Greetings my elders,

Quite an educative thread. Just finished reading from 500 - 672 and i say thank you to all you guys for your immense contributions to helping people integrate into the UK culture.

I am due to come to the University of Sheffield this Sept for a postgraduate course in Data Science while my DW will be my dependent - no kids yet. I need your help as to the best way for us to settle down in the UK.

I have looked on UK job sites and I see that there is a lot of jobs around Data Science and i believe it is on the shortage occupation list - 2135. I already have more than 5 years IT work experience and a recent 2 years work experience as a Systems Analyst here in Nigeria. As regards getting a job i know i would need to temp work as an assistant in a supermarket or amazon so as not to breach my term time work limit.

As for DW, she studied Microbiology in Nigeria and has worked in an hospital for 3 years as a health worker although she was basically in the children and midwifery department - NPower . Based on fatima04 input, I was hoping she could get a temp job as a care assistant for about 3/4 months before transitioning into the Health Care Assistant roles via NHS. Or can she get a job directly as HCA with her current study and work experience?

Our eventual target is for her to become a Nurse. Will she be able to transition into a Nurse even if she has to go via this route:

A level 4 Cert in Nursing
https://www.reed.co.uk/courses/nursing/299893#/

& top up Nursing course from University of Derby
https://www.derby.ac.uk/online/nursing-courses/nursing-studies-top-up-bsc-hons-online/

or just she continue to take other courses in HCA until she gets to Management Consultant level 7 as stated by fatima04?


One more thing, can a couple be allowed to stay in a studio or we can go for a one bedroom?

If she gets a job outside of Sheffield, will she be able to rent an accommodation alone so as to boost her credit score in terms of payment of bills, council tax etc?

Thank you for your input

My naija people, is it normal an estate agent to ask you how much you make per annum just to book an appointment for viewing their listings.

Mind you I want to rent not buy the property.
I was asked what I do which I perfectly understand. But my salary

Bluetherapy:
My naija people, is it normal an estate agent to ask you how much you make per annum just to book an appointment for viewing their listings.

Mind you I want to rent not buy the property.
I was asked what I do which I perfectly understand. But my salary

Yes. It’s part of the screening process, and it’s so that you both don’t waste each other’s precious time. Look at it this way, why book someone in for viewing when they can’t afford to rent the property? Some people go for viewing like window shopping, just to kill boredom . Only that for viewing, someone else’s time is involved.

If you really need or want the property, disclosing your income should not be an issue.

Bluetherapy:
My naija people, is it normal an estate agent to ask you how much you make per annum just to book an appointment for viewing their listings.

Mind you I want to rent not buy the property.
I was asked what I do which I perfectly understand. But my salary

Lol. Most agents now put all these crazy checks in place to avoid time wasters and potential defaulted.

If you earn enough salary...just let them know how much you earn.

If it's an issue....just ignore and look for others who won't ask.

icon8:


Yes. It’s part of the screening process, and it’s so that you both don’t waste each other’s precious time. Look at it this way, why book someone in for viewing when they can’t afford to rent the property? Some people go for viewing like window shopping, just to kill boredom . Only that for viewing, someone else’s time is involved.

If you really need or want the property, disclosing your income should not be an issue.

I understand you. But look at it this way, I tell them my salary, they store it in their database.

Few months later, I'm in the market to buy and they are the seller's agent. They already have all my information without me giving them.

Vicas2000:


Lol. Most agents now put all these crazy checks in place to avoid time wasters and potential defaulted.

If you earn enough salary...just let them know how much you earn.

If it's an issue....just ignore and look for others who won't ask.

I understand, just that I found it weird because they mentioned a statement like so as to know if I can afford it.

Are they the one to tell me what I can afford abi. I'm not calling for a serviced apartment worth £2k

Bluetherapy:


I understand you. But look at it this way, I tell them my salary, they store it in their database.

Few months later, I'm in the market to buy and they are the seller's agent. They already have all my information without me giving them.

So, what happens then?

At the bolded, you gave them the info as a prospective renter. What’s your point?

icon8:


So, what happens then?

At the bolded, you gave them the info as a prospective renter. What’s your point?

Agents are already pro sellers nah.

Bluetherapy:
My naija people, is it normal an estate agent to ask you how much you make per annum just to book an appointment for viewing their listings.

