cube63:

You're naive! You make won't make 2 trips, everybody with same mentality why not create your own ideas? Na one person start pure water business for naija, i'm sure the person is out of business now. Naija with copy copy, that country can never grow except GOD intervenes.

What business are you into?

cube63:

[size=14pt]Anybody thinking of going to the U.K is clueless. Nothing dey that side again![/size][size=14pt][/size]

Coming from someone who ran out to South Africa (of all countries) like a chicken.

Just make sure you are with your HIV test result before thinking of coming back into naija

Just hear urself...am talking abt degree,msc ..... And u r dere sayn WAEC..guess u r a WAEC holder in south africa

cube63:

I don't like people like you, if you don't know something don't say it. Here in South Africa if you're a Waec holder and you never clock 25 men you go go back to their secondary school and burn at least 1 - 3 years.

They don't recognize shait! Even though we know book pass them.

JTootles!

Wallie: The OP spoke about acquiring some skills before traveling abroad and I firmly agree! Here are a few things I would do over or have learnt along the way:

1. Learn how to fix cars – even if you’re coming here as a student because you will save yourself a lot of money over your lifetime. You can even use your skills to get a side job while in school. My mechanic charges $125 per hour and typically charges a minimum of 1 hour even for the most mundane thing!

2. Learn how to type properly if you’re going to be a student and/or white collar professional.

3. Learn how to sew (tailoring)

4. Learn how to braid and weave hair – you can make a quick few hundred dollars tax fee on weekends, especially if you’re a student.
You will be paying for a blue collar skill whether you like it or not and you will quickly realize that you can save a lot of money by doing the easy things yourself or charging people that can’t!


Things not to worry about
1. Getting rid of your accent – that will eventually come if you immigrate at an early enough age and even then it will take time, especially for men. All you really have to do is learn to speak clearly and “slowly”.

2. Making it right away – success comes with hard work except if you’re lucky or highly talented.

Good advice! include birikila, capinta, eletrician, you are sure of good life. you don't need to be highly talented to live a good life.

In Yankee, every profession is being respected.

7) I'm back to touch on success tips for prospective Nigerian professionls in the UK. These tips can be adjusted for use by different nationalities.

AVOID BEING SMELLY: Indians are usually regarded as being smelly in the UK. But this is discussed in hush tones. Many might not even know about this. The reason for the 'smell' is simply the spices used in their food. Ofcourse, smells are a sensitive subject and has a lot do with the brains function. In order words, what is smelly to one person might not be smelly to others. In the same way, many Nigerian foods affect the way you smell in the office in UK. For example, if you eat a real smelly he-goat, you might stink your office without you knowing it. Personaly, I eat Nigerian meals on Friday evenings and all through Saturday, but avoid many of them during the weekdays. If you are considered to be smelly, you would never be told. That's one of the things you'll learn about UK with time. As time goes on you will soon learn to differentiate 'smelly' foods from others

Watch the company you keep. Having Nigerian friends in the UK is very important, but take your time to categorise them albeit subtly. Many Nigeria friends will be very helpfull in pointing you out to casual work. Thank God for that. This is immensely beneficial especially in your starting stage. However some refuse to budge from such casual work positions. This is wher e you need skills to be able to hold on to them while also maintaining another category of friends that want to go places. These other friends both Nigerians and foreigners will be useful in running side-by-side with you as you reach for higher goals. They are the ones that point out recruitment events, scholarship oppurtunities, refer you to their managers for jobs, and other high value associations. Never forget this. To be successfull as a professional in the UK, you need both categories of friends.

esere826: Watch the company you keep. Having Nigerian friends in the UK is very important, but take your time to categorise them albeit subtly. Many Nigeria friends will be very helpfull in pointing you out to casual work. Thank God for that. This is immensely beneficial especially in your starting stage. However some refuse to budge from such casual work positions. This is wher e you need skills to be able to hold on to them while also maintaining another category of friends that want to go places. These other friends both Nigerians and foreigners will be useful in running side-by-side with you as you reach for higher goals. They are the ones that point out recruitment events, scholarship oppurtunities, refer you to their managers for jobs, and other high value associations. Never forget this. To be successfull as a professional in the UK, you need both categories of friends.

