Every Italian who migrate in London know that find an accommodation and get a job are two of the biggest
challenges in London. “Primo Approdo” third meeting, which took place on Italian General Consulate on
20th February, talk exactly about this two main topics.
Find an accomodation in London could be terribly difficult, because a lot of people look for a bed
place where to sleep. Managing director of “Arbitrage Group Inc” Aldo Attanasio Da Ponte said “the
accommodation market is a jungle in London and the quality of the flat is lower than the Italian flat”. The
luckiest one are the students that usually live at colleges. The advantage of this accommodation is that are
in a central position, close to the university where they study, have a lot facilities and make easier to have
new friends. On the other hand, they are rather expensive .
However the vast majority of people looks for a sharing flat, because the rent is too high to can afford
to live on your own. Obviously the rent can vary considerably from area to area and depending of the
type, the number of bedrooms or bathrooms, the proximity to a underground station, the proximity of
schools, the length of the contract ( the more is long, the more you can bargain), the type of furniture and
decoration in the flat.
Internet can be a useful tool to look for a flat, but it can also hide scams or cheating. Advertisement
sites reliability such as, Loot and Gumtree, may not in fact be taken for granted. For this reason, Italian
Consulate recommend fellow countrymen to put in the hands of real estate agents with proven experience
such as Foxtons, Marsh & Parsons, Hamptons, Douglas & Gordon, etc.
Last but not least, the amount of the rent can be expressed per week (pw = per week) or per month (pcm
= for calendar month) and generally It must be added bills at the rent such as electricity, gas, and “Council
Tax”.
Finding a job isn’t easier than finding an accommodation. First of all the Europass Cv haven’t value, so
everybody who want to apply for a position in UK have to fill the “English CV”. Founder “CV and Cofee”
company, Teresa Pastena explained that English curriculum normally consists of: a section about personal
information; a part about the work experience that should be given starting from the most recent; a part
about education with the name of the course and the school attended, locations and grade, starting from
the most recent degree completed; a part about hobbies and other activities, or computer knowledge; a
part about references, that are very important in UK.
The personal photo isn’t necessary to attach at the CV, but can be useful for adverts job that require
beautiful presence, such as hostess and clerks. Furthermore, the CV is usually followed by a Cover letter,
basically a letter of introduction that indicates the reason why the candidate have applied for that
particular job. The cover letter should also contain a section explaining why you think you are the right
candidate for the position you are applying.
Secondly, knowing English language is essential to get a job. The job market in UK and especially in London
is extremely competitive and the economic crisis cut back a lot of job placements, that just now are going
to be recreate. Enrico Cocchi, Employer Relations Executive at Imperial College said: “London market is
pragmatic, elastic and full of rules, such as the minimum wage of 6,31 pound per hour”.
Furthermore, Italian Consulate don’t recommend to pay agencies in order to find jobs, because is possible
to find it simply delivering the Cv at manager or visiting the company websites, as usual happen for
restaurant and pub. It’s a good idea, instead, to contact Job Center which collect every type of job offers.
Finally, it is mandatory to have the “National Insurance Number”, that is the English tax code. It would be
even better if you get this before finding a job, because different employers require it.
Primo Approdo next meeting is going to take place at Italian general Consulate on Wednesday 12 March
with education and health as main topics.
photo Giuliano Corridori italoeuropeo
photo [Left to right Enrico Cocchi;Aldo Attanasio d’Aponte, Alessandro Belluzzo, console Massilimliano Mazzanti.]