Please advise me quick. I am an IT professional in Nigeria with one of the major telcommunications company in Nigeria.
My salary is over 200k per month. Now I have just gotten my HSMP visa, will it be wise for me to leave my job in Nigeria and go to  to work in the UK?
I am currently confused, cos of the tails we have been hearing about the co[b][/b]st of living in UK.
People on HSMP visa in Uk, pls respond. This is a major career decision

I will seriously advise you to make sure you get a job in the UK before resigning ur job here in Nigeria. HSMP does not give you authomatic employment in the UK as there are many close friends of mine that went to UK thru HSMP but could still not find job. You should also be aware that the HSMP docs become invalid if you are not able to get a job in your field after 18 months or so. Start applying for jobs online and make sure u get one b4 u quit ur job. This is just an advise, the final decision is ABSOLUTELY YOURS.

i supported the first contributor, i can say u're a fortunate guy indeed. i want you to flash back and look inward & outward. u see, some of your colleaques that you have the same certificate. that still hoping from GOD,just to get 20k, job. I want you to think twice and dont forfeit this opportunities you have .What i,m sayin in essence is this, u're comfortable with your job here at least geeting 200k in a month. please dont leave this work.u can be goin to uk by visitation and let be realistic,not every body that work in Uk are making it. for me i will advice you to stick with your job here'cos once you quit this job .u can not get a better job like dat in UK.and if u get this kind of job,u know what they are up-too. i mean tax. think twice .

Many thanks to naijacutee and other contributors. Even if you get an averagely good paying job, you may never get the standard of living that your over 200k salary affords you in nigeria. I earn about 3 times that and as such live like a king in nigeria but to be frank, that money is ntn here.
You may get a job that pays over £40,000 per annum but by the time you remove your bills,tax and living costs, you'd be left with ntn. Life in uk is simply PAY AS YOU GO. The system is not designed for monetary empowerment. I globetrot and I can assure you that your 200k job is better than most jobs in many continents including America. However, one must admit that Nigeria is not safe.

This is a hard decision but no-one else can make it for you.

Why did you want to go and work in the UK in the first place? Do you still feel the same way? Were those reasons realistic?

If you think you can earn more money and have a better standard of living, well, you probably can't. No-one in the UK has servants and drivers etc (if you are quite well paid you may have a cleaner pop in for a few hours a week), and living expenses are very high. It's hard to afford to buy a house these days. It depends where you live in the country but if you are looking at the south-east (not even in London, but near enough to work in London) you need at least £200,000 for a house. A bit less for a flat. Renting - you are looking at £300 per month for a single room in a shared house, or from about £650 a month if you want a one-bedroom flat to yourself.

But, maybe that wasn't your reason. Maybe you wanted to experience living in another country? Maybe you want to live in a different type of culture? Maybe you want to join friends and family here? Maybe you want to live somewhere safer and more stable, where you don't need a guard for your house for example?

If it was just for money, I'd say stay where you are. If there are other reasons, then you need to weigh up all the risks and benefits. It's not easy to find work here. IT is a big employment area but there are also lots of qualified people here already. It is wrong but many British companies may not count your qualifications and experience as being as good as those from the UK.

Good advice

But, maybe that wasn't your reason. Maybe you wanted to experience living in another country? Maybe you want to live in a different type of culture? Maybe you want to join friends and family here? Maybe you want to live somewhere safer and more stable, where you don't need a guard for your house for example?

nah , we are nigerians you know, money first

cant you see he blazed his salary so we can see how rich he is

Frenchie,

All these guys are talking true. It is wise for you to secure something before coming down. I get the impression that a lot of companies are not quite sure that our qualifications and experience are authentic since there is absolutely nothing that we naijas cannot duplicate and we are well known for it, and as a result things might be a bit challenging for you at first.

But having said that, personally I think it is a God given opportunity to be able to leave your fatherland and experience something new. People who have not left their fatherlands, be they African, American or British have missed out on a lot. The British or American person who has not left his or her fatherlands behaves pretty much the same as the Naija person who hasn't left his or her fatherland, because they simply have not been exposed to something new. As a result they can be described as quite narrow minded when it comes do certain things (I mean no disrespect to anybody that falls into this category ohhhhhhhhh).

You can plan to come here for just a time and take all your valuable experience and knowledge back to naija and provide opportunities for others.

So my advise is for you to

(a) First of all really take time out and pray about this, ask God to order your footsteps so that you come during the time that favours you, since you already have the visa. It is not all doors that open for us that lead us down the right path. Some paths can take us to our doom did you hear of the Damilola Taylor case (little boy killed in South London about 10 years ago)

(b) Start looking for online recruitment sites that are specific to your experience and industry and start applying. There is

www.jobserve.com
www.planetrecruit.com
www.totaljobs.com
www.agencycentral.co.uk (this will give you all the list of agencies in the UK and tell you what industries they specialise in)
www.telecommunicationjobs.co.uk

(c) It would be very useful to come down here with as much money as possible at least £500. You will need this to travel, get a good coat (my broda e cold here ohhh) and other necessities.

(d) If you have a paddy down here that can put up with you for at least a month before starting to demand house rent

Hope this helps!!

Yeah, you can explore ur options, cuz change is the only constant thing in life, Best of luck

i will prefer you stay in Nigeria and try processing a job overr there first
you are a professional you shouldnt be treated as a labourer
my own problem is that i used my company as the body sending me to UK but i'm wish to use my uncle's account
is is possible?

how do i post message to nairaland?

tayorich,
Im very grateful for your contribution, I am hoping on God to guide me right cos this decision is a tough one and a life changing one.

well in Uk it depends on what part of the IT sector u re in,u can make as much as £300 per day or more,depending on how serious u r,and that will amount to about 6000pounds per month,if u do the calculation ,u'll know its a lot,but having said that I feel naija is a good place to live if u have the money,and if u re starting with 200k per month,theres always a chance of progressing further.

Tayorich gave u useful link,especially jobserve,u can have a look at it and it will give u a good idea of how much u can earn,

Contracting is where the money is,so check that option first


And Finally ,pray about it,cos it's only God that knows and he will guide in the right direction,

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