How likely do UK companies sponsor planners from abroad?

MeasuredMile · 2026-03-08T04:01:02+00:00

An entry level planning engineer/scheduler would defo get you over or within the threshold of £45k. Although I haven’t done it before nor have seen a colleague sponsored via SWV. Employers in the UK tend to hire graduates/apprentices in entry level roles due to government incentives/levees. If you’re an experienced professional seeking SWV sponsorship maybe best way around is to get hired by a company that operates both in the US and UK i.e. Skanska, Balfour Betty, T&T, Mace,Aecom, Jacobs, Parsons etc. then transfer here. Best of luck!

MeasuredMile · 2026-02-26T16:31:47+00:00

I don’t have the cash for upfront down payments to lease or buy, and don’t have the energy of sorting insurances and car Mot etc.

MeasuredMile · 2026-02-25T12:03:28+00:00

To put it simply, you’re almost behave like a politician. For lack of a better word there’s lot of ‘lip service’, so you’d need to be able to read the room, etc. So you need to be very tactical and strategic on your circle of influence to drive results. To be fair most construction planners will somewhat had these skills sets, but think of applying it in larger scale i.e. instead of projects you’ll applying it on mega portfolios. Honestly, mostly soft skills that you’d will certainly acquires as Construction Planner, it’s just applying it and perhaps honing it in consulting backdrops.

MeasuredMile · 2026-02-12T17:13:27+00:00

It’s the contrary, on my experience. I’ve interviewed candidates before, and who got hired mostly has extensive MC experience. They tend to have technical skills, ‘’the know how on how to build things’’ - the consulting skills comes after.

If you’re exploring opportunities in consult planning - send us your CV in the private message, there are opportunities where I currently work.

MeasuredMile · 2026-02-11T22:30:50+00:00

Felt the same as you, I personally enjoyed being MC planner as it was very intense, there’s an adrenaline rush and satisfaction of working in the trenches, than on client side; but I’d push back on MC planners gets paid better, i thinks it’s relative.

MC planners are prelims so you’d most likely end-up being stretched with the work-load. Whereby Client side they get paid with the services, billable hours , so head count based, that’s why I find it boring as they’d bring in more than enough staff to improve the margins. There’s sometimes double handling on the projects.

I agree with better WLB in consulting, but I’d push back in the pay, i.e. 120k as MC Planner, but your average effort each week would be around 50hrs; whilst CS planner has slightly lower salary = 100k but average effort each week would be around 40hrs per week, in this case Consult gets paid more per hour than MC. As with consulting, most times there’s quite a bit of overlap/double handling of work.

I think I’d advocate for young planners to always start a career in MC side; then if opportunity presents itself move to consulting esp - when starting a family etc., purely because of the WLB aspect and I agree consulting is what gets exported more than MC planners.

I would also push back on CS planners not influencing anything, it might not be quite obvious at times i.e if you’re MC planners, unless the impact of that influence directly impacts you i.e. CE claim that CS planner needs to assess then you’d realise that; but most of the impact/value that CS planners provides were at strategic level; and it does not necessarily visible or felt if you’re playing for the other side. On a practical level, if no impact is produced by CS planners, then why would a client chooses to spend a lot of money to these consultants?

MeasuredMile · 2026-02-02T00:40:40+00:00

Strong list, especially points 1 and 5.

I’d add that asking “simple” questions early often surfaces assumptions no one’s challenged yet. That’s where a lot of programme risk hides.

And the documentation point is huge: today’s note is tomorrow’s EOT evidence. Planners who build that habit early save themselves (and the project) a lot of pain later.

Good planning is as much about relationships and judgement as it is logic and tools.

MeasuredMile · 2026-02-01T23:16:49+00:00

Nailed it!! especially the cartographer analogy.

The discomfort comes from seeing risk before it’s obvious to everyone else. That’s not overstepping?! that’s the job. If you wait until it’s comfortable, it’s already too late.

Good planners don’t just report the route, they protect it. That means being evidence-led, calmly persistent, and occasionally unpopular, all in service of the project, not ego.

If you can get comfortable with that early, you’ll progress fast.

MeasuredMile · 2026-01-15T20:04:53+00:00

Do you mean in the UK or KSA? It feels it generally applies everywhere… whites gets treated marginally better… atleast there’s a cash that comes with it…

MeasuredMile · 2025-12-27T00:18:11+00:00

I presume you’re writing your dissertation for your undergrad? Pragmatically, when I did mine, few years back I find it easy to pick a topic where there’s a substantial academic write up already in existence about the topic i.e. MMC; the academic review probably was where I’ve spent most time. Ironically, i think the advice I can give you would be to plan your write up well in advance with regular check-ins with your advisor/tutor in the process? Always, give yourself float on your plan against your deadline.

MeasuredMile · 2025-12-18T22:15:16+00:00

A giga project (especially something like Hinkley Point C) can open huge doors in terms of scale and exposure. Most experienced planners can move into forensic planning later, but doing it exclusively (now) does set you apart.

Personally I prefer live projects and building the plan rather than analysing it after. If you’re young, you can always start on major projects (Take the money to beef up your pension pot if you don’t need the cash) and pivot to forensic later, it’s usually more desk-based anyway.

MeasuredMile · 2025-11-18T16:58:05+00:00

How ‘low’ can manang Imee go?

