I am looking to move to London, England from America. I have no idea
how to do this. How do I find a job in advance? Or housing? What about
immigration? Romantic as it sounds, I can't just hop a plane and move
in. I'm especially interested in services that will set me up with a
job and a place to live. I am trying to make this as painless as
possible. Please help. I'm looking to move yesterday! I have about
$3000 saved up so money isn't really an option as I intend to start
over completely when I get there. Please provide as many options as
possible. Thank you very much.

Hello -

Important Note:  Your satisfaction with this answer is very important
to me.  If you choose to rate this answer, please do so *after* asking
for any needed clarification or additional information.  Thanks for
your understanding.

________________________________________________________

I would recommed reading the following link in its entirety, which is
a very exhaustive personal look into moving from America to the UK
from someone who has apparently done it; it seems very pertinent to
your situation:

Moving from the US to the UK by Lisa Nelson
http://www.ljnelson.com/personal/musings/ustouk.htm

It talks about immigration, visas, and many other necessary things you
will have to secure while moving.  Even if you plan on hiring a
relocation agency, the information in this link looks like some very
basic things you should be familiar with.  I would I would verify all
information [that you plan on pursuing] in that document the best that
you can, before acting on it.  It was last updated in 2001.

Here is a comprehensive site about immigration:

workpermit.com
http://www.workpermit.co.uk/uk/uk.htm

After securing immigration details, the majority of your relocating is
going to be found in 3 things:  Where you're going to work, where
you're going to live, and how you're going to transport [in that
order].

Firstly, you'll need to look for a job.  The semi-annual
cost-of-living survey by the Economist Intelligence Unit, puts London
ninth on the list [down from sixth place last year] of the 10 most
expensive cities to live in [See the BBC article at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/your_money/381351.stm ].

Here are some starter sites for job hunting:

Fish4Jobs
http://jobs.fish4.co.uk/jobs/index.jsp

The Guardian
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk/

The Times
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,197,00.html

The Daily Telegraph
http://jobs.telegraph.co.uk/search.asp

Evening Standard
http://jobs.thisislondon.co.uk/


Secondly, you'll need to find yourself an apartment.  If they're
legitimate, I have found some apartments as low as £200 on the
fish4homes site, but you'll have to contact the property agent to
determine if it's up to your standards of living.

fish4homes
http://fish4.co.uk/lettings/homesforrent/index.jsp

Global Resident
http://www.globalresident.com/

RelocationApartments
http://www.relocationapartments.com/

Central London Apartments
http://www.lfca.co.uk/

Euracom
http://www.euracom.co.uk/


Thirdly, you'll need to get around.  You can either use the London
Underground [The Tube] subway, bus, or buy a car.

Here's some info on transportation in London:

London Transportation
http://www.lovetoeatandtravel.com/Site/Intl/London/Lodging/transportation.htm

Here's a listing of car dealerships:

Car Dealerships
http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Guide/PPF/Motors/London_Car_Dealers/Section/UKMT/GCID/1504/Guide.asp


In addition, here are some relocation agencies you requested:


Relocation agencies:
======================

UK Relocation Services offers:

o Visa and immigration assistance
o Shipping of household goods
o Inter-cultural training
o Area orientation
o Temporary housing
o Home search
o School advice
o Furniture rental
o Settling in
o Renewals of tenancies 
o Terminations 
o Departure services
o Repatriation

http://www.ukrelocation.com/

-

"Information, communication and understanding are the primary
objectives in ensuring a successful relocation. We aim to relocate an
individual and their family with the minimum disruption to themselves
and our clients business, on time and on budget. Beswick Relocation
Services are committed to providing a high quality customer based
delivery of extensive Relocation Support Services to suit all
eventualities encountered on both Domestic and International moves."

Beswick Relocation Services
http://www.beswickrelocationservices.com/

-

"Dow Sheppard Relocation has over 50 consultants working throughout
mainland UK, all of whom have an in-depth knowledge of their
particular area, and excellent contacts with local property management
companies and estate agents. The majority have children who either
attend or who have attended local schools. They all work solely for
Dow Sheppard Relocation."

Dow Sheppard Relocation
http://www.dowsheppardrelocation.com/services.shtml

-

"Key Relocations offers comprehensive Destination Services and
Homesearch Assistance to persons moving to -and away from- London.  We
can be retained by clients on a private basis, or provide assistance
to staff members under agreement with their company."

Key Relocations
http://www.keyrelocations.com/Introduction.html

-

"At All American we specialize in a range of relocation services, one
of which is Overseas.  Over the years we completed relocation services
to Canada, Europe and Eastern Asia.  If you would like more
information, please use some of the links below to further help you in
your search for the right information."

MoveUs
http://www.moveus.com/overseas.asp

-

A list of consultant services
http://www.wealth24.com/london/relocation.htm

------

More General Information on London:

Josline Rowe
http://www.working-worldwide.com/england/london/


Search Strategy:
relocation planning london
relocating +to london
"relocating agency" london
relocation services +to london
"relocating +to london" guide
relocation consultants UK
relocating UK
"car dealerships" london
"car dealers" london
[and related terms]

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Clarification of Answer by jbf777-ga on 10 Mar 2003 19:45 PST

Hi -
 
Thanks for the kind words.  The way this service works, you
automatically pay as soon as the question is answered.   You already
entered in your credit card information when you posted the question,
so you're all set.
 
jbf777-ga
GA Researcher

That was a great answer. Thank you very much. By the way I haven't
paid yet because I'm not sure how to. I'll figure it out.

just for the heck of it, why do you want to move to the u.k. if you
don't want to answer, it's cool. but they have the worst weather, so
if you're not a 'good weather lover', you can stay in the u.s. and get
that(seattle, wa., comes to mind).

Disagree with Houstonguy, it is a great city - though
his weather comments are dead on.  My real concern
is income.  It is EXPENSIVE and being a Yank won't
help you.  Depending on what you do, your career
and financial future could be much worse.  My Dad
worked in London for eight years and when I got out
of college asked him for helping getting a job.  He
more or less suggested that I remember as a new
engineer in London, I'd be living in a box in the subway.
Good luck, if you are thinking about doing this, consider
Eastern Europe, Prague or other places, where $3K
might last longer than a month or two.

Do you want to join our growing list of Illegal Immigrants?

Are do you want to get here the hard way?

You need a work permit before anything else.  You cannot apply for
this yourself; it needs to be done by the company who is going to hire
you.  The work permit will let you stay for four years.  After this,
if you can show you are still needed in your job, you can apply for
permanent residence. There is a scheme whereby highly qualified people
can enter more readily to take up a job or pursue self-employment. 
However, you would need a degree or PhD, extensive job experience and
proof that you were earning a minimum of £40,000 ($60,000) per year in
your employment in the US.  Here is the calculator for the criteria:
http://www.workpermit.com/uk/hsmp_calculator.htm

I suggest you peruse the web site of the UK Immigration and
Nationality Directorate http://www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/

If you cannot find a high paying job, it is unlikely you will be able
to afford to live in London itself.  You may end up having to find a
room somewhere on the edge of the suburbs or in another town, which
will mean a long and expensive commute on the Tube into the city.

One way, for sure, is to get a European Community passport.

This may (or may not) be easy depending on your ancestry.

For example, if your Grand-daddy was Irish then this entitles you to
an Irish passport (providing you have proof).

And so on ...