pafun:

6. You have two cars and two houses since 2006  on a job in UK ?. I very much doubt it. Else are you selling funny powders.
7. You have friends earning 500quid a day . How many days are they working in a year ? Not very many I am sure. I know several IT contractors , Nigerians and British; who have not worked for 2 years
7. Your wife's brother  is now working as a locum on 2000 quid a week . Locum what ?

I think you are dreaming. Whatever your present affliction is I sincerely  sympathise with you,

The other points do not really worth responding to, but if you think 6 & 7 above are far fetched, then you really need to revievew your circle of friends, You dont need to sell 'funny powders' before you can live a good live in the UK. ERP Consultants (SAP, JDE, PEOPLESOFT etc )I know have been employed for the last 10 years earning nothing less than £500 per day, and Naija contractors are quite reluctant taking a break/going on holidays hence lost income

With the way you negatively generalise and arrive at these kind of conclusions, I bet spend most of your London holidays in the south of River Thames!!!

sexxxxy:

but even i wont delude myself and turn a blind eye to the opportunities and life out there in nigeria all ppl do in abroad is work in circles,,get a job, save some money,if that job ends,get another , and go round and round, same circle,in 3 yrs,u look back and notice , u r still in the same circle,

It's not what everybody wants to hear but it's the truth, yes i'm still here,but i'm thinking of doin something about it and recognise ,when someone is quoting sense ,

I guess you dont know whats going on in nigeria. Its not as easy as before where you can carry your degree and CV from UK and get a job immediately. Now the 1st issue is finding where there is a vacant job ( if you can agree the salary(package) you'll be offered ) and 2nd is of course if you'll be hired.

If you doubt how hard it is getting a job in nigeria go to the next Global (Africa) Career Conference in UK and see how many ppl are willing to go back to nigeria. If the job vacancy is there in Nigeria, 90% of the Nigerian graduates in UK will be back in Nigeria

@Pafun,

It is not all Nigerians in the UK that are doing shit jobs.

I accept that some Nigerians are not doing the jobs they would really like to do but, at least, they have a job and they are taking care of themselves and family.

Some Nigerians are in good professional jobs, especially those who studied and completed their course in the UK. I know many Nigerians in the UK who are: Solicitors, Barristers, IT Consultant, Doctor, Nurse, Midwife, Civil Servant, Social Workers, etc.

There are still jobs in the UK. But there are less jobs now compared to the time before the recession.

@ pafun
Pls in total how many friends do you have in UK and before your 2 friends where unemployed what were they doing (i.e job position )

what jobs are u talking about?
hehehe, people are getting fired right , left and center and ure drawin conclusions from what u got from search engines
lol

Nairaland people and mis-yarning sha.
I thought the post was about whether there are jobs in the UK. Can we stick to the topic?
Most of the people find jobs in the UK from 'search engines' like Monster, for your information.
In fact, to further burst your bubble, my current job (in Nigeria) I got through a UK recruitment agency.

Thanks JJay. Those that dont know cant know. To be honest I also used to doubt those figures when I freshly arrived in the UK but as they say seeing is believing.

@ Pafun

I am just on my way to work, 1430 start. London is a 24 hour city so some of us have to work odd shifts. You lived in the UK for 6 years and you never heard the word locum? Anyway a locum is a contarctor doctor.

AjanleKoko:

Nairaland people and mis-yarning sha.
I thought the post was about whether there are jobs in the UK. Can we stick to the topic?
Most of the people find jobs in the UK from 'search engines' like Monster, for your information.
In fact, to further burst your bubble, my current job (in Nigeria) I got through a UK recruitment agency.

yeah, stick to topic and dont give misleading info is what i asked

and oh yeah the topic was about some guys the OP tot could do well by coming home instead of 'roasting' in UK;
its not really about if there are jobs in the UK or not. I hope we are clear

and to the other irrelevant detail and also to burst your bubble, i wont know if there are search engines for jobs for your kinda person cos i dont roam with your kinda travel document/passport
typical 9ja man

