IgboGirl: OP

Why do you even bother? You don't need to prove anything to folks in Nigeria. No matter the type of job we do here abroad we are still better off. What is the minimum wage in Nigeria? A sh1t packer or yansh cleaner in UK or US still earns more than a teacher or what have you in Nigeria. Nigerians in Nigeria laugh at our jobs here abroad because they know despite how degrading the job is we still earn more than their so called high level jobs. And to top it off, the petty jobs we do don't require us to have a bachelor's degree but to be a maid or driver in Nigeria applicant must have a bachelor's degree lol what a shame!

I will rather be a middle class in US than be an upper class in Nigeria! The quality of life in Nigeria sucks!

Are you sure you are a middle class in US or meant to say lower class
Guess you have never been close to upper class guys in Naija,you will certainly not spend another second in Yankee. Ask our politicians then you know what am talking about,don't say more trash cos we aint got no time for your sh:it

HiiiPower: If you want professional advice on career path,
and how to find a niche for yourself, you need
to stay away from the frauds on this platform.

Most are empty and they just spew what they
know little, or nothing about.

You don't need to say cos we already know that every damn UK based tell lies yourself inclusive
LWKMD

chucky234: Are you sure you are a middle class in US or meant to say lower class
Guess you have never been close to upper class guys in Naija,you will certainly not spend another second in Yankee. Ask our politicians then you know what am talking about,don't say more trash cos we aint got no time for your sh:it

chucky234: You don't need to say cos we already know that every damn UK based tell lies yourself inclusive
LWKMD

You can make your point without insulting everybody, is that too hard for you?

justwise:
[/b]



You can make your point without insulting everybody, is that too hard for you?

Mr. Mod guess you didn't read through those posts I quoted,only tried to give them back what they vomitted.

Zechy09: This thread is as a result of numerous threads on nairaland about nigerians in diaspora suffering so much. I want to create an avenue for nigerians abroad to encourage one another and tell the ones about to come that that it is not that bad. I will start with my story.:

I studied one of the oil and gas MSc courses in UK, graduated and started looking for a job in the UK. I had to start working as a security man (bouncer) in a club here. I also worked in spar as a door man while looking for a job.Some of our mates laughed at us (my friends and I) for doing security jobs and they moved to nigeria. Out of 10 that moved to Nigeria, only one got a good job in shell, the others ended in banks and other one man businesses. Out of 15 that stayed back and did security work, care work and other menial jobs while looking for a professional work, 14 have so far gotten professional jobs. Mind you, it is not easy as the last one got a job in schlumbeger UK last 2 weeks after 16months of job search and security work.
I myself did security work for 9 months and got a professional job in an oil and gas firm( TO GOD BE THE GLORY).

Please encourage others with your success story and tell people in Naija to understand that menial jobs are used to pay bills while searching for professional job. Do not laugh at people doing such jobs as most of the naija people in oil sector here did security or care work.

I think I identify with this page, at least my story. Before I continue I would want to point out that everything has been by the grace of God. I finished university degree education in Nigeria, an engineering field, served in a pretty good place and got retained after service. The retention wasn't as I had hoped as I was only was retained as a contract staff. God then blessed me with the opportunity to do my master's in the UK, engineering as well. I would say it was not easy, menial jobs after menial jobs and at some point I wanted to abandon everything and go back to Nigeria, as the life I had then wasn't compared to Nigeria- I had a 'big man' life in Nigeria. The menial jobs I did, I never ever saw myself doing it at all. But thank God, I persevered and finished my masters and paid all the bills and fees I owed without need to call Nigeria for money. Funny enough when I was done with school, I then saw that I was given a PTDF scholarship. lol.

Well, finished and tried my hands on real jobs this time around. It wasn't easy. Many friends went the easy way, that is finding a fat white oyinbo to marry to get their 'papers'. I never even considered that option. Anyway, God opened doors for me, travelled up and down, within and outside the UK for international jobs as I learnt some foreign languages as well. At present I work in an international firm and certainly not doing menial jobs, rather I have oyinbos in my office doing the menial job.

