#UK employability

[edwisefoundation]

Top 10 Reasons to Study in the UK

Studying in the UK offers numerous advantages, making it a top destination for international students. From world-renowned quality of education to affordable costs due to shorter course lengths, the UK provides a rich academic experience. Students benefit from scholarship opportunities, work placements, and a post-study work visa, enhancing employability. The vibrant lifestyle, cultural heritage, and strong professional networks add to the appeal.

To explore the top reasons to study in the UK, visit the full article.

[spiltcandycoatedpunkblood]

thanks bro, nothing like an ultra rich racist colonialist parasite sitting on and dressed in stolen goods telling us they're gonna crack down on people trying to fucking survive and they say its because of "illicit gangs" doing this

literally sounds like when benefits fraud and food stamp fraud were cracked down on because an absolutely tiny fraction of people committing it, so now we have to punish them all instead of doing absolutely anything about the poverty and inequality created here in the first place

[canadda-uk]

"...The UK Employment Tribunal found that the requirement to take the SJT (“Situational Judgement Test”) in multiple choice form was not a proportionate means of achieving the aim of testing the fundamental competency which was to make effective decisions."

"It’s not only to consider adjustments that are put forward by the employee, but also up to the employer to decide whether any reasonable adjustments are appropriate and necessary."

[judasisgayriot]

The next fob show is on my birthday (11th) so I think as a special treat for me pete should continue to escalate from the baby/love shenanigans and idk. Call patrick ‘my darling’ or something and give him a lil kiss. And heavens gate in the medley?? 👀

[headpainmigraine]

The UK benefits system is like, imagine the only way you can get enough money to scrape by on is a process that is responsible for panic attacks, worsening mental health and suicides, and the government thinks its too lenient and that claimants bank accounts should be subject to governmental scrutiny to protect against fraud (this is a real thing that they're trying to do) 👍

[widthofmytongue]

The notes I took in my department meeting (>30 people most of whom make two or three times my salary, but at least I got a salary I guess 🙃)

[thecrankiestofgremlins]

Aight imma go on a rant about employment law because that's what I'm studying and planning to put my career into. I should note this is UK law, however *some* of this shit is pretty universal. Also, obvious disclaimer, this isn't legal advice.

1. EMPLOYMENT LAW IS WRITTEN IN FAVOUR OF EMPLOYERS. THIS CAN MAKE THEM ARROGANT. UK employment law gives them a huge amount of leeway and is largely written in their favour, and they STILL regularly manage to go over the line to the point of absolute absurdity, to the point of accidentally creating beautifully complete evidence trails for employees to use in tribunal. Why do they do this? Because UK employment law is entirely enforced by individual employees and between the costs of a lawyer and the implied threat that if you take your employer to tribunal you'll never work in your field again (not universally true BTW), they assume they will never be taken to task for it. Employees are generally reluctant to take their employers to tribunal because of the above. What this means though, is if an employee *does* take them to tribunal, the evidence trail is usually extensive AS LONG AS the employee has taken steps to preserve it.

2. SAVE YOUR EMAILS. Any email sent to you by an employer regarding your employment in any way belongs to you. Send that shit to your personal email address, whether or not you think it's sketchy. For every employer. Keep your paper trail. You don't know when you might need it. This goes extra for things like performance reviews/flexible working/reasonable adjustment requests/etc.

3. NOT EVERYTHING IN YOUR CONTRACT IS ENFORCEABLE BY THE EMPLOYER. Employers *love* to stick exclusion clauses in or try to say that handbooks don't form part of your employment contract. They also like to do things like try to classify you as a self employed contractor when really, if you apply the relevant law, you are an employee and have the rights of an employee. Just because your contract says a thing doesn't mean it is the be all and end all. Think of it this way: if you only did what your employer required in writing in the contract, would they be pissed? If so, your contract is probably shit.

4. READ THE DAMN CONTRACT. Make sure you know the ins and outs of your job description, what's expected of you, your pay, overtime policy, where you're expected to work, etc. Just because you might not be able to negotiate it doesn't mean you shouldn't know what it says. This also goes for any employment handbooks. Know what the limits are, know what your hours are, know what your benefits are. Chances are good the employer will ask you to go above and beyond them, or try to pretend you don't have a contractual right to something when you absolutely do. Also, you *can* negotiate on more than you think. For example: employers are not allowed to make deductions from your pay beyond PAYE and National Insurance, UNLESS they have been contractually agreed beforehand. Check to see if they're trying to add a bunch of extra permitted deductions and *challenge* that shit if you feel able to. (My favourite is requiring supposed independent contractors to pay for a uniform. Highly unlikely that you're actually an independent contractor at that point plus fuck you if you want to control what I wear pay for it your damn self).

