End of year wishes

The big countdown has started. All the team of Come2England wish you a wonderful end-of-year celebration! We hope these holidays will make you feel full of energy to always live more English experiences!

Business English workshop: a concrete help with your international career.

A few months ago we organized a company training to help our team in refreshing their knowledge of Business Etiquette rules.

Kirsten, Come2England English teacher, gave us an intensive course explaining us the best tricks regarding professional communication focusing on the difficulties you might find when the language is not your mother tongue.

Knowing Kirsten we knew that it would turn out to be a useful and entertaining experience, but we couldn’t imagine how truth it was!

We were so satisfied with this workshop that we decided not only to include it as essential part of the Internship Package; but also to provide this service to all those young professionals who think they need a help with the formal language in an office environment.

“The most interesting, useful and funny way to learn Business Etiquette” that’s the common feedback our students gave us about the workshop.

Among them we have two girls who realized their internships in two different charities, Andrea (remember her from the architecture studio?), Leonardo -graphic designer in HWCD- and Jose, a Spanish boy who is looking for an internship in a renewable energies company.

They all gave us enthusiastic evaluations about the workshop saying that it was a very useful tool to integrate their previous professional knowledge and an essential part to prepare their presentation in a foreign company.

A necessary incentive to provide more confidence in an international and professional environment, this workshop wouldn't be so successful without Kirsten who is conquering our students with her friendly and funny attitude.

This is how Kirsten describes the workshop:

" Of course you know how to write an email or answer the phone. But do you know how to do this in a professional manner here in England and in English?

In this workshop you will learn how to be professional and efficient in an office environment. You will be confident to introduce people to each other in the correct way, deal efficiently with customers over the phone, write professional emails and letters and get to know the dos and don’ts in the office. This workshop is to get you into gear in a dynamic and fun way so that you can make the most of your internship. "


So what are you waiting for?

Keep calm and learn Business Etiquette with us!

PROFESSIONAL INTERNSHIP AS AN ARCHITECT, GRAPHIC DESIGNER...

A VERY “CONSTRUCTIVE” INTERNSHIP

The story that we want to tell you today is about three young Galician girls who have obtained a internship in a prestigious international architecture studio in London, HWCD. 

About the result of the internship…, the picture talks by itself, does it? 

Though, we want to tell you a little bit more about the London adventure of these three girls. 

Raquel (receptionist), Andrea (graphic designer) and Maria (architect), obtained the scholarship Galeuropa offered by the Autonomous government of Galicia (Xunta de Galicia), to realize two months internship in a foreign company. 

They are just three examples of more than twenty students we have helped thanks to the information and confidence that the Autonomous government of Galicia and this students have given us.

While Raquel tried to find the right internship on her own, Andrea and Maria were advised to contact with our company, and they immediately decided to trust us.

Raquel's first internship did not turn out to be as productive as she was expecting, so she finally decided to come to our office, recommended by her colleagues, and in less than one week we organized the beginning of her internship in HWCD. 

After these two months designing and constructing their professional future, the three of them had tell us that they are very satisfied with the result, all the things they have learnt and the good environment that they felt in the office.

Thanks to Come2England, Maria - after demonstrating her professional skills – is now moving indefinitely to London as part of the studio team. 

Congratulations Maria! We are glad we have been the first step of this ascent towards your dream job in London.

Dear reader, even you can find your ideal internship and get ready to show how capable you are to catch the international job of your dreams! 

Come2England is here to help you in everything that you need.  ;)

Fancying an internship in an art gallery?

Dear readers, let us introduce you Luis, Inigo and Mauro three happy customers who found an internship in the Vyner Studio, a wonderful art gallery in East London!

Inigo and Luis got a Leonardo scholarship from the Spanish government and decided to trust Come2England in helping them with their internship research.

After one week English Course they started their adventure in The Vyner Studio. They are now taking care of the marketing department of the gallery enjoying the relaxed atmosphere thanks to the artist IkerGarcia Barrenetxea, tutor of their internship and founder of the gallery.

