Life in the UK 
1. How to find accommodation in London?
2. Where you can buy books?
3. How to renew your visa?
4. Festivals and Holidays in the UK
5. Things you need to do while you are in the UK
6. How to buy a car?
7. How to get an UK driving Licence?
8. How to travel to Europe?
9. How to get a Schengen visa?
10. Buying glasses
11. Bank telephone contacts when your cards are stolen
The Post Office/Television License/Public Libraries/Black Cabs (taxis)/Bank Matters/Transportation/Social attitudes/Drinking/Smoking/Homesickness
7. How to get an UK driving Licence?
During your first year in Britain, an International Student may drive a motor vehicle with a valid overseas driving license or an International Driving permit. If you wish to drive after this time, you must apply for a provisional UK license before the year ends, and pass a Department of Transport driving test. With a provisional license you are not permitted to drive without being accompanied by someone who has a 'full' UK license and has passed the Department of Transport test.
European Economic Area nationals and nationals of countries with which the UK has made an agreement may drive a small vehicle such as a car on a valid community licence until either it expires or they reach 70.
A community license may be exchanged for a British License without taking a test.
DVLA leaflet 100, obtainable form post offices, gives a clearer description of the rules relating to driving licenses and also lists countries with which the UK has an agreement.
For further information see the DVLA website www.dvla.gov.uk.
Or look at the UKCOSA guidance note www.ukcosa.org.uk/images/driving.pdf.
11. Bank telephone contacts when your cards are stolen
Abbey
Lost and stolen cards (24 hour)
UK: 08459 724 724 option 3
Overseas: +44 (0)1908 237963
Allied Irish Bank
Lost or stolen ATM/credit cards
Ireland: 01668 5500
Overseas: +353 (0) 1 668 5500
Alliance & Leicester
Lost and stolen credit cards
UK: 0800 0688 638
Overseas: +44 (0) 1244 673 700
Current accounts - lost or stolen cards or cheque books
UK: 0500 31 32 33
Overseas: +44 (0) 151 928 4033
American Express
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 01273 696 933
Overseas: +44 (0)1273 696 933
Lost and stolen travellers cheques
UK: 0800 521 313
Overseas: +44 (0)1273 571 600
Bank of Ireland
Lost and stolen cards (24 hour)
Ireland: 1890 706 706
Overseas: +353 (0) 56 775 7007
Customer Service (24hour)
Ireland: 1890 251 251
Bank of Scotland
Lost or stolen credit cards:
UK: 0845 3000 344
Lost or stolen bank cards:
UK: 08457 20 30 99
Barclays Bank
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 01604 230 230
Overseas: +44 (0) 1604 230 230
For existing Cardholder Protection policy holders only:
UK: 0808 100 6667
Overseas: +44 1904 544 666
Barclaycard
Lost and stolen credit cards
UK: 01604 230 230
Cahoot
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0870 2400289
Capital One
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0800 952 5267
Overseas: +44 (0)115 993 8002
Citibank
Customer services
UK: 0800 00 55 00
Overseas: +44 (0) 207 500 5500
Clydesdale Bank
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0845 606 0622
The Co-operative Bank
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0845 600 6000
Overseas: +44 (0) 1695 53760
Diners Club
Customer service
UK: 0870 1900 011
Ireland: 0818 300 026
Egg
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 08451 233 233
Overseas: +44 (0)1332 395 919
First Active
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 0870 600 0459
Ireland: 1800 245399
Overseas: +44 (0) 131 549 8186
First Direct
Customer service
UK: 08456 100 100
Overseas: +44 (0) 113 234 5678
GE Capital
Consumer finance
UK: 0870 125 2515
Goldfish
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 0800 281 881
Overseas: +44 (0) 126 856 7402
Halifax
Lost or stolen cards
UK: 08457 20 30 99
Overseas: +44 (0) 1133 809 574
HSBC
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 08456 007 010
Overseas: +44 (0) 1442 422 929
Lloyds TSB Bank
Card queries (24 hour)
UK: 0800 096 9779
Overseas: +44 (0) 1702 278 270
Marks & Spencer Money
&More credit card and chargecard
UK: 0845 900 0900
Overseas: +44 (0)1244 879 080
MasterCard
Emergency Contacts
United Kingdom: 0800 96 4767
MBNA Europe
Lost/stolen card
UK: 0800 062 062
Ireland: 1800 409 511
Overseas: +44 (0) 1244 672 111
Morgan Stanley
Lost or stolen
UK: 0800 02 88 990
Overseas: +44 (0)123 672 5678
National Irish Bank
Ireland: 1850 700221
Overseas: +00 353 1638 5000
Nationwide
Lost/stolen credit cards (24 hours)
UK: 08457 99 22 22
Overseas: +44 (0) 2476 438 996
Lost/Stolen cards (all cards except credit cards)
UK: 08457 30 20 10
Overseas: +44 (0) 1793 656 789
NatWest Bank
Card Loss Centre
UK: 0870 600 0459
Overseas: +44 (0) 142 370 0545
Northern Bank
UK: 0870 850 2481
Overseas: +44 (0) 2890 049201
Partnership Card (John Lewis / Waitrose)
Lost and stolen cards
UK: 0800 015 0914
Overseas: +44 (0) 121 214 5732
Royal Bank of Scotland
Lost/stolen credit cards
UK: 0126 829 8929
Lost/stolen bank cards
UK: 0870 513 3550
Overseas: +44 (0) 131 317 8899
Smile
Lost and stolen
UK: 0845 600 6000
Overseas: +44 (0)161 477 1927
Ulster Bank
Lost & Stolen cards
UK: 0870 600 0459
Ireland: 1800 245399
Overseas: +44 (0)131 549 8186
Virgin Credit Card
