Working in Marketing and Communications

Loads of success in placing marketing and communications professionals

Companies all over London and its outskirts have lapped up high quality marketing and communications professionals from New Zealand and Australia over the years and we don’t see this demand abating. With similar tastes, business practices, company cultures and educational backgrounds young Australasian professionals slip right into UK businesses.

We have helped over 1,000 people into UK marketing and communications jobs with some of the best employers - hot companies like Coca Cola, Virgin, Saatchi and Saatchi, BSkyB, Nestle, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC and Pernod Richard. We understand the market and want to help you realise your potential. This page gives you some background on how and why the UK is such a great place.

Where people are getting work

Diversity is the key

There is no hard and fast rule for where the marketing and communications professionals we help end up in the UK market – unlike for example lawyers where over 50% end up in professional services. This is a double edge sword as on one hand the world is your oyster with all employers open to foreign staff and the skills that they bring, but on the other there is no obvious gravitation point.

Banking, FMCG and Government are the three bigger industries

The Financial Services and FMCG companies in the UK offer the best rates of pay but demand previous experience at similar multi-national companies. The banking industry in the UK is so large that it naturally sucks up huge numbers of young Australians, New Zealanders and South Africans. The biggest employers tend to be the retail banks like HSBC and Barclays and companies like AMEX.

The FMCG sector is predominantly based in greater London with larger employers like Coca Cola, GlaxoSmithKline and Nestle all outside of the City. Through our great partner agency spread we cover off all these options for you.

In the Government sector communications staff are in demand especially those with public sector backgrounds.

What people earn and how it stacks up

The salaries are not always better…but the work experience counts for loads on return

Unlike most other professions the pay in the UK for your first job might represent a cut from what you get now! Don’t be put off though, because rates of pay increase and the international exposure will do wonders for your CV greatly boosting your prospects back home.

To find out your UK market worth, contact one of our consultants today.

Things you need to know to make the most of it

Helpful hints for the uninitiated

When you’re going over to the UK and looking for that elusive first job there are some things you need to know:

• The market for sales and marketing professionals is really competitive so be prepared to wait a while for a first job (between one and six weeks)
  
• Banks and FMCG companies offer the best rates of pay but demand previous experience at similar multi-national companies
  
• Most of the multi-nationals are based in Greater London so be prepared to work out of town - the biggest impact might be a 30 minute delay to Wednesday night drinkies
  
• Salary ranges are hugely wider than in New Zealand and Australia, this can be really confusing the same job can have 50% pay difference across various industries
  
  

No UK experience – take one step back to take two forward later

Getting your first job in the UK is priority numero uno. Don’t think that the world is going to stop for you, as we have said the market is competitive. If you are currently a marketing manager, for example, take a lower role like a marketing executive to break into the UK market. Then ratchet things up quickly later. The thing to gun for in that elusive first role is a quality brand name for your CV.

Most employers think that you haven’t proved yourself until you have cut it in the UK. But once you have the pay increases and opportunities open right up. Pay increases are extremely common after six to twelve months of UK experience with typical rises of up to 30%.

Visa – don’t leave home without it

Your visa type has a massive influence on potential employers decisions. There is a preference toward people with Highly Skilled Migrant Programme visas, an EU or UK passport, or ancestry – WHY? Because your professions are about building relationships or developing product strategies employers want people who can commit to longer-term jobs. In order to commit you need to be able to stay in the UK.

A Working Holiday Visa can be a millstone around your neck when looking for work, so get an HSMP Visa if you can.

Unlike for bean counters – permanent jobs are more likely than contracts

Or rather employers are looking for people that can go from temporary to permanent, a trend that is increasing among those that we help. The most common permanent roles are jobs like marketing managers, brand and product managers and sales jobs. The number of marketing and communications professionals taking permanent jobs on arrival in the UK has doubled almost all other professions that we help – remember this when you are talking to your friends in other professions.

Sell yourself

It's amazing how many marketing and communications professionals don’t heed this advice. An interview is your opportunity to nail the job – make sure you do!

Handy tips from those who have gone before

The wisdom of the hoards that have paved the way before you…

It's really important when meeting with recruiters to track who you've spoken to about which job as they get really angry if you end up sending your CV through twice from two different companies.

It's important to plan/be able to afford to not get a job for at least 4 weeks and then be prepared to not get paid for another 4 weeks. This is especially important in relation to also having to pay 10 weeks worth of rent (4 weeks advance, 6 weeks bond) if they find a place to live.

It's important to stick your ground with recruiters and be clear in your head what you are over here to achieve or else you'll be put forward for jobs you don't want. This includes knowing how far you are willing to travel to work (and how much it's going to cost you to get there!) - I recommend buying a map including 50km radius outside of London that you can refer to when they call you.

It's very hard to come over here and move into a different industry straight away - even if this is within marketing but say, a change from FMCG to telecomms or beauty etc. The UK experience barrier is big enough alone. It is possible but you'll get some pretty tough and unencouraging responses from recruiters.

For interviews, some understanding of the sales channels helps - google websites and look up Tescos, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons, Waitrose - all supermarket channels...and this is only the start of the channels out there!

To speak with one of our experienced UK consultants, please contact us on uk@globalcareerlink.com.