The UK Pub Co.

Would recommend!!! – The UK Pub Co have been nothing but amazing! I first went through them at the beginning of 2022 where they helped me secure a job and accommodation before even moving across to the UK. They made the whole transition perfectly seamless and were sure to find a venue that was well suited to myself. Throughout my whole experience they were nothing but… Read more

helpful and supportive, regularly checking in and always answering any questions I had. I would recommend The UK Pub Co to anyone considering a working holiday!!!

Friendly and efficient – My partner and I decided to use UK Pub Co because it was a fraction of the price that other companies were offering, but did not lack in service. From the get go Sophie explained everything we needed to get us sorted and helped us every step of the way! It took all the guessing work and ‘what if’s’ out of the equation and set us up for success… Read more

from the get go! We’ve been in the UK for 7 months now and Sophie is now helping us find new employment in a different park of the UK so that our adventures can continue. Could not fault these guys at all, and couldn’t think of a better company to help our dreams come true!

5 Star Assistance and Friendliness! – Sophie and the team are an absolutely fantastic bunch of people that genuinely care about you having the experience of a life time! Right from the beginning they are there to help guide you on a path to successfully gaining placement in the UK. They made the process so easy and stress free so I would highly recommend them if you’re considering the move!

Fantastic I would recommend them to EVERYONE – The Uk Pub Co has been absolutely brilliant. They have helped me so much throughout the whole experience and always answered my questions. They also put me onto other companies which could help with things like my visa which made the whole process much smoother. I can not recommend them enough they are so helpful and are committed to making sure… Read more

you are happy with where you have been places. I especially wanted to thank Sophie for all her help she is brilliant and has done so much for me especially when I left things to the last minute and everything was chaos

Amazing & flawless experience – The UKPubCo. have been nothing short of amazing! From day one they were super supportive, and patient with my selectiveness, and cautiousness when it come to selecting a venue for employment. While also offering varying options in regards to airfares and travel insurance. Everything was made extremely easy and hassle free. I'd happily recommend… Read more

The UKPubCo. to anyone looking into a working holiday in the UK.

On a side note - I'd like to specifically shout out Sophie - as my travel consultant, Sophie couldn't have been more supportive, or helpful through the entire process.

Best experience ever!! Do it! – The UK pub company were amazing. From start to finish I didn’t feel any pressure, just that they were here to help guide me through the process of organising my working holiday!! Not sure how I would have done it without them! When I arrived I spent a couple of nights in London and then caught the train up to where my pub was located. Sophie… Read more

helped me organise flights, travel insurance and even got me a discount off a Contiki I plan to do in 6 months time. The pub is great, and the staff really lovely. I cannot recommend Uk pub co enough. I felt so looked after and no question was a silly question! Sophie even said she will come visit me in June when she comes across to England to see how I’m doing and catch up!

Great help in getting me to the UK – I used the UK Pub Co. in December when I moved to the UK. Really helpful in getting me a job with accommodation so I was setup. I'm very happy with my job and looking to stay here longer.

Over Charged for Dismal Support – I signed up with UK Pub Co in 2019 because I, like many young Aussies, wanted to secure the best opportunities working abroad. Please know that you do not need to spend your money here!!! I was placed in a pub in the middle of nowhere, working hours assigned by the pub that meant I wasn't able to take two consecutive days off to see any of the… Read more

towns and cities around me - I wasn't made aware of this until I had already arrived. My living conditions were dirty, unsafe and full of mould. When I left after a month, having given a full 4 weeks notice a few days after I arrived, it was an absolute battle to get my last paycheck. I've worked in hospo my whole life but this was, by far, the most poorly managed, toxic workplace I have ever encountered.

While none of these things were UK Pub Co's fault - please know that they also did nothing to support me, even when I explicitly asked for help and asked for the pub I worked at to be blacklisted. They advertise elements of the 'experience' that realistically, they can't offer. It really is all up to the pubs discretion and once you're there, you're on your own.

