You asked we answered!

We understand that you have loads of questions about our pub jobs and travelling in the UK. We’ve tried to answer the most common questions we receive here. If you have a question that isn’t answered please give us a call at 03 9329 3866, email us at [email protected] or send us a message on Facebook.

Visa & Eligibility

Am I Eligible?
Do I need a visa?
Can you help me with my visa application?
How far in advance do I need to apply for my visa?
How much money do I need for my visa?
How much does the visa cost?

Work Britain Pub Jobs Program

What is Work Britain Pub Jobs?
Do you have an office in the UK?
How does the program work?
What if I don’t like the job being offered?
Are the jobs reasonably similar at the different pubs?
Where are the jobs located?
Can I choose which part of the UK I go to?
How far in advance do I need to confirm my registration in the Work Britain Pub Jobs program?
What is the best time of year to arrive?
Do I need to book my flights before I have received my job offer?
Can I change my start work date?
What is your success rate in getting jobs?
What do the jobs involve?
What hours will I have work?
How much will I earn?
When will I get paid?
Will I get tips as well?
When do I have to pay the fee?

Accommodation

Where is  the accommodation?
Will I have my own room?
What can I expect from the accommodation?
How long do I have to say in the job?
What if I am unhappy with the job or accommodation?

Flights & Insurance

Do I need a return or onward ticket?
Do I have to have travel insurance to sing up for the program?
Do I need a tax file number or National Insurance Number?
Should I arrange my UK bank account before I leave Australia?

 

Am I eligible?

To participate in the Work Britain Pub Jobs program you must legally be able to work in the UK and have the experience & personality the UK pubs are looking for.

Youth Mobility Visa
This visa allows you to work in the UK for up to two years. IEP will help you obtain this visa and to be eligible you must fulfil the following criteria:

Or

UK Ancestry Visa

This visa allows you to work in the UK for up to five years. IEP will help you obtain this visa and to be eligible you must fulfil the following criteria:

Or

British or European Union Passport:

If you hold or are eligible to obtain a British or European Union passport you are still eligible for our Work Britain program.

Personality

Our pub employers definitely want someone with an outgoing personality. If you can tick all of these boxes we want to hear from you.

To work at any of our pubs they will want you to have some relevant work experience. If you have experience in any of these fields you should be good to go.

Age

To be eligible for this program you must be between the ages of 19-30yrs old. We will consider 18yr olds only if they have plenty of relevant work experience.

 

Do I need a visa?
Yes, you will need either a UK/EU passport, Ancestral visa or a Tier 5 Youth Mobility visa. You can find more information on the British High Commission website http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk/

Can you help me with my visa application?
Visa assistance is not included on this program. If you want wish to have assistance with your Youth Mobility or Ancestry visa you can apply for our Work Britain Visa Kickstart program.

On the Work Britain Visa Kickstart program we will provide you with step-by-step instructions on how to complete the application. You will fill in your details, book a biometrics appointment (fingerprints and eye scan) and then pay the visa fee.

Once you have you visa application ready to go IEP will review your application to make sure there are no errors and then you will be good to attend your biometrics appointment and submit your application to the UK Border Agency.

NOTE: If the UK Border Agency finds an error on your application they will deny your application and not disclose where the error was made. You will have to re-submit the application and pay the visa fee again. IEP GUARANTEES you get the visa on the first go!

How far in advance do I need to apply for my visa?
While your visa should take less than 8 weeks, we recommend that you allow 12 weeks in case of any potential problems or delays.

How much money do I need for my visa?
The British High Commission require you to have the equivalent of at least £1800 or more, and you will need a bank statement / letter from your bank to prove this so you will need around $4000 in your account.

How much does the visa cost?
The Youth Mobility Tier 5 visa will cost $420 and the Ancestry visa will cost you $500
(Prices current as of 01/01/2021)

So, what is the Work Britain Pubs Job, anyway?
We’re a dedicated bunch – fellow travellers, pub managers – all now working towards turning your UK working holiday dreams into a reality. We’ve been in business for nearly 17 years, we have more than 600 pubs on our books, and we arrange more than 1,000 placements each year for our applicants from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand!

Do you have an office in the UK?
Yes, we have a UK based office (in London) with staff to assist you with any problems or queries you have once you get over there. We are also able to assist with new jobs during your working holiday (once you have stayed 4 months with you initial placement).

What are the benefits of signing up with the Work Britain Pub Jobs program?
There are two key things about our service. Firstly, we sort out your job before you leave home, that way you know you’ve got work upon arrival. Secondly, all of our jobs come with accommodation, so you’ve got a place to live as well. A big part of all of this is that our program gives you piece of mind. Arriving in the UK without a job can be very costly – with our help, we get you into a job and earning money fast – which means less stress, less time without work, and less money spent trying to get settled in a new and confusing country.

How does the program work?
Once we’ve got everything we need for your employment file, we send it off to our London office and they will look for a job for you based on the start work date that you have given us. The pub managers in our network advise us of the vacancies they have and we send them a selection of candidates to choose from. Once you are selected, we will send a job offer to you which will have a summary of all the basic terms and conditions of your employment – including the wages, the hours, the type of accommodation, the food policy (many of the pubs have a free or subsidised meal as part of the package), uniforms (if you need one, it’s usually just black trousers or black skirt, black shoes etc), the location, and the website if they have one. All of this information is provided directly by the managers of the pubs. Once you have reviewed the offer and if you’re happy with it – let us know. At that point, we will advise the manager and the job is yours!

