Living in the UK: what you need to know if you're going to study/live in the UK

Right, I'm a Jamaican who is in the UK for the purpose of study - a Masters to be specific. I went to Warwick Uni (they call them 'Uni' for short), which is a very cool uni indeed! It's among the top 10 (2009) in the UK and perhaps the most modern and multi-cultural tertiary institution they have, I recommend it very highly. But note well one of the things I discovered whilst here is that a UK education is 85% branding. Although there are great resources, modern conveniences and prestige - the best of the universities where you are from will have equally bright and incompetent staff as in the UK. Still, the point of getting an education in the UK is to take advantage of the branding.

Enough background - here's stuff you need to know if you're moving here (and students might benefit from this in particular):

Banks
Some banks charge a monthly fee to open a student account with them - don't! Just open a regular account, there's no need to open a student account. With the economic downturn it has come to light that banks are criminals (duh!) but since I have to recommend one it might be Lloyds TSB. Whatever you do don't make late payments or get charged for overdraft - they rip you off with the charges! When you start to make some money the monthly charge might help because it comes with some amount of insurance. Your debit card is very useful and is used just like a credit card for online and point-of-purchase transactions.

Mobile Phones
DON'T GET PAY-AS-YOU-GO! Way too expensive. As a foreigner you can't get a contract phone without paying a hefty £100-£300 deposit (i.e. a package that last 12 - 18 months and comes with free minutes and other perks) because of your lack of credit history in the UK. There are monthly roll-over plans where you can get free minutes and lower charges for about £15-£20 per month. I use Vodafone and pay £15/mth for 225 free minutes (+ 100 texts). My wife and I talk for free (as another Vodafone customer) for £5 extra. It has worked fine thus far. Other deals include monthly contracts for about £45 and you get a free iPhone. Depends on what you can afford.

Accommodation
If you're not living on campus (and Warwick Uni has excellent facilities and service) you have a couple choices (I will tell you about the Midlands/Coventry area): 1. Week to week rental - usually shared accommodation and varies in cost (£20 and upwards in the Midlands - everything is more expensive in London) but you can usually leave with no to a couple weeks notice. 2. If you don't like sharing there's always apartments and houses that will run you more money (£400/mth and upwards) and accommodation for students in particular - but your uni will likely have links to vendors - go with them to protect yourself. If you're going to Warwick or in the Midlands, Leamington Spa is a very nice town (and where I live), then there's Kenilworth and last and dingiest (hence cheapest) Coventry. But there are nice neighbourhoods in Coventry - you just have to look. At Warwick international students get priority for accommodation so you are guaranteed a room - recommend that route. My wife and I stayed in one bedroom family apartment and it was fantastic. Note that as a student you don't pay Council Tax (like a maintenance fee for your locality that varies depending on the desirability of the area), but if you choose to stay on after graduation, remember to calculate that cost in your rent.

Travel
Travel is deceptively expensive but usually reliable (however it can mess you up too). For cheap long distance travel check National Express or Mega Bus, but be warned - you get what you pay for. There are deals for the train available usually to the most popular destinations like London. You can get a 2-way ticket to London for a s low as £10 for example. Visit this site or this one to check it out. If you're at Warwick your magic number is bus #12. If you call Virgin Trains and ask for their special price for wherever you're going you can get a hefty discount too - so ask. Warwick bus travel is much more reliable and frequent during the term so take note. It might be worth it to buy an Oyster Card or a monthly/annual bus pass. In the midlands you will travel by bus on Travel West Midlands or Stagecoach. If you drive you might very well need a SatNav. RAC is an affordable brand but TomTom and Navman are better.

Shopping
As a rule don't shop on campus, it will be more expensive. The places to go for groceries are ASDA, Tesco and Wilkinson's. You can also get very good deals on printers and other school material just before school starts from these places. Every town has a market and there are plenty of deals to get there. Coventry Market has good ground provisions and dry goods, as does Birmingham Market. In terms of clothes (and you will need warm clothes, scarves, gloves etc apart from daily wear) Primark is the most affordable place and a haven for students (again - you get what you pay for, but some things are decent). With a bit more money you can step up to Topshop, H&M, Next or Debenhams among others. In Coventry you want to go to West Orchards Mall and the really cool shopping centre in the Midlands is The Bull Ring in Birmingham. In London it's all about Camden Market and Oxford Street - but be prepared to spend some serious pounds. If you're into tech Curry's and PC World are your huckleberries. For household stuff Ikea & Argos are the affordable goto stores, but the former is the better of the two.