After the first experience I went on to find my own placements all through the country. Hospo venues love Aussies, especially if you have any hospo experience backing you, and you can stay super cheaply in hostels until you're on your feet. Lots of hostels are even looking for volunteers (few hours of cleaning a day for free board) which allows you to explore cities and find work super inexpensively.

You can also try sites such as help x for a significantly lower fee and find really cool placements on properties, in hostels, on islands etc. if you really want to have somewhere secure to go when you land.

My experience with UK Pub Co was absolutely not worth the money I spent on it - they provided me with one of the worst months of my life. Once I left, I was able to work and travel happily for the next year.

Save your money!

Great experience! – I had an amazing experience through the UK Pub Company being placed in an awesome bar in Central London. The UK Pub Company made my move to London super easy and I feel like I saved a lot of time by being given a job and a place to live before I even arrived in London. Their responses were very quick via email and they made everything simple, quick and easy to complete.

Well worth it – I was nervous to move abroad, and knew I wanted to come to the UK with everything sorted (accommodation, bank account, work) before leaving Australia. UKPubCo were amazing in ensuring this was all sorted - with little effort needed from me to be honest. The transition to the UK was made so much easier through the company and I wouldn't be in the… Read more

place I am, literally, without them. On a practical level, I dealt with Nick and Mark who were both incredible - no question of mine was too strange and the communication has been fantastic. Obviously, I couldn't recommend them enough.

Thank you UK Pub Co – My experience with UK Pub Co has been fantastic, their help and guidance in finding me a job ahead of my arrival really put my mind at ease as a first time traveller to England. They offer help in finding a job but also setting up bank accounts etc which takes the stress away. I was put in a great pub and have made life long friends, while being… Read more

able to save money for adventures during my time off. I am currently in the process of a second application with UK Pub Co and am excited where I’ll be going next. Thanks guys!

Super Easy and helpful! – The guys at the UK Pub Co make moving to the UK a breeze! From the minute I submitted my application to the time I got on the plane I felt they had everything covered. After a quick chat with the team over the phone, I was walked through the application process and had the chance to give them my job and location preferences. A little over a… Read more

month later I got an offer matching my exact choice. Literally as easy as that!

They helped me through the process of getting my bank account and National Insurance number sorted and I received my touch down pack within a few days of confirming my offer which had a sim card, lonely planet guide and other helpful stuff in it. Can't recommend these guys enough for the big move to the UK!!

Couldn’t recommend UK pub co enough – Its so easy and hassle free. All you’ve gotta do is send them your resume and they’ll find a job and accommodation for you. Best of all they make sure you’re happy with your placement. Amazing!

great experience – I went through UK Pub Co in 2018 for a job placement, they were super helpful regarding visas, living situations, bank accounts, anything you can think of they can point you in the right direction. Although the pub I was put in didn't suit my needs, they were really helpful in sorting out other alternatives and I'll be using them again when I return to the UK in 2020!

This is your que to move!!!! – From it being an idea in my mind to actually stepping off the plane, the ukpubco made the decision to move to the uk a no brainer, all you have to do is say yes. They try their absolute hardest to place you near or where you want to be which again makes moving over here so much easier. The team is helpful and approachable so if you have any qualms… Read more

or queries it really does help being able to talk to one of the team and get things sorted ASAP. Another good thing about the ukpubco is that you can use them again and again which is brilliant so you don’t come unstuck once you’ve done a bit of travelling! The ukpubco have helped me out a lot since being over here and if anyone needs that final push to get them to get amongst it, this is it! Drop your things and get yourself to the uk and let the ukpubco do their thing!!!

A Great Experience! – I had a great experience with the UK pub Co. When I arrived in London I decided to sign up and within 6 days I have been placed at an amazing pub in Central London. Gregory was an amazing help and he was very efficient when corresponding with me, I definitely wouldn’t have been able to find a job so fast without his help! I recommend the UK pub co to anyone who needs assistance finding a job, I can’t fault them. Thanks UK pub Co!! Show reply

dont bother – Arranged for my job to be in London or as close as possible, not long from when i was meant to start i was provided with my placement 3-4 hrs out with no transport and basically in the middle of nowhere with nowhere to get out. declined as i was allowed to, second option came in further out and i rejected, then i received an email asking why im… Read more

rejecting these amazing places, advised because its basically in the the middle of nowhere. i heard of all these amazing places when i signed up but got offered crap. Then it seemed to go nowhere i got no more offers and decided to find my own work inside London (which was easy) and cancelled my placements, DONT waste your money on this as its easier and much cheaper to do all this on our own or to find information join a facebook community which there are plenty of.