Advise to fellow nairalanders/nigerians;

1. Be close to God. Have faith in Him.
2. Never have the mindset that you are born or made to do menial jobs
3. Never entertain the mindset that racism means you can not do high career paying jobs.
4. Apply anywhere and everywhere. Be 'open'
5. Never entertain doubts or have discouragement fill your mind. If it fails, apply somewhere else.
6. Nigeria is also an option, apply there.
7. Seek information from friends. Seek interview tips. Seek ways to improve your CV. Learn a new language. Please as much as possible reduce or totally stop speaking pidgin English.
8. One of the few first advise is that be focused on your studies. Leave women alone for now, when you are an achiever you can get the hotest girls, believe me. Ensure you make the best use of UK and the opportunities that come from a truly international environment.

I can give many an advice but start with this.

obakovich:
Whats ur advice? Had a 1st class degree in micro biology(4.97cgpa) and moved over to wales for masters just finished wit Distinction(85%) and looking for a job in the UK. Dnt want to come back to naija

I will send you a pm.

@ denzel and zechy how do i get a contrat job in my field as I intend to do that within the next 2 years hopefully.

madridsta007:

I think I identify with this page, at least my story. Before I continue I would want to point out that everything has been by the grace of God. I finished university degree education in Nigeria, an engineering field, served in a pretty good place and got retained after service. The retention wasn't as I had hoped as I was only was retained as a contract staff. God then blessed me with the opportunity to do my master's in the UK, engineering as well. I would say it was not easy, menial jobs after menial jobs and at some point I wanted to abandon everything and go back to Nigeria, as the life I had then wasn't compared to Nigeria- I had a 'big man' life in Nigeria. The menial jobs I did, I never ever saw myself doing it at all. But thank God, I persevered and finished my masters and paid all the bills and fees I owed without need to call Nigeria for money. Funny enough when I was done with school, I then saw that I was given a PTDF scholarship. lol.

Well, finished and tried my hands on real jobs this time around. It wasn't easy. Many friends went the easy way, that is finding a fat white oyinbo to marry to get their 'papers'. I never even considered that option. Anyway, God opened doors for me, travelled up and down, within and outside the UK for international jobs as I learnt some foreign languages as well. At present I work in an international firm and certainly not doing menial jobs, rather I have oyinbos in my office doing the menial job.

Advise to fellow nairalanders/nigerians;

1. Be close to God. Have faith in Him.
2. Never have the mindset that you are born or made to do menial jobs
3. Never entertain the mindset that racism means you can not do high career paying jobs.
4. Apply anywhere and everywhere. Be 'open'
5. Never entertain doubts or have discouragement fill your mind. If it fails, apply somewhere else.
6. Nigeria is also an option, apply there.
7. Seek information from friends. Seek interview tips. Seek ways to improve your CV. Learn a new language. Please as much as possible reduce or totally stop speaking pidgin English.
8. One of the few first advise is that be focused on your studies. Leave women alone for now, when you are an achiever you can get the hotest girls, believe me. Ensure you make the best use of UK and the opportunities that come from a truly international environment.

I can give many an advice but start with this.

Well said bro.

chucky234: Mr. Mod guess you didn't through those posts I quoted,only tried to give them back what they vomitted.

They did not insult you in their replies, i'm not going to reply you again, just do away with your insults.

@ somebody.like which school do Ʊ have in mind? And are Ʊ saying its beta to come 2 a top rated school in uk dan just a random 1 for a good job opportunity?

I don't know what the argument is for if u pay your dues on both side and God by ur side u will get a good job. And as for those comparing salaries don't forget an average nigerian don't pay tax and most time what people are pay reflect the cost of living how many pound will it cost u for a proper meal how many of you with your international jobs own a house over there?

