[freedomreins]

I rarely ask for advice here just because I'm a pretty private person. I know you ladies are so wonderful at helping others, though, and I know I could really use some help right now. I feel like I'm in the roughest place of my life, I'm stuck and depressed (not medically), and feel on the verge of tears all the time. I'm sure my boyfriend is getting sick of it but as positive as I try to be, I just can't be smiley and happy when inside I feel like I have no control over anything.

I'm in an 'international' relationship - I'm Canadian and my boyfriend, whom I live with, is English. We live in England where I did a BA and an MA. We have a new flat that is beautiful and I love living with him. All of those things are absolutely fine in my life.

The problem is, I just cannot find a job. I started casually searching in March, emailing companies I'd like to work for but no one was hiring. In July I started trying hard to find something in my field, and over the last month I've been applying for everything I'm qualified for. When the economy tanked and I was considering doing an MA, I thought coming out on the other side that I would be at an advantage. However, it's a creative MA and doesn't really pigeon-hole me into any specific job (unlike my boyfriend, who is an engineer, and was offered two positions with great salaries, benefits, etc). I have applied for about 70 positions and only had two interviews.

At this point, I am sitting on $58,000 Canadian in student loans. I have a little bit of money left to support myself but not a lot. I owe my boyfriend a bit of money too and I hate being in that position.

I am currently legally able to work on the end of my student visa, which expires in January and has a four-month built-in work permit application/find a job period for new graduates or travel time for those that want to see more of Europe before they leave. I can work full-time on this with very few restrictions. It seems like a lot of companies are wary of hiring international people, which aside from being a bit discriminatory, really doesn't help any of us out when we have to pay so much money to get the permit to work!

I can get my work permit, which lasts for two years, at the end of this month once I get the marks back from my MA. It is £800 in person or £550 by post. Obviously, if I do not have a job lined up there is no reason to pay the extra money to get it in one day if it might take me another 3-6 weeks to find a job, at which time the permit will have come back via post anyway.

So basically, I have three options:

- Get my work permit in person and continue the job hunt, legally able to do everything but £250 poorer
- Post my work permit and continue searching, hope someone will hold out til it comes through if they really want me or will hire me based on the fact that I can work legally already
- Don't get a work permit and head home at Christmas to try to find work back in Canada

I have administration and retail skills and in the interview I had this week, the feedback was exceptionally positive (four were interviewed out of SIXTY applications, one of which was me) but it just wasn't enough. There are so many issues with England's economy at the moment that even the smallest jobs are getting hundreds of applications and I don't know if I can compete.

I'm sorry for this novel, I just don't know what to do. No one is willing to hire you without experience but when you're fresh out of university, you don't have any anyway. I have more than most because I have been working since I was 15 years old, even during the school year.

Has anyone been in this position before? Can you offer me any advice? I feel so stuck and lost and helpless because I can't control the economy or what jobs I can get interviews for. I don't want to leave my boyfriend behind and go home but from what I have read and heard, things are a little bit financially brighter there and I could live at home for a while to start paying off my loans.

I just don't know what to do. I am a believer of things happening for a reason but I can't even hold onto that at the moment. I know there are a lot of people in similar situations because of the financial crisis and all that and I know I'm certainly not one of the worst off, but I don't believe being an international student had as many advantages as I thought it would and I have spent so much time and effort and money to stay here in the UK for a few years and I don't know if it's worth it anymore.

Thanks everyone.

[starfishkitty]

It seems to me that your LIFE is in the UK now.... your boyfriend, your flat, etc. And no matter what, THAT is worth fighting for. I know it's hard, but don't give up. I think you should take whatever route is available to you (pay the fees and keep on trying) because EVENTUALLY something has to happen! You have to stay positive, and strong, and OPTIMISTIC because that will transfer to your job interviews and they will see that and feel that... and what office doesn't want THAT person in their employ? Do the small things, the menial things, ANYTHING you can do to stay right where you are until the moment comes that the job you're looking for comes along. Keep your chin up!

[freedomreins]

Thanks starfish, that's what I needed to hear. I think this relationship I'm in is a forever thing and I don't want to jeopardize that, and when it comes down to it, I want a career that will make me happy, but I know that having my boyfriend in my life makes me insanely happy too and I couldn't be as positive a person if I was apart from him.

I think I've decided just to get the work permit in a day, spend the extra money, and hope that that will open up more opportunities to me or show employers that I'm dedicated to staying here and finding a job. We'll see how it goes.

Thanks starfish

[beerab]

I agree- keep trying. I didn't work for a year and it was tough- for school loans call the company and see if you can get a deferral beause you are still not working. I did this for a year and didn't have to make any payments- when I found a job I waited a few months until I got situated and then started making my payments. They asked for no proof of unemployment- I just filled out a form and that took one worry away from me.

Don't forget it's the economy, not you. By the end of my unemployment my self-esteem was ZERO I was nitpicking at every part of me- it was terrible.

You might also want to take a job doing ANYTHING if it will make some money- also ask around- anyone you know working somewhere that's hiring? That might at least get you in somewhere.

