I'm going to find some summer job in the UK. I'd love to spend the short period of time out there, I'd give my right arm for it, yet I'm terrified of many things. I know my attitude is pathetic.

When it comes to my job preferences, I'm not picky at all. Moreover, I have absolutely nothing against taking up a truly bottom-of-the-barrel job, with very few exceptions. I have nothing against the minimum wage either, I just want to eke out a living for the two-three months and to cover all the travelling costs.

My aim is to become more fluent in English, as I'd love to be proficient. It would be an undeniable advantage while seeking a permanent job. But I have so few opportunities to speak it in my daily life...

I hate writing CVs. I fucking detest it. I always feel as if I was utterly imbecilic and had nothing to offer. My previous experiences aren't impressive at all, and I'm totally crappy at most professions. On top of that, I have no driving licence and bad social skills. Impressive, isn't it, huh?

Anyway, I know plenty of people with no grasp of English who fare well abroad. Many of them are school dropouts with no qualifications. But the thing is that they have social connections while I don't. They are more or less accepted by society while I'm not. They have lots of people willing to help them, and of course, I don't.

Also, I'm afraid of being quite overwhelmed with living in the foreign country, since it would be my first days abroad in my entire life. I won't have much time to find a job, therefore little to no time to accustom myself.

At the moment I'm browsing some internet websites of employment agencies and online accommodation ads. I'm going to have my accommodation settled in the nick of time, since hotels are too expensive for me. I'm still not sure about the job searching: is it possible to find it online or will I have to do this when I am in the country? One of my acquaintances found a job immediately when he arrived at his place but I'm not that optimistic about myself...

I would be very thankful for any help.

I'm a UK native, and I have experience with temp job agencies, job hunting, CV writing et al. I'm happy to try and help you, if you want.

Yeah, I'll be glad Any kind of help means a lot to me.

Going to a new country with a new culture and a different language is frightening on some level for everyone, so I don't think your attitude is pathetic in the slightest.



You are from Poland, correct? This will work as an advantage and a disadvantage for you. I'm ashamed to say that there is no small amount of racism in this country, and I suppose one could compare the general situation of Polish immigrants who come to the UK to get a low level job to the general situation of Mexican immigrants who go to the USA to get a low level job. One, you will almost certainly get an entry level job (low wage), I'm 99% sure of it because the job industry likes the Polish immigrants to take on these jobs. My main concern for you here is not that you won't be able to find a job, but that a British employer might potentially try and take advantage of you in terms of wages because you are Polish. . I'm not trying to scare you further, I'm just trying to make you aware of it before you come over. Potentially look at getting a short term work visa (three months) for your stay here to use as leverage so you have legal rights to insist on minimum wage. I can also screen out some reputable companies for you.



At least in terms of literacy, you write English very well (from the posts I have read from you) and this will be an undeniable advantage for you - especially if you look at getting something like data entry work.



Not having a driving license is not necessarily a set back here. There are plenty of entry level jobs that not require you to be able to drive. Lots of people here in their twenties can't drive (including myself).

I can help you with CV writing if you want. If it makes you feel more comfortable, you can delete your personal details like your name, date of birth, etc, and just send me the bulk of what you would write for the skills section and the work experience section, and I will look over it for you, and help it to conform to British CV writing standards.



It will be initially overwhelming for certain, but it is good at least you are thinking about it now. The more you prepare, the better you will feel, I hope. I can send you links to native job agencies and go through adverts for you here, if you tell me about the kind of thing you want.

Yes, I am Polish. I've already heard a lot about the things you described, but it's obvious that many frauds, trickeries etc. happen. Believe me, Polish employers are also far from being honest and agreeable. As to the racism/nationalism issue, I have to admit it's also many Polish emigrants' fault. A lot of them have trouble finding a job in their country, so they're kind of compelled to go abroad. As I wrote in the previous post, they usually aren't very qualified and often uneducated.
However, thanks for your suggestions. Prevention is always better than cure.
Thank you for appreciating my writing. I had to work hard on it but, for example, I really like reading books in English. I'm an avid fan of Dickens, by the way.
Data entry work would indeed be awesome for me (even personality-wise ), but am I already good enough language-wise to get such a post? I wouldn't think so, anyway. Besides, I think such posts are usually permanent.
Interesting. It seems that your country is actually a lot more civilised, as here in Poland lots of people maniacally pursue American standards, which is really detrimental. It's already more or less shameful for a guy in his early twenties to not have a driving licence, the means of communication are pretty lousy but at least they still exist.

Feel free to send me the links. I'll ask you about the CV standards later. Thanks.

Funny, here in America we have lots of racism, even for White races like Itailians, Irish and more recently the Ukranians who have thier own Mafia, not to mention Mexicans jumping our borders, but not for Polish people, that I am aware of.

I didnt know that about the UK. Interesting to say the least.

I think it might be because Polish people have been present in America for many decades. For instance, I know that my grandmother's grandfather spent twenty or thirty years working in the States and fared well there.
But on the other hand, Italians and the Irish are a lot more ingrained in American culture, so this may not be an explanation. I never heard about any racism towards the Ukrainians in the US, it must be a pretty regional thing, is it?

Anyway, I heard about the Polish jokes. As you are 55, you must have encountered at least some of them. Are they still in use?

I'm bumping this topic, maybe someone else could help. I haven't done much, and as time is passing so relentlessly, I'm getting more and more afraid.

No. I havent heard a joke about Polish people in years. Most are geared towards Black, Hispanics and Irish, with a few French jokes trown in for good measure. Many Americans dont like the French right now, due to the war in Iraq, so
you hear alot of jokes about them all the time.

Being a student of history I know the French helped us win the Revolutionary War, and Napolean almost took over Europe. I dont underestimate them like most US citisens who only remember the two World Wars, and I DO like thier public healthcare system. Here, if you dont have a job or enough money you are free to die in the streets. A most uncivilised condition, IMO.

Hi Malady, really sorry I haven't replied so far, I've been in hospital this past week and my time online has been limited (just sent a PM on this, but I never know if the forum sends them or not as I get a blank screen). Will answer tonight with a list of job hunting leads I have found.

I think the UK is outspoken only about the Polish because its the only group they are allowed to say anything about not liking. Say something about the Muslims, cause an uproar. Train bomb the next day.

You will feel right at home here! For example, the sainsburys near me is polish occupied territory and they only give the good jobs to their own kind.

Persistence. Never give up. Ever.

That happens with lots of groups.

Mormons here always try to hire Mormons and buy from other Morman's, for instance.

Its a pretty common occurrence with humans.

B.S. I'm not going to argue it, but I just want people to take it with a grain of salt, and investigate it if they are interested in knowing the truth.