Contracting in the UK for US Citizens

[Wilmslow]

My wife and I are interested in doing some contract work in the UK for 9 to 18 months and are looking for some advice about how to start our search. I have experience with Oracle e-Business/e-commerce and she is a Java/eclipse/security team lead with a very large international corporation.

1. Do we need to apply for the highly skilled worker visas before any company will consider us?
2. Are there any companies which specialize in placing foreigners like us that you can recommend?
3. Can anyone estimate what the taxes might be like?
4. How receptive are companies (and their employees) to contractors from the US?

Any advice you have will be appreciated!

Memento - if interested in Oracle work in the north, send me a PM.

[tim123]

$600K, slight typo I suspect don't you mean 300k

and you don't get 300K just for working in London, you get it for working in the City, and to get a job in the City you need to have previously worked in, um, the city. It is isn't anwhere near as easy as just turning up.

tim

[shelby68]

errr no.... £150k each = £300k total, so $600k USD. This time next week... I couldn't say.

Oh each, maybe I'll just read all the post next time instead of skimming.

[max]

$600K, slight typo I suspect don't you mean 300k

errr no.... £150k each = £300k total, so $600k USD. This time next week... I couldn't say.

[shelby68]

If the money is not the most important factor, Australia is a great place. Has good contracting environment, friendly people and is generally a fantastic place to live....

However...the money in London makes up for a lot of this. Easy to turn over £150k each per year which comes to 600k USD. Lots of American's here and in London anyway, there is an understanding that bush does reflect the view of all Americans.

On the downside, the govt. hates contractors. They are doing every they can to tax them out of existence.....with a smile. Maybe that will change in the coming years...but I doubt it, they seem intent.

On top of that..investment banks are the engine of the city, and they are reeling at the moment. Not a good time at all. It would be brave to come here with investment bank experience, and without, you might be doing a lot of sightseeing.

$600K, slight typo I suspect don't you mean 300k

[max]

Thanks for the great feedback. We are also thinking about checking out Australia or Canada... I would rather not have to worry about dealing with random people spiting on me for the policies of my government’s current administration.

MrDonuts, Getting into the US may be a pain for skilled foreigners but plenty of people manage to jump through all the hoops. In my department, 5 of our 12 people immigrated to the US for work and one has just become a citizen.

If the money is not the most important factor, Australia is a great place. Has good contracting environment, friendly people and is generally a fantastic place to live....

However...the money in London makes up for a lot of this. Easy to turn over £150k each per year which comes to 600k USD. Lots of American's here and in London anyway, there is an understanding that bush does reflect the view of all Americans.

On the downside, the govt. hates contractors. They are doing every they can to tax them out of existence.....with a smile. Maybe that will change in the coming years...but I doubt it, they seem intent.

On top of that..investment banks are the engine of the city, and they are reeling at the moment. Not a good time at all. It would be brave to come here with investment bank experience, and without, you might be doing a lot of sightseeing.

[Memento]

Thanks for the great feedback. We are also thinking about checking out Australia or Canada... I would rather not have to worry about dealing with random people spiting on me for the policies of my government’s current administration.

MrDonuts, Getting into the US may be a pain for skilled foreigners but plenty of people manage to jump through all the hoops. In my department, 5 of our 12 people immigrated to the US for work and one has just become a citizen.

[Fishface]

My wife and I are interested in doing some contract work in the UK for 9 to 18 months and are looking for some advice about how to start our search. I have experience with Oracle e-Business/e-commerce and she is a Java/eclipse/security team lead with a very large international corporation.

1. Do we need to apply for the highly skilled worker visas before any company will consider us?
2. Are there any companies which specialize in placing foreigners like us that you can recommend?
3. Can anyone estimate what the taxes might be like?
4. How receptive are companies (and their employees) to contractors from the US?

Any advice you have will be appreciated!

this is remarkably like that question that some academic dude from Manchester asked last week.

>>she is a Java/eclipse/security team lead with a very large international corporation.

get her company to place her in the UK and she could sponsor you.

then approach all the american companies there.

or work remotely in the UK for the US comapnies.

Then again the UK is pretty carp - I woulddn't bother - plenty of other nicer places around the world.


...fingerprints so what? the americans treat you with courtesy and decency that is not reciprocated in the UK either. I hate them chumps at passport control...give these people a uniform and...

[Peoplesoft bloke]

if we cant come to work over there why should you be allowed to work over here?

Same reason the Septics insist in taking our fingerprints if we go there but we don't take theirs presumably.

[Jog On]

if we cant come to work over there why should you be allowed to work over here?

Don't go up north

HTH

[mrdonuts]

if we cant come to work over there why should you be allowed to work over here?

[motoukenin]

1 ) You will need a Visa and immigration will ask a lot of questions but dont worry there not normaly the right questions ; I am from Canada
2) Not required the process is straight forward and you will only get ripped off
3) Very high
4) People very friendly but London is a very cosmopolitan city , so you will meet the odd Iraqi or Jordanian who will spit on you. Dont make the mistake in thinking that this is a safe place (compared to Canada anyway)

[HYpno27]

As far as I know

It's very similar as one of us EU types going to the States, you need sponsorship and a job offer or position with a large consultancy and they need to prove you have skills that can't be filled from the EU to get a work visa

So not easy to do

[Memento]

My wife and I are interested in doing some contract work in the UK for 9 to 18 months and are looking for some advice about how to start our search. I have experience with Oracle e-Business/e-commerce and she is a Java/eclipse/security team lead with a very large international corporation.

1. Do we need to apply for the highly skilled worker visas before any company will consider us?
2. Are there any companies which specialize in placing foreigners like us that you can recommend?
3. Can anyone estimate what the taxes might be like?
4. How receptive are companies (and their employees) to contractors from the US?

Any advice you have will be appreciated!