[se_88]

Hi everybody!

My name is Serena, I'm italian and I'm seriously considering the idea of moving to the UK.

Let's give you some background

I'm 29 years old, I've been working within the hospitality industry since I have memory, I have a bachelor degree in comparative studies and I will graduate from my masters in October.

I live in Sorrento (southern Italy) and I currently work for a local tour operator as an account manager and...wedding coordinator for british couples who come and get married in the Sorrento/Amalfi coast area

I am passionate about customer care, most of all in the tourism field, I speak italian, english and russian, I have an IELTS (mark 7,5 on 9, but unfortunately it had only 2 years validity, so it has expired) and a Cambridge CAE (mark A) certificates, ECDL certificate for digital competence, and have spent 3 months in a language university in Siberia, Russia, after winning a scholarship with my university.

Frankly speaking, I'm tired of struggling with the italian job market. I have been working with this company for more than 2 years now, and I'm not happy at all: wages are very low (and, on top of it, I'm paid for less hours than the ones I work for in reality), life/work balance is non existent, I don't see any chance to improve my career, nor to put into practice what I've studied (hard) for at university. I can confidently say that these conditions apply to all the main tourist destinations in Italy.

I was thinking of moving to the UK first of all because there would be no language barrier, then because I think that the hospitality field is still quite florid there and seems to me that professionalism is still valued (on the contrary, in Italy companies aim only to hire interns and apprentices to save on wages).

The town I live in is a popular tourist destination, especially for british tourists, so I think I gained some experience with british cutomers XD

I was wondering if you would be so kind to give me your advices/opinions on what would my chances of giving a "boost" to my career be, finding a job in the hospitality field (customer care? Guest relation? Event planner?): how is the UK job market at the moment? Would you say it's risky to move now, considering Brexit? Have companies stopped hiring EU employees?

Truly, any advice/suggestion/experience is most welcome!

Many thanks :humble:

Serena

 

[Joppa]

There are very many people from EU employed in tourist/hospitality sector in UK, and I haven't noticed any reluctance by employers to hire EU workers, Brexit or not. There has been a marked downturn in the number of EU workers moving to UK since last year, no doubt worried about Brexit and the continuing fall in the value of pound sterling. It's been down about 20% since Brexit vs euro.
I think UK still provides a good employment opportunity in hospitality and tourism, and your language skills and experience will be valued. It's not a particularly well-paid sector, so you may have to put in long hours and work weekends to make ends meet.

 

[HKG3]

Serena

Go for it as you are still young. Have a look at the link below for an idea of how much you will get for working in the hospitality industry in the UK.

https://www.bluearrow.co.uk/jobs?sector=Hospitality+&+Catering

You will need to apply for a National Insurance Number once you are in the UK. Please see link below for details -

https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-insurance-number

 

[se_88]

Thank you both so much for your kind replies!

I know the financial crisis has struck pretty much the whole world, and the dynamics between job offer and job demand are slightly different in comparison to some years ago, but I still think that the UK market is much more flexible and articulated than the italian one.

Plus, I feel that, at this stage, I need a change in my life and moving abroad seems (at list, it does to me!) like a sensible choice.

Does it make any difference if I decide to move in novembre, rather than december or january?

Many thanks for the information about the NIN: I know there are some providers who would send a UK sim card all over Europe, so I was thinking I could maybe have it sent to my home address before departure...?

Thanks for your precious help ^_^

Serena