To celebrate this precious partnership, Come2England team visited The Vyner Studio during the monthly event promoted by Time Out "First Thursdays".

As you may see..we fell in love with Iker's original mugs exhibition! :)

The Vyner Studio is now waiting for Mauro, product designer from Italy, who will start his internship adventure in the Gallery next October! We hope he will think about bringing us a mug for our tea :D

And you? Would you fancy an internship in such a creative company?

September in London: Work and Accommodation

The end of the holidays is getting closer. Some months when many changes happen in this great city, Londoners come back from their summer vacations and many foreign go to their own countries after having spent some time learning English, working...

This affects London in many ways, people start acting like children when the have to go back to school, they pick up their bags, cry a little at home and then go to work. So be ready to see some stress in the streets, you might think it was different but even Londoners appreciate calm, beach and sun.

But don't you think everything is going to be this way. London's spirit is always going to be latent, many festivals and events will help you throughout the hard process September is!!London fashion Week, Oktoberfest, iTunes festival... and many other things that will make you forget summer is gone!

Come2England can provide you the best service during the year, as you probably know all our clients find job in less than 2 weeks and within the next months of craziness you will be able to save a lot of time looking for the job you need to start earning money and learning some English. Remember, when things get hard you can always trust us!

Work in London. Tax refund: Paye, P45, P85

Steps to follow in order to recover the taxes deducted from your salary. 


Probably once you've checked your "payroll", you've realized you are paying a considerable amount of taxes ; which you may not know  is that you have the right to recover part of them.

In contrast to Spain, where the employer is responsible for the management and repayment of taxes on final settlement in England is the worker who is responsible for these matters.

In this article we focus on the "Income Tax" and PAYE (Pay As You Earn) tax that is deducted from wages, according to the annual gross income of a person.

When can I get my money back? 

English fiscal year runs from 6 April one to 5 April the next year. You can only claim taxes from fiscal years when you have not worked completely and you can recover the taxes of the last 6 years.

Steps to follow. 

1. Going to the Tax Office that suits you: Find out when the tax office where you belong, because there you must submit your application by mail. The Human Resources department of your employer can give you that information. If you have worked a while and have received a P60, you will find information on that form.
2. Get the Form P45: The employer or the HR department will provide you this document when you stop working, with the final pay settlement. Contains information regarding gross pay you received and your monetary contribution in the current fiscal year, when leaving your workplace. This is information that the tax office use to calculate your refund. You must send the original parts 2 and 3 and stay with part 1 for your own records.
3. Form P85: This type of form is used when you leave the UK, do not plan to return in the short term and warrant that you will not keep any business in England, that is subject to taxation. In this document, you must include your English account number, the other option is to recover your money through a check. You can download this form through the website of the "HM Revenue & Customs".

Once you've completed documents ...

Once the form P85 has been completed, you must mail it to the appropriate tax office, along with parts 2 and 3 of form P45. It is advisable to include a note where you explain that you have left the country with no intention of returning in the short term and that's your right to get your money back, but includes an estimate of the money that you have to be repaid. It is advisable to send these documents by certified mail as you send the original parts forms.

For more information: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/

To find job and accommodation in London: http://www.come2england.com/

Future is coming to London

Transport is the way we live. Cities are made for cars, trains and public transport, but are we experiencing a change in the way we move? There are many projects that suggest that, and as our duty is to inform you about what is going on in the UK we are going to introduce you to some future plans that would change the way we live if they were made.

The first of them, the Hyperloop is still being designed by his creator ,Elon Musk,  he is the one who started considering this idea of a transport similar to the train which would reach the velocity of 1200 km per hour with no risk of crushing. It is thought for connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco but if it worked who knows how long would it take for the Hyperloop to arrive to London.

