Get job-ready: NI, CV, right-to-work
The three things every UK employer will ask for — sorted in one week.
- 1
Get your right-to-work share code
Before any employer can hire you, they must check your right to work. You prove it with a share code generated from your eVisa (UKVI account) — it takes two minutes online and the code lasts 90 days. Generate it at gov.uk/prove-right-to-work and keep it with your CV so you can send it the moment someone asks. Employers cannot legally skip this check, so having the code ready makes you the easy candidate to hire.
PrepareYour UKVI account login (the email and phone you registered your eVisa with).
Watch outA share code for renting is a different type — generate the "prove right to work" one, or the employer's check will fail.
This one is serious — get real helpThis step involves a high-risk area (legal, immigration, medical or benefits). We won't advise you here. Ask MyLife AI to prepare, or contact an official or appropriately regulated service before you act.
- 2
Apply for your National Insurance number
Your NI number makes sure your tax and pension contributions land on your record. Apply free at gov.uk — you may need to attend a short identity appointment. Here's the part most newcomers don't know: you can start working before the number arrives, as long as you can prove your right to work. Give the number to your employer when it comes and your record catches up automatically.
PrepareYour passport or eVisa details and a UK address you can receive letters at.
Watch outAnyone charging money to "get your NI number faster" is a scam — the application is free and nobody can speed it up.
This one is serious — get real helpThis step involves a high-risk area (legal, immigration, medical or benefits). We won't advise you here. Ask MyLife AI to prepare, or contact an official or appropriately regulated service before you act.
- Step 3
Rebuild your CV the UK way
UK CVs are two pages, no photo, no date of birth, no marital status — recruiters here are trained to ignore anything else. Lead with a three-line profile, then work history with results ("served 200 covers a night", "cut waste 15%"), then education. Translate your Turkish experience into outcomes a UK manager instantly understands. Save it as a PDF with your name in the filename.
PrepareYour old CV and dates of every job you want to include.
Watch outDon't copy a Europass-style CV — UK employers find them long and impersonal, and many application systems can't parse them.
- Step 4
Set up your job-search bases
Most UK hiring happens on a handful of platforms: Indeed and Reed for volume, LinkedIn for professional roles, and local Facebook groups for hospitality and trades. Create profiles on two of them today and turn on alerts for your target roles and postcode. Applying within 24 hours of a posting measurably raises your response rate — alerts are how you get there first.
PrepareYour new CV as PDF and a professional-looking email address.
Watch out"Pay for training then start work" job ads are a classic scam pattern — a real employer never charges you to start.
- Step 5
Understand your first payslip
When the first job lands, check the payslip it comes with. You should see your gross pay, tax, National Insurance, and a tax code. If you're paid cash with no payslip, you have no proof you were ever paid — and no protection if things go wrong. A payslip is not bureaucracy; it's your evidence that your employer is doing this legally.
PrepareYour NI number and your employment contract or offer message.
Watch outAn employer who insists on cash-only "to keep it simple" is usually avoiding minimum wage, tax, or both — that risk lands on you too.
Need help? Ask MyLife
It already knows which playbook you're in. Answers come from official sources, with dates.