Looking to relocate to the UK from America but aren’t sure where to work as a US expat? Luckily there are plenty of US companies with offices in the UK.
Mostly located in London, if you want to work for a familiar brand, or even transfer your existing US-based job overseas, there are a lot of American companies with offices in London & UK.
Of course, working for a US company isn’t the only option when finding an expat job in the UK. As long as you can get sponsored for your visa, you can work for any kind of company.
The benefit of working for a US company as a US national is that due to their international preference, they’re more likely to offer sponsorship packages.
It’s also good to have that brand awareness coming into a new company or office, so if you know them from back home, it can really help in interview situations.
So, which American companies have offices in London & UK? Let’s find out.
Another thing to keep in mind when searching for jobs abroad is making your resume/CV as competitive as possible. I definitely recommend earning a few certifications on Coursera in order to do this.
My favorite certifications that are guaranteed to make your CV look great to employers are Graphic Design, Software Development, Project Management, and Brand Management.
I used courses and certifications in Software Development to help me land the position I have today in travel tech!
Industries with Crossovers
Before we dive into the individual brands and companies with offices in London and the UK, there are plenty of industries where you can find crossovers and transferable skills on both sides of the Atlantic.
Retail
Many of the stores in the UK, whether they’re UK or US-based, have a presence in both countries. For instance, Sweaty Betty is a UK company but has tons of stores in the US.
If you’ve worked for them in their US retail stores, you’re in a great position to be transferred over. This applies to so many different stores, so check with your corporate office and see if it’s a viable option for you.
If your chosen store doesn’t operate in the UK or isn’t hiring, you can always go to a similar store with the experience you have. For instance, although Sweaty Betty has stores in the UK, there are way fewer of them, but there are a few Lulu Lemons around London so that might be a better option.
Hospitality and Travel
By the very fact that these industries help you travel internationally, it won’t come as a shock that brands like Hilton, Marriott, Starbucks, Whole Foods and more are huge in both the US and UK.
Not only is this great news if you have a loyalty card, but if you’re looking for a job in this sector, you should have a good way in.
Even if the particular brand that you work for isn’t hiring in the UK, there are plenty of other multinational hospitality and travel chains where your global transferable skills would be welcomed. Once you have the experience, the world is your oyster!
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Finance
London is one of the biggest financial hubs on the planet, home to the FTSE 100 and some of the world’s biggest banks. That means if you work in the fast-paced world of finance, you’ll be able to find a home in The City (the financial area of London).
All the major players have offices here, so if you have experience, there are plenty of options.
Increasingly, some of the finance companies are broadening their presence into other cities in the UK like Manchester and Birmingham, due to their lower overheads, so if you’d prefer to live in the Midlands or North West region and still work in finance, it’s completely possible.
I‘ve lived abroad for many years and love helping others find work abroad and figure out their “Move Abroad Plan.” Check out my class below to get you started ASAP!
Manufacturing
The UK still has plenty of jobs in the manufacturing industry, with many cars still being made around the country.
If you have experience in car manufacturing, you might be able to transfer those skills over to Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin, Bentley, Mini, Vauxhall, and many more.
These manufacturing companies tend to have huge campuses outside of the city, so if city life isn’t for you, this may be an option worth considering.
Even if you don’t have manufacturing experience, all of these brands have huge support team functions and office blocks, with HR, finance, marketing, sales, legal, and more.
US Companies with Offices in London & the Wider United Kingdom
Okay, let’s move on to specific US companies with offices in London & the wider United Kingdom and see where you might be able to work as a US expat!
Since it gets pretty complicated tax-wise as an expat, I also recommend using MyExpatTaxes to keep it all straight between filing taxes abroad and in the USA.
Also, any returning customers can use code “WanderReturn” to get 10% off!
American Airlines
Worked as cabin crew or on the ground checking excited travelers in for their flights? American Airlines operates in four airports across England.
Three are in and around London: Gatwick Airport, Heathrow Airport, and London Stansted Airport, and the fourth is in the North West of the country at Manchester Airport.
Amazon.com
As one of the biggest companies in the world, it’s no surprise that Amazon has a considerable presence all across the UK. While its head office is in the trendy and hipster Shoreditch area of London, you can find distribution centers all around the country.
They have 61 distribution centers across England, Scotland, and Wales to be precise, so if you want to transfer to a job in one of their warehouses, you can have your pick of locations.
Asos.com
Okay so Asos isn’t a US company, it’s definitely a UK-based business, but they do have a wide reach across the Atlantic, with huge offices in New York. So, if you want to work for this fast-growing fashion giant, you have the choice of a few locations.