@all,
The topic is about Nigerians having good jobs in the UK. Nowhere does it say anyone should compare with those in Nigeria.
@Tmany, life does not consist of that. You can own a house and not have peace. They may not have a house in the UK but have back home. I am of the opinion that it is easier to own a house here than back home even if one has to pay monthly. Of the 170million Nigerians, how many own their own houses?

most people i know with the kind of qualification you guys have and time spent after own their own house in naija and go on breaks and holiday aboard but that not my point the fact is that out of plenty that travel out for greener pasture only every few make it you guys are among the few and just thank God for that naija has it problem but alot still make it here

Olodostein:

You know you guys are so Allergic to the Truth.

You don't have the business acumen nor the mental capacity to thrive in Nigeria that is why you went to a distant land to wipe their asses in order to be elible to crumbs thrown from their tables.

I can list 1001 ways to make it Nigeria despite our infastructural short-comings but you will have to pay me for consultancy.

Weak mind ........

bros e be like say dem nor give u visa...nor cry sha

Oh wow - I see the thread has been invaded. Imagine, people accusing me of lying because I say I haven't done a menial job and have a professional job. Poor man mentality - I really can't explain why else that is so hard to believe. On a good day, I would ignore this thread but I thought it was important for me to encourage people who are looking for opportunities in the UK. I have been consistent since I joined nairaland more than 5 years ago - most of my posts then were about education and job opportunities in the UK and no I am not a job consultant. I mean you don't expect me to remain stagnant because I am abroad. Back in 2006, I was just starting my career and so 6 years on, one would hope I know a few things about succeeding in the UK. Interestingly, my first job was through a nairaland hookup (strange how I even forgot about that till this thread).


As an aside, the oil sector is lucrative wherever in the world you are employed so its no surprise that there are several Nigerians employed in that sector in the diaspora who are doing well for themselves. From my limited research done on salaries in Nigeria, I understand the oil jobs are also one of the most lucrative ones. I remember years ago, people were moving back to Nigeria to work for oil companies for 7 million naira (c.£26,000) and to them it seemed like a really good offer. What is so special about a 7 million naira job - absolutely nothing and how many people in Nigeria even get to work in an oil company? I read another thread some time ago on here where people were discussing their fat salaries in oil & gas in Nigeria - saying oil money is like free money bla bla bla - on top how much? Infact, people tell me in Nigeria that fresh grads would happily take #150,000 ($1,000) monthly - this same security guards/toilet cleaners you try to put down will earn well above that in the UK and US. Its all well and good that people in Nigeria are doing well but there always seems to be this battle and they always try to convince themselves that they are better off than people in London based on their own failures or those of their relatives that are still hustling abroad.

I can't use my experiences and those of people around me to generalise but I can use them to form a valid opinion on opportunities in the UK. From my experiences, investment banking is very rewarding financially. Most people (including oyinbo people sef) around me aspired to get an investment banking job - it was like the most sought after career because of the high salaries. I mean doctors and engineers were leaving their jobs to become investment bankers because of the rewards. This meant that during the financial crisis, a lot of people I know lost their plum jobs and some had to wait a year or so before finding something as good but that is no different from the stories from Nigeria where bankers were being laid off. The ones who weren't able to get decent opportunities moved back to Nigeria. I mean, some have it good here others don't - same story in Nigeria.

I know young Nigerians (26-30) in the UK earning on average £150,000 even with the 50% tax, how many people in Nigeria earn that much at that age. I even know a few Nigerians (30-32) who are traders and investment bankers and earn c.£500,000 including their year end bonuses. These are easily researchable - make google your friend,just type average vice president salaries in trading (note that you can be a vp 6 - 8 years from graduate level so imagine a guy who finished uni at 21 which again most people around me including me did) But mind you, their profiles are always A-levels at good school, undergrad at a top uni - most of them don't even do Masters. Now is this everybody I know - NOPE. Do I have friends who are still earning £35,000 - YES.

The general job environment is very tough now and it is certainly harder to get jobs now than when I was starting my career years ago but there are several Nigerians doing exceptionally well as doctors, bankers, geologists etc in the UK. I don't claim that they make up the majority of Nigerians in the UK but if I recall, this thread was to highlight that NOT all Nigerians in the UK do menial jobs. Afterall, we know that most Nigerians live in poverty in Nigeria so to expect that this would be different in another country is just plain STUPID.

