Warehouse Operatives

There is also packers and operatives. They’d often require a forklift operating license, so it’s hard to get this job if you don’t have a forklift driver. Although the big warehouses like Amazon will hire you even without it, but such warehouses are only found around major cities.

Cleaning.

Cleaning jobs usually require UK experience too, they’d usually not people without experience. You will think cleaning is one of the easiest casual jobs out there, and getting this would be easy, but you’d be wrong. Beyond experience, they usually ask for driving license and own transport, and most students don’t have this.

Getting casual jobs in the UK is usually very hard for African students who come into the country to study. There is this perception held by Africans before coming to the UK, that it is easy to get jobs, it is not, the UK job market is highly skill intensive and they favour people with UK experience a lot, so you might spent the entire duration of your study without getting anything If you don’t plan it ahead. So, knowing what opportunities exist out there will help you plan better.

Security:

Understand that Security in the UK is different from what is obtainable in Africa. The security profession is highly regulated in the UK and requires training and a license. There is doorman, security, personal protection, etc. The most common is the doorman/security and the license needed is called SIA. There are training providers all over the UK that provide you a week training on what is needed, at the end of which you will sit for an exam. When you pass the exam, you can then apply for the license. The training costs around £250, while the license costs fairly the same. So, the whole thing run you back about £500. Security jobs pay very well, around the £12/hr and they’re very flexible, something that a student can do. You don’t even need experience; all you need is the license and you’re guaranteed a job.

My advice to you is, sign up for driving licenses immediately you get to the UK and try to get your license. There are many jobs that require driving, and not having a license automatically disqualifies you.

Delivery driving.

There are two types, self employed and regular. A self-employed driver usually owns his own transport, while the regular driver doesn’t. You will need the right class of driving license for this too.

Care

This is also regulated and requires training and experience. Chances are that you have no experience providing care to the elderly or sick people before coming to the UK. Understand that this is different from medical care. So even as a Nurse or Medical Doctor from Africa, without care experience in the UK, it will be difficult getting care jobs in the UK, not minding that you have been in the medical field in your home country. The good news is, you don’t necessarily need to pay for a license or training, you need to find big care homes that take trainee care providers, sort of an internship. Location matters a lot too, you can find these big care homes in major cities in the UK.

Kitchen and Catering Assistance.

This is also one of the most common you will, with recruiting firms hiring for events and the hospitality industry. This doesn’t require much experience, so it doesn’t come that often and is usually temporary.