Their head office is in the eclectic borough of Camden in London (perfect for fashionistas), in a converted tobacco warehouse. Their customer care is based 20 miles northwest of London in Leavesden, which is also where you’ll find the Harry Potter Studios… The massive warehouse is up north in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, and their technology departments are based in Birmingham.
So, depending on your specialty and experience, you could be living in any of these places.
Etsy
Love all things homemade and crafty? Want to support small business owners achieve their dreams? Well, with a head office in London, Etsy is a favorite among buyers in the UK.
With positions ranging from marketing to finance to sales and beyond, you have plenty of options.
Etsy is actually one of my income streams and I highly recommend trying it out and making a few digital products for yourself! Check out my store here.
If you want to start earning money immediately, you can also try freelancing on sites like Fiverr or Upwork. These are great for writers, editors, photographers, graphic designers, devs, and more. If you have a marketable skill that people want to pay for, you can make a lot of money remotely.
Expedia
Travel giant Expedia has offices all over the world, so it’s not surprising that there is a stylish and fun headquarters in London. Expedia is famously flexible about their employees working from different offices and countries, moving around internally.
So, if you work for them in the US, the chances of being relocated are pretty good.
Also, if you’re looking to go abroad to start looking for jobs, you can try housesitting in order to stay for free while figuring out your future.
Trusted Housesitters is a site where you can stay at someone’s house while they are away in exchange for watching their house or sometimes their pet. It’s a great way to travel the world for free!
Being the huge global corporation it is, Facebook has offices everywhere. Now rebranding itself as Meta, you can opt to work from their London offices.
It’s a huge space and rumors have it that they’re making it even bigger. So, there’s definitely a space being built just for you!
Similarly to Facebook, Google is a massive name in pretty much every country. They actually have three offices in London, one in Manchester and a development-specific, super secret office called DeepMind, also in London.
More businesses are moving up to Manchester for the cheaper rents, so it’s unsurprising that Google has diversified its UK locations.
Goldman Sachs
The finance giants have four office buildings in London, one in the second city of Birmingham in the Midlands region, and another just north of London in Milton Keynes. Given the financial importance of London and the FTSE 100, their expanding presence here is to be expected.
However, the fact that you can have a high-flying, top-name finance job, without having to necessarily live in super-expensive London is definitely a plus.
GSK (GlaxoSmithKline)
Post-pandemic it’s safe to say that the pharmaceutical industry is booming. As GSK is one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world, it seems as if they’re always hiring. Their global head office is located in Brentford in London, but they have plenty of sites around the country.
In fact, they have 12 sites not including the head office, with two (Montrose and Irvine) being located in Scotland. So, if you’re not crazy about living in England and prefer heading over the Northern border, this might be the opportunity for you.
Microsoft
Another giant corporation with a wide range of UK working locations is Microsoft. The tech behemoth has five offices across the country.
Their main office is in the city of Reading, just over 40 miles west of London, but they also have offices in Manchester, London, and Edinburgh, and a huge research facility in the university city of Cambridge.
There’s a lot of variety in those locations, and it’s definitely worth considering if you want to work for a big tech firm and don’t want to base yourself in London.
Netflix
Who doesn’t love this particular streaming giant? The head office in London predominantly deals with marketing, acquisition, and development, so if you have strong experience in any of these fields, a job at Netflix may be on the cards.
The London office also works closely with the Amsterdam office, so you can expect to visit the beautiful Dutch capital a fair bit if you work there. It’s only a couple of hours on the Eurostar direct from London, or under an hour’s flight!
Despite having their main head offices in their home city of San Francisco, the mood board giants have offices all over the world with 2,200 employees globally. They have a large office in the center of London, and although it’s not technically the UK, if you want to work in Ireland, there’s a Pinterest office in the heart of Dublin.
Expect aesthetically pleasing office design and quirky features that you’ll be sure to add to any of your interior design boards…
Skechers
Don’t fancy living in the big city and prefer a small city or large town kind of vibe? Although their head office is in Manhattan Beach, Skechers’ UK home is in the small city of St. Albans. Located 20 miles (32 km) northwest of London, St. Albans can trace its roots all the way back to the Romans!
If you love a more rural setting, with easy commuting routes into London, this might be the US company to work for!
Ticketmaster
Love going to gigs and concerts? Then why not try and get a job working for an international ticketing site, such as Ticketmaster? With offices both in Manchester and London, you can have your pick of locations and even enjoy discounts on events.
A job and a discounted social life, what more can you ask for?
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Vanessa Wachtmeister is a travel tech professional and the creator of the wealth & wanderlust platform, Wander Onwards. Vanessa is originally from Los Angeles, California, she is a proud Chicana, and she has been living abroad for the last 9 years. Today, she helps people pursue financial and location independence through her ‘Move Abroad’ Master Class, financial literacy digital products, and career workshops.