Lost & Stolen cards
UK: 0800 015 0306
Visa
Lost cards
UK: 0800 89 1725
Woolwich
Open plan gold charge card
UK: 01604 230 230
Other open plan cards
UK: 0845 0700 360
Other Woolwich cards
UK: 0845 677 0009
Overseas: +44 (0) 1255 225 335
Yorkshire Bank
UK: 08456 060 622
Overseas: +44 (0) 113 2881403
Thomas Cook
Travellers cheques
UK: 0800 622 101
Overseas: +44 (0) 1733 318 950
The Post Office
Normal business hours are 9.00am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday, and at some locations 9.00am to 12.00 midday on Saturdays. In addition to stamps and telephone facilities, they stock many useful information leaflets and forms.
Television License
If you have a television, you must buy a television license. You need one license per dwelling. If you live in a shared house (where you rent the house as a group), you will only need one license, no matter how many televisions there are in the house. If you live in accommodation where you rent your room individually, you will need to buy a license. The license fee pays for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), which provides non-commercial television on channels BBC1 and BBC2. You can buy a license from the Post Office. The license fee is currently £121 per year for a colour television, and £40.50 for a black and white television set. There is a large fine if you are found without a television license.
Public Libraries
You will find public libraries in every locality. Membership of your local public library is free of charge and you need only to provide proof of residence to be able to borrow books. All libraries should have a reference section where you may be able to consult large dictionaries and encyclopaedias. The public libraries are excellent sources of information. They stock national and local newspapers and a wide variety of magazines, which can be read free of charge. In the library entrance there will usually be a notice board with local information.
Black Cabs (taxis)
When the yellow sign is lit up, this means that a black cab is available for hire. You will need to stick your arm out to stop the cab. You can also pick up a cab at a taxi rank. The black cabs are metered and start at £3.50; the cost can be expensive if you are travelling alone. The alternative to black cabs are mini cabs: these are unregulated so a price should be set beforehand. It is advisable to learn a bit about London before you start to use mini cabs. Mini cabs are ordinary cars and can be ordered by phone or by going to a mini cab rank. Never get into a mini cab without checking the driver's credentials. Also there is no bargaining when it comes to taxi fares in the UK
Banking
You will need to open a bank account when you come to London. It is the safest place to keep your money. It is advisable to open an account with one of the major high street banks. These banks are National Westminster, HSBC, and Lloyds. All these banks offer special student accounts, however it is important to note that as an international student you will not necessarily be eligible for all the facilities offered to UK resident students and it may be difficult to open a bank account. If you are on a course for less than one year, it may be virtually impossible to open an account.
When you go to open a bank account you should take some documentation with you. Most banks ask you to bring your passport, your letter or certificate of enrolment, evidence of your address and substantial evidence of funding for your studies. A letter of introduction from your bank or bank statement at home would be very helpful and some banks require this as essential information.
The most useful type of account is a current account, and is the most common type of account given to an international student. As an International student do not expect to be given a student account in the UK as these offer special rates to home students (a student account is a current account with special concessions for students).
Current Accounts
You can pay money in, in any form, and then draw it out as you need it using your chequebook. Payments to other people can be made by writing cheques out in their name. If you want to draw out cash yourself, make the cheque payable in your own name or "to cash" If you wish to write cheques in shops you will need a cheque guarantee card. This is really an identity card, which guarantees that correctly written cheques up to the value stated on the card will be honoured by the bank. You can also use it with your cheque book to withdraw money from almost any bank in Britain.
Overdrafts
An overdraft is the facility to withdraw more money from your account than you have in it. You should not do this without permission from your bank. Overdrafts usually incur charges, though some banks offer interest free overdrafts to some students. International students however will not normally be offered bank accounts with these facilities.
Cash cards
You can withdraw cash from a cash point machine with a cash card. They are extremely useful in that they enable you to withdraw cash from your account at almost any time of the day or night. There is also a card facility called Switch or Delta, which enables you to use the card to pay for items in shops. This facility takes the money straight out of your account.
