October 19, 2004

monster.co.uk ? I'll be moving to the UK soon, and I've been looking around for work in either Dublin or London. Unfortunately, being a stateser, I have absolutely no clue where to look. I know craigslist, monster.com, etc for the US... but for the UK, what are the best resources? I'm a computer programmer, if that's of any help.

As a followup, where can I find housing info online? And are there any good online communities for London, or Dublin, or anywhere UKish? Thanks for the help all.

posted by ian would say 20 years ago
  • argh, it was supposed to be titled "Curious King George". Damn you preview and post buttons looking so similar.
  • There's a Craigslist London, you might start there.
  • London stuff: gumtree.co.uk is a pretty good starting point (although I haven't personally used it myself). It's a bit craigslisty. There is, of course, also a London craigslist... Generally, the job sites get better the more industry-specialised they are. On the housing front, findaproperty is really good. And Loot is essential. Um. There's more stuff, but I can't remember right now. It's been a while... Don't really know about online communities - I've not found any (well, not since jacobw's LondonFilter din't really take off, sadly...)
  • If it works out well, let me know. I need a change of scenery.
  • Dublin is NOT int the UK!!!
  • It will be, once "Plan X" goes into operation.
  • I've been looking on gumtree, and it seems like the closest thing to what I'm searching for. I know there's a London craigslist, as a Dublin one as well, but go spend a few minutes on them and you'll realize my frustration. Something like 20 job posts, total, on dublin.craigslist.org in the past 60 days. I think one of them was for programming. mexican: Yeah you got me. Sorry if I offended any monkey bretheren across the pond. Silly that I should forget that, being that my last name is Shaughnessy.
  • Have you looked at monster.ie? I was going through their listings the other day and they seemed to have a ton of programming jobs. Most were in or around Dublin.
  • I'm also a programmer in London, and I've had interviews (through agencies) from jobserve. Have also used The IT job board. Don't give out your main email address to the agencies though: they seem to attract loads of spam. For accomodation in London, Loot is the main site as has already been said. It's also a advertisting paper which is very common. When you're actually hunting it's worth getting a subscription so you can see the offers early, but you can get an idea of prices from the free version (prepare to be horrified). Up my street has statistics on every postcode (like a zip code) if you want to find out about a particular area.
  • Hey, thanks for the shoutout. It's true London Filter never took off--but there's no reason it still can't. Go to the site, sign up, and start posting! If it could get a critical mass of, say, 5-10 people, I'm willing to bet it would come to life...
  • Oh yeah, and I don't know about Dublin, but in London I'd say getting a visa that allows you to work is the number one problem. AFAIK it's virtually impossible to get a job (or an interview) without one.
  • jacobw, what you need is someone to post it to metafilter. Look how well it worked for us!
  • ian would say - a couple more job web sites that I've used are: JobSite and CW Jobs. Agreed, Loot is the way forward for house/flat hunting in London. jacobw - Ok, you got me, I signed up. Now I just need to find something London-centric to post...
  • Yes, Tracicle, I agree. It's too bad there aren't any MetaFilter members hanging out at MoFi who might be kind enough to link to Londonfilter. [Clears throat. Glances around room. Arches an eyebrow significantly. Slips $5 to the maitre d'. Crosses legs seductively.] And, Dr. Dodger, welcome aboard.
  • *posts to AskMefi: "Who knows of any London-centric Filters?"*
  • I'd have to give huge props to jobserve, Loot, and gumtree as mentioned earlier in this thread. Also, if you're coming over with some cash, I wouldn't worry too much. London's unemployment rate is effectively nil, and the finance industry is hiring IT staff at the moment (based on my own recent interview experiences). I arrived here 2 years ago from South Africa with some cash in hand and a ruck sack. Two weeks later, I had permanent accommodation and employment (unrelated) as a systems integrator (sysadmin/coder).
  • Craigslist is in England now?!? Dang. Ten or so years ago craigslist.org was a bitty board for Bay Area geeks. I remember using it to find roommates in San Francisco. Now it's intercontinental. wipes tear Here's to Craig. That's a good thing he's spawned.