You don't have to post each point in a separate page. All can be done in a page or two

9) CHOOSE YOUR UNIVERSITY CAREFULLY: These rules are not straight jacket rules. Think not of the rules, but of its effects. The university you attend in the UK could make a huge difference in your life. Remember that I said earlier that UK is an elitist country. Attend one of the 10 best universities in the UK, and you do not need to change your communication one bit (oyibos might even happily struggle to want to hear you or to speak like you). You might even graduate with a 3rd class, and Recruiters from all over the world will headhunt you while you are still studying. But offcourse we know that this might be competitive and extremely costly to get into such universities. This is were you begin to twig your strategy. As the Universities drop in rating, work hard to make a 2.1 or first class. For example, if you make a first class in a very cheap university, you'll still go as far as someone that made a 2:2 from Oxford all depending on how you play your card

Avoid attending universities that are expensive and yet have no real value. Its actually better to attend cheaper universities and make excellent grades. Look out for universities were good companies such as accenture, shell, Lloyds actively recruit from.

justwise:

You don't have to post each point in a separate page. All can be done in a page or two

I actually find it much easier to follow the way he's done it. Carry go brother, communication is key in the UK- I was in an interview for a PM position sometime back. I had no clue what I was talking about but my accent's crisp (lol) and I take my time to talk. I got the job- although I've got an excellent educational background, I had no mgmt experience- communication skills can definitely make or break your career.

The most important thing in my opinion is to make God your friend.

10) YOUR CV: Now this is extremely important, but unfortunately I cannot cover all of this. PEOPLE THAT SEEK VALUE ACTUALLY PAY FOR SUCH INFORMATION, so please the least we can do is not to adorn the pig's nose with a golden ring.

Make sure say your CV within a 2 second glance conveys your fit with the job wen you dey apply for. Forget all the crap wen they teach you about writing a CV. They're pure theory only. I learnt this the hard way.

This is even the case if u dey look for cleaner work or you one lecture or you wan be engineer or scientist. I could give you many reasons why this is important, but I'll give you this one. Yo're not the only person looking for that job, even if its a mechanic job. What sets u apart from the pile of CV's is that unlike the others, everything about your being is mechanic oriented. In you secondary scool you built a small car. your hobby is driving motor. In your university even though you studied english, it was english that related to making brochures for cars and lorries. Your masters dissertation even if it was in Finance, was about the credit crunch and its effect on Ford and other American motor companies. You get d point? Take away distractions from the CV -Worked as a PA in the UNited Nations. This won't fly if yo're hustling to be a mechanic.

Use the same process in writing your professional CV, but please be careful here. Don't oversell yourself as although you will surely be called for an interview, you might end up beinng chucked out. Don't underate or overate yourself, just start were you are and give youself timelines while learning on the job.

Reality...

11)APPEARANCE MATTERS: If you've read the book the "Rules of Work" you'll understand this point clearly. If as a guy (I don't know much about the ladies) you've worked in Nigeria banks previously, you would more easilly fit in. Others might have issues with things like their beards, it differs from place to place. The recruiter always looks at you and tries to mentally fit you into your working envirenmont as compared to others. The golden rule here is to dress up conservatively for the recruiters interview. For the job interview at work, try mirroring the dress patern of your line manager if he is conducting the interview. For example, if your future line manager is interviewing you and you notice that he is not wearing a tie or jacket, you could make a humourous remark about the warm weather and ask if it alright to take of your tie). When you start working, dress like those that occupy positions that you aim for. This is not spiritual, but a pure scientific law capable of yielding immense results. You could decide to be unique in your appearance, I have no personal experience of such and therefore do not know the outcomes. I am just sharing outcomes that are proven time and time again to work

12) QUALITY OF UK/NIGERIAN CERTIFICATES AND YOU: Do your Nigerian certificates carry any weight in the UK?, Do any of your certificates even matter at all despite all the many degrees? Are you being ripped off by the UK system that promises you gold dust then gives you ashes? How do your success fit into this intricate web of qualification from home and abroad. I've already laid down some of the foundation that helps us in navigating future topics in earlier posts. I'll be teaching us some well tested strategies and rigorous observations on this very important issues soon.


