Aberdeen Careers and Development Guide
Chapter 2 - Formalities
2.1
Work permits
2.2
National Insurance Numbers and Taxation
2.3
Employment contracts
2.4
Foreign diploma evaluation and translation
2.5
English language
2.6
Working or volunteering with children or other vulnerable
people
2.7
Working in specialist fields
2.1
Work permits
Before you start to
look for a job, you must check that you will be legally
entitled to work in the UK. Immigration laws are always
complicated and if you have any doubts you must seek
advice from your partnerís local HR advisor. As
formalities often change you might also like to consult
www.ukvisas.gov.uk to ascertain the current
requirements on visas before you travel. Generally, if
you are accompanying an expatriate employee here who has
a work permit sponsored by their employing company, you
and any dependents under the age of 18 are entitled to
work here as well. If you look at the stamp on the entry
clearance page of your passport as it was stamped when
you entered the UK it should be stamped "Work permit
Dependent" and then underneath this "No recourse to
public funds". This means that you are able to work in
the UK. If you are not entitled to work the words "No
Work" will appear underneath this. This is a general
rule and as ever there are always exceptions to every
rule. For example, if you are not an EU citizen but your
partner (the employee) is, he/she will not require a
work permit to work here and there is therefore no work
permit for you to be dependent on and you will not have
the immediate right to work here.
2.2
National Insurance Numbers and Taxation
When you work in the
UK you need to obtain a National Insurance (NI) number
so that your employer can deduct National Insurance
contributions and taxation from your earnings as they
pay you (known as the PAYE system: Pay as You Earn). If
you are looking for work or about to start a job you
should visit the Job Centre Plus office at Ebury House,
13 Dee Street Aberdeen, 01224 - 802569 to obtain a
signed letter entitled 'Starting Work without an NI
Number'. You do not need to make an appointment to do
this- simply turn up and ask for the letter. When you
are applying for jobs or once you are told you may start
work for an employer you give the employer a copy of
this letter.
When you receive a
written offer of employment or a letter from your new
employer stating that you are now working for them, you
can contact the Job Centre Plus office again to arrange
an interview appointment to obtain a permanent NI
number. Your interview appointment will be confirmed to
you in writing and you will be told which original
documents you should take with you to prove your
identity and address, such as passport, birth and
marriage certificates, driverís licence and bank
statements. You must have the original documents: copies
will not be accepted. You will be asked why you require
a National Insurance number so you will need your formal
job offer letter or letter from your employer confirming
that you are working for them as mentioned above. At the
interview you will be helped to complete the necessary
application form. Once you have successfully completed
the application process it takes about six weeks before
you receive a permanent NI number which will be mailed
to you. You should immediately give your employer a note
of your NI number, so that he or she can replace the
temporary number.
If you are employed
by someone rather than being self-employed, you are not
required to register separately with the HM Revenue and
Customs as this is done once your employer starts to
deduct tax and NI contributions from your salary.
However, if you receive income from any other sources or
additional benefits from your company which are not
taxed at source e.g. company car, then you must declare
these on a Tax Declaration form. More information can be
found about this on the HM Revenue and Customs website
at
www.hmrc.gov.uk
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2.3
Employment contracts
You may be asked to
sign a written contract of employment, although some
companies do not provide a written contract for
signature. All employees are entitled to receive, within
2 months of starting work, a written statement from
their employer describing the main terms of the contract
of employment. The written statement must include by
law:
-
Your name and
that of your employer
-
The date you
started work
-
The amount of
pay and how often you will be paid, for example,
weekly or monthly
-
The hours of
work
-
Your holiday
entitlement, including how many days off you are
entitled to and what your holiday pay will be, if
any
-
How much
warning (notice) you are entitled to if you are
dismissed and how much warning you must give the
employer if you want to leave the job
-
The title of
the job
-
Where the job
is based, for example, whether you will have to work
in more than one location
-
What the
disciplinary, dismissal and grievance procedures are
in the workplace
-
What sick pay
you are entitled to
-
Whether you can
join the employerís occupational pension scheme, if
there is one.
This information can
be given, in for example a staff hand book which all
employees have access to. If you do not receive a
contract or written statement within two weeks you
should ask for one.
