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Moving from Dubai to London

Hello All,

I've recently completed my Master's degree in HRM with a Level 7 CIPD qualification. 

All of my HR experience of ten years is based out of the UAE, but I made sure that my degree was from a renowned university in the UK so that when the time came to move I would still be connected in some way. We're considering moving to the UK in the next year or two and I'm wondering if my global experience would give me an edge, and allow me to move laterally into a role rather than taking a step down because I haven't got any UK experience. I'd really appreciate your feedback on a) would it be possible to move laterally, and b) what more can I do to ensure I have a good enough chance to get offers more suited to my level of experience (I'm a Senior HR Advisor for a multi-national healthcare organization).

Thank you!

Veera

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  • Congratulations on completing your Master's degree! That is a massive achievement.

    My own thought is that if you were to move into another global organisation, the fact that your HR experience is based out of UAE shouldn't cause too much of a problem, particularly as you are CIPD qualified.

    Can I just check that you have the right to work in the UK without needing sponsorship? If you don't, that is likely to be your biggest difficulty as it is unlikely that HR roles would meet our resident labour market test
  • Welcome to the forums Veera, and well done for the Masters - you must be pleased

    You'll probably find it easier to find a position in the "softer" area of HR skills than in "hard skill" areas.

    For me "hard skill" areas are things like

    • Compensation & Benefits where an intimate knowledge of UK tax, social security and technical package design is a must
    • Industrial relations, where a solid experience of UK labour law, national agreements, sector agreements will often been a prerequisite for many companies

    Soft skill areas are more in areas like people development

    A generalist role may be possible but probably in a context where the hard skill technical areas are not dominant, or where they are covered by some excellent specialists in your team

    Good luck with your plans