I'm tired and will now go to rest. See you some other time

13) I'll get back to the qualification thing later but thought I should share this first- THE DIFFERENT PROFESSIONS AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS in UK: You might earn much as a mechanic in the UK, or as a builder, cab driver or train driver (about 40,000GBP) per month. The challenge that you might face is the transferability of such skills to other environments like Nigeria. Personally, I have noticed that folks who do such jobs are reluctant to come back to NIgeria (they try hard to save face), and if they do come, they try setting up unrelated businesses.

The UK trys its best to make all jobs look dignified, and I like this. Another thing about the UK is that the unit of labour is per the hour. I could push further to share economic scenarios in the UK, and their implication for your professional career choice, but this would be bulky. But please be aware that one of the major push for an immigration flood by the previous labour government was in order to increase the supply of folks willing to do such cleaning, mechanic, hairdressing jobs. They are usually referred to as the jobs that the british don't want to touch. This is to say that as more immigrants do these jobs, the take-home pay will reduce. This might not be in your time, but as more and more people are encouraged to go and practice mechanic work in the UK, this will end up happening. These kind of jobs also have the advantage that they do not have retirement times, so unlike their professional colleagues, they can always work even until they are in their 70's. But, just as you will work hard to become a recognised professionl, you might also need to work very hard to become a recognized mechanic.

But remember to stop and think, what do you really want in the long, middle and short term? Where are you comming from? (I mean, it is progress if a desert becomes a savanah, but the savannah's own definition of progress should be becoming a forest i think)

Another easy strategy you could take is trying to be the best in WHEREVER YOU FIND YOURSELF. Yeah, this sounds defeatist to some, however its an easy strategy if you don't mind having either a professional or non professional career. I'll give you an example based on two of my UK Master's friends working in the same kind of temporary cleaning job originally paying about 9.00GBP per hour. The two were retained, with an offer of accomodation in where they were doing their cleaning work. One accepted, while they other declined and quit. The second found another job paying 7.00GBP in an oficial capcity. He is today on a 36000GBP/Annum profesiional job. Ofcourse, with his degree, the first might also rise to become the head of the cleaners some day, you never can tell.

If it were you, in their shoes, what will you do?

cube63:

Anybody thinking of going to the U.K is clueless. Nothing dey that side again!

You just sit here in naija or wherever you are now to talk poo of other countries. Since you were born, what have you contributed to Nigeria or where u reside now. I guess you mean making fast money through drug and other fraudulent ways in the UK. Talk is cheap

14) Back to 13) which is the issue of UK/Nigerian qualifications: My experience shows that all Nigerian Universities and mony others in Africa and beyond are taken as the same within the UK working world. So, they do not value your MAU or Covenant University certificate more than someone else's that finished from what some might call a local university in Nigeria. Now, don't get overly excited yet. Interesting it seems that they do not also value many of their own UK certificates more than yours. It's all considered to be flat, -yours and theirs, except you attended on of the top global universities.

Remember I had said that the UK system is elitist in nature. Your degrees start getting exciting to them if it it is from various countries, and is different from what they would usually see. So, lets as a Nigerian, you schooled in France, Canada and the US (even in their cheapest schools). The recruiters would almost immediately consider you as 'gold dust'. These things are quite complicated and not so straight forward.

Now, with your Nigeria and British normal certificates, what would set you apart is the grades and courses you acheived when in the University. 2.1's and 1sts are winners any day. These two kind of degrees will push you far in your acceptance into red brick universities and graduate careers.

So lets say a young man named Emeka attended University of Eba in Nigeria and made a 2.1 or 1st class in Bio-Chemistry. He went on to do an MBA in a lowly rated but (scholarship funded) university in the UK, and came out with a 2.1 minimum. For the ext two years after graduation, Emeka would have the oppurtunity to apply to top global companies around the world with a presence in the UK. He would be called for loads of interviews. The rest would be up to him.

If on the other hand, Suleiman attended the illustrous UNIfe in Nigeria and graduated with a 3rd class in Engineering. He studies in an averagely rated but expensive school in the UK and now graduates with a 2.1 MBA. He might have a tough time getting a graduate job. The reason is because many HR graduate hire computer systems are programmed to get rid of people that did not acheive a 2.1 or higher in their undergraduate degrees. I have tested this theory several times, and you can too. How do you do this? Simple. Create 2 cv's with different degree grades like I've mentioned and send them out to graduate recruiters. The content can even remain the same. You can go a step further while doing this excercise to send other CV's for examle in one, you could remove the country were you earlier worked, or change your name to something easy like Ben John. All these could give you a huge feel of how the system works.