Another idea that has been though lately, due to the increase in the number of cyclists around London, is the creation of an elevated tunnel that crossed London for the people cycling. It would allow them to go anywhere fast, taking care of the environment as well. The idea would include, of course, some money to be paid when using it, less than the one paid in the underground. That would probably increase the number of bicycles bought in London.

Both ideas are very nice but it is still going to take a long time until we see them done (if it happens). Would you like them around London?

Do cheap and nice rooms in London exist?

We've decided to write about the different rooms and prices you can find in London. As many of you have been asking us about them, we really want to make you understand how the situation works here so it can be easier for you to rent a room.

The main problem is usually the price expectations. In London it is impossible to find a room well situated for less than 150 pounds per week. This price may seem overrated but it is the actually quite cheap if you are looking for a single room in zones 1 or 2.

People may want to take advantage of your lack of knowledge about the city prices, therefore when someone offers you a room for £90 and tells you it is an amazing room with nice views, bills included...don't trust them, they will make you think your future room is like this:

Don't believe it, it is probably going to be more similar to this image:

We really hope this post has helped you! Remember be careful and ask for references when contacting with a landlord or an agency if the prices seem too low. Now good luck and enjoy the city!!

Helena's experience in London

Today we are going to introduce you to Helena.

Helena came from Spain to London with the aim of working and improving her English, then she saw that Come2England offered many resources to start from the beginning...

She found our agency thanks to a friend who talked to her about us, she searched us on the internet and then she contacted us by email. Her impression during the whole process is that the service received is direct and customized, adapted to her own needs.

Helena paid for the English courses and she is specially happy with the results she had!! She is really satisfied with our system and she has even said that if she went abroad again she would hire our services again, the reason is that our performance is very useful when taking the first step towards an unknown country and a new language.

What are her future plans? She wants to go back to Spain, after having worked in London this summer, to keep on studying. She does not put away the idea of coming back next year or any other, now that she knows London and she has been able to see that it is a city full of opportunities.

We wish you the best Helena! :)

Rocco, another waiter in London!!

Rocco is 27 and he comes from Italy....He arrived to London in mid July because he wanted to have a new life experience and to improve his English. He wanted to attend an English school so that he could be ready to give the IELTS exam and improve his cv with an official certificate.

He found Come2england through Facebook and he had a great impression from our customer service. He thought "Great!" "I like them!" and after having contacted us he found a job in just two weeks in a restaurant in Covent Garden as waiter!!

Now he is definitely satisfied with our service and says he would take another package even now as it has been very easy to do everything...That really encourages us to keep on working on your goals!

You will wonder what Rocco´s future plans are: First he wants to improve his English and give a plus to his cv with an experience abroad. His future, as many youngsters of his age in Europe, is now uncertain but he would like to find a job in a company which allows him to travel and use languages.

English certificate and job at Come2england!!

Congratulations to Genis, Adrian, Stefano y Beatrice ( from left to right) for having got the English certificate of Come2england!!

Genis has been able to enjoy the individual classes, which are customized to help him improve his English in a directer way, meanwhile Adrian and Beatrice have taken part in the English group course and they feel very satisfied with their results. 

Stefano (third from the left) has found a job and apart from getting the title he has become a kitchen porter at a restaurant!!! 

We wish them all the best and we are proud to be a part of their adventure in this city as we can see how they follow their objectives in London.

What are you wainting for?

What's the origin of "KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON"?

You probably already know the famous poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" but, do you know where does it come from?

These publication was designed by the British Government in 1939, when the Second World War was started. Its aim was motivational and it was focused on strengthen British people's morale in the event of a wartime disaster, such as mass bombing of major cities using high explosives and poison gas.  Its distribution was limited, although more than 2,500,000 posters were produced, that is the reason why there were not well known at that time. 

This publication came after other two which said: "Freedom Is In Peril. Defend It With All Your Might"  y "Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory".

How does the last years "Boom" start?

