Get a Work Permit With the UK Working Visa
If you would like to experience another culture for more than a vacation, you should consider the UK working visa. The current name is the Tier 5 visa or the youth mobility scheme. This permit allows a person to live and work in the United Kingdom, whether it is at Morgan McKinley as a company secretary for asset management or leading a New Testament Lectureship at Westminster Theological Centre. It is the perfect arrangement for those who want to gain work experience for their future. At the same time, a person has time to explore places around London like the British Museum, London Bridge, or Buckingham Palace. They can take a ferry from Dover and head to Ireland or France.
However, before your imagination gets too far ahead, there is some work that needs to be done. Besides filling out the necessary paperwork for the UK working visa, you need to get a UK work permit. These are issued for a specific job through an eligible employer. There are a few positions that will allow a person to work in the UK without the permit, but for the most part it is needed before you get the work visa.
We all wish we could get the UK working visa first and then look for the work permit. However, a person needs a job offer first. One good place to look for international jobs is at the Escape Artist website or other online sites. BUNAC offers jobs for college students looking for positions in the UK. Even if you aren't passing out resumes around Dublin or London, it isn't hard to find options online.
Once you find a position that both you and the employer agree upon, the UK employer has to apply for the work permit. They have to file it at least eight weeks prior to the time work would begin. After this has been done, make sure you have all of the supporting documents in order. This means a valid passport with a recent passport-size color photo inside. Most say the picture can't be any older than six months, at least if you are applying for this program. Unless a person is single, a divorce, marriage, or death certificate will have to be shown. The other necessary piece of document is an original bank statement. Visit the actual website and you can see everything that should be included.