5. DO NOT OPT OUT OF NATIONAL WORKING TIME REGULATIONS. This is a pretty standard extra inclusion in most people's employment contracts in the UK. It shows up as an extra page of the contract with a separate signing line because they're not allowed to include that requirement as a contractual obligation (in most cases: the big exception is emergency workers) National Working Time Regs limit the amount of hours an employer can require from an adult (over 18) employee to 48 hrs on average, that average being taken over a period of 17 weeks. However, employees can opt out of this, hence the extra piece of paper. The employer cannot dock your salary/terminate your employment/treat you in any negative way if you do not sign this piece of paper. They include it with the contract so that people *assume* they have to sign it. If you're employed and have already signed it, you can opt back in by notifying your employer in writing. Generally this will mean a 3 month period before the regs apply to you again. But *do it*.

6. IF YOUR HOURS ARE VARIABLE, KEEP TRACK OF THEM INDEPENDENTLY. If you don't have a 9-5 contract, this applies to you. This is to make sure that if there's a dispute, you have a record that *you* made of those hours. Ya know, in case the employer decides to conveniently forget about them. I watched OXFORD UNIVERSITY try this shit in a tribunal and they got absolutely wasted because a) it was so obvious (they'd deleted hours spent on marking) and b) the employees had kept an independent record.

7. IF YOUR EMPLOYER DOES SOMETHING SHITTY, YOU HAVE 3 MONTHS FROM THE DATE OF THAT SHITTY THING TO SUE THEM FOR IT. It's one of the shortest time limits in UK law (remember when I said the law is written in employers' favour?), and that time is *only* paused when you involve ACAS (I'll explain ACAS in a sec) and the timer starts again once ACAS issues their certificate. It does NOT stop if you're trying to resolve the issue through internal grievance processes, and attempting to resolve the issue internally is not an acceptable argument if you're trying to extend that time (which you can, under specific circumstances, but try not to rely on that bc it's iffy at best) (yes you can also argue that there have been continuing acts but at that point you need to talk to a lawyer because there are specific rules around that too). There are. So many cases. That I've come across personally. That would be an absolute slam dunk EXCEPT they're out of time.

8. IF YOU WANT TO SUE YOUR EMPLOYER YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ACAS FIRST. Employment law is the only area of law where you are legally required to try to do mediation first. How much you engage with the mediation is up to you, however the more you do, the better it looks. Mediation does not mean you have to agree with the employer! It just means you get to ask them the questions you want to ask them in official channels. That said, if they roll over and give you what you want during these negotiations, you kind of have to take it: English law says that civil courts can only give you money as a remedy. As much as you might want to have your day in court, civil courts are legally only for getting money out of people, not primarily for the public administration of justice. Yes I hate this too. If you don't take it, the court won't like it and there is a potential that the court *could* award your employer their costs. ACAS can also give you help explaining how the process works etc. Make sure you contact them and start the process ASAP as soon as you decide the thing is worth suing over.

9. READ THE EQUALITY ACT 2010. There are 9 protected characteristics under UK law: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. Broadly speaking, your employer cannot treat you negatively because of any of these characteristics. There are qualifications and limits to how far this goes, obviously, but broadly speaking, this is the case. I'll do another post later going into some of this in more detail because the topic is huge but taking a look at the sections that may apply to you is a good start.

10. NOT BEING ABLE TO AFFORD A LAWYER OUTRIGHT DOESN'T NECESSARILY MEAN YOURE OUT OF OPTIONS. First, you *can* represent yourself. It's not an option I'd suggest before you've exhausted all your other options but it is possible. The issue is that you probably don't speak legalese or have access to legal databases, but there is still research you can do on Google. Don't trust everything you read though. Law firm websites are a good place to start, as they tend to write decent articles on the basics of a given issue and they can point you towards some case law. You can also call Citizens Advice for a jumping off point. If you're representing yourself though, the only things you can really reference in court are a) legislation, b) case law, and c) practitioners texts. Remember, case law explains how legislation actually works: it doesn't apply to every situation you might think is covered by it.