Your Student Card
It is generally called your NUS card. Take it with you everywhere you go in Europe because you can get discounts for almost anything. We travelled in Greece and I was able to enter some places for free or deeply discounted because of my student status. Your uni should offer plenty of support during and after your studies. Make the most of what they offer. Again, Warwick uni's student support is fantastic - the student centre has been very helpful with our postgraduate visa application.

Buying a Car
Cars can be quite affordable. Get a copy of Friday-Ad or if you have di dollas - go to a local dealer. You can get some parts for next to nothing from a junkyard. But never buy sight-unseen. We got a decent Ford Ka (which I recommend - a Ford Mondeo or Focus) for £1000 and it did the job. You can get a run-around for as cheap as £150 and it will last for the year you are studying.

People & Places
The British are polite folk and will be very helpful if you need directions or anything really. But polite doesn't mean nice in every instance. At their best the Brits are delightful and warm - at their worst they are drunken hooligans (they invented football violence). Friday and Saturday nights can be risky only because you are bound to encounter drunken and sometimes aggressive pub-goers. I don't recommend public transport late night on the weekend - unless of course you are blind drunk. Most are very nice people, some are racist - very few will ever be rude to you overtly, but once you understand the culture you realize that they can be rude in the most polite way possible. It is a beautiful country and there are many places to see. A simple trip to a town or village can be blissful (Bath, Cornwall and Bradford-Upon-Avon are our faves). When the sun shines - GO OUTSIDE - you never know when it will shine again.

Weather
Typical British weather is fairly cold (depending on where you're from) and never consistent. Bright sunshine one day - rain for the next week. You should never go anywhere without some rain gear or a coat. The sun will be out and warm - then a single cloud can render you frigid. You need to wear layers and get proper coats. I recommend Go Outdoors - not the cheapest but good quality protection is better than pneumonia. Wearing too many clothes is frustrating and I messed up by wearing many layers that didn't insulate. Now I can wear one jacket (with removable inner lining) and a shirt underneath for the most part. But if you come from tropical climes - don't underestimate how the weather can affect you. Winters can be depressing because it gets dark at 4pm. Summers make up for it by getting dark at 9 to 10pm.

Gum Tree and Freecycle
Gum Tree is a site you can find anything from a job to concert tickets on - check it out. Freecycle is a Yahoo network that allows you to get and give away items for free. You could furnish your house with it! I have a friend who bought tickets for a steal on Gum Tree and found a nice temp apartment and other friends who got stuff like TV's on Freecycle. We got some nice crockery for ourselves and gave a dining room table.

TV Licence/Cable/Internet
Yes to watch TV you have to pay for it. It's how the BBC is financed. Many get away without paying and watch to their hearts content - but our luck is such that we' be caught - good luck with it. Still, you can see lots of television on your computer for free. We subscribe to Sky for cable, phone and broadband for about £45/mth but you can get all 3 for as little as £26/mth. You also have to pay for landline rental to BT. It all depends on your package - but it makes sense to get all services from one provider. I think Sky is a good deal.

Utilities
These can be expensive. Generally you can choose your supplier but it does depend on where you live. You can be fully electric or gas or use a combination of both. British Gas is notoriously expensive - do your research to find out what providers you have access to then make your choice. Consult U Switch.com or one of the many intermediaries for guidance.

ID Theft
The UK has a huge problem with ID theft. Be wary with your personal info on networking sites like Facebook and otherwise. Your birthday alone or even a PIN number is enough for some adept thieves to get at your accounts etc. Be careful with your debit card and cellphone among other things.

Visa & Immigration
The most complex issue for last. Presently, the economic downturn has made it hard for non-EU immigrants to find work - but it isn't impossible. I'm still looking but my wife found a great job lecturing and, for now, I'm a kept man ;O). Your uni will offer a lot of help once your studies are done so get as much info from them as you can. The visa rules change constantly so you have to stay on top of that here. The key is to provide only what the Border Agency requires and no more or less. We provided more funding accounts than necessary but it worked against us. It is better to have the required funds in UK accounts rather than foreign ones. The slightest deviation from requirements will be penalized and there is no leniency. It can be very bureaucratic. When you are applying to extend your stay as a graduate the application form is regularly updated - do not print a copy unless you are sure you have the latest version - save the trees.

If you have any specific questions the .gov site has plenty of answers, but feel free to drop a question on this blog!