Immigration from Russia to UK - advice gratefully received

[Tito Puente]

Firstly, I am a novice to the topic of immigration to the UK, so please forgive me if this topic has already come up, or you consider the information to be easily found elsewhere.

I have a friend who is Russian, 28 years old, and at present an English teacher in Russia. She really wants to work in the UK. As well as work experience in education she has also worked in tourism. She is prepared to study here if necessary, and has some savings to cover this.

As far as I can tell from all official information, it is impossible for her to work here without sponsorship from an employer. I can see no possible way for her get such sponsorship. Also, it appears that there are no studies that offer a likelihood of employment sponsorship after completion. (However an exception may be PGCE or other teacher training course.)

At present my friend does have a tourist visa that is valid until January 2014.

Does anyone know if there is any hope of her getting work here, somehow. She is very flexible about what work she does, and she is willing (at least in the short term) to do unskilled work.

Also, if she were to come over shortly on her tourist visa, would it be worth seeking employment, and misleading employers about her status?

And is there any course of study she could take that would be likely to lead to sponsorship?

If she completed a PGCE or other teacher training, would she then be able to apply for teaching jobs in the UK, in the expectation that she would be eligible for a visa if she were to be offered a post?

Thanks in advance.

[internati29]

Visitor's visa conditions clearly prohibit getting involved in any paid or unpaid activities while in the UK.
If your friend is found working here in breach of immigration rules, her visa would be cancelled
she would be removed from the UK and her immigration history would get ruined for the future.
Be careful and follow the regulations.

[MPH80]

Also be aware that most reputable employers require all employees to provide evidence of their right to work and have to take copies of that.

So she'll have to show her passport and visa ...

It's that or they risk a £10k fine per person they get caught with.

M.

[Tito Puente]

Thanks for your advice.