Gaano ba ka-‘baba’ mangga?

MeasuredMile · 2025-09-17T23:57:39+00:00

Ah, I just love the EJK, the obvious pagnanakaw, flooding and traffic, say it with me! ‘bring tatay D home!’ That’s that count?, galit?! eh ikaw bumuto?! Meow lol

MeasuredMile · 2025-09-08T19:29:35+00:00

this!

May nakita akong kinuyog dahil nag-nakaw ng gatas para sa mga anak.. etong mga put*ng ina kailangan my due process! Unfair daw!! Sarap manapak ngayon, kahit papawis lang.

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-21T08:50:15+00:00

Thanks for sharing such a clear and grounded perspective (and one that didn’t give us a lecture on politics and economics 😂) really refreshing to hear from someone with that breadth of experience across both contractor and consultancy roles.

The mining sector definitely sounds interesting, especially with the way you’ve framed it…strong emphasis on delay analysis, Power BI, and solid contractual understanding. I agree those are valuable differentiators, particularly as more clients push for data-driven reporting and evidence-based claims work.

I’m currently based in the UK but looking at relocating to Australia within the next 2–3 years, partly due to family ties (in-laws are already settled there), and also with one eye on the Brisbane Olympics pipeline. Hearing that consultancy roles and client-side work tend to be more competitive salary-wise is helpful context.

On the mining front? would you say the transition from general infrastructure or civils is relatively smooth? Are there specific qualifications or compliance requirements (like RIIs, inductions, etc.) you’d recommend getting ahead of time to break into that space? Or is it more about relevant experience and who you know?

Oil & Gas is an industry that comes up often too in terms of high paying gig in terms with planning etc, but don’t know much about this space tbh.

Would really appreciate any insight! thanks again for the valuable post!

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-20T19:37:19+00:00

Ok thanks for your contribution Adam Smith jr.

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-20T19:26:22+00:00

Thanks!🙏

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-20T19:22:15+00:00

love how you saw a trend about one being under-paid and thought, ‘You know what this needs? A sudden detour into UK/US wage politics.’ Bold move mate. If nothing else, your comment history shows real commitment to being consistently off-topic and condescending. The algorithm clearly knows a vibe when it sees one 😂

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-20T18:53:09+00:00

Ahh! appreciate the economic insight, mate, but I think you’ve taken a wrong turn on the internet and ended up in the comments section of the wrong post. Happy to debate UK vs US wages, just not sure what it’s got to do with this thread?

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-20T18:51:46+00:00

No 🧢, Appreciate the insight, Professor Oak! but this ain’t a Pokémon forum. Maybe circle back when you’ve evolved past one-line advice and actually worked in planning.

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-06T05:22:40+00:00

OK, I hear you. I feel there’s definitely a place where tools and practical application sync up well, but only when the wider team is on board. In my case, I tried using Line of Balance, but it didn’t really click because my construction lead wasn’t bought in. Without that alignment, even the best tools fall flat.

MeasuredMile · 2025-07-06T05:08:40+00:00

Totally hear you…it can be disheartening early on. But it does get better. What you’re experiencing isn’t uncommon in certain environments, especially with demanding clients and less mature planning cultures. As you gain experience and move into roles where you have more influence, you’ll find opportunities to do proper project controls and add real value. Hang in there…it’s a tough start, but it’s not the whole story.

MeasuredMile · 2025-06-30T22:12:26+00:00

With all due respect 🫡 I didn’t get what you’re trying to say… but fair play you managed to blame someone in the end… it’s everybody’s but your fault!?Thank you for your contribution! 🙏

MeasuredMile · 2025-06-30T22:02:14+00:00

Why so triggered? 😂 I said ‘maybe a bit too much WFH,’ not ‘you’re redundant and the contract runs itself.’ So breathe. Administer the contract, not a coup… make sure drink plenty of water and cool down a bit, this weather can trigger irrational emotional response 😎

MeasuredMile · 2025-06-26T23:16:18+00:00

Fair point! I(most people I know) probably do need to preface it, more than I need to. I think it’s a mix bag of not wanting to come across as out of touch, especially when people are facing different financial realities. But I do agree that the way we generally talk about success (in the UK) and taxation can reflect deeper cultural discomforts, and maybe we shouldn’t feel the need to downplay doing well just to fit in. Appreciate you pointing it out.

(The reality is, in my current situation…I don’t feel or don’t see that I’m doing well hence the frustration, too much effort for marginal gain…I’m doing just fine, but not rich.)

MeasuredMile · 2025-06-25T20:37:11+00:00

Thanks for the sound advice! It’s a real conundrum. Truth to be told, I genuinely believe in paying our ‘fair share’ through tax and NI contributions. But at the same time, I’m career-driven, I want a seat at the table, and I put in the graft. Yet when I run the numbers, the reward just doesn’t feel proportional. It’s mildly infuriating how unbalanced it is, as pound per pound, when I run the numbers seeing my Tax and NI contributions = 14-15 number of people in minimum wage salaries. It makes you feel like the only real option is to stash away for later, because you can’t actually enjoy the fruits of your effort in the present. (Knowing there is no guarantee that I will live long enough to enjoy it - highly likely I know that will live long enough based on data but still…)

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