Savings Accounts
If you have more money than you need for month-to-month expenses, it is a good idea to open a savings or deposit account for some of it where it can earn interest. The interest is taxable but if your bank knows that you are not normally resident in Britain then you do not pay tax on it. You can't pay by cheque on a savings account, but you can usually ask for a cash card on it.
Banking for International Students
As an international student your eligibility for these banking services will depend upon your personal circumstances. Visit a few banks and find out which can provide the best service for you. You will find that many of the banking facilities offered to home students will not extend to include you, at least not initially.
Bank Opening Hours
Banks have traditionally been open from 9.30am to 4.30pm, from Monday to Friday. Many main branches are now open during the weekends but the opening hours vary.
Putting money in
You simply need to take cash, or cheques, into your bank, complete a paying-in slip and hand it over to the cashier. Cash will be in your account the same day you deposit it at your branch. If you deposit cash in another branch it will take around three working days to clear; cheques normally take five working days to clear. If someone else is paying money into your account they will need to know your:
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Sort code
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Taking money out
Most banks have cash machines enabling you to simply put your card into the machine, type in your details and money will be given, providing it is in your account! You can also go into the bank and request cash from the cashier. For some deposit accounts you may need to fill in a form to request money at least two weeks before you anticipate needing it. The Building Society would then send you a cheque in the post.
Taking money out
Most banks have cash machines enabling you to simply put your card into the machine, type in your details and money will be given, providing it is in your account! You can also go into the bank and request cash from the cashier. For some deposit accounts you may need to fill in a form to request money at least two weeks before you anticipate needing it. The Building Society would then send you a cheque in the post.
Plastic Cards:
There are five main types of plastic card in the UK. These are:
- A cash card - this allows you to draw money from a cash machine.
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A 'switch' card - this allows you to buy from shops, but is not a credit card; the money is drawn out of your account on the day of the purchase. Sometimes called a 'debit' card.
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A 'solo' card - is like a 'switch' card but with some restrictions. The card is offered by some banks but will not be accepted by many smaller shops.
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A cheque guarantee card - (this is often also a cash card) if you pay by cheque this card will guarantee a set amount, usually £50 - £100. If you post a cheque you do not need this card to guarantee a cheque.
- A credit card - such as American Express, Visa, MasterCard. A very expensive way to buy goods as the interest rates are extremely high.
Transportation
The Underground
When using the Underground, or “the tube,” as it is called, there are a few things to remember. The Underground is divided into six zones, which are rough concentric circles. The city centre is in zone 1, and most places you will go are in this or zone 2. Study your route before you go somewhere on the tube, and check on a regular map as well. The Underground map is not drawn to scale. Therefore, you will find that many times, one tube station is within walking distance to another, and it will be much quicker to just walk.
College is just couple of Minutes walkable distance from barking tube/train station.
The bus
The classic red double Decker bus is pride of its service in London . Riding a bus can give you a much better grasp on how the city is laid out than the Underground can. One major advantage of the bus is that you should be able to get off much closer to your destination than if you took the tube.
The most important thing, though, is to ride on the top level. You will get fantastic views of the city and you will be able to understand the layout of the city far better than if you sit on the bottom, where you can’t actually see much.
Night buses
The night buses are a gift to London travellers, visitors, students that saves money if you are travelling during night to any destination with in London
Social attitudes
Life in Britain will almost certainly be different from what you are used to. It is difficult to define exactly what the ‘British’ way of life is as attitude and outlooks vary considerably according to where you are in the country. As home to residents from many different parts of the world and a variety of ethnic backgrounds, Britain has a vibrant, cosmopolitan feel. When you first arrive you may notice differences in the way people behave compared to your own country, however, it won’t take you long before you are accustomed to your new life here and are able to adapt to a whole variety of situations; everything from understanding British etiquette and mannerisms to cooking your own food and running your own bank account.
Drinking
Alcohol is available to anyone aged over 18. It’s perfectly acceptable for adults to drink alcohol in moderate amounts. For many British people, drinking is an established part of social life – ‘going out for a drink’ is how they relax or spend time with friends. This doesn’t mean that you have to drink alcohol. If you don’t want to you can always ask for a non-alcoholic drink instead.
Smoking
Many people in Britain smoke. However, in some ways smoking is less acceptable than drinking, and since Summer 2007, smoking has been banned in all pubs, clubs and restaurants in England. Smoking is banned in many public places including buses and other public transport. If you smoke in these places, you have to pay a fine. Some nonsmokers find smoke unpleasant and uncomfortable. If you are eating or drinking with friends – especially at someone else’s house – it is polite to ask before you light your cigarette.
Homesickness
To start with everything is new, exciting and different, but as time goes by you may start to wish that things were the way they were back home. Don’t despair as this stage will pass – and much more quickly if you talk to someone about how you are feeling. There will always be someone in centre who you can talk to.