15) Still on 12 and 13 -Qualifications and You.

So you didnt make a 2.1 in your first degree, and you've spent money on further studies. What do you now do? We'll your strategy would be based on understanding the principles behind the UK society. Once you understand this, you have the key to plug in and can do away with any of my linear suggestions, work yourself thorugh the intricate web and acheive what you need to.

In UK, and I guess in many parts of the western world the system operates like a bell-shaped graph (I don't know how to copy and paste, but someone could please help me with the pix. Thank you.)

Now, this is what the system always wants. Some people at the top, lots of people in the middle and some people at the bottom. Most systems within the big UK system are modelled this way, and to feed this system. Now, unlike Nigeria, the economist, policy makers, social engineers over there seem to actively engage with this model.

Now, I bet you understand why attending the top ten Universities in UK matters a lot no matter how unproductive you might actually be (remember George Bush's Harvard in the US). The system kinda expects the to 30 percentile to continue to remain the same from cradle to grave. So, your being a 2.1 or 1st material, it is assumed that you are one of the gifted ones, and the others are not. You have access to the best 30% of schools, the best 30% of spouses, the best 30% of job oppurtunities, and the best 30% of rapid promotions. That is why a 38 year old George Osborne could hold such a powerful british portfolio as the exchequer. WOW!! He's parents, and probably those before them simply plugged in the top percentile part of the bell shape, and this is the result.

So as a 2.2, 3rd class, migrant, trader,or uneducated fella, how do you plug into this top percentile and hitch a free ride? How do you take advantage of the elitist nature of the UK system. There is no straight answer to this, but many. It could depend on your context, your goal etc. Some people decide to marry into this percentile (this was very common in medieval britain), some people buy their way into it in various ways.

I will be addressing those with 2.2's on some ways that they can plug into the heirachal nature of the system

16) You made a 2.2 in your Nigeria Degree, and seem not be wanted in the professional career path of the UK. Hurray!! this means you are free from the fear that comes with security. You are an inbetweener, you could fall or rise in the professional path depending on how well you play your cards. You probably tried for a master's degree in the UK. If you graduate with a 1st, you could be accepted back into to elite list, and all your previous 2.2 sins forgiven. Now if you made a 2.2 or 2.1, your strategy would need to change considerably.

I introduce to you CONTRACTING. This is your chance to have a global career. Wow!! Once more, I might need to go deeply into what contracting is all about and how you fit in. This would be labourious, so I'll skip loads of stuff.

The UK economy/recruiters/big companies are constantly looking out for 'stars'. These are the ones that somehow fit into the top percentile we mentioned earlier. I mean, there is even a TV program by Lord Sugar that pushes this. Now, the problem is that stars are most times very security conciouse. They get into a job, a rise through it. They hardly move horizontally. The UK sytem is also so structured that you hardly jump the queue except you're one of the chosen ones. But the beautiful thing is that the system constantly yearns for stars. This is where you as a 9ja person has an advantage over the oyibos. You are like Melchizedek, you have no past. So, if you worked in Total filling station in Nigeria as a fuel attendant. Your title in your CV could simply become 'Sales'. Now, when the reference gets to Total Nigeria, you can't be said to have actually lied. Your job role then changes to meet the new position. So instead of saying- I sold fuel to cars, it could become, -developed weekly sales statistics on vehicular transport using spreadsheets.

But, you must know what you're talking about. This is also why your appearance, communication skills etc might mean much. If you look and talk like a sales attendant instead of a sales executive, - We will know.

Now, you would have noticed that the kind of twigging that is required in your CV, lifestyle, composure etc, would not be easy to achieve if you do not actually have a top percentile mindset. So you being a 2.2 or 3rd class material and being able to achieve this successfully should make you realize that you’ve actually got a 1st class brain, but somehow slipped in the earlier parts of your life. So welcome up here to were you actually belong.

17) CONTRACTING AND YOU: With a contracting career, you can theoretically move from from earning 10pounds per hour to 30 pounds within 12 months. How? You do a 1 month contract for 10GBP initially; the next 1 month contract, you can charge 13 pounds; the next you can charge 17 pounds... and on and on it goes. This is only in theory. Your challenge in trying to close the gap between theory and practice -another bulky topic.

