UK work, jobs, home courses

To find a job in Britain you can follow various routes. You can send job applications to companies or organizations, and answer or place advertisements in the British press, general or specialized. Once you're in the UK, it's a good idea to keep an eye on the job centres, the public recruitment agencies, which are established by Jobcentre Plus, part of the Department for Work and Pensions, and can be found in most British cities and towns, however small. Every London area has one. They not only help you to find a job, but also provide information and advice on training opportunities. Another useful place are public libraries, with Training Access Points, or TAP. The DfES, Department for Education and Skills, also has training programs to help job seekers.
Then, there are lots and lots of private recruitment agencies. They're usually free to job seekers. Some are specialized in temporary employment, mostly in the sector of office, clerical, secretarial jobs, and a few in the catering sector.
In England, really it's easy to find a job, at least in London. It's obviously important to be determined and willing. The simplest, most direct method, requiring only a minimum amount of cheek, consists in searching an area or a street (better if central) door-to-door, going into every shop, pub, restaurant or hotel and asking whether they require staff. They'll let you talk to the manager or, sometimes, fill in an application form. It's not unlikely in this way to find a job in half a day, and to start immediately. Maybe it won't be the best job in the world, but you can always find a better one later. Among the advantages of this system there's also the fact, important in my opinion, of being able to have an immediate feel and look of the place where you're going to work, the environment, the people and so on.
Another method are the noticeboards to be found on the windows of everywhere: shops, libraries, post offices, which display ads relating to the local area they're in, including job offers. You can also place an ad yourself. It's not free, but it's inexpensive.
Finally, classified ads in newspapers. Local newspapers in London abound, and some are free. Some freebies can be found in and near underground stations. LOOT is not free, but very useful. The Evening Standard is the most important daily of the Greater London area. These are among the most common, but there are many others.

THINGS TO KNOW

In restaurants, the working hours can be very stressful, and including the breaks they can spread throughout the whole day. The opening hours change, usually they're shorter on less busy days and longer at weekends. There are usually 1 or 2 days off weekly. Only in part-time positions with continuous working hours it's possible to work 7 days a week.
The English are a bit formal as far as clothes and uniforms are concerned. Waiting and bar staff must wear black trousers or skirts, white shirt, black shoes and sometimes ties or bow-ties for men. These garments have to be purchased by the employee. Only in the big catering chains or posh establishments, where there is a mandatory uniform, this is provided by the employer. Usually, hotels and restaurants provide meals during working hours.
In almost every sector, the pay is normally given at the end of the week and calculated on a day basis.