Before I am accused of making up numbers, check the links for average investment banking salaries. Some highlights:

1st year analyst (fresh out of uni) - £75,000 incl year end bonus. Base salary excl bonus is £45,000 - should we compare to GTB graduate salaries
An oil trader with 10 years in the business is likely to earn at least $1 million this year, while a neurosurgeon with similar time on the job makes less than $600,000, recruiters estimated. After a decade of deal-making, merger bankers take home about $2 million, more than 10 times what a similarly seasoned cancer researcher gets (see table below).
Careers-in-Finance reported further that vice presidents at investment banking firms, with three to six years of experience, earn salaries ranging from $350,000 to $1 million a year. Typical compensation for a vice president, including bonuses, is about $500,000 a year, according to the website. Directors earn an average of $800,000 a year, but compensation can range from $400,000 to $1.5 million a year. Managing directors typically earn more than $1 million a year, but Careers-in-Finance reported that salaries and bonuses for these positions range from $500,000 to $20 million a year.

Read more: The Average Salary for Investment Banking | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_7305765_average-salary-investment-banking.html#ixzz23NUctXW1
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-13/traders-smaller-bonuses-still-top-pay-for-brain-surgeons-4-star-generals.html
http://news.reuters.efinancialcareers.co.uk/newsandviews_item/wpNewsItemId-100316

chucky234: Are you sure you are a middle class in US or meant to say lower class
Guess you have never been close to upper class guys in Naija,you will certainly not spend another second in Yankee. Ask our politicians then you know what am talking about,don't say more trash cos we aint got no time for your sh:it

SO you mean he should go back home and become a thieving politician abi? And you guys keep wondering why the country never moves forward? You yourself are you upper class and you are in Nigeria abi? So you want him to come and join yet another group of people hoping to get appointed to some political position so they can chop their own part of the loot abi? Is that how you plan your life/your future? By aspiring to become a thieving politician? But please also enlighten us on other ways to become upper class in Nigeria without going into politics. Thanks!

Olodostein:

You know you guys are so Allergic to the Truth.

You don't have the business acumen nor the mental capacity to thrive in Nigeria that is why you went to a distant land to wipe their asses in order to be elible to crumbs thrown from their tables.

I can list 1001 ways to make it Nigeria despite our infastructural short-comings but you will have to pay me for consultancy.

Weak mind ........

Poor you and people can't list 1001 ways to make it in the UK? Well personally I can tell you 1001 ways to make it in the UK and that is because in addition to my plum job, I run a very successful business in the UK. You are the lazy one who can only succeed in your own environment. People who are able to adapt to a new environment and succeed against all odds in unfamiliar territory deserve a pat on the back not the constant tearing down that is common place on this nairaland. Facebook was created by a Nigerian abi? Its only in Nigeria that people can make money? Just hear yourself!

Wow...thank God for this topic. I had a very hard time letting go of a grudge i was holding against this age mate cousin of mine who kept comparing himself with me. I won't go into details but i just learnt he's not the only one with his mentality. Good luck to every one abroad trying to make it and everyone back home living it up. it aint easy!

somebody: Before I am accused of making up numbers, check the links for average investment banking salaries. Some highlights:

1st year analyst (fresh out of uni) - £75,000 incl year end bonus. Base salary excl bonus is £45,000 - should we compare to GTB graduate salaries
An oil trader with 10 years in the business is likely to earn at least $1 million this year, while a neurosurgeon with similar time on the job makes less than $600,000, recruiters estimated. After a decade of deal-making, merger bankers take home about $2 million, more than 10 times what a similarly seasoned cancer researcher gets (see table below).
Careers-in-Finance reported further that vice presidents at investment banking firms, with three to six years of experience, earn salaries ranging from $350,000 to $1 million a year. Typical compensation for a vice president, including bonuses, is about $500,000 a year, according to the website. Directors earn an average of $800,000 a year, but compensation can range from $400,000 to $1.5 million a year. Managing directors typically earn more than $1 million a year, but Careers-in-Finance reported that salaries and bonuses for these positions range from $500,000 to $20 million a year.

