The UK is much bigger than Hong Kong and so is the range and number of jobs and careers available to you. The choice of where you live and where you work often go together. People in the UK often commute for up to one hour, so keep this in mind as you consider your options.

In this post we’re focusing on how to start your search for a job in the UK. We will talk more about how to apply for them in this post. 

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Workers needed in the UK ⦁ 英國需要嘅工種

✅  The UK government regularly updates the list of the skills that are needed in the country here. Below are some of the jobs from the list that many Hong Kongers will be familiar with:

• Chefs
• Civil and mechanical engineers
• Graphic designers
• IT business analysts and programmers
• Nurses and paramedics
• Web design and development professionals

For specialist jobs like these, try the following recruitment websites: 

• Caterer for hospitality jobs
• CWJobs for IT roles
• Design Week for designers
• eFinancialCareers for finance and banking jobs 
• eTeach for school and teaching jobs
• Justengineers for engineering posts 
• NHSjobs lists the jobs available across the NHS (National Health Service)
• Nurses for nursing jobs 
• Recruitment agencies, such as Agency Central, specialises in particular sectors
• WorkInStartups for startup jobs 

General job websites ⦁ 英國最熱門求職網站

There are many sites for general job search. Below are the most frequently used ones in the UK:

• Adecco
• Adzuna
• Careerbuilder
• Everyjobsite
• Fish4
• Gumtree
• Indeed
• LinkUp
• Jobsite
• Monster
• Reed
• Totaljobs
• Trovit

Online Profiles ⦁ 要有網上嘅Profile

Most British professionals have a LinkedIn profile and recruitment agents often approach people on that website based on their uploaded information and work examples. Jobs are advertised on LinkedIn and you can apply directly from the website. You can also approach potential employers and their staff to directly to start conversations with them. 

Take some time to perfect your profile and always remember to use keywords that are relevant to the kinds of job that you are looking for. 

✅  Don’t forget to get your employers or colleagues in Hong Kong to write you a recommendation!

Is this a good company? ⦁ 點知僱主好唔好

Search the name of the company you want to work for on Glassdoor, and see what current and former employees say about it.

Language ⦁ 語文能力

You will need a reasonable level of English to live and work in the UK. In this post we give you some advice on how to judge your current ability and resources to improve. 

If you prefer Cantonese or Mandarin speaking roles in the UK, go to the sites we listed above and add these words to your job search: “Cantonese”, “Chinese”, “Mandarin”. These can be a big advantage when combined with the right experience! 

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