legislation. It aims to create a single, streamlined approach to discrimination against people with different protected characteristics – although there are some exceptions.
Protected characteristics
The protected characteristics are:
age;
disability;
gender reassignment;
marriage and civil partnership;
pregnancy and maternity;
race;
religion or belief;
sex; and
sexual orientation.
Changes brought in by the Act
There have been a number of changes brought in by the Act. The key changes are:
the definitions of disability and gender reassignment have both widened, so that more people are now covered by the Act. Guidance on this will be published on our intranet site when the Act comes into force;
new forms of discrimination have been introduced. It is now illegal to discriminate against someone who is associated with a person who has one of the protected characteristics listed above, or someone who is perceived to have one of those characteristics. For example, this would mean that carers of disabled people would be protected;
third party harassment has been extended, which means that employers are potentially liable if staff are harassed by customer or clients;
the duty to provide reasonable adjustments to disabled customers has been widened.

11. National Insurance Number
Needed to pay social security contributions in the UK
Apply just before or as soon as you start work
13.8 % deducted from earnings between £156 - £817 plus
2 % of earnings above £817 per week
Self employed people pay their own
National Insurance contributions
This is a private, personal number; it must be kept safe at all times
If you have worked in the UK before, you will NOT need to apply for another NINO
The card shown here is not sent out anymore – all you need is the letter that tells you your number (don’t lose it!)
Both very important websites – as they link together ALL government websites, under the one site. Jobs, healthcare, taxation, driving licences, training, education, funding. A great SEARCH mechanism in both websites.
Tel: or Tel: (NI)
Deduction from your wage NICs (contributes towards NHS, social benefits if required, and state pension)

12. Income Tax Basic rate: 20% £0 - £34,370
Higher rate: 40% £34,371 - £150,000
Additional rate: 50% Over £150,000
Self employed people pay their own tax
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publish guidance on their website on all taxation matter, which you can access through Directgov

13. Healthcare Accommodation Cost of living
Living in the UK
Healthcare Accommodation Cost of living
This section will cover the cost of accommodation, a bit about healthcare and the cost of living.
I’ll start with a question though….

14. What might be the best thing about living in the UK?
the weather ?
[Begin this section by saying] before looking at the cost of accommodation I’m going to ask what you think would be the worst thing about living in the UK [ask for responses from the audience, when someone mentions weather, click forward once to show “the weather”, and click again to show first photo]:
Yes, It does rain a lot in the UK and summers can seem very short. In recent years, the threat of flooding has increased in some areas. We had major floods in 2007 and to a lesser extent in 2009.
[Click to next photo showing flood scene in Oxford]
But our temperate climate means we rarely suffer from extremes of temperature. In most parts of the country the winter temperature is normally above 0°C and the summer temperature is below 25°C. But do bring an umbrella!

15. Healthcare in the UK NHS - National Health Service
Visiting a doctor is free; a visit to the dentist you have to pay
Prescription medicines you may have to pay (depending on where you reside in the UK)
Before coming to the UK, make sure you have a EHIC
NHS Hospital treatment is FREE
If you are Employed/working, you will have to pay for:
Spectacles, dental treatment and sometimes medical Prescriptions. Prescription charges vary, depending on where you live in the UK. Some regions provide FREE medical prescriptions such as Wales, Scotland charge £3 (since April 2010)
NI prescriptions are free since April England is the only region of the UK where persons have to pay the full, £7.40 per medicine
EHIC – European Health Insurance Card

16. Accommodation Average monthly rental charges:
Apartments/Flats: £450 - £650 = (€550 - €800)
Houses: £550 - £850 = (€680 - €1050)
Rooms: £250 - £400 = (€310 - €500)
Deposit + 1 month’s rent in advance
Council Tax – local tax on accommodation
Bills– water, gas, electricity & telephone
Houses/flats can be furnished on unfurnished (Costs are per month)
When looking for accommodation (to rent or purchase a home), search for “Estate Agents” online
Large cities such as London can be expensive to live in, and difficult to find accommodation. Most people tend to live outside the city
Question the audience – are the costs higher or lower than their country?
Council Tax is paid to the council where you live - to pay for local services like rubbish/refuse collection…
The amount you pay depends on your accommodation value and family/personal circumstances. Council tax for an average property is approximately £100 per month (€107)
Council Tax / utility bills may be included in your rent. Check with your landlord

17. Living expenses Cost of living – UK shopping basket
Bread (800 grams) £ € 1.50
Butter £ € 1.60
Eggs (6 large free range) £ € 2.50
Milk, 2.24 litres (4 pints) £1.50 € 2.10
Pint of beer (568ml) £ € 4.90
Cigarettes £7.25 € 9.00
Cinema ticket £7.50 € 9.30
Bus £ € 2.50
Petrol, 1 litre £1.40 € 1.70
1 pound = 1.24 euro ()
1 euro = 80 pence
Public transport is, on the whole, more expensive than most European countries, particularly train travel, which should be booked well in advance (off peak if possible).
The cost of gas and electricity has risen and food prices are rising above inflation.

18. the food ? Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding? Fish and chips?
Could ask: What is the most popular meal in the UK today? [either allow audience to make suggestions or show first two images, then the third when you reveal the answer]
The British are known for traditional meals like fish and chips and roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, but the most popular meal in the UK is now chicken tikka Masala. Cultural diversity has brought cuisines from around the world to the UK and the quality and variety of restaurants in all cities and most towns has greatly improved over the years.
Nation’s top ten cuisines (Sharwood’s survey 2010)
Chinese
Indian
British
Italian
Thai
American
Mexican
Japanese
Greek
French
Indian cuisine?

19. Questions ? Thank you! Lorraine.morris1@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
Copies of the presentation handouts with website addresses for finding more detailed information on living and working in the UK, including the services mentioned in the presentation, are available here or from the UK stand in the exhibition hall.
Thank you