Its re-discovery took place in the year 2000 ,when Stuart Manley and his wife Mary found an original copy and hung it at their workplace, Barter Books.
The poster was so successful that they started to commercialize it, big private companies realize how famous it was and began to use it as well ,and after that as you all know, it was being used as a decorative object. 

From that moment, there had been many imitations and parodies of the famous poster, some talk about the most stupid topics, some are politically incorrect or protest.

This is how an original "Keep Calm and Carry On" looks like.

30's in London? YES YOU CAN!

Ezio, one of our Italian customers, has been working in a telecommunication company in the north of Italy, until it closed due to the economic crisis.

Bored of the Italian economic context, Ezio decided to come to London and change his life!

How? Thanks to Come2England.
Without knowing anyone in London and with a basic English knowledge, he decided to call us and asked for help.

The results?

In less than one week Ezio has found a job in a Turkish Restaurant. He is now very satisfied with both Come2England team and his employer who is spending time training him and who is also very patient regarding his "work in progress" English level.

Future plans?

Becoming the Manager of the Restaurant as a return for the employer's faith in him!!

.....We are happy for you Ezio, you are doing it right! :)

Daniel, another satisfied customer

Our next customer´s name is Daniel. He came to London to improve his English and was willing to have a good experience. Then he heard about Come2England because of his cousin, who had talked about us, and he decided to contact our company.

He found a job in a restaurant very soon and now he says he is satisfied with our services as we have fulfilled everything and there were no problems in the process.

What are his plans after having worked?

He´s thinking towards future and once he has spent the summer in London he wants to go back to Spain to finish his studies. Of course his English knowledge will help him in the future!!

Alfonso´s expectations

"I came to London because I believe it is one of the most important cities in Europe but, most of all because I never heard people talking about the crisis in this country!

I was looking on Facebook trying to find different job opportunities in London and I happened to find Come2England.

First I was impressed by your logo and customer service you have on Facebook, then I saw the ad you use to post and I decided to call them.

The service was incredible and I think they should definitely advertise more what they do because Come2England can be for sure one of the best companies here.
Now that I have found a job I want to stay here and why not...maybe become a Manager!"

Carlotta, 17 years old, and in London!!!

Today! We would like to introduce you, Carlotta, 17 years old, from Rome. A girl who - thanks to her courage and entusiasm - has decided to come to London alone, to improve her English.

Which were her reasons you might wonder....

To have an important experience to grow up and mainly to improve her CV.

Carlotta is taking part to a Onu's project and she needs a good English. For this reason, instead of doing her holiday at the sea as all her friends are doing, she is in London.
She has found a job which allows her to live in London autonomously.

The right investment!!
Arrived in London for 2 weeks, Carlotta is satisfied of Come2England because after only two days from her arrival she has found a job which allow her to pay her London's life.

.....greeting from the job place!! :)




                                

The smiley face of Philippo, the right prize for our job!

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO COME TO LONDON?

I decided to come back to London to improve my English skills because English is essential to work in the sector that I wish. I've already been to London 2 years ago but I came back to France because the experience was not good. However, my dream is to work in the United States so I have to speak English fluently. That is why I decided to come back to London, to have a second chance.

HOW DID YOU FIND COME2ENGLAND? WAS IT EASY? WHICH WAS YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION?

I contacted Come2England via Facebook and I could talk with people who ran the profile (Nathalie and Anissa). They explained me the goal of the agency and I signed a few days later.

ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH OUR SERVICES? WOULD YOU TRUST US AGAIN?

My story is simple, in addition to the job assistance; I took a week of English courses which helped me to improve my level. Then, the agency got me an interview for a restaurant where I work today.

DO YOU THINK WE SHALL IMPROVE SOMETHING? IF SO, WHAT?

I am very satisfied and I don’t think I have anything bad to say about the agency. If I had to redo it, it would be with pleasure, I even recommend the agency.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR FUTURE PLANS..

I have many projects. For now I want to stay in London and then, I want to go to Germany for my future job.