Read more: The Average Salary for Investment Banking | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_7305765_average-salary-investment-banking.html#ixzz23NUctXW1
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-13/traders-smaller-bonuses-still-top-pay-for-brain-surgeons-4-star-generals.html
http://news.reuters.efinancialcareers.co.uk/newsandviews_item/wpNewsItemId-100316

OK, I was with you until you started pulling out IB numbers from thin air to buttress your point. Please, stop saying things you know absolutely NOTHING about. Those salaries you're throwing about are high for a reason. Very few of these careers last for very long. Some of them work INSANE hours for a few short years and they are promptly kicked out when it's time to start bringing in clients that are mostly-British. Others live and die by the trading bell; you're hot one year and the next year your books implode and you've lost millions of pounds in one day for your desk. Very few (like less than 1% of all Nigerians that work in financial services in London) make it to MD level in front-office roles. Besides, the banks don't pay this kind of money anymore! Bonuses are currently at abysmal levels and bankers are lucky to have jobs at all. I know all this because I worked in the industry for several years (yes, I made 75k GBP my first year out of uni and much more as I progressed) but I left as soon as I made Associate Director. The lifestyle is absolutely unsustainable and I and my family suffered because of the sacrifices I made for money (thankfully, I am doing very well). None of my colleagues in banking are still there. Now I am older and wish I had just accepted an engineering job out of uni like my other colleagues. The money isn't sky-high when you start but it's a much more sustainable career with long-term prospects.

Abeg madam, stop hyping-up things you know nothing about or haven't experienced for yourself. Thank you.

braveheart2012:

OK, I was with you until you started pulling out IB numbers from thin air to buttress your point. Please, stop saying things you know absolutely NOTHING about. Those salaries you're throwing about are high for a reason. Very few of these careers last for very long. Some of them work INSANE hours for a few short years and they are promptly kicked out when it's time to start bringing in clients that are mostly-British. Others live and die by the trading bell; you're hot one year and the next year your books implode and you've lost millions of pounds in one day for your desk. Very few (like less than 1% of all Nigerians that work in financial services in London) make it to MD level in front-office roles. Besides, the banks don't pay this kind of money anymore! Bonuses are currently at abysmal levels and bankers are lucky to have jobs at all. I know all this because I worked in the industry for several years (yes, I made 75k GBP my first year out of uni and much more as I progressed) but I left as soon as I made Associate Director. The lifestyle is absolutely unsustainable and I and my family suffered because of the sacrifices I made for money (thankfully, I am doing very well). None of my colleagues in banking are still there. Now I am older and wish I had just accepted an engineering job out of uni like my other colleagues. The money isn't sky-high when you start but it's a much more sustainable career with long-term prospects.

Abeg madam, stop hyping-up things you know nothing about or haven't experienced for yourself. Thank you.

GBAM

How much are they paying the likes of Mikel Obi and Adebayor in the same Uk? some people will also say its a lie,,most of Nigerians living in nigeria are very sad in nature,they tend to display their ignorance at every giving time, I actually know a lot of things to say,but I won't say any, but atimes the level of poverty I see in nigeria from the okada riders, the molue drivers,the hawkers,the people selling rubish things in the market, The truth is, [b][/b]there are no toilets to wash in nigeria , some one is earning £6/hr 7 hours /day =N10,900 no skilled or education required washing the toilet in the uk and U̶̲̥̅̊ re saying he is suffering?so he rather sell satchet water on the streets of Lagos? Or ride Okada?Atimes I don't understand how people reason,if he or she is educated and doing menial jobs,its just for a while.

Still waiting for your advice peeps.