Remember that we are talking here about people that are extremely smart despite their average university grades. In UK, experience is key, and valued over many other things. So if an uneducated person has been building cars for a company for 5 years, do not expect that you would be in a more senior position even if your are a Masters degree holder in Engineering. So as a contractor, you need to have or develop experience really fast. To increase your rating, you must have a unique ability to gain a condensed experience within a shorter timeline than your contemporaries. Lets say you've deciced to be a Project Manager, and have actually got the job because your employers assume you've got 3 years experience whereas you've got only a month's experience. You would need to immerse yourself in the job and learn fast not only internally, but also externally using cluster networks of other PM professionals. You need to simulate as much processes as possible, both physically and mentally. Learn what can gor wrong .etc.

For the next step (say you're earning 18GBP per hr and wish to start earning 25GBP per hr) learn from you job also. Lets say you're a junior business analyst and wish to become a Business Analyst. Try to understand what the Senior BA does, play around with the tools she uses. Some organisations will not give you the chance to fill in for the Senior BA, so learn around them. Mentally see yourself in such positions and in different scenarios. Look out for any oppurtunity where you can roll up your sleeves and delve into.

18 ) LOOK INTO THE MIRROR: What do the recruiters see? This is still about appearance, but how it relates to your CV. Ignoring your actual age, if you look like, and present your CV like you are in your 30's the recruiter would expect to see someone just like that with an amount of experience and pay rate that goes with that age bracket in many instances. Once more, I've stepped into a maze that is not so simplistic.

So for example, someone in her mid 30's should have clocked at least some 10 years of experience and be looking for a job on the medium to high pay rate (say from 15GBP upwards of 30 GBP per hr. U go dey do urself some harm if for that kine CV u dey write -worked as a volunteer for 2 months in Boys scout. Show and act like you have indeed worked for more than a decade. Forget the pity party of trying to explain that Nigeria schools dey always go on strike plus say u do NYSC. If u tok like dat, dem go smile and say "we will get back to you". And they won't. But remember you need to actually have the experience of the job you are going in for, if not, you'll be fired. Getting fired as a contrator is not really a bad thing if you are extremely smart. This is because the 2 or 3 weeks u spend in the organisation, you'll get paid and actually gain some hands on experience wen u go fit use for the next simlar job. There is a saying in UK that u can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without a job. It's a chicken and egg thing u see.

If you look in your 30's you might as well forget graduate roles. You most likeley won't be hired, this is because at 30 looking for such a job, then you most likely are not a 'star'. Remeber also that in UK, there are age discriminatory rulest. So the recruiter won't tell you that it's because of your age. It might even be so subjective that the recruiter does not know why sh'e not taking u. She might might explain it to herself that she just couldn't feel you.

Such age related issues are one of the reasons why professionals in the Uk spend a lot of time in the gym, and some do some minor operations. Of course if you are actually in ur 20's and you've had donkey years of experience, don't fail to flaunt it. You'll be considered a star.

In the next post, I will connect your typically plenty Nigerian qualifications to this topic and tell you how to use it for maximum effect.

Cheers

Redman44: Well, a lot of stuff has been outlined in the other posts on this thread Let me just add my own nuggets of wisdom concerning Things you must know before leaving Nigeria.

1. Don't live beyond your means or else you will have nothing to call your own after 15-20 years in Europe and North America. Just because the British and American citizens all around you are looking good all the time and driving fancy cars, does not mean they are Rich. They're most likely living on credit cards and are living in bondage to debts. So cut you coat according to your size and look for bargains online when buying things you need.

2. Don't trust too many Nigerians because many of them are not happy with their situation. So they might just plot your downfall if you're fresh in the UK or US and doing better than them. Limit your visits to the homes of Family Members and Relatives and don't always announce your moves and plans to them. I'm not saying you should not be close to them but please you need your own space to live your life. Many Africans are bitter over here due to misfortunes they sometimes bring upon themselves. Don't let them unleash their bitterness on you. Don't also tell everyone about your status ( The kind of visa you have or Passport Type )as it can lead to hatred being directed against you.