                                          

Nicolo with his English Certificate

This is Nicolo', with his English Certificate of Come2England.

Today, he has taken his last lesson in our office, and then he wanted to have a talk with us, so we thanked him for that.

He started his London's adventure as our others clients, coming to London to improve his English and maybe to have a working experience.

He contacted with our agency because his friends had a good experience with us before, and they recommended Come2England for the good service provided, the professionalism and the availability.

Now, Nicolo's experience has almost finished due to his university course which starts soon in Italy. Nicolo is satisfied with the service and the English course, and he wouldn't doubt taking another weekly course.

All considered, the balance is really positive! One exception, Giada's music in the office "the 883"!!!

London Markets

                            LONDON MARKETS


London city is a cosmopolitan and modern city. Here there are a wide range of things to do. One of the best options is to visit some of the markets that are set up in the city. It will allow you to know more about the culture and the Londoners.

   Brick Lane Market
This is the ultimate market in London. If you are looking for second-hand shops, is a must!Every Sunday, lots of people spend the day walking on the streets and exposing their looks in order to be watched by others. You can pick up everything from retro furniture to vintage clothes and jewellery. Also, there are dozens of stalls where you can buy food from lot of different countries.



  Camden Market
Camden Market actually refers to the several markets that cover the northern of the city.
You will find there arts and crafts, vintage clothes, and lots of curiosities.Also, Camden is the center of urban tribes, piercings and tattoos. The market is completely full at weekends, so to have the most of it you should go during the week.





  Brixton Village
You can find in South London healthy food that local farmers bring specially for you to your table. Music and fashion play the most important part of the market, while arts and crafts are here too. So if you have no plans for your weekend, go to Brixton Village and relax listening a group of Cuban musicians. People dance and drink mojito!
Besides, you could visit lot of famous restaurants! For instance, KaoSarn serve home cooked Thai food.



 Greenwich Market
The market is well known for its designer makers and small cottage industries. Here you will find items that cannot being found anywhere else. Enjoy the atmosphere and take in some classical music performed by  students of Trinity College of Music.




 Columbia Road Flower Market
If you love the sight of thousand varieties of exquisite flowers and exotic plants Columbia Road is your place. It's the perfect plan to wake up in a Sunday morning, and look around the most beautiful and cheap flowers in the city. You could avoid crowds going early in the morning, otherwise you could try luck going at the end of the day when the sellers reduce their prices.

Here isMaxime´s experience with Come2england!!

Here is the of Maxime.

"Arriving in London on April 8, I had poorly organized my trip (unhealthy accommodation, sharing with 8 French, no English school available, no English phone number, no English CV to get a job etc.). It is seeking a new collocation in Bethnal Green that I knew Come2England agency. For a very reasonable price, they offered me:

• A direct link with an English renowned school attached to the British Council.

• An assistance to complete my CV and many addresses where to apply

• A SIM card (required)

• Interviews and meetings to understand how to get a job according to our requests.

    
All this in less than 48 hours.

Come2England clearly helped me to start this new rewarding experience allowing me to significantly increase my level of English. You have to be motivated to deposit your CV, but if you do it seriously it does not take you more than a week to find a job. I found my first job in a bar only two days after my arrival! ".

                                  

Francesa: Thank you Com2England!

I've been in London since a few days and I've already started to enjoy it.

 

Living an experience abroad has been my dream for ages, and as in Italy the economic situation is not good I decided to come to London. Coming here, anyway, wasn't easy, because i thought " How can i go there to work if i don't speak English?".

 

I started to search in some Agencies  services which may be useful to start a life in such a big city like London. The only reliable answer which i found was Come2England. At the beginning i was full of doubts because in Internet you can read a lot of things that makes you feel suspicious.

 

That's why I could spoke with Come2England's staff as many times as I need before buying a package. So, I could speak them with Skype, Facebook, Telephone. After that, I found out that to book a package,  you can pay just a small amount of advice and pay the rest later. I was sure it was the right thing to do then.