Mind you I want to rent not buy the property.
I was asked what I do which I perfectly understand. But my salary

To ascertain affordability...... To ensure you are not pricing Agege bread, when all you can afford is puff puff.......

Bluetherapy:

Agents are already pro sellers nah.

There's something called purpose limitation under the UK GDPR - they very likely can't use your information obtained for the purpose of renting you a house to cold-sell you property.

Aphrodite007:


This scared me.

You will be surprised that Armed Robbers from Nigeria would have gotten UK visas during the non appearance visa scheme. I went to a music show by a visiting Nigerian musician in London in 2009 and I can bet that some of the people I saw attending that show are hardened criminals from Nigeria and being the reflective person that I am, I started praying to God that may none of my kids end up marrying any of those guys kids in future.

Ilekokonit:


You will be surprised that Armed Robbers from Nigeria would have gotten UK visas during the non appearance visa scheme. I went to a music show by a visiting Nigerian musician in London in 2009 and I can bet that some of the people I saw attending that show are hardened criminals from Nigeria and being the reflective person that I am, I started praying to God that may none of my kids end up marrying any of those guys kids in future.

It is well ohhhh

How does one apply for the loan?

omopapa:
They have interest free loan, where u can pay back once u start earning.

icon8:


Baalę of Norwich

So, because your madam is the principal, you don’t have a say in the affairs of your home? In Falz’s voice, “is it a prison something”?

Bro, I have a say and a big say. There is a way u allow a woman to operate so that u can enjoy ur home.

Part of my say is coming here to learn more about the said place.

When u want to lay ur points, u must have ur fact.

Don't under estimate the power of nairaland bro.

Thank u

Ilekokonit:


Please tell your wife to think long and hard about relocating away from Norwich just because she is being victimised in her work place. It comes with the territory especially if a) you are a confident black person who doesn't see Oyinbo as God and b) you work in the public sector (e.g Hospitals, schools, councils or with one of their contractors that has a lot of Ex Public sector Staff) . There is no where where you have a majority of white people where you will not find racism towards black people or victimization of black people and if some people who have lived in the UK for decades tell you what they have experienced from managers (white, black and asian) in the work place you will marvel.

I remember resigning from a job once as an Accountant when my asian manager in a Private publishing company was queried by her Top directors as to why she is allowing a Nigerian to sign cheques for suppliers and one day I went to lunch and came back and saw her packing all the cheque books away from my desk saying that she could no longer allow me to sign cheques as she had not fully checked my references and knowing where she was going, I said fair enough, but why did she allow me to sign cheques the previous day and she had no answer (as she sussed out that I knew where she was going) and she eventually went into her office to bring out a letter from Barclays Bank that showed that the former Accountant (not a Nigerian but an Asian like her) stole £10,000 from them.

I Promptly reported her foe prejudice to the HR Director who by chance happened to be a mixed Race guy who then forced her to apologise and the chap asked me if i still wanted to continue in the self employed contract role and i reluctantly said Yes (which i didn't mean) and on asking my asian manager (also an accountant) if she wanted me to continue in the role she said no as she could not change her self and in the end she was forced to pay me off as i was a self employed contractor and she still had the effrontery to ask me to do some more accounting postings before i left to which i refused.

I've also actually been sacked by a company that buys cameras on lease and then rents them to the BBC and what was my offence ?? Not doing the VAT Fraud they were accustomed to doing prior to my joining them. Thank God I left accounting for Good and moved back into IT more than 3 Years ago.

There is even an NHS Hospital where I was a Systems Accountant and I ended up resigning in 2006 because I did an NHS sponsored ECDL exam, scored 92% and the Carribean invigilator (unbeknownst to me at the instigation of my Carribean line manager) asked me to retake the exam as she was not sure i did not cheat to pass and i had to educate her that she should forget what she reads on the internet and that not all Nigerians are fraudsters or exam cheats and that some of us were already highly educated before we left Nigeria. These NHS winches turned it into a disciplinary hearing against me because i sent an email to them that made them look silly for their prejudice and their NHS kangaroo court found me guilty of losing my temper (after being accused wrongly of being an exam cheat)
and my "punishment" was that they would be watching me for the next one year to see if I lost my temper again. I went back to my desk thought about the implications for my freedom of expression for the next 12 months and withing 30 minutes, i resigned and 2 days later, i relocated back to Nigeria to open a restaurant ( which didn't work out due to pilfering staff - hence my coming back to the UK in 2008).

