What Exactly is a CV?

While job hunting in the UK, you’ll notice that many companies and job adverts will request that you send in a CV. Now, you’re probably wondering, what the hell is that? CV stands for curriculum vitae and is essentially the same as a resume. The major difference is that while resumes tend to be brief (1 -2 pages), a CV is expected to contain a lot more detail.

For a CV, you are expected to list your entire job history and describe in detail, your job title, your responsibilities as well as any achievements or merits earned at that position. As you can imagine, this can cause a CV to be quite long. This is expected though as most CVs should be a minimum of 2 pages long.

You can also include additional information on your CV that you would never put on your resume. For example when I was job hunting here, I put my nationality, British/American, to explain why most of my experience was in the US and to indicate that I have a right to work in the UK. While it’s not necessary to include this information, you can if you feel that it would be beneficial.

Looking for CV templates?  More information?
University of Kent - Lots of Sample CVs
CV Tips - CV Templates & CV Writing Tips

Using Your US Driver's License in the UK

For the few brave souls that want to drive on the wrong left side of the road, you can officially use your American drivers license for up to a year after you have established residency.  After that you are supposed to apply for a British license.  This is mostly because there is not a standard driving test in the US.  Each test differs based on the state where you lived. And instead of the reviewing all state driving requirements to see if they satisfy British standards, the government here has decided to just make all Americans go through the entire process.  I suppose its easier.  But its also a pain in the ass. 

If you obtain a provisional license during this period, you are not subject to provisional license conditions.  You can just go and take the driving test.  But if you fail, the test, then you have to go through the whole process again and provisional license conditions will apply.  These include things like having a learner's tag put on your car as well as having restrictions where you can drive and with how many people.  So if you get your provisional license before your 12 mos are up, BE SURE TO PASS THE TEST! Unless, you really want to take it again.

You could also just risk it and assume that if you get pulled over the police really have no way of knowing how long you've been in the country.  But I wouldn't risk it.

For more info: Directgov

Getting Here: Work Abroad Program

Now if you really want to come over to the UK to work and don't see a company transfer in your future, then you might want to consider coming over through a work abroad program.  One of the most popular is the BUNAC. 

BUNAC (British Universities North America Club)

BUNAC has been in existence for more than 46 years.  Their goal is to give students and recent graduates the opportunity to experience another culture.  They are a non-profit organization that has work abroad programs in a variety of different locales including the UK.

They offer an intern abroad program for the UK.  You can work as an intern for six months earning minimum wage.  The program has been recently re-hauled due to EU immigration laws.  So you will have to arrange for the position before applying for the visa.  Previously, they would help you get here and assist with you finding a job.  My how times have changed.

BUNAC will essentially act as your sponsor for a Tier 5 visa which will allow for you to apply for a visa before arriving in Britain.  They also offer:

• Help and advice with the visa process from the US
• An informative arrival orientation to fully prepare you for live in Britain
• Ongoing help and support during your time in the UK
• Assistance with National Insurance, tax and bank formalities
• Social events including trips to Paris and other parts of the UK and pub events

To be eligible, you must be:

• over 18,
• a full-time student 
• OR have been out of school for less than 1 year 
• have a valid passport 
• have an internship offer in the UK for up to 6 months.
• Have sufficient support funds ($1,500 for paid internship, $2,500 for unpaid internships)

Applications are accepted year round.  The cost of the program in $750.  However, please note that this doesn't include visa costs (128 GBP), your flight or insurance.

To find out more, visit the official website

Understanding Council Tax

What is Council Tax?

It is a local tax on domestic properties.  Now not all properties have to pay council tax.  Similarly, not all people have to pay council tax.  There are also discounts available.

How is It Calculated?

The amount of council tax that you pay is based on the valuation band afforded to your property by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and the tax rate that your local council has assigned to that valuation.  All properties are placed in a band according to their value in 1 April 1993.  (There are no current plans to carry out a re-valuation).   Below is a breakdown of the different bands.

Bankers Are Wankers! - Opening an Account (Student Edition)

Our last BAW! feature dealt with opening an account if you are in the UK for work.  But what if you're a student? Does the same process apply?

Well yes and no.

If you are a student opening a bank account you will still have to supply some form of ID (passport w/ visa), proof of address (certified copy of acceptance letter or similar such document).  But you will also have to have some cash to open the account and to prove that you can support yourself.  This can be in the form of student loan checks.

