Anyone worked with UKTI?

[JDX_John]

I recently worked with them for a trip to the US; very interesting. They don't seem very well-known... anyone here worked with them and got a story to tell?

 

[LuckyNo8]

Hi there,

UKTI can be both very good and not so good depending on the country. They key thing with each office is to ask:

- who is handling the work (OMIS)
- what is their background/experience IN YOUR SPECIFIC SECTOR
- really question if they need 10/20/30 hrs etc to do what they specify - I find they tend to take the mick sometimes (eg: it'll take 10 hours to make a list of 10 potential partners/distributors - in that case, does the person really know that area?)
- country in question (they have more impact in Asia than in the US for example).

So in summary, they can be good or bad depending on the above
The key thing is to ask questions.

Oh, and also, the trade advisor you speak to will of course try and sell you the OMIS service, BUT I would be wary of one who in the course of conversation doesn't go into much detail about any specific companies etc over the phone before you engage their services (eg: if they don't say "oh, so and so could be good for you as they already work with blah") - it normally means they'll be starting from scratch like you.

Thanks

 

[JDX_John]

What countries have you worked with them in?

Regarding them trying to sell you OMIS, some plans require a minimum OMIS spend as your application fee (or maybe it's an application fee and they match it 1:1 with OMIS credit), in order to get the funding on offer.

I actually think for me, their value was not finding the companies, but finding the right person and the weight an email from the British Embassy lends when it lands in their inbox.