FAQ- The Adventure of a Lifetime

We are David, Shaunda, Gray and Zane Irwin, and we are headed on an adventure! Shaunda and David have both been offered jobs as Social Workers in London. So, we're going!

Several questions keep coming up, so we are creating this FAQ.

How on earth did you decide to move to London?
Shaunda has thought about seeking to move overseas off and on for several years. There is the high school friend who has lived overseas for over a decade; the graduate school friend who moved her family to Spain when her husband was transferred there by his company. Plus, international travel in college planted the bug. David traveled in college as well. He didn't realize Shaunda thought about this FOR REAL!

How did you find the job?
Several months ago, Shaunda went to Google and searched for "ex patriate jobs in England, Auastralia..." She found many jobs in the medical field, but only a few social work jobs which paid horribly. In mid-April, she went back to Google, and searched for Social Work jobs in California (random, didn't really want to live in California). She found a website (www.socialservice.com) which lists social work jobs in the US, Canada and UK. She clicked on UK, and found a job listing in London posted by a company called UK Pro. Since she was at work, she copied the information and made a phone call during her lunch break. And, that is the beginning of "the rest is history!"

How did you get the job? Did you have to go to London to interview, did they interview by webcam, phone, etc?
UK Pro is located in Atlanta, and since they hosted these interviews, we went to Atlanta. We spent the weekend of May 16 and 17 playing and studying, and interviewed in May 18. Managers from the agency in England were there to interview us, along with 13 others. Nine social workers were offered jobs that weekend!
Before interviews, we had to complete on on-line verbal reasoning test (so they could see that we could read), and complete two case studies. We also had to create a Curriculum Vita and write a Personal Statement, which is a statement of how we specifically meet the job qualifications. We also had about 130 pages of information to read and "study!"

Why London?
Why not? Mostly because that's where the jobs are. It is in close proximity to the rest of Europe. And, they speak English! Differently than we do, but we will have only a small communication barrier. (I found one airline that had round-trip airfare from London to Rome for $170-- That's for all four of us!)

When will you leave?
It will take 4-6 months to get registered as social workers in England (their version of professional licensure) and get the visas approved. Of course, we hope we can get our house emptied and sold in that time as well!

How long will you be there? Will you stay forever?
The employment contract will be for 2 years. That will take us up to about 6 months before the Summer Olympics are in London in 2112. We have to stay for that, right?! So, we're saying 2-3 years.

What do the boys think?
Basically, they think we are torturing them. They aren't looking forward to it, but they are adjusting to the idea. Every now and then, we overhear them talking to friends about all of the cool things they will get to see and do. Gray recently said that he doesn't want to go, but he can see how it would be good for him. And, of course, it will be very good for both of them. We are confident that they will both appreciate the opportunity one day!

I'm coming to visit!
Come on over! We look forward to having guests! Just remember, though, that living spaces in England, especially London, are much smaller. We don't mind if you don't!

What kind of job is it? Why are they hiring Americans?
We will be social workers in the child protection system. England has a shortage of social workers, and they are recruiting internationally. The work will be both similar and different from what we have been doing here. We will be like team leaders for a unit of professionals who will share the work of serving at-risk families. It is actually an exciting opportunity, because the borough we are in is trying to completely change how services are provided. We are excited about the program.

Where can I find information about social work jobs in England? (Seriously, several people have asked!)
UK Pro is a company which helps American Social Workers get jobs in England. Their website is
www.uk-pro.net. We have found them to be very friendly and helpful.
British agencies are also recruiting and helping in the hiring process for several boroughs in England. These can be found at www.socialservice.com. This is the website which got me started!

So, what next?
PAERWORK! Lots of it, to get registered as social workers in England, and to apply for work visas in England. We also have a LOT of work to do to get the house ready to sell. Do you prefer a paint brush or a scrub brush?