London - The advertising market in London, the largest in Europe, and one of the world’s greatest keepers of commercial creativity, still sees Australians and New Zealanders carrying a reputation as hard working.
This may help get a toe hold if you're looking to London for a working holiday or a chance to get a leg up the career ladder.
In the dark days of the pandemic in the UK many Australians left for what they still saw as home in the southern hemisphere.
But they have started to return to the bigger and deeper career pool of the deep north.
The jobs market in London is improving, but not yet jumping,
However, the pay and returns may not be what Australians are used to.
Locals in the know say: Leverage the experience and have fun.
Expatriate Damian Totman, the creative director at London’s Semi-famous, left Australia in 1999, worked in Singapore and then to New York.
“I worked for Dentsu and then JWT. And I was a creative director on HSBC and used to work between New York and London for years,” he told AdNews.
“I had an agency in New York for a while and then I set up the internal agency inside Bloomberg and did that for nearly a decade.
“I transferred to London with Bloomberg in 2017, which was a request that we wanted to move, and then, as happens, I was unceremoniously fired. And so I set up an agency in London.”
The current market is a roller coaster. “It’s getting harder and harder to squeeze a profit because clients are saying, get bigger, faster, cheaper … and London markets are super competitive,” he says.
“We're based in London but we work transatlantic … London, New York and LA, mostly B2B.
“We also work on small and medium sized businesses that don't want to go with a big-name agency … they know that they can get world class work from a shop like us.”
He says the London market is crowded with a lot of good agencies.
“And the design pedigree of London is something that I find quite energising. It keeps us on our toes,” he says.
And if you’re looking for a job now in London?
“Obviously, the network's are going through change but they still have the resources to give a person the breath to explore different things,” he says. “So I think that's kind of where I'd start.
“And I think often people step into an industry like ours, with not exactly, you know, the version of what they want to do.
“For a young person going into a smart network, and just being a person who can solve problems … and have some connection to some good clients who do real work. I think that's a good place to start.
“Obviously, creatives have to come and slug it out with their folios. And I hear stories of Australian creatives still living in six-person share houses getting paid something like GBP28,000 a year.
“But sometimes you’ve got to do the hard yards. If you're working 15-hour days and you come out of it with a portfolio and a hangover, then maybe it's a good thing … a price to pay because then you've got a calling card.
“Anecdotally, I feel like Australians still have a very good reputation in terms of their work ethic, their tenacity, doing good serviceable work.
“They do in New York as well. A lot of people sit around talking about stuff and to find people actually get in there and do stuff is really good.”
Aliza Sweiry, UK country manager at recruiters Aquent, says the market is tricky at the moment with agency hiring slowing.
“That being said, agencies are always on the lookout for exceptional talent fresh to the market, especially within the creative sector,” she says.
“Social media roles are always ‘hot property’ in an agency setting owing to the ever-changing, fluid nature of social platforms and strategies. Designer and artworkers at all levels are also always in demand along with marketers and copywriters.
“Advertising, especially in large cities like London, is always very competitive. With big cities comes big clients and opportunities.
“Candidates coming from abroad bring with them a fresh outlook and perspective and valuable insight into other markets.
“This is definitely an advantage for a candidate coming from Australia or New Zealand as they are able to offer unique value to what can often be a very saturated industry.
“For anyone thinking about making a move there are a number of social media groups which can be helpful with lots of insight!”
Recruiter Nicky Pearson, partner - creative and design at DMCG, says she can’t report an influx of Australians yet.
“In the past three months I have met a social creative/copywriter, a designer and an art director,” she says.
“It is more than it was but still a small percentage of overall applicants.
“Perhaps we are not advertising or promoting the UK business enough?”
For recruiters there’s a go slow.
“I think 20% of what it was even over the pandemic,” Pearson says. “Looking at LinkedIn and the job boards such as a design jobs board, it’s nice that there are plenty of opportunities advertised but the more seem to be direct and for us it is quieter and on permanent, slow going.”
She says the economic crisis, the cost-of-living crisis and war in Ukraine are dragging.
“The advertising, design and marketing clients rein in spending and are cautious … it immediately impacts spend with agencies,” she says.
“There’s been a lot of discussion in the media about the impact of AI on the creative industries and ultimately who knows. Content and social still seem to be the growth areas in advertising and marketing and strategically-led brand and packaging design is strong and the skills in demand in design.”
She urges those looking for a role in London to be realistic about salaries in relation to experience.
“Even with the cost-of-living crisis and expense of living in London, the salaries have not kept up with inflation and so expectations are not being met,” she says.
”Research the competitor areas and agencies/studios that will match skills and help target relevant employers.
“Sign up for relevant feeds and blogs, be equipped to have a POV and know about trends and help the cultural assimilation happen.
“Be in touch with relevant targeted agencies and recruitment agencies 1-2 months before arrival in the UK.”
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