US born, US/UK dual citizen, seeking short term work in Engl

Hello!

My name is Laura, I am 23 years old, and I'm a dual citizen of the US and UK. I am currently living, and have done all my life, in the US (Michigan). My mother is American and my father moved here from England in the early 1990s. I have since received full British citizenship (dual nationality). I have a 4-year, Bachelor of Science degree from Michigan State University in Nutritional Science. I will be attending graduate school in the US (Pennsylvania) in Sept of this year, but am very interested in moving to England for the early spring and summer before I begin. I've got family living in London (Islington) and Birmingham, but would ideally live with an aunt in Islington (free of charge), so housing is no issue. Does anyone have some suggestions on what I need to do to prepare for the move? I would like to work while living there, most likely in a restaurant/bar, as I understand being employed within the field of science/nutrition (per my degree) for such a short time is not very realistic. What I am looking to gain out of this experience is to work to pay for travel within Europe and to make friends, use this experience for personal growth, and "be 23" before I have to enter the "real world", settle down, and begin graduate school. I'm not sure how the whole process of this works. So I've come up with a couple of questions:

1.) Do I need to complete any work permit paperwork? (I assume so)

2.) Where would be the best location to work? I don't mind a reasonable commute. I want to be around young people (20s age group preferably), in a position to make cash to pay for outings and basic living (exclude housing costs - bonus!)

Any help would be GREATLY appreciated! This is a new, but urgent thought, since I'm on a time crunch!

Thank you

1. Getting a British passport is sufficient.

I agree with Vinny, Entering the UK with a valid British Passport will be your best option. But if for whatever reason you do not have a valid British Passport, but you have evidence of your British Citizenship, for example an expired British Passport, you may leave the US using US passport and upon arrival to the UK present your evidence of British citizenship to the Immigration Officer to enter the UK as a Brit. Still the best option to enter the UK with a valid British Passport.

Old Street and Camden are areas with young people. Whether they're are you're cup of tea when it comes to living and working there, I don't know

With your British passport, you can work anywhere in Europe!!! The whole EEA at the moment, anyway. Why settle for just Blighty when Europe is your oyster?

If you are good at foreign languages, want to explore worlds, etc, look at continental Europe. The Czech Republic is a relatively cheap and pleasant place to stay. I have met people who stay in the Czech Republic and commute to work in Germany. Alternatively, try something like Aachen in Germany, 15 minutes by car from the Netherlands and Belgium.

laurakonsitzke wrote:I've got family living in London (Islington) and Birmingham, but would ideally live with an aunt in Islington (free of charge), so housing is no issue.

I agree with the suggestions for Camden and Old Street. Old Street is the location of London's very own "Silicon Roundabout" with many IT companies and startups and has a very young vibe, while Camden is a vibrant alternative arts centre. You could also want to look at Shoreditch and Hoxton.

As for working, perhaps you can start sending your resume/CV to some gym chains in the UK (such as LA Fitness, Virgin Gyms) right now to see if you can work with them on a temporary basis. That may be more up your stream than pulling pints at the local. I have known a guy, though this was ten years ago, who had come to the UK on a working holidaymaker visa and worked for Virgin Gyms for a year before heading off to the rest of Europe.

Prepare yourself culturally for the change.
I do not know how diverse Lansing, Michigan is. But London is incredibly diverse compared to almost all places in the US, except perhaps SF & NY (and maybe not even them). You will meet people from around the globe and will be able to interact with the world in just one city.

London is also bliss for foodies. Whether it is South American (fancy a Brazilian?? )food in Camberwell or Punjabi food in Southall or Greek and Turkish food in Northwest London or Gujarati (Indian) food in Wembley or the quintessential American diners, we have it all in London. No, I do not work for London Tourism, though I am damned proud of my city (as an aside, learn the difference between "the city" and "the City").

But it is also a lot more crowded than the US. London and the UK and Europe in general is much more crowded than most places in the US. So, be prepared for that.

I had suggested in another post about listening to online radio to get familiar with the British accent (though you will go crazy at the number of accents in London). I have heard of American tourists getting confused by their British tour guide because they understand and speak English while the tour guide is speaking "British".

Hope you have a good time in London and Europe.