In my above 3 jobs, I really had no rights to sue the said employers because the first one was a self employed contractor post, the second one I had been there for less than 2 years ditto the NHS one as well but If your wife has spent at least 2 years with her employer, she has so many rights of litigation that she may not be aware of.

But having said that, your wife's victimization experience comes with the territory if you are a non subservient black person and to prevent gaps opening up on her CV which WILL work against her in the UK, she will just have to grit her teeh and fight fire for fire especially if she is in the right and she has been with that employer for at least 2 years and SHE MUST JOIN A TOP UNION SOON and if her employer has no union she can use the following online tool to find the best union to join - https://www.tuc.org.uk/join-a-union


But what is the guarantee that if she relocates out of Norwich she will not meet a bigger racist demon in her new workplace ?

Her best bet is NOT TO RESIGN, (if the stress is too much she can call in sick if need be to buy time and if she works in the public sector and you both have your indefinite stay then instead of resigning she could go off sick due to work related stress for at least a month whilst she regroups her thoughts, reflects and applies for as many replacement jobs IN THE SAME NORWICH) , join a union if she is not already in one and NEVER RESIGN but make a harassment, bullying or victimisation / discrimination complaint to HR unless she feels that the HR staff could also turn against her in solidarity with their racist winch colleagues in which case as a last resort depending on you guys visa statuses and if she has been there for more than 2 years she can resign and sue her employer for constructive dismissal BUT RESIGNATION or RELOCATION IS A LAST RESORT AFTER SHE HAS TRIED ALL THE OTHER METHODS I'VE SUGGESTED ABOVE.

In the UK, Constructive dismissal is when you jumped before you were pushed i.e. you resigned yourself when the conditions became unbearable because of bad treatment from your employer or its agents (i.e managers or colleagues) for instance if your manager in the UK calls you a Black bastard and you have proof or witnesses and there have been other instances that made you suspect that the said manager doesn't like you because of your race and non-subservience and you have been with that employer for at least 2 years and you and your spouse have indefinite stay then you can resign immediately and take the employer to an employment tribunal and you WILL win a case of Constructive Dismissal with a payout that "could" be a multiple of your annual salary depending on your length of service but take heed because such cases may drag on for years during which time you still have bills to pay !!!!!!

So, your wife's best bet is NOT TO RELOCATE OR RESIGN but to first go off sick if the victimization becomes unbearable and then go back and fight it out with them BUT ensuring she sticks to the contents of the organizations employee hand book (which she must devour during her time off sick) but she should NOT relocate to a different city and should NOT resign as the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know. she has no guarantee that a new job in a new city will be any better and at worst she should start looking for a job in the same Norwich but never resign before getting a new job as it is easier to get a job whilst you are still in one and any gaps on your CV WILL be used against you in the UK.

Good Luck.

Honesty, I must say a very big thank u for ur patience in writing what u wrote.

I must tell u I carefully read all u wrote and u actually nailed the points.

My wife happens to be d quiet industrious person which makes her vulnerable to her bosses even in Nigeria before she came to England.

But I, I am the rugged type that will face my problem my the horn.

But thankfully, she was able to write her Manager yesterday and threathed to report her to the HQ and her union if she refuses to look into her complains as she has written that same letter before last year without the threat.

I think the letter is begining to yeild positive result but all hand crossed as we will observed the next event of action from the manager.

If no changes, she will be forced to write the HQ.

Thank u once again and ur write up is well appreciated.

Lexusgs430:



To ascertain affordability...... To ensure you are not pricing Agege bread, when all you can afford is puff puff.......

What if I earn 60k with alot of financial commitments....no be the same thing?

TheGuyFromHR:


There's something called purpose limitation under the UK GDPR - they very likely can't use your information obtained for the purpose of renting you a house to cold-sell you property.

I understand. But that's if I know what they do with it nah.
Not cold -sell but use it for whatever demographics they want or so.

But it's well.