Again, the four major banks (Barclays, NatWest, HSBC and Lloyds TSB) will
require these basic things but may also have some additional requirements, so I'd be sure to confirm their eligibility criteria and requirements before I showed up for opening an account.  Please note that when looking for information about student banking you will need to look in the International Banking sections of these websites.  Any mention of Student Banking on the main pages applies only to permanent UK residents.

Again, most of the difficulties with opening any account here are due to administrative flakiness.  I've done a bit of research and it seems that the worst offends of student bank account flakiness are Barclays.  They seem to have a habit of either misplacing people's student loan checks or taking their sweet time to deposit them. Also unfortunately with Barclays, you can't get a debit card until your student loans have cleared.  But you can't check to see if the funds have cleared unless you have a debit card. It creates a fun game of which comes first, the debit card or the cleared funds?  And it can last FOUR months!

Don't want to wait four months?  Then I'd try opening an account with the other three branches.  And yes, this includes NatWest who seem to be rubbish at opening a regular current (checking) account but seem to get it right when opening a students account.   (Just as long as you bring a certified copy of your acceptance letter!)  Lloyds and HSBC seems pretty straight forward regarding opening student accounts.  I've not heard any horror stories about using either of these. In fact, the person that I interviewed about her nightmare with NatWest, went straight to Lloyds and was able to open an account within days.

A good alternative to all of this banking drama can be to not open an account at all.  If you have a Bank of America account you can use any Barclays ATM free of charge.  So as long as you keep funds in you BofA account, you can have access to British sterling.  Of course that becomes a pain, if you want to pay bills etc.  However as the UK is quite old fashioned, you can pay all of your bills here in cash by depositing cash directly into the companies account.  They all have one.  Just check your utility bill the next time you receive and it and look out for their banking details.

Bankers Are Wankers! - Opening An Account

If you are not fortunate enough to come to the UK via an intra-office transfer where most of your banking needs would have been sorted for you, you unfortunately will have to navigate the frustrating and tedious waters of opening a banking account here.  Now the reasons for this being so difficult is that:

1) credit does not transfer internationally
2) terrorism laws
3) Piss poor admin at UK banks (more on that later)

Now the fact that your credit score does not transfer to the UK could be really great if your US credit score was the same as your shoe size.  Or really bad if you had immaculate credit.  Either way, you will have to start over fresh here and that means having NO credit.  Therefore the banks will be a bit leary about having you open an account and will make you jump through hoops accordingly. There is also the anti-terror laws that have pretty strict residency requirements.  So you will inevitably have to prove your identity several times and you also need to prove that you have a job.  Trying to open an account by depositing a large of amount of cash without any job willl be frowned upon.


The four major banks here are: Barclays, NatWest, HSBC and Lloyds TSB.  Their requirements differ slightly for each account but at the very minimum you need to provide:

 - Your passport w/ visa
 - Proof of your UK address. (ie a utility bill)
 - Your official letter of acceptance for a new position or a pay stub for any current position that you have

Now this all seems simple right?  So what's with the title, Bankers Are Wankers?  Well firstly, its amusing, at least to me. And I could get into the fact that everyone masturbates, so it's really not that inaccurate either.  But I'll save THAT discussion for another day.  The real reason why Banks are Wanks is that their administration is rubbish.  Even if you have all of the paperwork I've listed above and then some,  they will inevitably still take their sweet time to open an account.

The worst offender seems to be NatWest.  I have spoken to a few people and they all tell the same story.  They walked into the branch.  They filled out all of the paperwork and provide appropraite documentation.  They were promised their debit cards in a week's time.  But their debit cards never came.  Instead they had to return to the bank several times to fill out the same forms and submit the same paperwork because it as misplaced or incorrect or .  I spoke to one friend who went through this merry-go-round for SIX MONTHS and in the end he just gave up and went to Barclay's where they managed to open his account in 5 days.  So in short, go to Barclay's or Lloyds TSB as they seem to not have these administrative issues.

But if you know in advance that you'll be coming to the UK, HSBC has this amazing Passport account that will allow you to open your account before you've even stepped foot in the UK.  The requirements are similar to the one above, you just have to show proof of your overseas address as well as prove that you'll be in the UK for more than a year.  The proof of staying past one year seems to trip up some people because if you can't prove that then they'll decline your application.  Don't fret.  If this happens, just open an account with Lloyds TSB or Barclays when you arrive.

Some other things to keep in mind...

Barclays has an agreement with Bank of America.  So you can use your BofA debit card at a Barclays ATM without incurring any charges.  The same goes for if you are using your Barclays card at a BofA ATM.

If you have a US HSBC account, you can not convert that into a UK account.  Apparently they are two completely different entities.  So while it may be nice to try and open an account in the US to use in the UK, it doesn't quite work that way.  I know because I tried!