Second, most solicitors firms offer free 15-30 minute consultations, where you go in, give them the basics of the situation, and they give you some advice and can signpost you to somewhere you can get more information. This can be really, really helpful and I'd suggest it even if you're planning on repping yourself.

Third, a lot of firms also offer something called a no-win-no-fee agreement, which is about what it says on the tin: if you don't win, you don't pay. Each firm will have different stipulations regarding these, so you should ask what these are. The problem though, is if the firm doesn't think you have a winnable case, they are unlikely take it on that basis (because that means they don't get paid and that's a lot of work not to get paid for). If you do win, they generally take a piece of your winnings as payment (so sometimes they won't do it because you're not claiming enough). It's not a guarantee, but IMHO it's a good option if you have a good case.

Last, there are the pro bono organisations. A lot of places will have a regional pro bono law clinic. These may or may not be able to take your case all the way to tribunal, but if not they should be able to refer you to an org that can. London and its immediate surrounding area has the Free Representation Unit, for example (your case has to be referred to them by another org, usually one of the clinics) but if they can take up your case, they can take it all the way to tribunal and even appeals. Since Legal Aid isn't a thing in employment law (except for discrimination), a lot of these organisations have an absolutely fucking massive caseload though, so there isn't a guarantee that they'll be able to take your case.

I'm sure I'll think of more to add to this later, but this is just the bare bones basic shit that *everyone* should know. A lot of cases don't get brought because people don't know that they a) have rights, b) they don't hold onto documents, c) they don't start the claim in time, or d) all of the above. Given that employment law is only enforceable by the individual, the only way to get employers to play by the rules more often is if people start enforcing it. It's a shit way to do it, but it's what we've got at the moment.

If people find this useful and would like this to be a regular thing, lmk.

[nando161mando]

Employer Asking to Ignore Doctors Advice (UK)

[ofcowardiceandkings]

speaking of art, i found out TODAY through my employers facebook of all places that Alice Roberts does art and is actually pretty banger at it ???

babes pick a lane youre making the rest of us look bad lol

[sunshineandlyrics]

🚨 Are you looking for a job in the music industry based in London?

*Sunjay Kohli is the Senior YouTube Account Manager, BMG X

For more details X

*please don't use my post to drag BMG.

[feckcops]

Labour turns its back on workers’ rights

“Labour has undermined the principle of universality that underpins its entire programme for employment rights. This means a tiered system of rights and entitlements will remain in place and makes the pledge to give all workers the same rights from day one impossible.

“When the New Deal was originally developed, the Labour leader, his cabinet and the party’s affiliated trade unions shared a vision. They sought to build a dignified workplace in which workers – from the moment they took up employment – would have the ability to take time away after the birth of a child or a bereavement, to enjoy a decent work-life balance and not to be arbitrarily dismissed.

“The document was a recognition of the fact that the tiered system is one of the key drivers of low pay and insecurity, responsible for 3.7 million being trapped in ‘insecure work’ who do not know when their next shift will be or if they will be able to pay their bills ... The New Deal was designed to end the most exploitative practices in the gig economy – where workers are often paid below the minimum wage, made to work in dangerous conditions and denied rest breaks. One such example is Amazon delivery drivers, who have been forced to drive through exhaustion and urinate in bottles ...

“The lack of rights and protections is not just a problem for those in insecure forms of work. It is a problem for workers and the economy as a whole. These practices put a downward pressure on wages and terms across the board, making us all poorer and facilitating a race to the bottom that is partly responsible for Britain’s poor growth and productivity. 

“The expansion of the gig economy in particular demonstrates how exploitative employment practices threaten once-secure jobs. The assault by Royal Mail against the terms and conditions of posties, for example, is a response to gig economy parcel delivery companies undercutting the postal service.”

[credasmigrations]

Want to know the best way to work in the UK as a fresher? get into the details of getting a work visa in the UK without any prior work experience. talk to the best experts to make sure you secure a work permit and start your career in the UK with positive results.

[whatevergreen]

Up to half a million workers strike across U.K.