3. Always send money directly to your Parents and Family Members in Nigeria. Don't send money through people to your loved ones. The cash you sent might not get to them. Tell your parents to give you the details on their National ID Card or Passport so you can send cash to them directly through MoneyGram, Ria or Western Union. They can go mand collect the money themselves in Nigeria.

4. Take the time to feed properly and maintain a balanced diet. Food is not that expensive in the UK and North America. Take the time to shop properly and buy nourishing food, cereals and fruits. Eat well. At least, you owe yourself good meals and food. Stock your Freezer with good food and I bet you won't be falling sick all the time. And don't always buy African food alone. Nigerian Food Products are expensive abroad.

5. Acquire more education and take the time to get training that will boost your earning power. Don't be comfortable working in menial jobs. Menial jobs should be done for a while to gather money that will be used to acquire professional training. There are loads of professional opportunities in Europe but you need to get trained to move up the ladder.

6. Develop a habit of saving. Make sure you have a savings account where you will put aside some money on a weekly or monthly basis. Be disciplined with your savings account and don't touch the cash in it except for emergencies.

7. Lastly, Make God the Pillar of your Life. You need God to survive outside Nigeria .

Splendid and insightful. This post is from a living first hand experience. Now if I may add to it...
*Always remember the Sons and Daughters of who you are.No matter the influence your environment depicts.

esere826: 18 ) LOOK INTO THE MIRROR: What do the recruiters see? This is still about appearance, but how it relates to your CV. Ignoring your actual age, if you look like, and present your CV like you are in your 30's the recruiter would expect to see someone just like that with an amount of experience and pay rate that goes with that age bracket in many instances. Once more, I've stepped into a maze that is not so simplistic.

So for example, someone in her mid 30's should have clocked at least some 10 years of experience and be looking for a job on the medium to high pay rate (say from 15GBP upwards of 30 GBP per hr. U go dey do urself some harm if for that kine CV u dey write -worked as a volunteer for 2 months in Boys scout. Show and act like you have indeed worked for more than a decade. Forget the pity party of trying to explain that Nigeria schools dey always go on strike plus say u do NYSC. If u tok like dat, dem go smile and say "we will get back to you". And they won't. But remember you need to actually have the experience of the job you are going in for, if not, you'll be fired. Getting fired as a contrator is not really a bad thing if you are extremely smart. This is because the 2 or 3 weeks u spend in the organisation, you'll get paid and actually gain some hands on experience wen u go fit use for the next simlar job. There is a saying in UK that u can't get a job without experience, and you can't get experience without a job. It's a chicken and egg thing u see.

If you look in your 30's you might as well forget graduate roles. You most likeley won't be hired, this is because at 30 looking for such a job, then you most likely are not a 'star'. Remeber also that in UK, there are age discriminatory rulest. So the recruiter won't tell you that it's because of your age. It might even be so subjective that the recruiter does not know why sh'e not taking u. She might might explain it to herself that she just couldn't feel you.

Such age related issues are one of the reasons why professionals in the Uk spend a lot of time in the gym, and some do some minor operations. Of course if you are actually in ur 20's and you've had donkey years of experience, don't fail to flaunt it. You'll be considered a star.

In the next post, I will connect your typically plenty Nigerian qualifications to this topic and tell you how to use it for maximum effect.

Cheers

Looking forwards to it mate.

cube63:

Depending on the type of car, i drive a brand new R300,000 car here. (N6 Million) Hyundai Elantra 2012, well it's not an achievement but any day anytime you can trade in your car from where you both it for just maybe 10% off the original price maybe all depends on the mileage.

And for someone who dey jump on okada for naija to dey drive any kind of car in sort abroad is a big deal. For me I'm a car enthusiast so don't blame me.

Kai that Elanra 2012 enter my eye anytime I see am for midrand.d car sleek no be small.but ol boy sofry sofry o.Haters plenty for SA seeing naija guys dey cruise sleek machine

@ esere826. Nice post. I'm reading this page by page not to survive in Uk but to have a general view. I love writers cause l'm a reader. Keep it up.

Sisi_Kill: If you can't trust your passport with your mom or your money with your siblings, then you obviously can't seek their advice on anything. . .so who pray tell are the 10 people in your advice committee? Strangers?

Yep, this totally makes sense.

try to catch wat i mean there.....