Expert: Alun Hill MCIJ - 1/29/2010

Question
QUESTION: Hello! Good day Sir. There's a lot of job offers on the internet and i'm applying as a housekeeper on this site, england-jobs.co.uk, I want to make sure that it's real and not a fraud, also I want to know of this address below really exists. Thank you very much.
Bryanston Street,Marylebone, Tube Station , W1H 7AJ, London, United Kingdom

ANSWER: The street exists, but is written incorrectly (the mention of "tube station"), so I suspect the job is not real - but do give me more information and I will happily find out, discretely.

Remember, that there are many such scams, as you've realised - they offer a job and to pay for your visa etc, but then ask for your money, your passport etc.

Depending on where you are from, you may not even be able to get a work visa for the UK - we have many millions of people unemployed and people from the EU get priority.

Let me have more details and I'll happily help!

Alun

http://www.AlunHill.com




---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you Alun for the information, at least it cleared my doubts on job deployment on the internet. They'd e-mail me and give me their yahoo messenger contact, EUdirect1 and a certain name nicholas waterman appear on the list, we had a chance to chat last night and I asked him if he has a contact number and gave me this...+442032875048, I also want to know what's the area code in UK..
Thank you, this would really mean a lot to me.

Answer
The telephone number doesn't really help, as UK numbers can easily be bought from anywhere in the world and routed, cheaply, to another country.

Do you have the hotel's name, or can you supply the email which you received - often, looking at how well - or otherwise - the English is written is a good clue.

I don't know which country you're from, so are you legally allowed to work in Britain, do you know?

Looking further at the site you mentioned, it breaks several UK laws regarding details of companies which must be displayed, has no contact number, yet boasts 100,000 subscribers - yet there's no obvious way to become a subscriber. I would also remind you that the address is not correct in a way we would display one - we certainly wouldn't mention the rail station as part of an address.

The only real test is if they get you work, and don't charge you (which is illegal in the UK).

Are you an experienced Housekeeper - no UK hotel is likely to employ you with vast experience for that position.

Has a salary been mentioned - that often helps me decide if the job is "too good to be true"!

More information would be helpful, please - but the clues are there!

Alun Hill, MCIJ

http://www.ShortEuropeBreaks.co.uk