Temping in the UK

July 2002 | Kirsty Henderson

Admittedly, I’ve never looked for a temping job in Canada so I don’t really know what the market is like. But it’s not something that ever seemed like an option, not in my hometown anyways. If it were, you can bet I would have jumped at the chance to work a cushy office job instead of crappy retail!

So when I arrived in the UK find a thriving market for office monkeys (temps) I was quite eager to jump on board and put the days of kissing customer’s asses behind me. My first ever experience with a temping agency was in Glasgow and I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. The idea of getting placed in a job without having to go door to door handing out resumes and speaking to managers was a bit foreign to me.

So I rocked up at an agency with my resume in hand, dressed relatively smartly and ready to be put to work! Unfortunately it wasn’t quite that easy. After a short chat with a recruitment consultant I was asked to do a few tests on Microsoft Word and Excel as well as a typing speed test and spelling and arithmetic tests too. I felt like I was back in school but if it got me a job then I wasn’t too bothered.

I did well on the tests and they filed my application and sent me on my way promising to call if anything came up. I waited around for a week, not too sure how long this process normally takes, then gave them a call to check up. It turns out that I had arrived at a slow time and didn’t actually land a job for three weeks! Looking back, I probably should have applied at more than one temping agency or should have stalked them more fiercely about getting me a job. But three weeks from arrival in the UK to a job is still pretty quick by Canadian standards.

The job was boring, working for a leasing company checking references for potential customers. It involved calling up their previous landlords and places of work and was quite dull. Fortunately there were a few funny people sitting near me and we talked some serious crap when the bosses weren’t looking. After 3 weeks I got a job in London as a travel agent and was off to the big smoke.

Temping is a great way to go though, especially for new arrivals to the UK with few connections. There are agencies for all types of work from nursing to labouring to au pairing. If you need a job quickly, apply to as many agencies as you can find.