Ilekokonit:


You will be surprised that Armed Robbers from Nigeria would have gotten UK visas during the non appearance visa scheme. I went to a music show by a visiting Nigerian musician in London in 2009 and I can bet that some of the people I saw attending that show are hardened criminals from Nigeria and being the reflective person that I am, I started praying to God that may none of my kids end up marrying any of those guys kids in future.

Sir, you seem to stereotype people a lot. Well done

Bluetherapy:

What if I earn 60k with alot of financial commitments....no be the same thing?

This is why a credit check is run....... You cannot use Blue therapy to bamboozle them.......

TheGuyFromHR:


The bolded and italicized are worth their weight in gold.
If, bad as e bad, one must resign and face the prospect of an employment history gap, either volunteer somewhere, or reinvent yourself as a consultant and find a relevant training course, pay and dive into it immediately, or travel back to Naija to patriotically volunteer to help the overstretched and underfunded health service there with your newly acquired/refined in the UK skills during the Covid crisis or travel back to Naija to look after your very sick father/mother/beloved sibling/grandparent on the point of death for a couple of months.

Bros, the way they capitalize and exploits gaps on your CV in the UK, you will think they go to a mafia school to train in sifting out gaps on CV's. After leaving an NHS job in disgust and relocating to Naija to open a restaurant in 2006 for 2 years, I began researching NHS employment practices and then discovered that the NHS Hires People Whose Job It Is To Get Rid Of Non-conformists Or Whistleblowers.

Below are links to a Nairaland article I wrote about this in 2013 and also a BBC link to the story of a sacked and victimised NHS service manager who was then gagged by the NHS from speaking out about his dismissal and his concerns over patient safety plus links to various NHS whistle blowers both Ethnic and Non Ethnic who were sacked unfairly for raising concerns or whistle blowing.

The mafioso NHS managers hates with a passion whistle blowers, patient safety champions, activists, honest people, non conformists and people who do not always say Yes, but have a mind of their own. If you now happen to be Black with an African Accent and you have some of the afore mentioned qualities, it is double trouble for you if you work in the NHS or the public sector generally unless you are prepared to padlock your mouth and close your eyes in the face of rights violations, fraud or the general piss taking and injustice managers in the NHS at band 9 and above mete out to those on lower pay bands.

The way it works in the NHS is that top managers at Band 8/9 and above (£87,754/£104,927 pa) lick their bosses ass so much that their bosses give them a carte blanch free hand that allows them to treat those they manage however they feel like.

The NHS has deteriorated to the state that there is now fraud being discussed openly by managers in the NHS at least I was witness to one some years ago when I was a Accountant at one of the NHS bodies and I was in the canteen having lunch and two top managers who were also Doctors came into the canteen (one American and one British) and they assumed that because all the cleaners in the multi story building were black, it meant that I must also be a cleaner who wouldn't understand accounting or balance sheets and so they brought out some papers and were openly and audibly discussing how they were going to turn £60,000 into £600,000 in the Accounts not knowing that I was an accountant. I just smiled and carried on with my lunch.

And there is also the case of St Georges Hospital where the CQC (Care Quality Comission) found that Consultant Heart Surgeons mistrusted each other, as did cardiologists, anaesthetists and senior leaders. The hospital tried to blame it all on an Asian Professor - Prof Marjan Jahangiri who helped build the cardiac Surgery Unit and had been instrumental in training many other cardiac surgeons (most probably because of her race and the fact that she had the guts to call out under performing white surgeons) and they ended up sacking her but had to re-instate her after she took them to court and won.

In fact this same Asian Prof mentioned above at St Georges Hospital raised concerns about the performance of her colleagues and she was promptly mailed a dead animal and a decapitated doll in the post and the heart surgery unit was suspended after a leaked review found that a ‘dark force’ consuming the dysfunctional unit was putting patients at risk.

And these dark forces are Surgeons at a Complex heart surgery unit at one of the biggest teaching hospitals in the UK

At the same St Georges Hospital, the Finance Director (this time a white man) was sacked for his “management style”. But was he really dismissed because he asked awkward questions about false figures for cancelled operations ? I think he was because having worked in the NHS as a Finance Manager as recent as 2016, I could be at the office as late as 12 midnight trying to reconcile and get to the bottom of the dodgy figures my managers were showing as gospel and being a contractor, my contract was eventually terminated because my manager said I was [s ]"too slow" [/s] getting nearer the truth.