@Poster,

It depends on the people you know. Nigerians in Uk can do decent jobs and earn good living legally. I know doctors, bankers, teachers who are nigerians and they live in UK. Same goes for those in the states. Your friend may be out of job for now. It is not his fault. It is the economy and it is fast bouncing back. So, never judge him yet. At least, from what I can conclude, you stayed in his house when you visited. Not all nigerians do odd jobs. Not all nigerians are lazy. There are millions of non-lazy nigerians in nigeria who dont have jobs too. Is dat their fault? at least they are at home, yet no hope. Please, get facts b4 you conclude and dont base your facts on one man in Uk vs one man in nigeria.

JJay1:

The other points do not really worth responding to, but if you think 6 & 7 above are far fetched, then you really need to revievew your circle of friends, You dont need to sell 'funny powders' before you can live a good live in the UK. ERP Consultants (SAP, JDE, PEOPLESOFT etc )I know have been employed for the last 10 years earning nothing less than £500 per day, and Naija contractors are quite reluctant taking a break/going on holidays hence lost income

hmm, ERP consultants are well paid everywhere
even here in 9ja

pappilo:

Thanks JJay. Those that dont know cant know. To be honest I also used to doubt those figures when I freshly arrived in the UK but as they say seeing is believing.

@ Pafun

I am just on my way to work, 1430 start. London is a 24 hour city so some of us have to work odd shifts. You lived in the UK for 6 years and you never heard the word locum? Anyway a locum is a contarctor doctor.

Why do people get so hot under the collar whenever you say anything negative about UK; do they have something they desperately want to hide ?  Where in dictionary does locum automatically mean contractor doctor ? Have you never heard of locum nurses or locum lawyers or locum secretaries ? If you don't understand English don't pretend to. locum means "temporary" and I don't get the impression that  a Temp is a good job . That is why they are paid a lot higher than others who have permanent jobs.I know SAP contractors who can't keep a job for more than a few months at a time and others who have not lost a job in 5 years both in UK . What sort of job are you doing that qualifies you to work "odd shifts" shuttling between Lagos and London (North of the river   Hackney and Eastham are North of river by the way and you won't catch me dead living in either place)

This is getting to be a madhouse  I am out of here.
[who the heck put this on the front page anyway ?]

it is not easy to go inside yourself like you said Pafun. your fishery business is good in nigeria but if you live abroad, setting up a business is not easy. although not good for a guy not to have a job, gone are the days of making it easy overseas. it is scary out there but like they say, hope is the poor man's bread. so encourage those with mournful looks in the church  

Pafun
na wa for u o

some of ur points are tenable while some are way offff the mark

relax abeg

tboy1:

I guess you dont know whats going on in nigeria. Its not as easy as before where you can carry your degree and CV from UK and get a job immediately. Now the 1st issue is finding where there is a vacant job ( if you can agree the salary(package) you'll be offered ) and 2nd is of course if you'll be hired.

If you doubt how hard it is getting a job in nigeria go to the next Global (Africa) Career Conference in UK and see how many ppl are willing to go back to nigeria. If the job vacancy is there in Nigeria, 90% of the Nigerian graduates in UK will be back in Nigeria

yeah, i agree,that u can't carry ur degree n cv and get a good job immediately, if i could, would have done that years ago, n opportunities is not only bout jobs, it could b ideas,connections, ,gaps in the market loads,

The guy is not saying some ppl r not doin well in uk,he's simply saying, instead of roasting here n demeaning urself.,and wasting valuable years,y not try and a different route and not let fear rule ur life,

yeah we earn good money as contractors here, but it's the same circle i'm talking bout, the contract ends and u get a new one again,that ends, then another, yrs down the line , still applying for contract jobs, ur mates are in naija, becoming senate presidents n ur still here claiming to live the good rat race life, purlssss

sexxxxy:


yeah we earn good money as contractors here, but it's the same circle i'm talking bout, the contract ends and u get a new one again,that ends, then another, yrs down the line , still applying for contract jobs, your mates are in naija, becoming senate presidents n your still here claiming to live the good rat race life, purlssss

hmmm,
one mans meat is another mans poison
There are no rules to this game

if GS in Tahiti tells me to come doubling ma gross, ill leave where i am today and run down.
a couple of guys in the IB world in lagos today left places like BNP, Merryl L and co to start a life in Lagos while i know a couple of guys who hustled to get HSMP to move to good places in the UK

make good use of wherever you are. Lagos, London , New York will not tell the same story for everybody
You can be in Lagos and be better off than someone in Paris and vice versa

