Working & building a career in the UK
Clear, expert guides on every part of working life in the UK — finding a job, your contract and rights, pay and tax, self-employment, pensions and what you can do on your visa. Written by specialists and grounded in GOV.UK, HMRC and ACAS guidance.
Information only — not employment or legal advice. Our guides explain UK employment and tax rules based on GOV.UK, HMRC and ACAS guidance and cannot be relied upon for your individual situation. For advice on your own circumstances, consult a regulated professional. Find a specialist →
Everything you need to work in the UK
The UK has one of the largest and most regulated labour markets in Europe, with strong statutory protections and a transparent tax system. For new arrivals, the challenge is rarely finding work — it is understanding your rights, your tax, and the conditions attached to your visa. These guides take each of those in turn, in plain terms.
Work out your real take-home pay
A job offer is a headline number. What reaches your account, after income tax, National Insurance, any student loan and pension, is what matters. Our calculator shows the real figure for 2026/27, for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Landing your first UK role
From writing a CV in the British format to knowing where employers actually advertise and what to expect in an interview — the practical steps that get you hired.
How to Find a Job in the UK
Practical steps, the main job boards, recruitment agencies and how the UK hiring process works for new arrivals.
Read guide → GuideHow to Write a UK CV
Format, length and what British employers expect — and how a UK CV differs from a resume.
Read guide → GuideBest UK Job Boards
Where to search by sector and seniority, and which platforms are worth your time.
Read guide → GuideUK Job Interview Tips
What to expect, how to prepare, and the conventions that catch international candidates out.
Read guide → GuideRight to Work Checks Explained
What employers must verify before you start, and what you need to provide to prove your right to work.
Read guide → DirectoryJob Search Services
Recruitment agencies, job-search specialists and career support vetted for people relocating to the UK.
Browse directory →Understanding what you earn and what you keep
How PAYE works, what every line on your payslip means, and how to work out your real take-home pay once income tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension are taken into account.
Salary After Tax Calculator
Your take-home pay for 2026/27 after income tax, National Insurance, student loan and pension — for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Open calculator → SectionPay & Tax Guides
PAYE, tax codes, National Insurance, the Personal Allowance and what to do when you first start work.
Explore guides → GuideUnderstanding Your UK Payslip
What every deduction means, how to read your tax code, and what to do when a figure looks wrong.
Read guide →Your contract, your status and your rights
Whether you are an employee, a worker or self-employed shapes your tax, your protections and what you can claim. Start by understanding your status and what your contract must include.
Employment Status in the UK
Employee, worker or self-employed — what each means for your rights, your tax and your security.
Read guide → GuideWork Contracts in the UK
Contract types, what yours must include by law, and the rights that come with each arrangement.
Read guide → SectionTime Off & Leave
Holiday entitlement, sick pay, and maternity, paternity and parental leave — what you are entitled to and when.
Explore guides →Working for yourself in the UK
Choosing a structure, registering with HMRC and understanding how you are taxed when you work for yourself rather than an employer.
Self-Employment Guides
Registering with HMRC, Self Assessment, allowable expenses and finding an accountant who works with expats.
Explore guides → GuideSole Trader vs Limited Company
The trade-offs in tax, liability and admin between the two most common ways to work for yourself.
Read guide → SectionPensions & Benefits
Workplace pensions and auto-enrolment, the State Pension for overseas workers, and what you can claim as an expat.
Explore guides →What you can expect to earn
Salary benchmarks by sector and region, what the average UK salary actually looks like, and how it translates into take-home pay.
UK Average Salary 2026
What skilled workers and expats can expect to earn, and how earnings vary by experience and region.
Read guide → GuideUK Salaries by Sector
Median salary benchmarks by industry, with London weighting and earnings by experience level.
Read guide → SectionProfessional Qualifications
Getting an overseas degree or professional qualification recognised in the UK through UK ENIC and regulated bodies.
Explore guides →What you can do on each visa route
Your visa sets the conditions on the work you can take. Understand the limits, how to change employers, and which route fits the job you want.
Working on a Visa
What you can and cannot do on each visa type, from work-hour limits to sponsor licence rules.
Explore guides → GuideChanging Jobs on a Skilled Worker Visa
How to move employers without jeopardising your visa, and what your new sponsor must do.
Read guide → HubUK Work Visas
Every work route — Skilled Worker, Health and Care, Global Talent, Global Business Mobility and more.
Explore work visas → GuideSkilled Worker Visa
The main sponsored work route — eligibility, salary thresholds, and how sponsorship works.
Read guide → GuideGlobal Talent Visa
For leaders and potential leaders in research, arts, culture and technology — endorsement, fees and how to apply.
Read guide → GuideHealth and Care Worker Visa
The route for eligible health and social care professionals coming to work for the NHS or in care.