Quick placement – I used UK Pub Co twice during my time in England. Both times I was able to step straight into a job on short notice with great hours and cheap accommodation. Scott was also able to help with applying for a bank account and National Insurance. Great service if you don't have the time to plan everything yourself.

Placement Problem Resolution – I opted for UK Pub Co for my 18 year old daughter's gap year experience because I thought it would guarantee a placement in a pub with a proven decent work environment. Instead she got a bullying and abusive manager. UK Pub Co however have supported her in finding another placement, which has demonstrated that they do look after the client

Worth it – We have had a great experience with the London Pub Company, we managed to score a job on a golf course before we left Australia. It was an amazing feeling to have a job and accomodation organised before we left the UK, we were able to spend time in London and move into our accommodation days before we started. Everything on the job offer was… Read more

accurate and we were lucky enough to work in the most beautiful area and experience the english country life.

We had our own flat to ourselves, which we have heard is very lucky compared with some accommodation provided.

It is a lot of money to spend initially, probably a lot more expensive than it should be, however it IS worth it, it gets you in and started work straight away, it saves you from being stuck in a hostel or renting a place for weeks looking for jobs at the start of your time in the UK. It has allowed us to travel to so many countries and experience so much.

At the end of the day it's what you make of your time and the job placement you get. If you don't get what you love to start with, push through it, irt's only the start. You've always got someone at the end of an email or phone call to help if needed.

I would reccomend the London pub company, mainly for the fact that it gives you peace of mind having a job and somewhere to live very cheaply, without wasting time looking for jobs etc.

Great for Experiencing England – If you're looking to be a tourist, I wouldn't recommend it. It you're looking to experience England more as a local I'd say go for it. Contacted UK Pubs as I had no background in serving and had they said experience wasn't an issue. I met with a representative in person who explained the process and what the organization had to offer. I was… Read more

told up front that a placement in London was unlikely as it's expensive to live, thus it's difficult to find low rent and recoup the money from traveling. Options were given for how rural you are willing to work and again it's made quite clear that the more open you are the easier it is to be placed.

I promptly received a job offer, which is provided to you with an outline of the closest train, grocery, the expected hours, wage, and cost of accommodations as well as any added amenities like wifi and kitchen. After the location is agreed to, contact is arraigned via phone, email, or Skype with the manager of the pub and you get a brief interview.

I got the amazing experience of working in Hawkshead, Cumbria a small village in the heart of the Lake District. I made amazing friends with the locals and was able to save money for my travels in the 4 months I stayed and worked there. There were a few issues with the pub not meeting what was outlined but I let it slide as the experience was beautiful. I did not inform UK Pubs until after my time was done so cannot comment on how they would have responded.

I would say it feels expensive when you don't get what you agreed to...but if I had looked for a job on my own I never would have found Hawkshead.

Do Not Give Your Money To These Scam Artists London Pub Co / Uk Pub Co – I travelled to the UK in April 2010 as a 21 yo who had never travelled before. When booking my flights through STA travel, they introduced me to The London Pub Company (now The UK Pub Co.), with bit of a spiel about how hard it is to find work in the UK and these guys give you peace of mind. The deal is that YOU pay a placement fee, at the… Read more

time it was $600, and they will find you a live-in job in a London pub before you even arrive. They pretty much guarantee it, the line I received was 'we've never failed to place someone'. Sounds like a good deal ey? No worrying about finding work or housing. Well it's a complete rip off.

Even though you're told you don't need experience, the first phone call I received after signing up was TLPC saying 'as you don't have any experience, you may be a little outside of London, as the central pubs want experienced staff.' I'd never been to London, so a little outside of it didn't mean much to me.