The Finance Director took St Georges Hospital to an Employment Tribunal which found that he was unfairly dismissed.

So, to those working in the UK especially in the NHS and the public sector where winches full well well, or even in the Private sector (especially big household names) if you get sacked in the UK after you have been at an organization for 2 years or more and you know it was an unfair dismissal, your first task the next day is not to phone your pastor or imam or spiritualist but to search online for a "specialist" employment lawyer and hand over the case to them on a no win no fee basis where you don't pay them a fee until you win the case and get a payout and if your case is airtight and you've been with the same employer for >= 2 years both yourself and the "specialist" employment lawyer will smile to the bank although the case may take a year or more to resolve but then again to save their name they may settle out of court in a few months after testing your determination and resolve.


So to those working in the NHS, if you have thin skin or are not good at playing office politics dog eat dog to the max, always have it at the back of your mind that you are working with venomous vipers and its safe to keep a keen eye on the job market.

https://www.nairaland.com/1198553/nhs-hires-people-whose-job

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21444058

https://londonnewsonline.co.uk/heart-surgeon-unlawfully-suspended-from-her-job-at-st-georges-hospital-is-reinstated-by-high-court-judge/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/st-georges-hospital-deaths-review-london-nhs-surgery-whistleblower-dead-animal-doll-a8742596.html

https://www.publicfinance.co.uk/news/2004/02/perkin-shattered-pyrrhic-victory

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1140671/

lightest:

Honesty, I must say a very big thank u for ur patience in writing what u wrote.

I must tell u I carefully read all u wrote and u actually nailed the points.

But thankfully, she was able to write her Manager yesterday and threatened to report her to the HQ and her union if she refuses to look into her complains as she has written that same letter before last year without the threat.

I think the letter is beginning to yield positive result but all hand crossed as we will observed the next event of action from the manager.

If no changes, she will be forced to write the HQ.

Thank u once again and ur write up is well appreciated.

A lot of black people in the UK do not realize that Oyinbo's fear losing their jobs more than black people . For us, he that is down need fear no fall but with Oyinbo, with their expensive car lease, expensive mortgage, holiday payments, employer pension contributions, they can not risk losing that job or have a blot of discrimination / racism with HR or on their CV and this is why when they single out a black person who does not worship white people, they gang up in cliques against that black person so that when the black person eventually complains to HR, they already have the strength in numbers that the HR guys (mainly white as well) may use to discount your claim by them saying after all so many people can not be victimizing just this one black person especially seeing that most ethnic minority staff in the UK workplace will never complain even in the face of blatant racism and this has led the white bosses to believe that people from ethnic minorities will do any thing for money or to keep their jobs and they get confused and angered when they meet a single black person who is standing up against their subtle and closet racist gangups / victimization in the workplace. Remember that a white mechanic genuinely believes that he is better than a black Professor.

These workplace closet racists mainly get away with blue murder because a lot of black and ethnic minority people in the UK do not complain when their race is being used to victimize them in the work place and if they come across a fellow black or ethnic person fighting racism in their work place, they will start avoiding that person like a plague in order to be in the good books of their white bosses failing to realize that injustice against one black person is injustice to all black people .

Get in touch with them, they will direct you to their lending agencies

Theflint1:
How does one apply for the loan?

Regex:
I experienced racism in my previous job that I had to quit and tbh it is really difficult to get another job although I'm still a student. I had to tackle one stupid white who wanted me to over work myself and the guy went to call the big boss on me like I stole his candy or something... Someone as old as my father.

Na their I come know say oyibo deh lie well well.

One of the "qualities" I have observed in the UK among managers is the fact that a lot of them have no conscience and they will gang up in a clique against you if you are not a Yes person or you have too much self confidence and they do this witch hunting against strong willed white people as well.

Many years ago I saw my line manager who had tried to control me without succeeding reading a book at KFC about witchcraft and the same manager at an outing told me that any time we are coming in opposite directions in the long office gangway he feels as if I am going to punch him and this is me who has a smile on my face and hold no evil intention against him. This shows that na him witchcraft dey worry am as he couldn't fathom how he had dominated people who had been there years before I joined but couldn't dominate me.