This is a never ending argument cos all man will just wanna defend his or her positions no matter how logical/illogical it sounds

sexxxxy:

yeah, i agree,that u can't carry your degree n cv and get a good job immediately, if i could, would have done that years ago, n opportunities is not only bout jobs, it could b ideas,connections, ,gaps in the market loads,
The guy is not saying some ppl r not doin well in uk,he's simply saying, instead of roasting here n demeaning urself.,and wasting valuable years,y not try and a different route and not let fear rule your life,
yeah we earn good money as contractors here, but it's the same circle i'm talking bout, the contract ends and u get a new one again,that ends, then another, yrs down the line , still applying for contract jobs, your mates are in naija, becoming senate presidents n your still here claiming to live the good rat race life, purlssss

You are not making any sense, there is no contract for life, it has time limit and when u are done with now, u get another one. You should be happy to have one. Not everybody wants to be a senator, stealing money, doing all sort of nonsense to make a living.

I must confess I rili enjoyed reading through the comments and I can establish that there is  a whole lot of sense in it.
@poster: You are sure a very knowledgeable person, with good business acumen and a drive to succeed. good for you!! Your points are quite clear, I dont know why most contributors seem to read it in a wrong contest.

@Everyone: UK is a land of opportunites, and with the right skills and majorly God on your side, irrespective of our disadvantages (colour and tongue) you can get yourself a very good job here. I have worked as a contractor for a while in the IT industry and I know what I  earned in a 3-month contract was better than my salary in Nigeria for a whole year (confirmed). But, the environement also is an highly capital intensive one where you get to spend so much too, to run the bills.
That said, I wouldnt say nigeria is not good, as if one is endowed with good business acumen or as one of the  contributors put it , you have a very sort-after skill, you can make it beyond bounds.

My conclusion: If anyone lives in the UK and relies on his wife for his daily meal, or sleeps home all day not finding a way forward, then check out your motherland, cos you might be missing something. The issue with the elderly ones is that they seem not to be able to go about the menial jobs again, claiming that they if they cant get something decent they had better stayed home(rubbish).

Yes you can, my dad's a living example

tkb417:

hmmm,
one mans meat is another mans poison
There are no rules to this game

if GS in Tahiti tells me to come doubling ma gross, ill leave where i am today and run down.
a couple of guys in the IB world in lagos today left places like BNP, Merryl L and co to start a life in Lagos while i know a couple of guys who hustled to get HSMP to move to good places in the UK

make good use of wherever you are. Lagos, London , New York will not tell the same story for everybody
You can be in Lagos and be better off than someone in Paris and vice versa

This is a never ending argument cos all man will just wanna defend his or her positions no matter how logical/illogical it sounds

I can accept that and u r right,one man's meat is another man's poison, and we can't all be senate presidents,

it just angers me,wehn someone is trying to make a point and instead of ppl reasoning with the point and come out with logical comments,they jump down his throat,

pafun:

I know SAP contractors who can't keep a job for more than a few months at a time and others who have not lost a job in 5 years both in UK . What sort of job are you doing that qualifies you to work "odd shifts" shuttling between Lagos and London (North of the river  )

Just before you exit from the controversy you created,

1. Bros the lesson here is that dont generalise!!

2. Check again with your "SAP contractors who cant keep a job for more than a few months at a time". Without attempting to generalise like yourself, the trend is for many Nigerian wannabe SAP contractors to get the SAP training/certification and the next morning tag themselves as "consultants" with "3+ years" (bogus) of SAP experience on their cv. This is synonymous to a medical practicioner graduating from med school today and call him/herself Consultant Surgeon the next day.