The Joys of Working for a British Company

Despite my many grumblings (£100 gift certificate to Mark's & Spencer is not the same as a bonus, just saying), there are a few perks to working for a British company.

Minimum 25 days vacation

Just typing that seems outrageous and awesome at the same time.  Thanks to an EU directive, all EU countries must give their employees a minimum of 25 days vacation. Note, that this does not include national holidays. I still to this day have no idea what to do with all of this time and equally wonder how I survived with the measly 2 weeks that I was given in the States.  Oh, wait, now I remember.  I was conveniently sick on Mondays and Fridays.

Pub Lunches

It's Friday! And after a long week in the office, there is nothing better then getting together with a few co-workers and celebrating the forthcoming weekend with a glass of wine or three if you work in my office! 
Got a bit drunk? It's okay.  It seems to be perfectly acceptable to return to your desk a bit tipsy. After all, you were just at the pub.  Your boss may even be a bit offended if you came back completely sober as it would show you're not a team player!

9 to 5 really means 9 to 5

Now I'm used to 9 to 5 really meaning 9 to 6 as you have to account for your hour lunch.  Not so in the UK where you effectively have a 7 hour work day as that one hour between 9 and 5 is blocked off for lunch and nothing else.  Also the moment and I mean the very second that the clock strikes 5, your office will be deserted.  You'll know when its happened, because the office will suddenly become so quiet that your typing will start to echo throughout the building. 

Unlimited sick days

Again, this is an alien concept to me.  The first time I asked HR about sick days, they looked at me completely baffled and asked "How can you put a limit on the number of days that you're sick? If you're sick, you're sick."  Translation:  You have unlimited sick days. Now keep in mind, you have a legal obligation to produce a doctor's note if you have been sick for five consecutive work days. Most companies will require you to fill out some sort of sick leave form upon your return to the office and you won't get full pay if you are sick for an extended period of time.  However, if you wanted to call in sick for four days due to a  last minute holiday to Spain nasty flu, there really isn't anything that you're company could do to stop you.  But you might get a few questions about your amazing tan upon return so be sure to cover up!

UK Visa Changes

These changes go into effect 6 April 2010 and affect the Tier 1 (highly skilled worker) and Tier 2 (skilled workers with job offers) visas.  I offer a summary of the changes below along with a link to the official statement issued by the Home Office.

Tier 1 changes

There will be changes to the point system which will apply not only to new applicant but also to those who are renewing their Tier 1 visa.  This new point's system will not apply to those in the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme, writers, artists, composers and self-employed lawyers.

For new applicants, you will only be granted an 2 year visa.  However, you can renew it for 3 years.



For any doctors or dentists in training, there will be new restrictions to prevent overseas doctors/dentists from taking resident's places.  This will be further clarified on 6 April.

Tier 2 changes

These changes will affect Tier 2 general and intra-company transfer visas.  There will be a change to the point's system for initial applications.  For visa renewal application, all Tier 2 applicants will be given 50 points to mitigate the impact of the changes.

There are new sub-categories for intra-company transfers.  They are javascript:void(0)established staff, graduate trainee and skills transfer.

Established Staff
The minimum overseas (non-UK) experience for established staff has been raised from 6 months to 1 year.  The established staff category can no longer be used for permanent settlement in the UK.  These changes will only apply to new Tier 2 (intra-company transfer) applicants.  Anyone here in the UK prior to 6 April is excluded. 

Graduate Trainees
The minimum overseas experience is 3 months.  The maximum stay in this category is 12 months.  There are no extension for this category or the option to switch into other immigration categories.  This sub-category is only open to migrants who are working in a graduate occupation.  You can find a list of these in Appendix A of the link below.

Skills Transfer
There is no minimum employment requirement for this category.  This category is really for people whose skills are to transferred to the UK but not their job. (That's a bit confusing!)  The maximum grant of stay under this category is 6 months and this is also only open to those who are working in graduate occupations.

Official Statement of Policy

The Two Universal Truths

1. You will die.
2. The IRS are bastards.

Thought that you got out of having to file US income taxes because you moved moved abroad???  Or think that just because you're a dual citizen, you don't have to pay taxes seeing how you're a Brit, employed as a Brit and working for a British company????

Think again.  The MAN still has you in it's grips.  The good news is that you can exclude up to $91,400 of your income and all Americans abroad get an automatic extension until 15 June to file.  However be forewarned that if you wait until 15 June and just happen to owe Uncle Sam some money, you will be charged interest starting from 15 April.  So much for an extension. 