What if I don’t like the job being offered?
We only give you one offer at a time, but you do have every right to turn it down if there’s anything that you’re not happy with. That does mean that you’ll go back in the pool of candidates waiting for another manager to select you, however. It’s important to remember as well that when you begin to decline offers it becomes harder for us to ensure you have a job to arrive to! Being flexible is key!

Are the jobs reasonably similar at the different pubs?
The terms and conditions for pub jobs are very similar right across the country.

Where are the jobs located?
We have pubs throughout England, some in London, many close to London around 80% in fact and the rest in the midlands and northern England and South, East and West. Job offer locations are always subject to what pubs are looking for staff at the time of your arrival.

Can I choose which part of the UK I go to?
We always do our very best to get you a job in the area that you want, but the job market is very difficult over there these days due to the recession so you will need to be very flexible with your choice of location. Simply put, the more flexible you are, the more pubs and employers we can send your file to.

How far in advance do I need to confirm my registration in the Work Britain Pub Jobs program?
You need to allow a minimum of 6-8 weeks from the time you pay your deposit, ideally more. If you require our assistance with your visa application, then we recommend that you apply at least 3 months before your tentative arrival date in the UK. Keep in mind too that our program does fill up, and many travellers apply even up to a year in advance! The early we can get started, the better!

What is the best time of year to arrive?
Jobs are available throughout the year, although we do have some restrictions in place due to seasonal fluctuations. The busiest time of the year for job placements is over the English summer period and again over the Christmas/New Year period. We limit the number of clients we take in February and March as the job market is very slow during that time. If you are wishing to arrive during this period we recommend that you apply well in advance.

Do I need to books my flights before I have received my job offer?
Yes. We can’t find you a job if we don’t know when you are arriving! We need at least six weeks notice of your planned start work date so that we have time to find you a job. It is very important that this date remains unchanged.

Can I change my start work date?
Yes, but we need at least six weeks notice from your new date or current start date, whichever is sooner. Sometimes this date needs to be changed due to problems beyond an applicant’s control. If this happens to you, please let us know immediately.

When can I expect to get my job?
All jobs are offered by the pub managers and most managers only receive notice from their current staff of around 10-30 days before they leave, so most job offers come up in this time frame.

What is your success rate in getting jobs?
98% of all our jobs are offered before your due date.

What do the jobs involve?
The type of work is mainly front of house, which can be bar work, waiting tables, clearing tables, etc. There will always be some cleaning involved, which is true for any hospitality job.

What hours will I have to work?
The hours that you work each week are based on a standard 40-hour week. Most of the pubs work on a roster system, so the hours can vary, but the average is 39 – 45 hours per week. You will almost definitely be expected to work weekends.

How much will I earn?
The standard pay rate is £6.31 per hour gross (aged 21 or over), and slightly less for under 21’s-so you should gross between £200-250 per week before deductions. That will net back down to £160-190 a week in your hand, and more for more hours, with tips on top. The net amount that will be quoted on your job offer is after your tax and after all your deductions.

When will I get paid?
Pubs pay weekly, fortnightly and monthly. This is determined by the brewery owner. If the pay cycle is not shown on your job offer, you should assume that you will be paid monthly.

Will I get tips as well?
There can be tips on top of your wages, and that can be anything from £10 to £60 per week, some pubs can be more. Your specific job offer will include more information on what you can expect to earn in tips.

When do I have to pay the fee?
Our total program cost is $1290.00 and it must be paid before we can start to find you the pub job.

Where is the accommodation?
In most pubs you will be living upstairs, in a share flat above the pub. Some pubs have a house or a cottage close by that the staff live in.

Will I have my own room?
Most pubs offer twin-shared rooms (same sex) and double rooms for couples. A few do still offer single rooms, but not many.

What can I expect from the accommodation?
Most venues will offer shared cooking, bathroom, and communal facilities to be shared by staff members – basic, but comfortable! Whilst we do have a number of clear standards that we expect from any venue, please do take into account that you are sharing the accommodation with other members of staff, and that there is a joint responsibility to keep the place neat and orderly. If you have ever lived in student or shared accommodation before, you will know what to expect!

How long do I have to stay in the job?
The jobs are all full-time permanent positions, so you can stay as long as you like. There’s no fixed term contract, so you’re not locked in for any set period of time, but the pub managers do request a minimum commitment period of at least 4 months.

What if I am unhappy with the job or accommodation?
While we work hard to ensure that all the employers we work with provide a good standard of living and good terms of employment, we will provide you with a guideline regarding the procedure to follow if you have any problems or complaints! Our UK office is there to assist you directly once you are in the UK.

Do I need a return or onward ticket?
No. You can enter the UK on a one-way ticket. The Youth Mobility Visa is valid for 2 years and you cannot purchase a return flight that far ahead. We have an in-house STA agent who can get you a great deal on your flight to the UK. To obtain a quote please give her a call at 0800 55 66 90 or email   [email protected] 

Do I have to have travel insurance to sign up for the IEP program?
It’s not a requirement of our program, but we can certainly organise a suitable travel insurance policy for you.

Do I need a tax file number or National Insurance number?
You will need to apply for a NIN (National Insurance Number) which is the equivalent of our Social Insurance Number. We provide details on this on your job description and the pub manager will also assist you when you arrive. This cannot be sorted until you are in the UK.

Should I arrange my UK bank account before I leave Australia?
It is absolutely essential that you arrange your UK bank account before you leave as you cannot be paid by the Brewery until sorted. Please discuss this with us!