BAM! Ended up in Wargrave, middle-of-nowhere UK, 30 mins outside of READING. There wasn't even a supermarket in the town.

The whole point of moving to London was to get out, and see and do things. Not possible in Wargrave, doing the hours the pub forced you to do. On arrival I got a speech from the manager that as she was 'putting us up' (sorry, thought that was agreed to be part of the deal!?), we needed to work minimum 50 hours a week, split shifts (11am to 3pm, then 6pm to 12/1am) 5 to 6 days week, for minimum wage of £5.75 an hour plus £30 a month deducted for housekeeping expenses (what housekeeping!?).

If you want to work like a indentured servant, stay in Australia where at least you can get $20 an hour to do so.

The London/UK Pub Co trick you with lines such as 'no dorms', 'free/cheap meals from the pub' but this is all up to the pub owner's discretion, and according to everyone I've heard from it's rarely true. When I arrived I was sharing a filthy room with two others and there were two filthy bathrooms between 15 people. We had to buy poor quality food from the pub's staff menu, only available between 3-5pm and the chefs would give you grief when you asked for something because it was during their break time, but this was the only time you'd eat that day between your split shifts. I didn't even have bed sheets when I arrived.

My friend who signed up to the same deal ended up in a sister pub, which was equally as filthy, and they had a 1 hour walk between the accommodation and pub to get to work. She said upon arriving 'I don't want to live like this'.

I was yelled at because I couldn't carry three burning hot heavy mains plates at a time. When I said I physically couldn't do it, I was told 'you'll learn.' No training offered.

Then, as it was coming into summer, they tried this 'standby shift' crap. On the rare occasion that you weren't working, you had to be prepared for them to call you for a shift even just 15 minutes before you need to start in case they're busy that day. So no making other plans in your little time off, because you are expected to be ready to work at any moment. After finishing at 2am the previous night, I woke up at 10:30am one Sunday, looked outside and it was a bit grey and cloudy, so I didn't wait around for a 'standby' shift. They fired me... for not turning up to work when I wasn't even supposed to be there.

I didn't really care because I'd pretty much given up on the crappy deal at this point and it was the only way out of the place - if you leave before 3 months you forfeit your placement fee. When I was fired I contacted London Pub Co telling them about the terrible conditions and my dismissal, and I was told they'd be contacting the pub then contact me again to let me know if they were going to place me elsewhere. Never heard from them again.

I had gotten on with my life and chalked this down to experience but it's now coming out that this company are still up to their tricks, charging young Aussies and Kiwis for horrible placements in the middle of nowhere, with terrible conditions and pay. Btw, in the real recruitment world, the employer should be paying for YOU, not you paying for THEM.

Just don't go with these guys. You can find your own work when you arrive, don't give these people a cent of your hard earned travel savings. I want this company to close down, I'm astounded that STA associate with them, but then they're also scam artists who only pay their staff commissions, so no wonder.

I have also noticed a distinct lack of reviews about them, so I suspect they throw a lot of money at pushing down the bad reviews - one review I did on TrustPilot had the title changed to 'LondonPub' - effectively burying it should anyone search 'The London Pub Company'. Not to be trusted.

Be very careful – London Pub Company and other similar agencies will place you in a live-in pub job in England on arrival. At a cost of $800, you expect excellent service and the chance to recoup your outlay (remembering that wages are about $10 - $12 per hour in a pub). If something goes wrong (eg the pub management is poor, the pub is filthy - or anything… Read more

happens which requires you to abandon the job) do not expect to be placed easily second time round. You will be placed if you are a bubbly and good worker. But if there is anything about you which a pub manager is likely to dislike, or if the pub has expressed doubts about you, then the chances of you being given a second chance are low, as the pub company needs to maintain their reputation, and it involves extra work to find you something.

If you are an attractive proposition for a pub, you don't need these agencies. If you are not such a "catch", then expect to possibly lose your money. They are supposed to screen you first by phone, but they are more interested in taking your money even if you sound dubious.

If you end up feeling you have been given a raw deal, then contact your State's Consumer Affairs agency, or the Victorian one. Don't give up.