United Kingdom

A thriving expat community, bustling nightlife, leading financial/ tech hub, and safe environment – it’s nothing new that so many Aussies have fallen in love with London.

The nomadlist ranks working in London as 3.2/5 (#100 out of 400+ countries).

We’ve broken down everything you need to know before making the move to the UK below.

Here’s the TL:DR.

We know you’re busy (or if you’re like us, have an unhelpable short attention span) 

You’ve got a couple of options to think about how to move roles into the UK:

1. Work for a global company and wait for a foreign role to open up. 
2. Network your way to a referral from someone you know in a foreign company.
3. Go over with no job on a tourist visa and network your way to a role. 

There are pros, cons of each – see our full breakdown below, including pro-tips on how to start the search.

Here’s the TL:DR.

• The hardest part most people face is getting past the resume screen with an international CV – some hacks include 1) flagging your rights to work and 2) where you can, add some local contact details
• Contextualise your experiences (e.g., “University WAM – equivalent to [XX] percentile in college entrance exams”)
• Check the full UK standard resume guidelines before you submit – luckily, it’s pretty similar to the Australian resume

For our full breakdown, see below.

Here’s the TL:DR.

• There are a range of Visa options – the most widely applicable ones are:

• 1) youth mobility visa (you can go without a job, however only lasts 2 years and only for <30s – more suited to contracting)
• 2) skilled work visa/ scale up visa (you’ll need to have secured a job first, with employer sponsorship – better suited for full time roles, and lots of people apply for this following a youth mobility visa once they do secure a role)

• To apply online, you’ll need to prepare documents (all the standard stuff including identity, funds) and be prepared to pay an application fee + healthcare surcharge.
• Depending on whether you’re applying from Australia or the UK, it can take up to 3-8 weeks to get a decision once you’ve applied.

Here’s the TL:DR.

• Finding accommodation: for temporary housing, check sites including Gumtree, Spareroom, Ideal Flatmate, Airbnb (more below)
• Insurance: the NHS scheme in the UK will have you covered for a base level of health insurance (similar to Medicare) – however, further protection is still recommended for expats
• Back accounts: some of the larger banks include Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays. Other popular ones include Monzo, Starling Bank, Revolut.
• Getting your BRP: you’ll need this as your identification and evidence of immigration status – if you’ve submitted your visa application, you won’t need to make a separate application for this.
• Getting your NI number: you’ll need this to work (like a TFN). Likely it will already be on the back of your BRP card or you can apply for one on the Gov.UK’s website.‍
• Local tips: if you haven't already, join Aussies in London to stay connected