Job Hunting in Scotland

Scotland's seasonal and short-term work is centred around the tourism and service industries. The summer months are the most popular as people flood into the cities and countryside to explore Scotland, an take part in the many festivals.

Edinburgh and Glasgow offer plentiful opportunities in bars and restaurants, but accommodations are also the most expensive. Hotels, golf resorts and spas are also a good place to look for work. They may also provide accommodations. Another option is with the many campsites, caravan and holiday parks in the positions of wardens, sales, and reception staff. Look to Seton Sands near Edinburgh and Sandylands by Ayrshire. Yet another option is in the agricultural industry. Around Fife (St Andrews, North of Edinburgh) there are fruit and vegetable farms that take on extra workers during the summer. Accommodation is also provided, mostly in old mobile homes. Some of the best opportunities also provide extra services like free buses into town.

Search Engines

• The National Trust
• http://www.seasonworkers.com
• http://www.scotcareers.co.uk/jobs-scotland-parttime.html
• http://www.jobinscotland.com/seasonal.htm

EURES

As part of the EU, job seekers can access the European job mobility portal EURES. This resource provides information about job vacancies and the labour market. It also provides information on the living and working conditions, and a CV posting service.

Forums

Expat and social forums are another resource for job seekers. Go to EasyExpat's job listings.

Newspaper

Several papers have a helpful classified's section.

These include:
• The Scotsman
• The Daily Record
• Hearld Scotland

Summer Jobs

The National Trust
The National Trust is responsible for many of Britains heritage sites and requires seasonal workers to maintain the sites. The busy season is from March to October. Jobs include retail, maintenance, and service industry.

Seasonal Beach Work
Housing and Communities, Parks and Countryside has around 550 employees. Positions such as maintains, life guards, and sales are available.

Teaching Foreign/English Language

As the majority of people speak English in Scotland, this is not the most profitable side line. There are, however, language schools and people wanting to learn languages. If you have an unaffected English accent you may be more desirable than native Scots who sometimes have a difficult to understand accent. It is also possible if you are a native speaker in another language like French, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, etc. that you can fin your own niche market.

There are more opportunities during the summer. Summer school teachers are usually required for between 2 and 7 weeks for a Scottish university. Teachers should be qualified to Diploma level or have considerable experience with adults and children. Candidates must have the right to work in the EU. To find work, contact language schools directly.

It is also an option to work for yourself. Private Lessons are usually more profitable per hour, but means a lot of hard work to find your own customers. The best way to get private students is to post advertisements in business newspapers, on bulletin boards, or offer your resume on expat site's job listings.

Student Employment Contract

An employment contract is standard for any working environment and in the case of student or short-term work, a student employment contract may be used. This usually imposes a time-limit between a student and an employer, with the student getting a salary for his/her work. Making a formal student work contract is not mandatory (it is possible to sign a standard employee contract instead), but may have additional benefits for a student position.

Discount Cards

ISE Card(International Student Exchange Card) - An internationally recognized identification card with thousands of discounts in over 80 countries, it is valid for one year from date of issue. Students of ANY age are eligible, as well as faculty members and children to young adults from 12-25. The price is $25 and you can purchase it online at:
www.isecard.com/products/index.html.

SIC (International Student Identity Card) - Full-time students 12 years and older offers discounts on travel rates, accommodations, shopping, entertainment, basic sickness and travel insurance, and inexpensive international phone calls. A passport sized photo is required and the card costs about $25 and is good through December 31st of each year. It can be purchased at:
www.isic.org/student-card/buy-an-isic.aspx.

IYTC (International Youth Travel Card) - A discount card for travellers under 26 who aren't enrolled in school, this card offers a smaller range of youth travel discounts. The card costs $22 card.

Work Visa

Members of the EU, EEA and of Switzerland do not need a work permit.

To receive a work permit, you must have a job offer from a licensed sponsor, a valid certificate of sponsorship and pass the points-based assessment to be eligible to apply. Temporary workers category or the youth mobility scheme within the points-based system are what most short-term workers would apply for. The standard for applications is that they will be decided within four weeks of receiving the application. Read about full requirements at UK Border Agency.

For more information on visa, consult the section on Passport and visas.