All the misinformation being thrown about i'm beginning to doubt anyone on this site lives in the UK and whether those that do passed peckham and whether the rest of the stories are being copied from fanciful novels. There is nothing i'm not going read on this site. I'd just advise everyone to take what they read here as complete fiction.

I weak 4 dese enemies of progress wen dem dey call theirself our brodas o.Its absurd that a cleaner abroad earns more than a lecturer in a federal university in Nigeria.

queensmith:

All the misinformation being thrown about i'm beginning to doubt anyone on this site lives in the UK and whether those that do passed peckham and whether the rest of the stories are being copied from fanciful novels. There is nothing i'm not going read on this site. I'd just advise everyone to take what they read here as complete fiction.

Maybe you should highlight areas you think people blew out of proportion rather generalizing

Zechy09: This thread is as a result of numerous threads on nairaland about nigerians in diaspora suffering so much. I want to create an avenue for nigerians abroad to encourage one another and tell the ones about to come that that it is not that bad. I will start with my story.:

I studied one of the oil and gas MSc courses in UK, graduated and started looking for a job in the UK. I had to start working as a security man (bouncer) in a club here. I also worked in spar as a door man while looking for a job.Some of our mates laughed at us (my friends and I) for doing security jobs and they moved to nigeria. Out of 10 that moved to Nigeria, only one got a good job in shell, the others ended in banks and other one man businesses. Out of 15 that stayed back and did security work, care work and other menial jobs while looking for a professional work, 14 have so far gotten professional jobs. Mind you, it is not easy as the last one got a job in schlumbeger UK last 2 weeks after 16months of job search and security work.
I myself did security work for 9 months and got a professional job in an oil and gas firm( TO GOD BE THE GLORY).

Please encourage others with your success story and tell people in Naija to understand that menial jobs are used to pay bills while searching for professional job. Do not laugh at people doing such jobs as most of the naija people in oil sector here did security or care work.

Zechy09, I will like to ask you a few things.

aspen2x:

Zechy09, I will like to ask you a few things.

Please lets try and make this discussion as open as possible, i don't like it when people start dropping their email addresses for private chat.

queensmith:

All the misinformation being thrown about i'm beginning to doubt anyone on this site lives in the UK and whether those that do passed peckham and whether the rest of the stories are being copied from fanciful novels. There is nothing i'm not going read on this site. I'd just advise everyone to take what they read here as complete fiction.

Let's have your view. Don't just come and claim that everything here is fiction without us having your input.

braveheart2012:

OK, I was with you until you started pulling out IB numbers from thin air to buttress your point. Please, stop saying things you know absolutely NOTHING about. Those salaries you're throwing about are high for a reason. Very few of these careers last for very long. Some of them work INSANE hours for a few short years and they are promptly kicked out when it's time to start bringing in clients that are mostly-British. Others live and die by the trading bell; you're hot one year and the next year your books implode and you've lost millions of pounds in one day for your desk. Very few (like less than 1% of all Nigerians that work in financial services in London) make it to MD level in front-office roles. Besides, the banks don't pay this kind of money anymore! Bonuses are currently at abysmal levels and bankers are lucky to have jobs at all. I know all this because I worked in the industry for several years (yes, I made 75k GBP my first year out of uni and much more as I progressed) but I left as soon as I made Associate Director. The lifestyle is absolutely unsustainable and I and my family suffered because of the sacrifices I made for money (thankfully, I am doing very well). None of my colleagues in banking are still there. Now I am older and wish I had just accepted an engineering job out of uni like my other colleagues. The money isn't sky-high when you start but it's a much more sustainable career with long-term prospects.

Abeg madam, stop hyping-up things you know nothing about or haven't experienced for yourself. Thank you.

Ok braveheart, I happen to be an investment banker. I refused to say exactly what I do as there is no need to draw attention to myself. I am not making things up or relying on what people have told me. That is my reality - and again its not necessary to say what level I am at but salaries I quoted were those of mine and my colleagues - some junior, some senior. While the insane hours are a reality in investment banking, traders do not work long hours. If you indeed got to Associate Director level, then surely you must know this. Infact, there is a running battle between traders and investment bankers at all banks I have worked at - they wonder why ibankers spend all the time in the office for less bonuses than the traders. And if you say you were an Associate Director, you worked at a European IB because American IBs would refer to you as a Vice President. What I know is that American IBs typically pay more than European IBs so go figure.


