With the UK economy looking ever more lifeless and unemployment figures at their highest in 17 years, many people are beginning to assess their options and entertain the possibility of emigrating to greener pastures, where there are more opportunities, a better standard of living and often better weather!

Locations like Canada and Australia are particularly popular with emigrating Brits, thanks to the preponderance of English speakers, relatively low taxes and good public services. The attraction is obvious – struggling middle-income homeowners can sell a small, pokey flat in Britain and buy a spacious detached house with a huge garden in Canada for the same money, maybe even with change left over!

Many British people will also have family or friends residing in these countries already, meaning there is an existing social circle and support network in place if they do decide to move there from the UK.

While undoubtedly an attractive option, emigration is not without its difficulties. Popular destination countries are incredibly strict about who they let in, and the process of securing a visa can be a long and drawn-out one. Fortunately, there are ways to increase your chances of a successful application, and in effect ensure you get a priority status in the application process.

One of the main things that visa officials look for is whether you possess any specific skill sets that are in demand in their country. For example, qualified doctors are welcomed almost anywhere, as are chemists and engineers. What you may not know is that skills like locksmithing and other trades are also widely in demand in Australia and elsewhere, meaning that a trained locksmith stands a very good chance of having their visa application approved, and may even find themselves being fast-tracked through the system.

With this in mind, it may well pay to consider obtaining some relevant skills before you begin your emigration process. After all, even if your application to your chosen country is accepted, you will still need to find work to support yourself in your new home. Emigrating is not cheap, and newly arrived immigrants often find themselves with very little money in their pocket once they have gone through the long process of uprooting and starting a new life in another part of the world.

A locksmithing course is a great way to obtain valuable skills that may help your immigration application, and provide you with employment and a source of income once you settle abroad. Anyone can sign up to one of these courses – no prior qualifications or experience are required, just a sharp problem-solving mind and a willingness to learn new things.

Starter courses require as little as four days to teach you the basics of locksmithing, and prices can start from less than £1000 for the entire course. These introductory courses serve to give you a good all-round understanding of what you need to know to work as a locksmith, and there are advanced follow-up courses for those looking to achieve a mastery of the discipline.

Locksmithing is a particularly good skill set to pick up for emigrating, because the skills involved are universal, and although you may encounter some different lock types in different countries, the essential concept behind them will be the same.

Remember, if you decide you want to leave the UK and emigrate to another country, before you can start dreaming of what kind of house you will have or what kind of car you will drive, you first need to address how you are going to get through the application process, and then how you are going to support yourself in your new home. Acquiring a useful trade such as locksmithing will go a long way towards helping you overcome both of these hurdles, and achieving your dream of escaping the UK rat race and starting a better life overseas.

Keytek Locksmith Training Academy offers flexible locksmith training courses for both beginners and advanced learners.  Visit the Academy website for more information on locksmiths training.

Keytek Locksmith Training Academy offers flexible locksmith training courses for both beginners and advanced learners.