Advices: Getting a Job

As you have probably heard a thousand times, the job you find is going to depend on the level of English you speak. That is true, however I would say that it’s going to depend on how brave you are. Based on my own experience and always talking about low/intermediate speaking levels, I would separate the jobs in two groups.

I would call the first group kitchen porter/cleaner. For carry out this kind of job, you will not be asked to speak English, but at the same time, you will not practice it and it will be difficult for you to improve your English. Besides, these jobs can be very tough and the possibility to be exploited by your boss is bigger. Whatever the country you go you will come across people who fancy take advantage, and they could try to cheat you because of you don’t speak English and you are desperate to get whatever the job. They could try to pay you less than the minimum or just take money from your wage.

The second group could be called waitress/shop assistant. I strongly recommend you try to get one of these jobs. As I wrote before, the level of your spoken English is very important but even more important is how brave and keen you show yourself about get the job. I know how much it scares to face a job like this (I am not going to understand them, they are not going to understand me, I am going to make a fool of myself), dude. Show your best smile, try to tune your listening at 200% (but showing lots of confidence in your face) and the job will be yours before you think. Afterwards come the tough two first weeks until you get use to the specific vocabulary related to your job (at the end it is a hundred words repeated thousands of times, just need to endure those two first weeks). In my case, I working in a sports shop, I used to look for the help of my colleages (nice and helpful people, by the way) when I didn’t understand what a customer was asking me (I still do it hahaha) Use sentences like “I am new so if you wait a second I’ll ask to one of my colleages”. If you get one of these jobs, you will be in contact with customers (which will improve a lot your listening and fluency) besides you will work in an atmosphere open to the dialog with the staff, make new friends and to talk a lot, that is what you need after all in order to improve your English.

About wages, in a lot of the shops, restaurant and coffeeshops you will be paid the minimum, wich is not too bad and can be enough for make a living. Nevertheless if you could get a job in Tesco or Sainsbury’s supermarkets, that would be awesome. It seems that they pay very well, in the other hand I have to say that I haven’t come across many Spaniards there. I ignore the reason. Maybe I'm wrong...

A very important factor to keep in mind when it is about getting a job (and about take the decision of when to move here) is the time of the year. For example, for this Christmas restaurants, shops, etc. have been recruiting a lot of people. The reason is easy to imagine, in these days the consume grows a lot thus companies need reinforcing their staff (Christmas jobs, as they call it) On the other hand January and February seem to be bad months for get a job, companies have more excess than lack of staff and find a job can be more difficult.

Other thing very important is the universitary calendar. There are thousands of students living in Bristol, and exam’s time and of course the end of the course (when they come back home for the summer break) are periods where a lot of those students leave their jobs free. Shall we say that may/june can be a good moment for arrive in Bristol and start looking for a job.

The best way to look for a job (apart of find out in Gumtree, Evening Post, etc.) is to buy a map (the A-Z is great and costs 5 pounds) and jump to the streets, spreading the wittiness and hapiness we are known for, and sooner than after you will get a job. The “corridor” Cabot Circus- Harbour- Park Street- Clifton- Whiteladies Road could be a good zone to start from. It would be rare if you need to go further to get a job. If that happens and the time passes without have a positive answer, don’t hesitate in make your geographical horizon bigger and be patient, eventually you will get it.

My arguments are based in my own and my friend’s experiences. I have generalized and summarize a lot but the truth is that with the level of English that the mosto of us have when we arrive in England we can expect to go too far. Of course as your level grows you can try to work in something related with your studies or career, but so far I can’t say too much about that.

Advices: Home sweet home

We (my girlfriend and me) arranged our accommodation from Spain trough the web First Step in UK. And we didn’t make a mistake. Find an accommodation for a couple in a shared house (or similar) can be pretty tricky in this city (I guess it must be the same in others), that’s what made us take the decision of contract the services of this company and honestly, we hit the nail on the head.

The house where we are living is the result of put together two Victorian houses, turn the most of the rooms in bedrooms and build the enough number of WC’s and kitchens so that there’s one of them per each three bedrooms. Among all the rooms ours is the best (I reckon). Facing South and with a huge window, warm and bright, large, recently painted and with the fridge (yes a fridge in the bedroom) and bed brand new. I call it affectionately “our suitte”.

If you want to share a house or rent a flat, the usual web is Gumtree. Others like Easyroommates and Flatroomshare are very good as well. Of course try to find non-Spanish-speaking housemates. In Bristol you will meet a massive amount of Spanish people, that’s something good and that makes you feel at home, but if what you want is practice English (that is one of the reasons cause we are here, isn’t it?) is very important sharing the house with non-Spanish-speaking and if they are English, much better.

About the neighbourhoods, the first advice you will hear is: “scape from the saints”,  in relation to St. Paul which can be a bit “problematic”. In my opinion what you should do is to visit as houses as you can and focus in how is your room, your future housemates, and it not to be out in the sticks.

The matter of the distances deserves an own chapter. I apply the relativity theory. Bristol is a city with a lot of uphills, and the far or near that your house is, will depend on how steep the street that leads you home.

Advices: First night

Flights from Spain (mainly the cheapest) arrive in Bristol by late night. If you have already arranged an accommodation, will be too late to meet with the landlord, sign your contract and take position in your new house. In any case the best you can do is spend your first night in a Youth Hostel. We chose the Rock and Bowl (as known as The Lanes). The Rock and Bowl is a hostel and a pub at the same time. The pub is very cool, with its bowling lanes and two bars and very well decorated. I have never been there for a drink but seems to be the perfect place for that and of course a game of bowls.

The cleaning and furniture (in the hostel) are not the best in England. So if you don't mind to expend just a few more quids I recommend you the YHA Bristol.  Would I know it before would I spend my first night there, is cleaner and cosier and placed in a much better place.

The transfer from the airport can be made by bus or taxi. A taxi will cost you 6 pounds and you drop off to five minutes walking from Rock and Bowl and 15 minutes from YHA Bristol. A taxi cost 26 pounds, takes the third part of time and leaves you in the door of the hostel. Is up to you. The cost of the taxi is 26 pound for the ones that you will find in the front door of the Airport.  Use those, they are painted in an undefined light colour, in the very door, you can’t miss them. If you take the typical blue bristolian taxi, they will charge you 30 pounds minimum. Never pay more than that for a lift to or from the Airport. Never.