LMS_Work3

General Unskilled Work

Experience and qualifications are certainly not everything when it comes to finding a job in London. Willingness and grit will see you through.

Picking & Packing

This is a job that most of the “register today - work tomorrow” agencies organise for people who are just looking for work to fill the gap between touring, or those who have just arrived and are still looking for work. It's not a well-paid job and you need no special skills to do it. It generally involves reading computer printout orders for videos, CDs, clothes, etc. and packing these items. The hours range between 6-12 hours shifts and the pay is £3.90-£4.50 per hour, depending on whether you are working day or night shifts. Overtime can be £4.50-£5.50 per hour. This kind of work is always available and, although some agencies might require you to work for a certain period, it is usually short term. You can therefore basically decide when and how long you want to work. A flexible attitude, however, will count in your favour for that day when you really need a quick job.

You are advised to contact Extraman.

•Extraman, Tel: 020 7373 3045

•Sharestaff, Tel: 020 7373 1129

•Working Wonders, Tel: 01825 722451

Security

There are a great number of South Africans doing security work and there is always a demand for security officers. It might be a very boring job, but some aspects of it may be more interesting than you think. It is also one of the best-paid unskilled jobs around. Shifts vary between 8-12 hours, for a 5-7 day week, and depending on the company the pay ranges from £4-£6 per hour. Some companies give overtime on the hours worked on the sixth and seventh day and it is usually your hourly rate times a third (£5-£7 per hour).

•Midas, Tel: 0800 694 0693

•Security People Recruitment, Tel: 01424 443333

•SSR Personnel, Tel: 020 8626 3100

•Swordfish Resourcing, Tel: 020 7793 9933

Construction & Building

You will find a great number of South Africans doing construction, as this work is nearly always available. It is a good way of meeting different people and you will surely gain some practical experience in the building industry. The work can range from really hard to very boring, but gene-rally includes assembly of scaffolding, cleaning, moving tools and furniture around and helping the other trades. It's not the best idea in the winter. Pay: £4-£6 per hour. Plumbers, carpenters and other more specialised trades can earn very good money (more than £7 p/h) and best work through agencies.

www.addjobs.co.uk/recruitmentagents/construction/index.asp

Couriers (& Drivers)

People with good driving skills can find work as couriers and even find work at car rental companies to collect vehicles. These jobs are usually advertised in papers and magazines, such as in the TNT. The pay could be anything from £200-£300 per week.

•Moves, Tel: 08700 10 43 10

www.tntclassifieds.com

Farm Work

A great number of South Africans who want to get out of London do farm work in the countryside. Mostly the work is found through an agency, or privately placed advertisements. It's a good way of seeing the other side of England, to gain experience and to meet new friends. Unfortunately the hours can be long (8-12) and the hourly pay low (£4-£4.50), but tractor and forklift drivers can earn £5 plus. It's a good idea to get a forklift license in South Africa, since you will need a license or permit if you are interested in forklift work in the UK. Getting a license here is very expensive. General duties include planting and cutting of lettuce, packing, landscaping, wheat eradication - and you can even do ploughing, ripping and dairy work. You might even have the opportunity to be a scarecrow - how's that for a challenging job!! If you can work privately, you can score with overtime work, especially during the summer.

•Farmforce, Tel: 01432 279933

•Bligh, Tel: 020 7491 3115

Travel Guides & Drivers

A love of travelling and an equal love of working with people might find you a very fulfilling job in the travel industry. Contiki Tours offers positions normally in the latter half of the year, and should be contacted for an application form. Be on the lookout for overland companies advertising for positions such as guides or drivers. Rates of pay are not extremely good (£100-£150 per week), but the obvious perks will definitely make it worth it.

•Contiki Tours *Wells House, 15 Elmfield Rd., Bromley, Kent, BR1 1LS

•Dragoman Tel: 01728 861133

•Top Deck, www.topdecktravel.co.uk

•C&M Recruitment, Tel: 020 7796 1800

•Travel Trade Recruitment, Tel: 020 7953 1179

Catering

If you do catering work, you can expect to work in restaurant kitchens, bars and help with catering for functions. It's fairly in demand and good experience and suitable qualifications will be to your advantage. Hours can range from 30-50 per week, earning you around £6 per hour. Your salary will also be determined by whether it is a live-in or a live-out position. It is advisable to work through an agency.