Yes, bonuses have gone down but guess what, base salaries were increased to make up for the shortfall so before if your total pay was £80k (base)/£60k (bonus), your pay package is now likely to be £100k (base)/£40k bonus retaining the same £140k level which for me is even better because the Queen collects her 50% straight from your bonus. Case in point, associate 0's used to earn £65k previously, now its £80k and that is because they cut bonuses.

And when you say those jobs don't last for long - do you mean for you? I know lots of Nigerians at ED, VP levels. Admittedly, only 2 at MD level (one of them Aganga who wasn't even in either one of the top paying divisions) so yes some people's careers will last longer than others. If at anytime you want to see my Linkedin profile, send me a message - I have absoultely NOTHING to hide. If you couldn't stomach the hours, others might be able to. What works for you may not work for others. And that is esentially my point on this thread - that everybody's reality is different. You can not use your experiences to make generalisations.

And if anyone is stupid enough to leave their jobs in Nigeria to come and earn £500,000 per annum then abeg no be me send you . Its increasingly harder to get into IB and most times you would need to have studied here at top schools and probably put in 8 years. While this is not everyone's reality in the UK, there are people in the UK earning those salaries and they are NIGERIANS will only 1 HEAD.

queensmith:

All the misinformation being thrown about i'm beginning to doubt anyone on this site lives in the UK and whether those that do passed peckham and whether the rest of the stories are being copied from fanciful novels. There is nothing i'm not going read on this site. I'd just advise everyone to take what they read here as complete fiction.

Hehehehe. . . .complete fiction? Queensmith please tell us the truth since you're the only one living in the UKoutside peckham.

@ topic

Some Nigerians have good jobs in the UK - is that news? Some Nigerians in every country in the world (including Nigeria) have good jobs - what exactly does that prove?

Yes there are many sad stories of Nigerians suffering, but aren't there more sad stories than good ones in the UK (just as in Nigeria)?

Oh so and so works in O&G and makes good money - so what? I once heard an O&G company was recruiting for 50 positions in the UK (graduate scheme) and over 100 Nigerians applied. Will the company stop employing, UK, EU, American and other citizens and employ only Nigerians? What is the success rate of people getting these 'good' jobs in terms of percentages?

Like someone else said, for many people who were able to get such a good job in the UK, they are likely to have gotten good jobs had they remained in Nigeria (parents' ability to fund education, intelligence, etc.) so their success isn't really about being in the UK as such.

There will always be individual stories of success like Omo Tier1, somebody and Zechy09 - is this the reality of the majority or even 50% of Nigerians in the UK? I don't think so.

Nigerians need to get beyond this 'I'm doing well and I need to prove it' mentality - yes I know Nigeria let us down as a country and hence we have to look out for No. 1, but if we're not helping others to change their own circumstances or moving forward as a group, it's all empty, hollow chest beating.

@braveheart, I think info provided by somebody seems exagerated but not very far from the truth. I will say a lot changed after the meltdown and my 30yr old friend was earning almost £150k in investment banking but he lost his job.

@Queensmith, I think you need to change your friends (If you find the stories strange). This i was advised the moment i came here. If your friends are doing menial jobs, you will feel it is normal and not hustle as much as required to get a pro job.

@aspen2x, I think everyone will benefit from what you want to ask.

To everybody in UK hustling, connections work like magic here in UK. Networking helps people land very good jobs.
My friend was working as a security man in TOTAL here, he used to gist with most of the managers when they go for a smoke and one day one of them asked him why he was still doing security work after an MSC in Subsea engineering and he said "no company wants to employ me". The man took his cv and sent it out to a few people and they called the boy for interview in London. The interview was about pay, not about technical knowledge. So guys network and pray.