Driver’s License and Tips

DVLA is the agency responsible for issuing licenses in the UK. Their website is pretty detailed and informative – you'll find all the information you need on getting a license.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) – http://www.dvla.gov.uk

Just to give you a brief of the process involved

• Apply for the provisional license  Online at https://www.gov.uk/apply-first-provisional-driving-licence or by post (forms can be ordered at DVLA Form ordering service or at a post office)
• Once you receive the provisional license, you can register and take the written test (Includes a multiple choice test and a simulation test)
• Pass the written and appear for the driving test

All the bookings for written and practical exams can be done online at the DVLA site.

 For the practical test, it is good to get a few practice lessons from a driving school - this is especially needed for those who have driven a lot in countries like India (bit of unlearning of the bad habits needed which is where a good teacher can help). Some of the agencies include (worth checking the local players as well):

• AA
• BSM
• Billplant 

Settling in..

Continuing the sequence of deciding on moving to UK, sorting out the visa and finding a job, I move on to next stage viz. the settling in phase for new immigrants to the UK. My settling-in into the country has been relatively smooth as I had my close relatives who were settled in the UK and who provided me with the support needed in the initial phase. Although it does make things easier if you have someone you know in UK, it is not too difficult otherwise too but only if you have the financial wherewithal or if you're confident about quickly securing a job (Please refer to my earlier post for details on securing a job).

Registering with Providers
Once you've found a place to stay in, please do the following

• Register with the local General Practitioner (Local Doctor – the distinct area is attached to a specific GP Surgery – please check with your nearest GP if they're responsible for your area)
• Register with the local council and get enrolled in the electoral register (Will become important when you apply for credit card, mortgage etc)
• Register with the National Insurance (after you secure a job)
• Get your name registered and ownership change for your gas, electricity and telephone providers
• Open a bank account (you may need letter from your employer or will have to open current accounts with banks like HSBC who provide specialised bank accounts for immigrants)
• Become a member of the local council library ( if you're keen on reading)

Credit History
If you're planning to invest in property and want to take a mortgage, it is important that you work on building up your credit history. You can build your credit history by obtaining a credit card/store card and using it (But please don't fall into the interest traps of credit cards). Further, also take a loan if you can obtain one and repay it in time. This will help you build a good credit history in a span of 2 years and it would breeze for you to obtain a mortgage.

Community Activities
It is important that you get involved in your local community by working on charities. This will help you get settled into the British life much faster and will aid in your quicker mixing up in the local culture.

Finding a Job in UK

Although I haven't had to wait for too long to start working in UK (if you consider one month wait (that happened in my case), read on), I have heard of lot of people who had wait for as long as six months before they landed a good job. To be fair, you can get a job very much below your current skill levels soon enough or start working as a temp quickly. It is the permanent jobs that take a long time to fructify. This is factor of the longer planning involved in posting of permanent jobs (As an example, I have heard friend mention an interview for a job which was to start 9 months later). Also, companies do conduct a longer and in depth due diligence process to select their permanent staff.

Connecting to recruiters and maintaining your profile in LinkedIn is especially useful.

The steps I followed in searching for a job was to post my resume (Maximum 2 pages please) to multiple websites. Some of the websites I found useful include
Top Consultant
Reed
TotalJobs
Jobsite
Planetjobs
Jobserve
and of course, Monster


Ideally, you should be posting your profile and CV (with a UK address if you have friends/family here) before you land in the UK to give sufficient lead time for it to reach the head hunters.

Once here, you should also look at buying the weekend editions of the newspapers guardian, telegraph, time etc.

Also, its a good idea to keep multiple versions of your CV for various job profiles that you're targeting.

Timing is very important in terms of getting a job. Its been my experience that its bad idea to be hunting for a job closer to the holiday season as people tend to be busy wrapping things up before going for their breaks. But things start picking up one or two weeks after a long holiday (Major holidays here are linked to school holidays - July/August(Summer break) and shorter breaks in December and Easter (April)

Finally, it does help if you keep an open mind about the job you want.