The biggest strike in decades occurred yesterday, February 1st 2023

-

From the comments:

"Train Driver, Bus drivers, museum workers, fire fighters, ambulance drivers, nurses, doctors, judges, teachers, customs officials, cleaners, social services, highways agency, Amazon workers and I'm sure I missed some as it's getting hard to keep tabs on!

Time for the rich man's gravy train to come to a grinding halt! ✊" (Thomas Raven)

-

"Just to be clear, this isn’t just about better pay, for years the government have kept these worker’s salaries down, saying they can’t afford it and for years people dedicated to providing a crucial service to the public have been left behind while costs continue to rise. And the government try to make their working conditions worse, cut budgets elsewhere so that any pay rise actually makes things worse for the workers and the people they serve. Then these dedicated public servants see billions wasted and given away in what looks like extremely corrupt practices by the very same government and now they’ve had enough of the excuses for giving them low pay, more work and hours while providing less of a service to the public. And almost all of the public support them and understand it’s not just about pay, it’s about helping them." (Roger Harris)

"I hope you get better pay, better working conditions, and the respect you deserve for your work and the dignity you deserve as human beings." (Dzenis Sabljakovic)

-

"The UK is in meltdown from a corrupt government." (Oriel)

[flowercrowncrip]

do carers typically get any type of paid time off for bereavement leave, maternity leave, vacation days, or sick days?

In the UK an employed carer has the same rights to things like holiday pay as any other employee (5.6 weeks if I remember right). Same for maternity leave and sick pay.

There’s no legal right to bereavement pay in the UK except for people losing a child under 18. You do have the right to time off to deal with an emergency which includes death but you don’t have to be paid (I think). So it all depends on your employer’s policy.

[manchestergalore]

Aytoun Street, Manchester 

1963

First building on the right: former employment exchange [source]

Designed by David Thomson in 1936 but when the war broke out the building work was suspended again until 1948 to finally open in 1951

Closed in1993

Now site of the hotel Holiday Inn Manchester - City Centre

Photo : Manchester Libaries.

[mdlearning]

Working in the UK

Working in the United Kingdom (UK) as a foreign national involves understanding the country's immigration and employment regulations. Here are some key steps and considerations if you're interested in working in the UK:

1. **Determine Eligibility:** Before pursuing employment in the UK, determine if you are eligible to work there. Common pathways include:

  - Skilled Worker Visa (formerly Tier 2): For individuals with job offers from UK employers.

  - Intra-Company Transfer Visa: For employees of multinational companies being transferred to a UK branch.

  - Global Talent Visa: For individuals with exceptional talent or promise in fields such as science, arts, digital technology, or academia.

2. **Job Search and Networking:** Research companies and industries in the UK that align with your skills and qualifications. Networking can help you find job opportunities and establish contacts.

3. **Job Offer:** You generally need a job offer from a UK employer to apply for a work visa. The employer may need to be a licensed sponsor.

4. **Sponsorship:** If required, your prospective employer must become a licensed sponsor to hire foreign workers. They will provide you with a Certificate of Sponsorship (COS) for your visa application.

5. **Visa Application:** Once you have a job offer and a COS, you can apply for the relevant work visa through the UK government's official immigration website.

6. **Points-Based System:** The UK operates a points-based immigration system. You'll need to meet certain criteria related to job offer, skill level, English language proficiency, and maintenance funds.

7. **Biometric Appointment:** You may need to attend a biometric appointment to provide fingerprints and photographs as part of the application process.

8. **Healthcare Surcharge:** Some visa categories require payment of a healthcare surcharge to access the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK.

9. **Documentation:** Prepare all required documentation, including application forms, supporting documents, and fees.

10. **Interview:** Attend an interview at a UK visa application center or embassy/consulate in your home country if required.

11. **Arrival in the UK:** Once your visa is approved, you can travel to the UK and start working.

12. **Quality of Life:** Consider factors such as cost of living, cultural adjustments, and overall quality of life in the UK.

It's important to stay updated on UK immigration laws and procedures, as they can change over time. Consulting with an immigration advisor or seeking guidance from official UK government sources is highly recommended to ensure accurate and up-to-date information.

Keep in mind that working in the UK might also require you to have a valid work permit or visa, and you should familiarize yourself with tax, employment, and other relevant regulations to ensure a smooth transition and successful experience.