 

Now I'm here and all was simply perfect, the staff, the service and my room too. Yesterday I started an English course with Kirsten (Come2England's Teacher) and she is very kindly and helpful.... I've also won the last Photo Competition that Come2England did one week ago to celebrate their 4000 fans!!

 

Would I repeat the experience again? YES!!!

 

 

 

Welcome to Kristen, our English teacher!!!!

Who is her?

She is Kirsten, Come2England qualified ESL Teacher (Teaching English as a second language) with further qualifications to teach Business English as well as English to Young Learners.

She has taught English in Thailand – she even had a monk in her class - and she has also lead numerous workshops and seminars in Germany. Furthermore she successfully attended courses in communication strategy, business etiquette, conflict management and teambuilding.

As a German National she experienced the pleasures and the difficulties of mastering a new language and remembers well what it was like to settle in London when she first arrived 9 years ago.

Having worked in the hotel and catering industry, a language school, as a flight attendant and in various offices in Europe including the UK, she has gained plenty of experience in the field of job hunting, job application and interviews.

She is currently studying for her BA in Educational Science.

In her spare time she is passionate about learning Thai, loves to go swimming and hiking and enjoys London's exhilarating lifestyle.Come to our office to have a chat with her...!!!

London has 15 million of Londoners, and all of them have to eat!!!

Come2England's team congratulates Davide Balestieri!

He has just came to London and after booking our "Basic package" of job search, he has gotten a job as a Kitchen Assistant!

Good luck ..!

Come2England is the difference between surviving and living in London! =)

Could you work in London without speaking English??

Today Come2England is happy to present you Crispin Silvestre, 29 years old, he came to London 2 weeks ago without knowing English. When he came into our office he was very worried about his future, because of  his English lack, he hadn't enough money for an English course and  for the rent neither!!!

Thanks to our "Basic Package" with our English training course, Crispin succeed to hold some job interviews and some days after he got a job as a Kitchen Porter. We are sure that English won't be a problem for him anymore in a while!! :)

Are you ready for London's summer??

It's still bad weather but the summer is coming. So many guys decide to coming to London in the summer studies break to do an unforgettable experience.

Someone come for 1 month, other ones for 2 months. Why? it's because you will be able to know a lot of new people from around the world and you will improve your english with a good work experience. By the way, also, Enjoy London!!!

The last summer around 250 guys have booked our holiday/study/job package which were satisfied investing money for a summer in London with Come2England.

                                                

Have a look to our package on our website......

London has a new waitress Monica

Come2England's team congratulates Monica Garcia Barberena!

She has just came to London and after booking our "Basic package" of job search, she has gotten a job as a Waitress!

Good luck ..!

Come2England is the difference between surviving and living in London! =)

An opportunity in london

London is a big city with lots of opportunities.

In this moment, in the rest of Europe find an opportunity can be harder than here. That's why lot of people are coming to looking for a career.

Come2England is helping to those guys who come to London and need someone to give them a hand.

This is what Josep and his girlfriend, our clients, have done. They are living in the East of London and he works as a bartender and his girlfriend as aupair.

Of course, that is because they have done our english course and training for the job interviews!! :)

Congratulations to them from Come2England!!!

Maxime's and his new experience in London

Come2England's team congratulates Maxime, a French boy of 19 years old!

He has just came to London and after booking our "Basic package" of job search, he has gotten a job as a bartender in just a week!








Good luck ..!

Come2England is the difference between surviving and living in London! =)

Is it possible to find a job in London in one week?

This is a 1 million dollar question, you know!!!
For Come2England this question is just 159 euro!!

The amount that Andrei and Lorenzo have spent in our Basic Package, 2 simple and young guys who came to London to have a wonderful experience.

Lorenzo is Kitchen Porter in a restaurant now…

…Andrei is a Pizzaiolo.Not bad at all!!!....Congratulation to them…and to us!!!! :)