Living in United Kingdom
You will find this section a useful guide to living in the United Kingdom such the UK Accommodation, Travel, Health etc.
Accommodation In UK
UK towns and cities have long experience of providing homes for students and there are many affordable, comfortable and safe places to live.
Finding Accommodation
You should always try to arrange your long-term accommodation before you leave home. Your institution should be able to help you with this. Colleges have student advisers who can advise you on how to find accommodation and universities have accommodation officers.
When you accept a study place, you should receive a package of information, which will include accommodation information. Complete the accommodation application form and return it by the date stated. Even if residential accommodation is not available, there will be an accommodation advisory office which can help you find private accommodation.
If you are coming to the UK for the first time, accommodation provided by your school, college or university might be the most suitable choice. This is an option taken up by more than half of the international students on degree courses in the UK and around 30 % of those who come to FE colleges.
There are advantages to living in accommodation provided by your institution:
You usually live close to where you are studying
You get to know other students easily
You are likely to spend less time traveling, so you have time to get to know the local area
You will be living in a safe and secure environment.
College and university accommodation is also affordable: a room in a self-catering hall of residence or student apartment costs from £180 to £360 per month. The term self-catering means that you will have access to a shared kitchen where you can prepare your own meals. Some universities and colleges also offer accommodation where meals are provided and the cost of your breakfast and evening meal is included in the rent you pay. Where meals are included you can expect to pay from £320 to £400 per month. In the traditional student residence, bathroom facilities are shared but an increasing number of universities and colleges now offer residences with rooms where you have your own private bathroom. You would pay slightly more for this option.
If you choose to rent accommodation in the private sector, the options are private hostels, lodgings, bed-sits or shared flats/houses. A lodging is where you rent a room in a private house. Your landlord/landlady would live in the same house, possibly with their family, and would prepare your meals for you. For hostel accommodation and lodgings where meals are included, you can expect to pay £300 to £400 per month. For a bed-sit or a room in a house or flat shared with other students, you would pay from £200 to £380 per month.
Communication In UK
Telephone Services
Public telephones in the UK can be coin operated or card operated. To use a card-operated phone, you need either a credit card or a special, pre-paid phonecard. Phonecards come in values of £2, £5, £10 and £20 and you can buy them from newsagents, post offices and supermarkets.
Before you dial, pick up the receiver and listen for dialing tone. After you dial, if the number you want is available, you will hear a repeated double ring. If it is busy, you will hear the engaged tone – a repeated single note. If a number is unavailable, you will hear a steady tone. When your money or card is about to run out, you will hear a series of rapid beeps.
Low Cost Calling
Calling from a private phone is significantly cheaper than calling from a public phone. Inland calls (calls within the UK) are cheapest between 06.00 p.m. and 08.00 a.m. International calls are cheapest between 08.00 p.m. and 08.00 a m. There are also reduced rates on weekends.
A number of different companies now offer pre-paid or account-based phone cards, many of which are aimed at people who need to make international calls. Compare cards carefully as rates differ. In some cases, making your international calls using one of these cards could work out cheaper than using the main phone service provider.
Mobile Phones
Mobile phones are widely used in the UK and can be particularly convenient for students. Before you buy one, check all details of the competing packages carefully, including both the monthly charge and the charges for calls. A mobile phone that is cheap to buy could turn out to be expensive to use if it is not the right package for you.
Emails
Mobile phones are widely used in the UK and can be particularly convenient for students. Before you buy one, check all details of the competing packages carefully, including both the monthly charge and the charges for calls. A mobile phone that is cheap to buy could turn out to be expensive to use if it is not the right package for you.
if you have your own computer, you can sign up directly with one of the UK’s internet service providers. Several now offer free access; all you pay is the phone company’s charges for your connection time
sign up with one of the many web-based email services (Hotmail, Yahoo, etc.) and then check your email using online computer terminals at your institution, a public library or a friend’s home. This option should cost you absolutely nothing.
Postal Services
Post Offices are usually open from 09.00 a.m. to 05.30 p.m. Monday to Friday, and from 09.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. on Saturday. You can also buy stamps at newsagents, supermarkets and some other shops.
Shopping In UK
Supermarkets are usually open on Monday to Saturday from 08.00 or 09.00 a.m. to 06.00 or 08.00 p.m. In larger cities, you will find more and more supermarkets open twenty-four hours a day. Many are also open on Sundays from around 10.00 a.m. to 05.00 or 06.00 p.m. Smaller food shops are often closed on Sundays and may close earlier or later on other days. (See also the ‘Food’ section.)
