How to work in the UK as a Project Planner
Still trying to find a job? If you want a well-paid job with a good schedule that allows you to balance your personal and professional life, keep reading. We will give you 5 tips to work in the UK as a Project Planner. It was never easier to work in construction in England or be part of an engineering company in Wales. Also, keep in mind that work opportunities in the United Kingdom for a project planner is growing every day due to the high investment in infrastructure that has been carried out in recent years. Mega-projects such as Hinkley Point C or High Speed 2 are just a couple of examples. Let’s start, are you ready?
How to WORK in the UK as a Project Planner 【5 TIPS】
Tip #1. If you know about “wheels”, work making “wheels”
Working in the United Kingdom is very simple. You only have to remember that if you know about “wheels”, you will find a job to make “wheels”. This may sound a bit strange. However, it is very easy to understand. We want to say that, when it comes to finding a job in the United Kingdom, the specialty in a certain field is valued much more than the general knowledge you may have. Being true that the “total worker” adds a lot of value to a job. In other words, if British companies are looking for a specialist in project planning or tender planning, they are not looking for someone who knows about costs or risks.
In the United Kingdom, a Project Manager specialist in planning is not looked for. What is looked for is a planner who is a planning specialist. Of course, any other knowledge you have will help you in your day to day as a Project Planner and, for sure, to go climbing and promoting within your company. Working in the UK as a Project Planner will open the doors to the world of specialized jobs, and for this you must first demonstrate your domain with the Primavera P6 tool.
Tip #2. Primavera P6 will be your tool (…and scheduling tool)
It is already known in Planning Planet that the most widely used planning tool on the world market is Primavera P6 from Oracle. The handling of P6 will be the key that will help you to find work in the UK. Say that around the best 600 engineering companies in the United States use Primavera P6 to manage their projects. In addition, all military and federal agencies in this country also use Primavera P6. This project management tool helps in project planning, change management, and resource management as well.
Primavera P6 can be used for small projects, as well as in mega-projects. Its handling is simple. Your knowledge, skill, and dexterity with this scheduling tool will be key when it comes to finding a job as a planner in the United Kingdom. Therefore, do not hesitate and start to train. Learn how to create project baselines and how to progress regularly your schedule. You should find out what is the best way to resource management. In case you want a good looking project controls report, learn how to do a good Earned Valued Analysis and create dashboards from scratch. Many more functions offered by this spectacular planning tool of projects are waiting for you.
Tip #3. Contact recruiters (human resource high level)
What is a recruiter?
One of the best ways to find your first job in the UK is to contact recruiters. What is a recruiter? Recruiters are people or companies specialized in human resources and dedicated to labor recruitment. There is a wide range of recruitment companies dedicated to the art of finding the perfect candidate for the vacant positions that British companies offer. This figure is very widespread throughout the British territory and it will be very helpful to reach your goal of finding work in the UK.
They are INTERESTED in YOU
Many companies in the United Kingdom use this type of recruitment company to manage the hiring of new resources. They are focussed on filling the company´s vacancy gaps. That is why you are interested in contacting a recruiter straightforward and not waste bullets trying to contact the company human resources departments directly.
The more candidates they introduce to the company the better for recruiters. They work on commission. But do not worry, they will not charge you anything since the one who pays them is the employer and not the candidate who is looking for a new job. They will help you when preparing an interview, a cover letter, and they will give you many more tips and tricks.
Keep in touch with the top recruiters in the UK
First, you must know where to find them. Possibly the best social media platform to contact them is Linkedin. Do not be afraid and send them an invitation to join your network. It is important to adapt the message before contacting them. Let them know the reasons why you want them to be part of your network. Tell them you are looking for a Planner position in the UK and that you are very interested in being able to speak to them personally to explain your situation and professional concerns.
But in addition to Linkedin, many recruitment companies are already present on other platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
A part of the above, look up them in Google and you will discover a lot of results that will help you to find these specialists of recruitment. For example, you can search for “planner in London jobs“, “project scheduler based in Bristol vacancy“, “UK tender planner vacancy“, “Primavera P6 specialist job in Hinkley Point C” and much more.
Last but not least, there is the possibility of using websites dedicated to the search of employment such as indeed or cv-library where, besides being able to carry out a direct search of jobs in the UK, you will be able to find access to some of these recruitment companies.
Some recruitment agencies in the UK
There are so many companies dedicated to the selection of personnel in the United Kingdom. Below, we show you what we consider to be the most important when looking for a more technical position and within the field of project planning:
- Gold Group
- Prima Resourcing
- Abatec Recruitment
- Michael Page
- Hays
- Vivid Resourcing
- Resourcing Solutions
Therefore, if you are looking for a job in England, Scotland, Ireland or Wales, get in touch with them.
Tip #4. Do you speak English?
If you still have the language of Shakespeare pending or feel that you lack fluency with your English during your conversations, these tips will help you. If you are not able to express yourself in this English language, it will not be worth anything if you are a phenomenon in the handling of Primavera P6 or you are able to recite all the construction phases of the Hoover Dam project. You will have to hold conversations and project meetings where you should explain your schedule in English. And finally, new schedules will have to be created in this language as well.
Do not be scared. In Project 2080 we want you to reach and pass this Milestone in a simple way and that is why we have prepared several gift glossaries about the specific terminology that a planner and a specialist in project controls need to know. In the same way, we give you a dictionary of terms that are used in construction projects.
And if you still want more, visit our Planner Dictionary on YouTube.
Tip #5. Make your choice: Permanent or Contract
Do you want a Permanent or a Contract position? This will be a decision that you will have to make when working in the United Kingdom. There are differences between the two:
- Salary: it is known that people who decide to work in the UK as a Contract can earn more money than if they did it as a Permanent.
- Benefits: although the salary is higher for a Contractor than for a Permanent employee, there are other benefits that a Contractor does not have, such as a pension scheme, a health service or car allowance. Therefore, the Contractor loses part of the job security that a Permanent employee may have.
- Taxes payment: much more benefits for Contractors.
- Holidays: Permanent employees are part of company holidays policy. However, a Contractor´s holidays will depend on workload.
IN PROJECT 2080 WE WOULD LIKE YOU TO REMEMBER
It’s time to start up these tips. But first of all, you must be willing to change your residence, leave behind your town, friends, family, and land on this great island. The United Kingdom is going to offer you a new professional career as a Project Planner. Do not doubt that you will be well received. Companies in the construction sector, residential, rail, engineering, marine, and telecommunications have a great demand for Planners and Schedulers. The salaries and professionalism of this role are infinitely much higher to what you could find in a country like Spain. So do not hesitate to get in touch with some recruiter today and start practicing your English. A new job in the United Kingdom bears your name.