And you are correct, Oyinbo too can lie and generally when Oyinbo wan do evil, dem dey plan am scientifically that its effects are devastating to the victim. But chin up and don't worry as you will eventually get a GOOD job as a mans gifts and something he is very good at will ALWAYS open doors for him sooner or later. Delay is no denial !!!!

Abba114:
to hell with the uk its not heaven i wont endure all this stress just to go where i am not wanted Bleep them

I like your spirit and self belief and people like you succeed big time in Nigeria. This is exactly the mindset my brother in law had many years ago and he is now a Commissioner in one of the states as he told my sister when they were still very young that he was not prepared to come and wash plates, suffer, under achieve or play second fiddle in the UK even though she had a UK pali and his calling the bluff of that UK pali paid off for him BIG TIME.

He now visits the UK like going to Yaba.

Bluetherapy:
My naija people, is it normal an estate agent to ask you how much you make per annum just to book an appointment for viewing their listings.

Mind you I want to rent not buy the property.
I was asked what I do which I perfectly understand. But my salary

They have the right to ask if that is what the property owner or their insurance company requires. I even know that because their insurance company requires such, some landlords will not rent out apartments to unemployed people even though their rent is guaranteed by the Government paid housing benefits (provided that the tenant has a UK passport or indefinite stay).

Moreover, they can't do anything sinister with your salary details but they want to check that you can afford to pay the rent and don't be surprised if they do a credit check on you to see your credit standing or if you are owing any Gas, Electricity, Water or Phone bills from your previous address and some even ask from a reference from your last landlord.

Ilekokonit:


I like your spirit and self belief and people like you succeed big time in Nigeria. This is exactly the mindset my brother in law had many years ago and he is now a Commissioner in one of the states as he told my sister when they were still very young that he was not prepared to come and wash plates, suffer, under achieve or play second fiddle in the UK even though she had a UK pali and his calling the bluff of that UK pali paid off for him BIG TIME.

He now visits the UK like going to Yaba.

So, did you fail to make it BIG TIME in Nigeria because you did not have self belief? Seems you’ve only got negative things to say about the UK and ‘white people’, yet it is the same place you ran back to, after burning your fingers in Nigeria and fellow Nigerians did you ‘iskanci’.
Quit the stereotyping, sir. There are good and bad people everywhere, and everything you’ve attempted to demonise the UK and ‘white people’ for also happens in Nigeria by black people to black people. You probably would know that if you ever worked as an employee in Nigeria at any time before your UK sojourn.

Abba114:
to hell with the uk its not heaven i wont endure all this stress just to go where i am not wanted Bleep them

Let's pretend everywhere on earth is a hell.. UK would still be termed a better hell cos it strives to give a heaven to its people.. Naija on the other hand, pours more fire upon its people's head, making the hell burn hotter..

Thereddevil:

Let's pretend everywhere on earth is a hell.. UK would still be termed a better hell cos it strives to give a heaven to its people.. Naija on the harder hand, pours more fire upon its people's head, making the hell burn hotter..

There d devil indeed, speaketh........

Bluetherapy:
My naija people, is it normal an estate agent to ask you how much you make per annum just to book an appointment for viewing their listings.

Mind you I want to rent not buy the property.
I was asked what I do which I perfectly understand. But my salary

Yes normal or at least when I was a tenant , it was a standard question. Dont know if things have changed ..... they have to be sure you can afford the rent

Bluetherapy:
My naija people, is it normal an estate agent to ask you how much you make per annum just to book an appointment for viewing their listings.

Mind you I want to rent not buy the property.
I was asked what I do which I perfectly understand. But my salary

When I screen potential tenants, I expect an income of 4 times rent as that's what my insurance requires (I have rent guarantee insurance) which means I have to ask for the monthly income and proof of it. So yes, expect to also send in payslips or bank statements to back up the amount you say you earn.

Bluetherapy:


I understand you. But look at it this way, I tell them my salary, they store it in their database.

Few months later, I'm in the market to buy and they are the seller's agent. They already have all my information without me giving them.

It doesn't work that way!

Ticha:


When I screen potential tenants, I expect an income of 4 times rent as that's what my insurance requires (I have rent guarantee insurance) which means I have to ask for the monthly income and proof of it. So yes, expect to also send in payslips or bank statements to back up the amount you say you earn.

You ask for all that prior to arranging a viewing appointment? Just to view the property?