Most Naija SAP contractors (bogus) are not able to keep their contracts as SAP jobs require very high job know-how which can only be gained by genuine experience, a lot of these kind of consultants used to get away with it but the SAP market has changed dramatically in the last 4 years that clients get experts to conduct interview unlike in the past where some Project Manager will just have a chat with you and pronto you get the job.

These days, one who must learn to fly must first attempt to walk properly. Some get away with it but most are frustrated.



3. I really doubt if you genuinely lived in developed world like you implied, because if you do you wont assume working odd shifts to be a demeaning job. I was on an implementation for a Global SAP template for possibly the biggest oil company in the world with presence and users in well more than 200 countries. With the central design team in London Waterloo this means some consultants have to be in the office at crazy hours because of users in countries in different time zones (eg USA is 6 hours behind UK whilst Singapore is about 8 hours ahead of UK), in these situations would you just stroll into work on a 9-5 basis?

You probably will come up with another 'gist' trying to debunk this fact but trust me, SAP is my field and I know what goes on in its global job market

Again in Yoruba, "A i rin jinna lai ri abuke okere, ti a ba rin jinna a o ri ibi ti won ti n fi odo ibile jeun"

i feel most we nigerians have an unconscious bad belle syndrome trying to put people down and make fun of them

its really sad and i think its just plain wickedness to make fun of people regardless of their situation, cuz u dont know tomorrow
i'm refering to the earlier comments and jabs made at people in the uk.


well, i worked two white collar jobs in the uk, at a financial loan office call center as a collections agent, as a customer service officer receiving inbound and making outbound to the states.

heard about the job from a friend, I dropped my Cv online, received a call and got interviewed on phone( i guess they just wanted to test my English speaking skills) they arranged for a face to face, the guy who interviewed me was a Chinese dude with a jand accent ( which i silently found hilarious), he asked me questions from my cv and even corrected a mistake made a chronological blunder he liked me told me i go the job, i started the same day  (what they call observation then was told to come in two days for a one week training),
i guess what pulled me through was i imagined it was jackie chan interviewing me so i was relaxed and surprised my self when i gave smooth confident responses, (After much practice in front on the mirror the previous day, lol)

and no,  i didnt get to serve any1 tea or wash corpses, jeez where do you get this stuff? , "na wa for una"

i came back to naija got a job in a bank ( while i was working i applied to 5 schools gained admission in 3 and settled for the most affordable one ) worked briefly in a bank resigned from the bank returned to UK for my masters program ( and its not as if my grade in university was spectacular sef, but that's another story i'll share on another thread some other time)
                                                           
so, what are you people saying?
it's culture shock and nervousness off a new environment that lead people to apply for rubbish jobs cuz they feel they cant work in a multicultural environment with different accents.

if you know what you want package yourself well, as in "well, well", because here in uk the cv format is different and u need to think carefully b4 putting it out there or else it'll end up in the recycle bin!

i have a lots of success stories of people i've come across here!

*i stayed with a friend who finished from middlesex university, worked a nine to five in an I.T firm, as a safety analyst or sumthing, he has 2 sisters one finished with a 1st class in Uel and is working as an engineer at Transport for london ( na she dey chop money pass, lol)
she came back to naija got married is now doing her masters part-time working and moved into her husbands house and God only knows how much she'll be earning when she is done, and the other one works for natwest.