If you come from a country with a very different climate, you may also need to buy some clothing when you get here. Clothing shops, shoe shops and department stores are usually open on Monday to Saturday from 09.00 a.m. to 05.30 or 06.00 p.m. Department stores sell clothing plus such household goods as bed-linen, towels, clocks and/or kitchen utensils.
Libraries In UK
Your college or university will have its own library, but the local public library can be a useful resource as well. You can read and study there, borrow books and other items, get access to the Internet using public computer terminals, and find information on local history, services and social events.
Food In UK
Contemporary UK cooking offers a mouth-watering variety of foods, drawing on e menu of international styles and culinary traditions. British cuisine has changed drastically the past few decades. Chinese, Indian, Italian and French cuisine is now as popular in the UK as the typical culinary traditions of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi restaurants have been joined by Lebanese, Persian, Indonesian, Spanish, Mexican, and Thai restaurants in most cities.
As the UK has welcomed people from all over the world, it has also imported their culinary styles, foods, sauces and recipes. Where once you might have or thought fish and chips, you can now choose, tortillas, curries. Supermarkets offer vegetables, fruit, spices and other ingredients from all over the world, and numerous smaller shops specialise in international foods.
There is a growing interest in food and its preparation.
Even traditional British food is much more varied than you might realise and different parts of the UK have their own specialties. In England, for example, you will find black pudding and Yorkshire pudding (a thick, savoury pudding made out of batter, usually served with beef). Scotland is famous for such distinctive foods as, shortbread and oatcakes. In Wales, you can find laver bread (a seaweed pancake), Northern Ireland offers (potato and spring onions). And of course, just across the English Channel – a short journey by ship, plane or train – you can also sample the delights of European cuisine.
Eating Out
Eating Out in the UK is truly an international experience – you can find restaurants serving almost any kind of food you would like to try, especially in cities and larger towns. Most restaurants display their menu outside so that you can check what they have to offer before you go in.
Health In UK
You will find this section a useful guide to living in the United Kingdom such the UK Accommodation, Travel, Health etc.
As an international student, you, your spouse and any children who accompany you to the UK as your dependents, may be entitled to free or subsidized treatment under the UK’s National Health Service (NHS). If you are studying on a full-time course in Scotland, you will receive this benefit regardless of the length of your course. Elsewhere in the UK, you will receive this benefit if your course lasts more than six months
Registering with a Doctor
To receive any kind of treatment through the NHS, you must be registered with a doctor or General Practitioner (GP). GP’s are doctors who are trained and experienced in diagnosing a wide range of health problems. If your school, college or university has a health centre, you may be able to register with a doctor there or they may be able to recommend a local doctor or GP.
Leaving Home In UK
Public telephones in the UK can be coin operated or card operated. To use a card-operated phone, you need either a credit card or a special, pre-paid phonecard. Phonecards come in values of £2, £5, £10 and £20 and you can buy them from newsagents, post offices and supermarkets.
Arriving in a different country can be a scary experience at first. Do not be surprised if, after the excitement of arriving, you later find the UK strange or you miss home. You will not be alone – others will be feeling the same way. Don’t worry, these feelings will quickly pass and you will soon get caught up in the heady bustle of student life.
Essential Documents
Public telephones in the UK can be coin operated or card operated. To use a card-operated phone, you need either a credit card or a special, pre-paid phonecard. Phonecards come in values of £2, £5, £10 and £20 and you can buy them from newsagents, post offices and supermarkets.
your valid passport with visa or entry clearance, if relevant your travel tickets
money – cash, travellers – cheques, and credit card. All ideally kept in a money belt or a very secure inside pocket
health documents, if required
a letter of acceptance from your institution
documentary proof that you have enough money to pay your fees and meet your living costs
originals (or certified true copies) of any degree certificates or technical qualifications you have
Arranging Your Arrival In UK
When booking your travel to the UK, make sure you know what time it will be in the UK when you get here. If possible, arrange to arrive on a weekday, rather than at the weekend or on a public holiday. Try to arrive in the morning; this will give you time to reach your final destination and settle in during working hours when transportation links are most frequent and all services and facilities (such as banks and shops) are open.
Many students make their arrangements for travelling to their college or university when they make their flight arrangements with a travel agent. In this case, when you reach the UK you can continue on your journey by following the instructions you have already been given. Similarly, if the British Council arranges your visit, your local Council office will advise you about your onward journey.
You may well find that your chosen college or university operates a ‘meet and greet’ service, where a representative will collect you from the airport and take you to the institution or your accommodation.
Adjusting In UK
Public telephones in the UK can be coin operated or card operated. To use a card-operated phone, you need either a credit card or a special, pre-paid phonecard. Phonecards come in values of £2, £5, £10 and £20 and you can buy them from newsagents, post offices and supermarkets.
