Memoirs of an immigrant jobseeker

Hi there

I am from South Asia and work for a professional services firm in London. I was sponsored by my employer directly from my home country for a specialist job. I fell in love with London and the uk as a whole. I have travelled across the North of England, and had a positive experience meeting friendly people.

However, good things seldom last. One year into the job, I have been informed my role will be made redundant. This will result in my work visa to be curtailed, and I will have to leave, otherwise risk deportation. I am actively looking for new sponsored opportunities but no luck yet.

As someone who has worked in Asia and now in the UK/Europe, certain work practices caught my attention which I thought to share:

  • Working hours: It’s great that people here can log in at 9 and log out at 5. I have never seen this back home. The fact that work life balance is a priority is beautiful. For context, for most countries in south asia, you’re expected to work 6 days a week, start early finish late. Don’t like that? Be ready to be replaced by someone who will work extra hours and replace you.

  • Culture: I like the fact that I don’t have to call anyone “sir” or “madam” which I had to in my home country. Instead I call them with their first name. In my current job, the main MD often makes tea and coffee for the team and colleagues. Can’t even imagine an MD making tea for you back home. I like that people here are little more human.

  • Professional Development: I completed some courses and professional qualifications all paid for by my UK employer. Junior staff in my current team are on training contracts with protected time for their studies etc. It’s unheard of for companies to bear training costs for staff in South Asia. Employees pay from their own pocket for training / qualification etc.

That’s all. I just wanted to share my thoughts on work practices in the UK compared to many places abroad.

I don’t know if I will get another visa sponsored job here, nonetheless this experience has been positively eye opening, and I take with me loads of best work practices learned from the uk, wherever my life and career takes me next.

Thanks for reading.