'Ample' employment opportunities in London

A support group for Kiwis in London say the city still offers ample job opportunities. Photo / iStock

A support group for Kiwis looking to set up shop in London says the English capital still offers ample employment opportunity for those looking in the right places.

Earlier this week a young Kiwi media professional spoke out about her challenges finding work in the big city.

It took Alex Hazlehurst five months to find the job she wanted, though in the interim she'd turned down a permanent receptionist role at the "luxury fashion company" she'd been working at.

But Kiwis in London, a group offering a "one-stop-shop", where Kiwis and even our "Ozzie cuzzies" can come in search of a job, flat and trips and events, says it disagreed with Ms Hazlehurst's article.

"Sure for some people it can be hard," it posted on its Facebook page. "Do not let articles like this scare you into thinking that coming to work in London is hard."

It added hundreds of jobs are posted on its page every few days and there were numerous recruitment agencies also listed that could help with finding a job.

There also seemed to be a consensus among those responding to the article posted on the group's page that getting a job in the English capital requires being prepared to do the hard yards and being open to opportunities.

Numerous people have commented that getting a job is hard - if you aren't prepared to do what it takes.

Many spoke of working for free to get into the entertainment and media industry, while others spoke of being prepared to take any job just to get a foot in London's employment sector.

Sharon Marris, who works for a national news company in London, says she did it through a few years of experience at a local newspaper then freelance shifts.

"I don't know anyone who has come from New Zealand and found their dream job within months," she says. "But I know a few who have come with a sense of entitlement and unrealistic expectations before becoming disillusioned and eventually returning to New Zealand."

James Hanline agrees it wasn't easy, but says it was achievable.

"Myself and a few other kiwis managed to get into the Film and TV industry after networking our a***s off," he says. "We went out there and actively looked for work, phoning studios, production companies, walking around Soho, handing out CVs."

He says with the right attitude there's nothing stopping you and London can offer up so many opportunities.

Alice Poole didn't understand what Ms Hazlehurst was complaining about.

"She got an amazing job in the heart of the city. Yeah sure it took her 5 months but everyone knows unless you're looking for bar work, job opportunities don't come with a click of a finger."

But as Ms Hazlehurst herself said; "I wasn't someone who came to London to work behind a bar so I could scrape together some cash for the Kombi van tour of Europe.

"I came as a working professional and I got a very large reality check."