In addition to filing taxes, you are obligated to inform the IRS if you have a foreign bank account with more than $10,000.  And yes, you must report this even if the foreign bank account happens to be in the country with which you hold dual citizenship.  Man, I can't get a break!

Want to vent your anger on the MAN or just get more information? IRS=bastards

Need tax preparation assistance?  The U.S. Embassy has a few suggestions.

What is a National Insurance Number?

It’s the British equivalent to a social security number.  You must apply for one if you have the right to work in the UK.  It ensures that you pay taxes to the British government. You can also use it if you are claiming benefits or tax credits. 

You can apply for a National Insurance (NI) number by going to an interview at a local JobCentre.  In the interview you will have to prove your identity and that you are working, will start working or are looking for work. Interviews can be set up by calling the National Insurance Allocation service hotline, 0845 600 0643.

After the interview, you will get a card in the mail with your NI Number.  Like your social security number, you want to keep this secret.

Now you’re probably wondering why you should even bother getting a NI Number?  Most jobs will require that you provide one when they are putting you the company payroll.  If you don’t have one, you will be given a temporary number and will be put on an emergency tax rate which can be as high as 35%.  Trust me, there is nothing worse than seeing a large portion of your check taken out because you failed to get a National Insurance Number.  So be sure to get one.

You can find out more here.

Finding a Place to Live

Unlike many parts of the US, there are not huge apartment complexes here in the UK that you can just walk into a rental office, view an apartment and get in. Correction: There are apartment-like complexes littering Londontown. But those ladies and gentlemen are government housing aka the ghetto or as the Brits put it council estate.

Most rentals are privately owned and advertised either through an estate agent or through a website like Gumtree.com. You can find an estate agent on your local main street or high street in Brit-speak. They also tend to have website. So a simple Google search of “estate agent + London” should bring up plenty of hits.

Be leary of estate agents that ask for cash if you call about an amazing property that they advertised on their website. They don’t actually have that property. They just want you to pay to find other properties that may look like the one they advertised. Unless you are super busy, you really don’t need them to do this for you. An agent should show you a property free of charge and if they ask for money, just throw an American fit and tell them to go fuck themselves.

Of course Gumtree.com also has its scams. One in particular will advertise an amazing place in central London that’s pretty dirt cheap. A flat in Marylebone for only 500 GBP a month!!!!! They’ll write you and say that they only want serious viewers and ask that you agree to bring a deposit just in case you like the property. Now if you want to be robbed. Go right ahead and show up with a few hundred pounds to meet a stranger person in a strange home. Fingers crossed, you won’t be robbed. Or fingers crossed, they actually own or have a right to rent out the property! Illegal sublets to happen so be careful.

That being said like any other large city, the rental market is also very, very competitive. So if you see a property that you may want, I highly recommend taking it at the first chance that you get. Some landlords will want a deposit and the first month’s rent in hand before they sign a lease over to you. So when you view a property be sure that you have the funds to move in right away and try to sign the lease ASAP.

Something else to consider is that properties in London are advertised with a weekly rental price and not their monthly price. So to get an idea of what you’ll pay monthly for rent you can take a trip back to grade school math and use the following formula:

Monthly rent = (weekly rent x 52) /12

Now again, I’m not sure why properties are advertised in this way. In fact most landlords will insist that you stay for a minimum of 6 months. So you’d think that they’d at least advertise the monthly rent for their property, right? Wrong!

Also remember that London is a pricey city so be sure to take into account your utility bills as well as two taxes that are alien to Americans, TV and council tax. TV tax is the tax that you pay to have a TV. Sounds crazy right? But it’s used to pay for the free BBC shows. So instead of having those annoying telethons on your local PBS station, everyone has to chip in. It costs 142.50 GBP per year. Back in the day, they used to come door to door and check your property if you didn’t pay your TV tax. I don’t own a TV and did receive a letter saying that someone would come by. However, I called the TV Licensing people and let them know that I’m broke and don’t have to TV and was never harassed by them again.

Council tax on the other hand, is the tax that you pay for local services such as trash collection, library up-keep, etc. This is paid to the local council and your monthly costs depend on which council you live in, the type of flat that you live in as well as whether or not you are the sole occupant of the flat or if you have flatmates. The most expensive council tax is in Richmond while the least expensive is in Wandsworth. If you live in a basement flat your council tax may be more that in you lived in the top floor of the same building. It all depends on how the property is zoned. Also if you live on your own, you can get a discount on your council tax. Confused? Perplexed? You can enter the post code of the property you want to rent and get an idea of the council tax here. Or you could always just ask your landlord.