How to choose the right live-in pub job
For as long as I have worked at BritBound, I have always found the ‘live-in pub job' experience one of the most exciting options available to someone moving to the UK. Aside from the fact that it can be arranged for you before you even arrive here it also has the added advantage that it comes with both a job and your accommodation, tick, tick!
As someone who has helped place many BritBounders into different pubs and hotels around the UK, I feel there are a few tips I want to share with you. Because the time you have over here is about you, it is your adventure and your opportunity to enjoy a couple of years doing things that make you happy. It's unlikely you will have such a time again, the anchors of life will soon make it much harder to embark on such a care-free adventure.
So, before you jump at the first job offer that comes along, you do need to be able to recognise the type of experience you are after, so you can say ‘yes ’to a placement that is right for you. Not all pubs or hotels are created equal, whilst many of the pubs might be owned by the same brewery, or the hotels part of the same chain, each venue is its own entity and you need to work out whether that venue will suit your personality and interests.
Many other services that offer UK pub placements, tend to adopt the same business model in that they send your details off to a list of places, and then leave them to contact you, if and when they are interested in your CV. It is completely understandable, in this instance, that when a pub gets in touch and offers you a position, you jump at the opportunity! Because if you have not previously undertaken any research, then all pubs are in your mind equal, and a job is a job...so of course you say 'yes'!
But this will most likely be a recipe for disaster because, how much do you know about this place and how do you know it is a good match for you? Have you researched the location to learn more about the type of experience it offers? Because, if your idea of fun when you get time off, is to hit a few bars and clubs in the city, then working in a rural pub in a village that sees one bus a day come through, is going to be anything but a fun experience for you! Similarly, if you crave open space and enjoy being surrounded by the great outdoors, accepting a placement in a central city pub could very well end up being your idea of hell! So, it is important to first establish what type of experience you want, because after all you’ll be spending 4, 5 or 6 months here, so you really don’t want to get this wrong.
At BritBound when you sign up to our live-in pub job package we will help you understand what this experience involves and how you can make it a successful. You'll start by completing a wish list to help us identify what sort of area and vibe you are after. We will then chat through this further via Skype to get a better sense of your personality so we can start to suggest partner venues we think will be a good fit for you. This is done at the very early stages, way before any venue even gets a glimpse of your CV! It is important that YOU are in the driving seat when it comes to choosing your placement, not us. But we will help guide you to that point, preparing you for your interview with prospective venues as well as how to interview them back. There is a lot of work in getting you to the right placement, but it'll be worth it when you get there!
Living and working in a pub really can be one of the most fun and rewarding UK experiences on offer. Just don't underestimate the importance of choosing wisely and getting somewhere that is right for you.
If you're ready to get started then, head here to sign up.