American Companies With Offices In The UK For An Expat Job Search

Trying to find a job at a US company with offices in the UK or vice versa can be a daunting task. Although I’ve chosen to not be employed right now, finding a company to continue my career after relocating to the UK was top of mind upon first arriving. As a result, I’m sharing my own collection of American companies in the UK to help you kickstart your expat job search journey.

What I did first.

I leveraged my personal network on LinkedIn and even stalked a few companies I consider dreamy to include on my resume: Google, Apple, and even Burberry. 👩🏼‍💻

Living so close to London made companies I had only dreamt about feel within reach and exciting.

The “where to work” and “what to do” expat battle.

But figuring out the “where to work in the UK” is simply half the battle. It’s the other half, “what the heck do I want to do as an expat” that can really trip you up.

I struggled with identifying what I wanted to do as an expat spouse for a very long time. Between leaving a long-standing career, my mother’s cancer, and a hurricane that nearly destroyed every last will left in my body, I knew I couldn’t rush into a decision.

In the end, I chose a different path: this blog, mom-wife life, travel, and extended family visits to the USA. Even so, my chosen expat life hasn’t kept me away from paying attention to who’s out there or even getting my National Insurance Number. 💪🏻

And more often than not, I come across an American company that I would have never considered researching as a potential company to work for in the UK. Sometimes it’s a company I simply didn’t do business with while working full-time in the USA and so they never came to mind. Other times it’s through everyday use of namesake brands and having an “ah-ha” moment, meeting new people, or simply my curiosity.

Why does it matter if the company has offices in the USA and the UK?

Finding an American company with offices in the UK, or a British company with offices in the USA is where I’d put my job hunt energy first.

It certainly doesn’t have to be but here’s why IMHO:

It may offer transferability and therefore an opportunity to build a career beyond the expat phase.

It’s certainly a question to ask during a job interview so that you can evaluate if the trade (you’re time away from maximizing expat life) you’re making is worth it.

American companies with offices in the UK (or vice versa).

Knowing how much of a struggle it can feel finding a job as an expat, here’s my list of American companies that have offices in the UK.

But before you start skimming below, keep in mind that this list is simply a kickstart to help expats with the “where to find a job in the UK” struggle.

It includes American companies that are fairly well-known and been around for years, while others are fairly new and some inevitably will be on the way out. Retail brick-and-mortar struggles to compete with online convenience, and technology is ever-changing, evolving, and even swallowed up.

So, if you see a company on this list today…it might not be here tomorrow. And it’s certainly not exhaustive, but it’s a start.

There are many popular American stores in the UK and therefore positions for sales associates, store managers, etc. In fact, I love going into Lululemon just to get my fix of chatting with other Americans (or Canadians for that matter).

While sales associate roles seem fairly obvious, it’s these other American companies in the UK that surprised me:

• Arbonne – For someone interested in self-employment, Arbonne seems nearly as big in the UK as it is in the USA.
• Amazon – Despite relying on Amazon as a source for everything upon moving overseas, this Seattle-based company didn’t sink in as a company with office roots in the UK. In fact, in 2019 LinkedIn reported that Amazon beat popular UK brands as the best place to work in Britain.
• asos.com – Britain’s well-known online-only retailer went global, including an office and distribution in the USA.
• BP – It makes sense once you know what the acronym stands for 🤦🏼‍♀️: British Petroleum. Similar to Amazon in 2019, BP was ranked as one of the top 10 businesses to work for in the UK.
• Dyson – Yes, the vacuum!
• Etsy – Known for selling homemade goods, but also has corporate positions in their London office.
• Facebook – They also offer an internship and graduate program ranked #1 by Glassdoor two years in a row.
• Forrester – Massive research company that represents premium brands around the world. You’ve more than likely seen their smiley face kiosks in Heathrow (or told your kids to stop pressing all the buttons 🤣) and airports around the world.
• General Assembly – Super cool education company that has offices worldwide. Perfect for a coaching or teaching enthusiast and often for someone wanting to dust off or learn a new in-demand skill. Worked with them in Austin, Texas and they are a fun, creative company to pursue.
• GSK – This massive pharmaceutical company offers many jobs worldwide.
• method – Who knew this discovery would become my absolute favorite cleaning brand, even over Tide. If you shop Target, you’ll know the brand, too.
• Netflix – A fast-growing media giant who’s not afraid to title some of their smartest employees nerds.
• rewardStyle – An influencer marketing company on the rise and backed by major media players.  It’s likely you’ve shopped the app if you love Instagram.
• Skechers – All the way from sunny Manhattan Beach, California to the cathedral city of St Albans, Skechers was the first company to surprise me with headquarters in the UK. From social media manager roles to HR, they tend to search for a range of corporate roles regularly.
• Ticketmaster – Typically known for purchasing entertainment tickets, but was formerly listed as #18 on top creative workplaces in London.
• TJX (TJ Maxx) – I continually meet American expats that have relocated from the USA to the UK as an employee of TJ Maxx – and Brits, too! They have a massive office in Watford.
• Wise (formerly Transferwise) – Wise is a must for an expat!  In fact, if you’re not already a Wise customer, you should really look into becoming a Wise member today.  They were ranked as Europe’s (not just the UK) most valuable finch startup in 2019.
• UserTesting.com – If you love user research, usertesting.com does some cutting edge stuff to help big companies deliver excellent customer experience. The thing about usertesting.com is that you don’t need an office job to earn cash. Sign up to test cool sites in your free time. It’s an easy way to earn extra cash from anywhere.
• Wieden + Kennedy – As a former resident of Portland, Oregon, and a former employee of Nike (also in the UK), I should have known they had an office in London. But what’s cool about W+K beyond the advertisements worth watching is that they know how to create a workplace.

Industry categories with sample USA companies in the UK to further spark the expat job search:

• Airlines – United Airlines, Delta Airlines, American Airlines
• Auto Manufacturing – Land Rover/Jaguar, Mini, Aston Martin, Harley Davidson
• Consulting – Accenture, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, PWC
• Charitable Organizations – Habitat for Humanity
• Entertainment – AMC, Disney, Netflix, YouTube, BBC
• Financial – American Express, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan & Co
• Food & Beverage – BrewDog, Starbucks, Whole Foods Market
• Hotel & Restaurant – Marriott International, Hilton, Holiday Inn
• Mass Conglomerates (Energy, Communications, Engineering) – General Electric (I moved all around the USA working for GE, and a friend even moved to Ireland, then Switzerland and hasn’t looked back!), Siemens, ABB
• Rental Cars – Enterprise, Hertz, Thrifty, Avis
• Retail – Anthropologie, Carhartt, J Crew
• Social Media – Instagram, Facebook, X, Pinterest
• Technology – Bango, Microsoft, Think Analytics
• Travel – Aside from the travel perks you’d gain as an expat, it’s also a great option if you know multiple languages: booking.com, Tripadvisor, Airbnb.

Do you have a specialized job skill that the UK needs?

While this post focuses on American companies in the UK, an advantage is if you have a specialized skill.  A specialized skill is anything that the UK has a shortage of or increased demand.  Consider important agendas and developing trends, such as renewable resources, sustainability, electric cars, and green industry all around.

Looking for more flexible options as an expat?

If it’s working from home, check out flexjobs.com. It’s an entire job search site dedicated to flexible work options.  What’s nice about flexjobs.com is that they include flag icons to indicate country locations.

Be sure to make a list of American companies you’d love to work for and then research the company’s HR page or even LinkedIn profile for information on work-from-home policies, or more importantly, culture.

Nowadays companies offer more hybrid roles or 100% remote positions, such as X (formerly Twitter) where employees can work from home forever.

For inspiration, check the US News article on 30 big companies that hire for work-from-home jobs.

Let the company brainstorm continue.

Let this list of companies to find a job in the UK be a catalyst to your own brainstorm. Although it can’t solve the full struggle of what you want to do as an expat, it should kickstart honing in on where you might want to work in the UK if that’s your expat path.

For a deeper list of companies to facilitate your expat search, I’ve included more names and LinkedIn job search tips in the Moving To England Workbook.

Looking for more expat guides to living in the UK?  Try these.

• Tips For Expats Finding A Job In The UK
• 12 Things About Moving To UK From USA You Need To Read First
• Do you know what salary you need? Use my Expat Negotiation Kit to find out.