Pub & Bar Work

General pub and bar work includes waiting on tables, serving drinks, cleaning, stocking shelves and maybe even getting involved in general administration. Such work is fairly easily found throughout the UK and you do not necessarily have to go through an agent. Although you might get live-in positions and free food, the pay is not great, and you can't expect more than £4.50 per hour, with hours between 30-50 per week.

General

•Recruitment UK offers a list of over 100 recruitment agencies as well as Job Board for jobs in the following sectors:

Accountancy/Finance, Carers, Catering/Service Industry, Construction, Couriers, Dentistry, Farming, Information management, Legal, Medical, Nannies, Medical Trials, Nursing, Office/Secretarial, Recruitment, Sales/ Marketing, Social Work, Teaching, Transport, Travel, Veterinary

www.recruitmentuk.net/index.php4

Tel: 020 7930 7777

Other Options

South Africans will always sniff out a way to make some extra bucks, or to seek greener pastures elsewhere.

Private Security

With some initiative you can start your own security business. This will generally involve keeping an eye on people's property such as houses and cars. You will have to get a few clients by either advertising in papers, or following up on existing contracts (keep your ears open). The ideal situation is to get a few clients in the same neighbourhood so that all the clients receive a comprehensive service at the same time. Each client pays you a fixed rate. You can even employ others as this kind of business has the potential to expand. Other than a car, which you can buy for £300-£500, there are no other substantial overheads. With enough clients and management you can earn up to £100 per day.

Sub-leasing

This is quite a popular way to gain an extra income, although it can load you with some administrative tasks. If you have the financial means to rent a flat, do so, and get as many tenants as possible to move in. Make sure that the total rent that they pay you per month is substantially more than what you pay the landlord or estate agent. The ideal is to have a few houses, each of which you can make a profit on.

Working in Scotland

Edinburgh is Europe’s fifth largest financial centre and offers a refreshing alternative to working in expensive, overcrowded London. Although rates of pay are around 15% lower than in London, the savings on living costs can make up for it. Glasgow and Edinburgh both offer comfortable working and social environments (pubs don’t close that early and beer is much cheaper) and are also well situated in Scotland (only an hour from London by plane).

Fishing companies in Scotland usually recruit people during the season to work in fish factories. If you are interested, be on the lookout for advertisements in papers from around October every year.

•Jobs Dereham (Agency dealing with work in Scotland, Tel: 01362 691 608

For more information regarding working in a fish factory:

www.fishkey.com

Modelling

You have probably heard stories of people getting plucked off the street by modelling scouts and going on to become very rich and very famous. This is not completely impossible, but don’t count on it. Various papers and magazines regularly advertise for models or extras for films. You should be wary of some, and it’s difficult to point out the culprits. Most require you to pay quite a hefty registration fee (up to £80) and to provide them with a portfolio of yourself. If a suitable opportunity arises where you can be used, they will give you a call. You could earn up to £100 per day. If you really want to give it a try, try and stick to professional companies. It is not always the case, but in most instances the location and the quality of the offices are reflections of the level of professionalism. Stay away from back-street joints.

•TM Studio Model Management, Tel: 020 7491 4760

Green Card Lottery

If you fancy a chance to go and work legally in the land of ‘the free and fair’, then you try your luck in the Green Card lottery. Every year the US government gives away 55 000 permanent resident visas as part of a Visa Programme. This lottery is only open for applications during a certain period of the year and there is NO cost involved.

www.usagcls.com

Call Tel: 020 7842 0800 for more information.

Busking

If you are an entertainer, with some talent for singing or comedy, you can entertain people in the Underground or on some squares. Like most buskers, you will soon find, that you do it for the love of it and not to keep the bank manager happy.

Police Identification Parades

This is possibly the most desperate means to earn a tenner, but if you fancy the chance to line up with a criminal or two in an identification parade, the opportunity is there for you. The only problem is: What if they point YOU out!?

•Victoria Police Station, Tel: 020 7922 9850

Professional sport

Because this is such a wide field, and obviously will depend on the kind of sport and level of participation, it is advisable to get in touch with:

•Institute of Professional Sport *Francis House, London UK, SW1 P1 DE, Tel: 020 7630 7486

Import & Export

The strength of the pound against the rand will always make it a good prospect to import South African goods. If you are thinking of importing alcoholic products, just take note straightaway that the import duty is enormous. Contact the British Import Association for more information regarding general import regulations.

•British Import Association, Tel: 020 7258 3999

•International Freight Association, Tel: 020 8844 2266

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