2.4
Foreign diploma evaluation
and translation
Whilst your
qualifications and skills may be well recognised in your
home country it can sometimes be difficult to
demonstrate this when you move locations. Whether your
qualifications are written in English or in another
language it may be difficult for your employer to
understand what they mean. To enable a prospective
employer to compare your qualifications with UK
qualifications you can apply to the National Academic
Recognition Information Centre (NARIC)
www.naric.org.uk . To use the standard service,
which takes around 10-15 working days for a fee of £40
plus VAT, or for online applications £34.00 plus VAT,
you will receive a written assessment of your
qualifications. You will need to have an official
translation of your documents before you send them to
these organisations unless your documents are written in
French, Bulgarian, German, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish,
Russian, Chinese, Romanian or Spanish in which case you
can send them in their original language under the
'Translation Waiver Scheme'. An additional fee of £30 is
then payable for the translation. If the Translation
Waiver Scheme does not apply to you then you will need
to use a Translation Agency (there are several listed in
the Yellow Pages). Ask for a quotation for how much it
will cost to translate your documents and explain what
you need it for. It may be more convenient and cheaper
to have properly certified translations of any
qualifications in less common languages completed in
your base country.
2.5
English language
If English is not
your native language any prospective employer or
college/university admissions officer may be concerned
that your proficiency in the English language is not
adequate for the job or course for which you are
applying. To demonstrate your proficiency you may wish
to consider taking an IELTS test (International English
Language Testing System) which will provide you with an
internationally recognised certificate demonstrating
your level of proficiency. To sit the test there is a
fee of £105. You should apply for the test at least 6
weeks in advance. For further details on what the test
involves, to see specimen tests and to find details of
the next test dates and locations you can consult the
IELTS website at
www.ielts.org. The Language Centre at the University of Aberdeen is a registered testing centre and offers the IELTS examination at different points throughout the academic year. More information can be found on the website http://www.abdn.ac.uk/languagecentre and select “English Language and Academic Study Skills”. There are also test centres in both Glasgow and Edinburgh and in many countries worldwide so you could even sit the test before you leave your home country, if you have the time.
2.6
Formalities when working or
volunteering with children or other vulnerable people
Should you desire to
work or volunteer with children or other vulnerable or
'at risk' populations, prospective employers or
voluntary service agencies will ask you to provide a
'Disclosure'. This is a certificate issued by Disclosure
Scotland which either states that you have no history of
criminal convictions, or it provides details of such.
(Other reasons for seeking a Disclosure might include:
positions involved in law administration; professional
groups in health, pharmacy, and law; senior management
positions in banking and/or financial services; or
applications for firearms, explosives, or gaming
licences.)
Employers and
voluntary service agencies typically request a
Disclosure from the candidate when a provisional offer
of employment or a volunteer post is made. The
individual then applies to Disclosure Scotland for a
Disclosure certificate. Check with your employer or
voluntary service director to determine which type of
Disclosure is required: Basic, Standard, or Enhanced.
Depending on the type of Disclosure necessary, some
employers or service agencies may be required to
countersign your application, and may assist you with
the application process. The fee for a Disclosure is GBP
20, but you are advised to check with your employer
whether any additional fees may be required or indeed
whether your employer will pay this fee on your behalf.
Volunteers working in Scotland with children, young
people or adults 'at risk' should check with their
directors about securing a 'free' Disclosure. Only
applicants who provide a current home address in the
United Kingdom and have been a resident at this address
for more than 12 months can apply on-line for a Basic
Disclosure at:
www.disclosurescotland.co.uk . If you have not
resided at your current UK address for more than 12
months then you can apply using a paper application
form.
A visit to the
Disclosure Scotland website
www.disclosurescotland.co.uk is strongly recommended
as it provides detailed information about the
application process and answers many 'frequently asked
questions' (FAQís). Applicants without computer access
may seek further assistance through the Helpline (UK),
0870-609-6006, or alternatively may write to: Disclosure
Scotland, P.O. Box 250, Glasgow.
Individuals coming
from OTHER countries who plan to take up UK residence
and who desire to work with children or other 'at risk'
populations are well advised to plan ahead. Prior to
moving to the UK, these individuals will want to request
written 'criminal record histories' from the country (or
countries) in which they have recently resided during
the last 5 years. (If even more than 5 years can be
verified, so much the better!). A countryís local police
force or data protection office may be a good place to
start, although different offices in different countries
may maintain criminal records. Obtaining such records
ahead of time will enable relocated individuals to
provide prospective employers or voluntary service
agencies with photocopies of their criminal record
history upon request. Non UK residents who have already
relocated to the UK may find themselves required by
employers to request criminal record histories from
their previous countries of residence. It should be
noted that 'employer discretion' determines how many
yearsí worth of criminal record history is required for
a particular employment (or volunteer) position -and
this may vary significantly from employer to employer!