GEEBEE EDUCATION runs pre-departure briefing programmes for its students.
Leisure In UK
Studying in the UK is not only a wonderful opportunity to benefit from a world-class education but also a chance to experience the country’s vibrant culture.
Although the UK is relatively small in size, it offers a wealth of attractions. Look beyond London and you will find a nation as diverse as it is accessible and affordable.
UK cities and towns have a rich and varied historical and cultural heritage. For seaside fun, you could head to the palm-fringed English Riviera, or west to the surfing culture of Wales. Great civic centres, such as Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds offer some of the best nightclub scenes in Europe. Further north, Edinburgh welcomes, with its blend of old-world architecture and up-to-the-minute arts, while Glasgow is one of the coolest cities in the country.
And because of the UK’s excellent transport links, you can visit all these places easily and cheaply.
Sports
Sport is popular in the UK. Football, cricket and rugby are the national games but UK colleges and universities will have a range of sports teams and clubs. If you prefer to go along and watch, look out for cricket (at cricket grounds and village greens from May to September), international athletics events, golf tournaments, the Wimbledon tennis championships, the London Marathon, horse-racing and the Oxford and Cambridge boat race.
Sightseeing
There are many places in the UK you will not want to miss, such as the sights of cities like London, Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, and York.
Outdoor Adventure
The UK boasts a wide variety of landscapes and an equally wide choice of outdoor fun. Miles of rivers and sandy coastlines are ideal for rowing, sailing, white water rafting, canoeing and fishing. Tennis courts and swimming pools can be found in almost all towns. And thousands of acres of countryside, many of them in national parks, offer ideal terrain for walking, cycling and horse riding. For the more adventurous, mountaineering, and bungee jumping are among the breathtaking possibilities.
Travel In UK
The UK is truly a hub of the global community with many air, sea, road and rail links connecting it to every country in the world. Flights from all the major cities in the world arrive at one or more UK airports every day. A local airport serves most major UK cities so its easy to make connections to destinations anywhere in the country.
Thanks to the Channel Tunnel, Paris and Brussels can be reached by train. And all the major towns and cities in the UK are linked by a wide-ranging system of motorways, allowing easy travel by car, motorbike or coach to all parts of the country.
Air Travel
The major airport near London: is Heathrow.
Links to continental European cities are particularly good. Flights from the UK to Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Madrid, Rome and many other European destinations are numerous and frequent.
Many budget fares are available on these routes and a number of UK travel agencies specialize in budget travel for students. In addition to the large, internationally familiar airlines, services are also offered by smaller airlines that specialize in short flights within Europe, and these sometimes offer the lowest fares.
You can often find lower fares if you are willing to travel from one of the smaller UK airports.
Rail & Coach Travel
Cities in the UK are connected by a fast and efficient railway network and by frequent coach services. Various travel passes are available, providing unlimited travel over specified periods and distances. This approach can make it easy to get around and see everything you want to. For details, contact a travel agent, a major rail station.
Many UK travel organisations offer special discounted fares for students. If you buy a Young Person’s Railcard or a Student Coach Card, for example, you will get reduced fares on most journeys. For details, ask at your Students – Union office or any main railway or coach station, or try one of the specialist student travel agencies, which can be found near many campuses.
Road Travel
An extensive motorway network links all major towns and cities. If you want to drive a car or motorcycle in the UK, you must have a valid licence and you must be at least 17 years old (16 years old to drive a moped). For further details about the licensing requirements, contact the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Be aware that distances in the UK are given in miles. To convert to kilometers, divide by five and then multiply by eight. For example, 50 miles is approximately 80 kilometers.
Europe
The UK is the perfect starting point for visiting the rest of Europe. From here, it is relatively easy and inexpensive to get to other European countries, whether by plane, by ferry or by train through the Channel Tunnel, and city-to-city journeys are generally quick.
There are many discount airfares for students and your Students Union should be able to tell you about other special student fares. For example, one popular way of travelling around Europe is with an InterRail card, which entitles you to one months travel in 28 countries for a fixed price. Ask a travel agent for details of inexpensive package tours.
Family Visits In UK
The UK is a law-abiding, well-governed, stable and orderly society – a safe and welcoming place for your family. The UK is home to people from many ethnic, religious and national origins, and the different groups live in harmony. It is also a safe place to live: it is very rare for international students to suffer serious misfortune.
Once you and your family arrive, you will find many services that contribute to the high standard of living in the UK. If you are eligible for free treatment from the UK’s National Health Service during your stay, then your family will be as well.