*i also have a friend here who always loved basketball in 9ja, he came to uk for a uni course and masters joined a basket ball team in school, na so the guy turn the school kobe bryant( there were only 2 black guys on the team and he was the best), this nigga has like 900 pictures (i'm not joking) of him with white people having fun clubbing, partying, having fun graduating and one with neyo on stage, yes, Neyo,  he organized a school event with his team mates and invited neyo , the school fell in love with him.

my guy performed with neyo on stage sha! ( this na pesin wey we dey chop olaiya amala for surulere!, lol)
you need to see this guys facebook page, i was inspired.
oh and he has over a thousand friends 70% white

when he graduated he was recommended by the school to Abbey bank, where he's currently working, ( that's what i call Networking in the highest order from basketball winning school trophies)

*i also met a chick i went to school with in 9ja working in a Tmobile centre,

*my aunt worked for the NHS is retired and lives in her own house in uk, her kids (my cuzins) one is a boxer the other son's in shell,  (although i dont really classify them as nigerians any more cuz dem don too teeeey 4 there, the kids were born there and they all have strong jand accents, and they eat typical white food, mashed potatoes, gravy, infact they've turned to white people,  or what they call "coconuts", Black on the outside, white on the inside, lol, still love them though,  but men, gravy?, i dont think so.

and more recently my friend just got a job in the university call centre ( his job is to call Old unihull alumni and get updates on what they are currently doing at present, its part time though cuz he's doing his masters too)

whats d essence of these stories u may ask?

to let you know the only thing limiting yourself is yourself, nothing else!

Jobs are out there its figuring out how to get them

the truth is most people misbehave when they come here and have the " No matter what i aint going back" mind set, overstay their visa's get stuck and in order not to get found out settle for crappy jobs here and there, thats why u here people doing rubbish jobs, even some with valid papers set their standards low and dont apply any strategy again it's culture shock and nervousnes,

yes strategy,, cuz this jobs seeking stuff can be a war atimes!

i should write a book on this poo,

Last , Last, Na God sha, all fingers no equal, God can only take you so far you need to use the sense he gave you to make the rite decisions in life, and not get stuck.

back home o, or for uk, somalia, or for china, sef, a job is a job, and i know with Gods help and determination i will get one anywhere, no shaking.

if u choose to return to naija, no wahala, remember There iS God
if u choose to stay here in uk, no wahala, remember God dey

people are just too adamant about this travelling to abroad thing.I had same mind set until i went there to see for myself."Experience is the best teacher".When I came back,I decided that I will do everything to develope myself and become a better person instead of staying there and wasting mytime.Thank GOD that I made that decision if not,I would have being where I am today.If you are not ready to do dirty deals,you know what I mean,then forget it as an immigrant.Guys are wasting in Europe.Take it or leave it.Nigeria is our country.Who do you want to mend the country for you?Its a collective effort.What I love about this country is that there is hope and freedom as we all know that these two words are not as easy as we hope to get them here compared to in europe.remember that even if you are a citizen,you are treated like second citizen.I WILL MAKE IT BIGGER HERE IN NIGERIA.i LOVE NAIJA

There are many Nigerians who are worthy ambassadors and who are and will still be doing fine
There are some who are out of jobs now or who are doing meagre /menial jobs
THE main issues are they may be suffering now but there will surely be light at the end of the tunnel
I would advice Nigerians in the UK to think of doing relevant courses,legalize their stays by all means
They should explore all opportunies available -Job centers,voluntary work ,EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES etc
They should love one another ,help one another like the Indians
Where I work (a local council) a Nigerian,a Yoruba man is one the Directors Chief Exec.supported by 5 directors
Nigerian doctors,lawyers,engineers,managers,teachers,politicians etc are helping the host countries
There are lots to gain travelling abroad,though may be rough and tough at times but I LOVE IT HERE
ALI HA MU DU LI LAHI---I tHANK THEE ALLAH FOR GRANTING ME PERMANENT STAY HERE ,assist me ALLAH TO BECOME A CITIZEN HERE.
IF U WANT TO COME I CAN GUIDE YOU.COME IN LEGALLY YOU WILL SMILE AND SMILE EVEN BY OTHER MEANS BUT BE SERIOUS HERE.
I came in 5 years ago,after hopeless situations back home and I am doing great courses and I am glad and happy.

