New in the UK                                                                                                                                              

 

1. Enrol with your school and letters you may ask for

2. Open bank account

3. Register with Metropolitan Police Station

4. Buy a phone set and sim card

5. Apply for Oyster card

6. Sign agreement with your landlady/landlord

7. Internet options

8. National insurance 

9. International Student ID card

10. Register with GP

11. Emergency(dial 999)

12. Student Responsibilities


 

1. Enrol with your school and letters you may ask for.

Once you arrive to the UK, you should arrange to register with your school within 1-3 days, and register with Metropolitan Police within 7 days of arrival.

The files you need to take with you to register with your school:

  • Your letter of enrolment
  • Any tuition fees that maybe due
  • Your passport (if you are a non-EU national)
  • Your address (with postcode) and telephone number in the UK
  • Your overseas address.
  • Two passport size photographs

After you register with your school, you should be able to apply for the following letters from the school, so you can open a bank account, register with a doctor and so on.

  • Letter to help you open a bank account
  • Doctor's registration letter
  • London Underground Travelcard application form.
  • Letter to get council tax free
  • Your timetable

 

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2. Open bank account

If you are coming to the UK for at least an academic year, it is recommended that you open a bank 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 from your college for banks to confirm that you are a full time student, 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.

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.

 

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3. Register with Metropolitan Police Station

Students only have to register with the police if that requirement is stamped in their passport.

If the UK Entry Clearance or Residence Permit ("visa") in your passport (or on your identity card) contains the statement: "The holder is also required to register at once with the police" or "Register with police within seven days", you should register within 7 days of your arrival.

If you are staying in the Greater London Authority, you should take your passport or travel document, any letters from the home office, a work permit (if applicable), and a £34 registration fee (paid by cash, cheque, or credit/debit card – no euros are accepted) to:

Overseas Visitors Records Office
Ground Floor
Brandon House
180 Borough High Street
London SE1 1LH

The nearest tube station is Borough (on the Northern line).
Hours: 9am - 4pm, Monday - Friday except Public and Bank Holidays.
Phone: +44 (0)20 7230 1208

If you are registering during the first weeks in October, we suggest that you arrive well before the opening hours as the queues can be very long.

 

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4. Buy a phone set and sim card

You can buy telephone sets and cards from O2, Orange, T Mobile, Vodafone and so on. 

 

You will find public telephones at all airports, seaports, railway stations, bus stations and on many streets. Instructions on how to use them are displayed next to the telephone. They accept coins from 10p upwards and many also accept British Telecom (BT) phone cards, which can be bought in shops where the green phone card sign is displayed. There are also a variety of other companies' phone cards you can buy that offer cheap rates for international calls.

All calls made from private telephones are much cheaper than those made from public telephones. These calls are even cheaper between 6pm and 8am and at weekends. The British Telecom website gives details of different packages at
 www.bt.co.uk.

International calls can be very expensive; you might wish to check the charges with the international operator before you call on 155. It is generally cheaper to call after 8pm but it depends on the country you are calling.
 

 

Some Useful telephone numbers

  • 152 The international operator
  • 118 500 or 118 118 Directory enquiries (helps you to find a number but costs money to ring)
  • 123 Gives you the time

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5. Apply for Oyster card

You can apply Oyster card online, the student Oyster card will have 30% discount. When you do it online, you need to upload your photo and pay 5pound via credit card/ debit card.

The website link is https://photocard.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/gotoApply.do?type=student&from=home

 

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6. Sign agreement with your landlady/landlord

Coming soon

Bills include: Rent, Electricity, Gas, Water, TV licence, Telephone company, Internet provider, Council tax(Full time students shouldn't pay any council tax)

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7. Internet options

Coming soon

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8. National insurance 

Anyone who is employed or looking for work in the UK is required to obtain a National Insurance number. To book an interview to get your NI number from the Department of Pension and Works (DPW), you will need to produce some documents as evidences in the interview board that you have a possibility of getting work or you have been refused to get a work or you are trying to get a work soon.

To book an appointment through telephone, you have to have the following documents in front of you -
A. Passport
B. Your student letter
C. Your address proof
D. Any letters relating to your employment.

As soon as your booking is complete, they will confirm your interview booking by sending letter explaining place and time of your interview and things to take with you for interview. Telephone for NI interview booking: 0845 6000 643 or 0207 275 2103. After the interview, you will receive your NI card by post.

 

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9. International Student ID card (ISIC card)

You can apply online directly via http://www.isic.org/student-card/buy-an-isic.aspx

You may get many discounts from many different places.

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10. Register with GP

You are only allowed to buy medicine from the Dispensary (Pharmacy) on production of prescription from GP. You will be able to get prescription once you have been registered with your local GP. To be registered with GP, the following documents you will need to produce to the GP's office:
A. Your passport
B. Your proof of address
C. Your student letter from the college.
For your minor cough/headache/allergy/toothache etc. you will be able to buy some medicine from TESCO/ASDA without producing prescription from the GP.

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12. Student Responsibilities

  1. Making the most of their programme of study, their College experience and the other opportunities that the College has to offer;
  2. Ensure that all their financial commitment to the College is met in a timely fashion.
  3. Complying with the College’s policies and procedures;
  4. Complying with the BIA / Home Office policies and procedures (particularly for international students).
  5. Acting as responsible ambassadors for the College through their good conduct and by ensuring that their actions do not have an adverse impact on the College’s reputation, its environment, the local community or those who work or study at the College;
  6. Join with the College in formulating their own education and career goals and in monitoring their progress towards these goals;
  7. Participating in the College’s culture of learning which is based upon critical inquiry, debate and self-motivation; Pursuing their academic studies in a diligent, honest and professional manner.