Likewise, once employed in the UK a worker (or
volunteer) may need to undergo periodic criminal record
checks, and how often this occurs is also up to the
discretion of the employing company or service agency.
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2.7
Working in specialist
fields
If you are qualified
in a specialist field or profession which requires you
to belong to a professional organisation and/or maintain
certain accreditations and practicing certificates or
licences you may be required to register with the
appropriate professional organisation in the UK before
you are allowed to work here in your field. You may have
to demonstrate that any qualifications you have from
overseas are equal to those which can be obtained in the
UK and you may have to undertake further tests or
examinations. The details of the most common
professional bodies are listed below.
We recommend
checking on the requirements well in advance of your
arrival in the UK if it is important to you to be able
to work soon after your arrival as sometimes these
procedures can take time or require documentation which
it will be easier to find in your base country or in the
country where you are currently working.
ÿ
Doctors
Before you can
practice as a doctor in any capacity in the UK you must
be registered with the General Medical Council (GMC).
Full details of how you can achieve this can be found on
www.gmc-uk.org.
ÿ
Anaesthetists
To work as an
anaesthetist in the UK, you must also be registered with
the General Medical Council (see above). For more
information on this profession please consult the
website of The Royal College of Anaesthetists on
www.rcoa.ac.uk.
ÿ
Teachers
To teach in Scotland
you should be capable of registration with the General
Teaching Council for Scotland. You should be aware that
the education systems for England and Wales and Scotland
are separately administered so if you are registered to
teach in England and Wales, you will have to register
again to teach in Scotland. The GTC website
www.gtcs.org.uk gives full details of how to obtain
registration.
ÿ
Vets
You must be
registered with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
to be able to practise as vet in the UK. Full details of
how to obtain registration can be found on
www.rcvs.org.uk.
ÿ
Dentists
To practice as a
dentist in the UK, you must be registered with the
General Dental Council. Full details of the regulation
of dentistry in the UK can be found on
www.gdc-uk.org. Additionally, most dentists are
members of the British Dental Association. Consult
www.bda.org.
ÿ Miscellaneous
healthcare professionals
If you are a
healthcare professional wishing to work in one of the
fields listed below in the UK then you MUST be
registered with the Health Professions Council (HPC)
before doing so. The website of the HPC
www.hpc-uk.org gives full details and also links to
the websites of the relevant professional bodies of each
profession. The thirteen professions which HPC regulates
are:
-
Arts Therapists
-
Biomedical
Scientists
-
Chiropodists/Podiatrists
-
Clinical
Scientists
-
Dieticians
-
Occupational
Therapists
-
Operating
Department Practitioners
-
Orthoptists
-
Paramedics
-
Physiotherapists
-
Prosthetists
and Orthotists
-
Radiographers
-
Speech and
Language Therapists
ÿ
Pharmacists
In order to practice
as a pharmacist in the UK, you must be registered with
the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. There
are detailed procedures to be followed for this if you
have qualified overseas and the relevant information can
be found on the Societyís website on
www.rpsgb.org.
ÿ
Nurses
If you wish to work
as a nurse or midwife whilst in the UK you must be
registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council. For
more information consult
www.nmc-uk.org.
ÿ Lawyers
Those in the legal
profession need to be aware that the legal system in
Scotland is different to that in England and Wales. To
practice as a solicitor, you must be a member of the law
society in Scotland. Depending on where you qualified,
this may involved taking further examinations in
Scotland. Full details are available on
www.lawscot.org. If you are a barrister you should
consult
www.advocates.org.uk.
ÿ Accountants
If you are already a
fully qualified accountant in your base country and/or
you have been working in the accounting/financial area
for some time, any prospective employer will consider
your qualifications and experience and decide whether
these are sufficient to enable you to take on the work
proposed. Membership of a UK accounting body is not
compulsory in those circumstances. However, if you wish
to work in private practice, either on your own or in
partnership with others, where you would need to be
legally allowed to audit and sign off accounts then you
MUST be registered with one of the following bodies:
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