benjamina:

people are just too adamant about this travelling to abroad thing.I had same mind set until i went there to see for myself."Experience is the best teacher".When I came back,I decided that I will do everything to develope myself and become a better person instead of staying there and wasting mytime.Thank GOD that I made that decision if not,I would have being where I am today.If you are not ready to do dirty deals,you know what I mean,then forget it as an immigrant.Guys are wasting in Europe.Take it or leave it.Nigeria is our country.Who do you want to mend the country for you?Its a collective effort.What I love about this country is that there is hope and freedom as we all know that these two words are not as easy as we hope to get them here compared to in europe.remember that even if you are a citizen,you are treated like second citizen.I WILL MAKE IT BIGGER HERE IN NIGERIA.i LOVE NAIJA

Please please and please speak for yourself, if u came here illegally then got deported that doesn't mean that every one of us did the same thing.

locum tenens [ˈləʊkəm ˈtiːnɛnz]
Chiefly Brit a person who stands in temporarily for another member of the same profession, esp for a physician, or chemist, Often shortened to locum

@OP, I dont know what you mean by "proper job", either someone is employed or not.

I agree with your point that many people in the Uk are either out of a job or low paid. However, can you honestly say that even more people in Nigeria are not experiencing the same thing?

I do also agree that Nigerians coming abroad make it a do or die affair to remain abroad, even when they are unhappy here (even if they do have a job).

There are many factors which may cause someone to be unemployed for a prolonged period and we dont know your friends situation to be fair. Many Nigerians come to the UK and clean toilets because of the the terrible start/foundation  after having tried to succeed in Nigeria, so they have to start from the bottom. They are not "connected" with friends who are either willing or able to help. Neither are they coming from a country where they can be springboarded into a high social strataphere once abroad.

Moving back to Nigeria has been the making of a few Nigerians, but only because they were somewhat priviledged to begin with, either with cash that they have aquired once abroad/education from abroad and connections in Nigeria.

Nigeria is NOT a place you go to empty handed. Its seems that your problem with your friends situation is that his wife has to hold the fort. What you dont understand is that in western cultures we understand that sometimes one person has to carry more of the load and it cant always be the man. Instead of looking down on your so called friends, you should offer support and advice.

Most of the Nigerians I know are making a very healthy living and none are cleaning toilets, and even if they did, they would only have to do it for a time anyway. It also seems you dont realise that you are one of the fortunate FEW and not the rule in Nigeria, look around you and it will be confirmed to you.

TBK u just dey vex take am easy na. I admire ur thought process but please try to be less brash.

@ annekix

I was enjoying your story until

*i also have a friend here who always loved basketball in 9ja, he came to uk for a uni course and masters joined a basket ball team in school, na so the guy turn the school kobe bryant( there were only 2 black guys on the team and he was the best), this nigga has like 900 pictures (i'm not joking) of him with white people havi[/b]ng fun clubbing, partying, having fun graduating and one with neyo on stage, yes, Neyo, he organized a school event with his team mates and invited neyo , the school fell in love with him.

my guy performed with neyo on stage sha! ( this na pesin wey we dey chop olaiya amala for surulere!, lol)
you need to see this guys facebook page, i was inspired.
[b]oh and he has over a thousand friends 70% white

like W, T, F?

Typical Nairaland responses

Poster : I wouldn't consider living abroad
NLanders : Oh it is because he wasn't given visa. Bad belle.


Poster : I have lived abroad and returned home , and I prefer being home
NLanders : Oh , na lie he must have been deported. Bad belle


Poster: I think UK is over rated
NLanders :Stupid man is Nigeria better. Shut your mouth.


Poster: Are there jobs in UK ?
NLanders :Are there jobs in Nigeria ? Me I no dey clean toilet sha o. I be proper legit with red pali. Na God go punish you for your foolish talk

Dem talk oyinbo pass Englishman

Dis Guy:

@ annekix

I was enjoying your story until

like W, T, F?

Lol, same, i switched off after that, like really WTF,

The bottom line is don't generalise!! No need to start explaining what I have achieved in less than a year of moving to the UK but please don't generalise.

@Parfun, have you offered your friend any help/assistance?