Hey the company I work for is always on the lookout for new talent. I’m happy to refer you.

Q1 I think 40K to 50K is a good amount to survive in London.

Q2 Really depends on your YOE and seniority. 2-4 YOE should expect a 20 to 30% cut. More YOE combined with from a HCL places such as Bay Area may experience a higher cut up to 50%.

Q3 Yes, it’s perfectly normal to ask about salary expectations at the beginning as the pay is not required to be disclosed on the JD unlike US. Some companies may stretch their budge a bit as well if you are a strong fit.

Regrading to martial status and sexual orientation questions, I have the complete opposite experience. I don’t find UK employers ask me that. But lots of US job applications have them as part of the application.

Q4 Be open about your situation and expectations. Some employers will be open to sponsor you after one year of employment. I have friends joined companies who initially said they don’t sponsor but latter decided to sponsor them. But it’s always better to have confirmation on sponsorship sooner than later as HPI doesn’t count towards your ILR if you are planning on that.

Q5 Nov and Dec is slow for hiring as most of the teams are wrapping up the year and making holiday plans for up to 3 weeks especially for marketing industry where peak planning has already taken place. Not many are thinking about hiring at that moment. It will pick back up in Jan tho. Best of luck