Good luck.

[freedomreins]

Thanks for the advice beerab.

Unfortunately the asking around is part of the problem - as I'm not from here, I have no contacts in the UK save for the people I went to uni with, who are in the same boat as I am. My boyfriend also has very few as we are living three hours from his hometown, and two and a half hours from where we went to uni. I have no friends here, which isn't really helping me either as I'm not socializing as much as I'm used to and that's got me down a bit as well.

I have been applying to a pile of admin jobs as I know I can do that. Temp ones, too, just to get something going. Fingers crossed!

[beerab]

I'm rooting for you!

In the meantime just do all you can- I started looking up interview questions online and practicing and refining my interviewing technique- it REALLY helped

[freedomreins]

I've been doing that, I find it helps too. The comments I got on the interview on Wednesday, even if I didn't get the job, were that they were impressed by me in the interview and that I 'interviewed well', so at least something positive came out of the experience, if not a job. I'll keep practicing until I interview VERY well

[purplestarpixie]

hiya

i dont know how much help this will be but..... I work for a company who regularily hire people on student visas. I deal with BUNAC, and they post the job descriptions etc on their website and also in their offices. The girls who work for them are so so lovely, id recommend popping in to the offices and having a chat with them.

alot of the jobs advertised with Bunac a temperory.. but most will be made permanent for the right candidate. I cant post liks unfortunately but heres what i can give you....

16 Bowling Green Lane
London EC1R 0QH
020 7251 3472
bunac.org‎

like i said, im not sure how much this helps, but hope it might. wishing you the best of luck
x

[freedomreins]

Thank you, purplestarpixie, I will check that out I want to stay in the UK though, it seems like this is a work abroad program?

[KayNicole]

How stressful! Hang in there. I agree it is all worth fighting for. Especially if you enjoy being there. You know my husband was unemployed for a long time but I can't even imagine what the stress would have been like if visa stuff was hanging over his head too! You poor girl. Keep applying to everything and anything. Talk to people, network! I swear like 90% of the time people get jobs from someone they know or word of mouth. Good luck on the hunt and keep us posted!

[leopardspots]

Freedomreins,

I am in a somewhat similar situation. I am a Canadian that is living and working in the U.S. Luckily I have a greencard, so I don't have the restrictions anymore. I got married my last semester of university and then moved to Ohio. If I had not married, I would have planned on going to Canada if I couldn't find work immediately. For 3 months, I wasn't eligible to work in the States and didn't know anyone in Ohio. It took me over 6 months to get a job. I got laid off and have been out of work for another 6 months. I find that it is difficult to get a job in a foreign place, even when the cultures are very similar. With the economies being the way they are, people are under pressure to hire their own nationality and support their own people. I still have an accent which is a turn-off for some employers.

My advice would be to apply for the permit and give yourself more time to find work. Get out there. Meet people for the connections. Volunteer, go to church, whatever.

Good luck to you!

[denice81]

I'm not sure what industry you are in but I would recommend trying to volunteer for a company you might be interested in. It would be much easier to pick up a volunteer position, then you would automatically have experience with the company. Then if there happens to be an opening, they already know you. Obviously that sucks financially, but if you're not working anyway, might be worth a shot?

[silverbirch]

Freedom You're in a tricky position but things *will* get better. Where do you live, if you don't mind saying?

Networking is good. Talk to people. Do you ride? Good networks there. Are you a member of a gymn? People in mine swap info all the time.

Volunteering is good. Ask at the library about who to contact. Some places have volunteer centres which will find a good match for you (say, a drama student with a youth theatre or an environmentalist with a wildlife trust or something less clear cut).

Adult classes are good. Recreational study. And they're just starting now. Pottery. Motorbike maintenance. Local and family history. Gender relations.

Exercise is good. It blows away the cobwebs and keeps oxygen going to the brain.

You'll get through this. Have another and a good weekend. Then broaden your plan of action.

[freedomreins]

silverbirch, I live in Cambridge.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions and kind words. I am doing everything I can to find a suitable job, I've written and phoned relevant companies (publishing or media type companies) but I know it's going to be an uphill struggle. I'll keep trying. I may sound like I'm ready to give up but I'm not a quitter!

I had a good talk with my boyfriend this morning about it. We tried to look at every possibility and angle and try to think as practically as possible. I've decided to get my work permit and try to find something in my field for a year. So if next summer rolls around and all I'm doing is temping in offices or doing data entry, then I will make a stab at getting a job at home and hopefully he will follow me over there about a year later. I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, but I hope I never have to.

Thanks again for reading my big long essay. I'm feeling a bit better about it now but having no connections or people I know in the area except my boyfriend doesn't make it any easier.

to all.

[Iconised Ghost]

I know that my mum applied for jobs for about a year before she got one in England after she graduated, and that was more than 23 years ago! She was just extremely persistent, went into places and handed in her CV personally even if they werent hiring, etc. She did eventually get a job although she did eventually emmigrate as well! But not because of needing to find a job. So I say keep trucking on for as long as you can You never know who might pick you up