Read guide →US tax obligations while working in the UK
Americans remain liable to file US taxes wherever they live. If you are a US citizen working in the UK, these guides cover the filing rules, the UK–US treaty, and the reporting you cannot afford to miss.
US Taxes for Americans in the UK
The full set of guides on filing, reporting and treaty relief for US citizens living and working in the UK.
Explore guides → GuideUS Taxes for American Expats
How US tax works when you live in the UK, and how to stay compliant on both sides of the Atlantic.
Read guide → GuideThe UK–US Tax Treaty Explained
How the treaty prevents double taxation, and what it means for your income, pension and savings.
Read guide → GuideFBAR & FATCA Reporting
The foreign-account reporting rules Americans must follow, and the deadlines and penalties to be aware of.
Read guide → GuideUS Tax Filing Deadlines
The key dates for Americans abroad, including the automatic extension and how it interacts with UK filing.
Read guide → GuideUK Pensions & ISAs: IRS Reporting
How the IRS treats UK pensions and ISAs, and the reporting traps that catch American expats out.
Read guide →Not sure what type of worker you are?
Find your employment status
Your employment status determines your tax obligations, your rights and what you can claim. Answer three questions for a starting point.
How do you primarily work?
Who controls how and when you work?
Do you bear financial risk if something goes wrong?
Guidance only. For a definitive answer use HMRC's CEST tool on GOV.UK.
Working in the UK FAQs
From 1 April 2026, the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour. The rate for 18 to 20 year olds is £10.85, and the rate for under-18s and apprentices is £8.00. The National Living Wage is the legal minimum for those aged 21 and over; the National Minimum Wage covers younger workers and apprentices.
Most workers in the UK are legally entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for someone working five days a week. This is the statutory minimum and can include bank holidays. Part-time workers get the same entitlement calculated on a pro-rata basis.
You pay income tax only on earnings above your Personal Allowance, which is £12,570 for 2026/27. Employee National Insurance is paid at 8% on earnings between £12,570 and £50,270, and 2% above that. Both are deducted automatically through PAYE before you are paid, so you do not usually need to do anything yourself.
An employee works under a contract of employment with the fullest set of rights, including holiday, sick pay and protection from unfair dismissal. A worker has a narrower set of rights such as the minimum wage and paid holiday, but less security. A self-employed person runs their own business, sets their own terms, bears financial risk, and handles their own tax through Self Assessment. Your status determines your tax, your rights and what you can claim.
What you can do depends on your visa. A Skilled Worker visa ties you to a sponsoring employer and a specific role, and changing jobs usually means updating your sponsorship. Student visas allow limited working hours during term time. Each route has its own conditions, so always check the rules attached to your specific visa before taking on work.
UK ENIC (formerly NARIC) is the official body that compares overseas qualifications to UK equivalents and can issue a Statement of Comparability. Regulated professions such as medicine, law, teaching and engineering have their own recognition routes through their professional bodies, which may require additional registration or assessment before you can practise.
Stay ahead of UK work and tax changes
Employment and tax rules in the UK change regularly. Get notified when something shifts that could affect your pay, your rights or your status.
Free, no spam, unsubscribe anytime. By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Building a working life in the UK
The UK offers genuine opportunity for skilled workers and new arrivals: a large, well-regulated labour market, strong statutory protections, and a tax system that, for all its detail, is transparent once you understand the parts that apply to you. The difficulty is rarely the work itself — it is the surrounding rules on status, tax and visa conditions, where two people in seemingly similar situations can face very different outcomes depending on their contract and circumstances.
These guides are built on primary sources — GOV.UK, HMRC and ACAS — and updated whenever the underlying guidance changes. They are written to help you understand your position and ask the right questions, not to replace advice on your individual case.
Where the stakes are high — a disputed contract, an uncertain tax position, a visa condition you are unsure about — the sensible step is to speak to a regulated professional. Our directory lists employment solicitors, tax advisers and career specialists who work with people in exactly your position.
Related hubs
Every route into the UK labour market, from Skilled Worker to Global Talent, with eligibility and how to apply.
Explore guides → Cost of LivingWhat life actually costs across the UK’s regions and major cities, so your salary stretches as far as you expect.
Explore guides → DirectoryEmployment solicitors, tax advisers, career coaches and HR consultants who work with people relocating to the UK.
Browse directory →Information only — not employment, tax or legal advice. The figures and rules described are based on GOV.UK, HMRC and ACAS guidance for the 2026/27 tax year, including the £12.71 National Living Wage from April 2026, the £12,570 Personal Allowance, and employee National Insurance of 8% and 2%. UK employment and tax law is complex and individual circumstances vary; for advice on your situation, consult a regulated employment or tax specialist. We are not employment, tax or legal advisers.