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belle liin
Updated Jul 29, 2023
Before Studying in the UK: Everyday Logistics
Good morning, good afternoon and good evening, everyone! Thanks for all your answers to last time's question~ 697 people actually shared their opinions with us, I'm so touched!! 🤩So this time I want to share about luggage, housing and transport for life in the UK🤩 plus some clubs and podcasts that help you get to know British culture. Today's post is a bit special!
It's not just my own info and experience. I'll pass along lots of resources I came across while studying (not sponsored, I just genuinely find them useful, and rewriting similar content felt pointless><) Anyway, I hope this post helps! Let's get started~
👉👉First, luggage and preparation before you leave:
🧳Things to get ready before you go:
1. Credit card (I have a CTBC Visa, but in the UK I mainly use a local card. For a local bank I use Lloyds because it has lots of branches, one close to school, and no account fees)
2. SIM card + backup phone: I bought a giffgaff SIM. It works in European countries except Switzerland, but data gets slower when it's crowded. The UK also has carriers like O2 and Vodafone. When I asked last time, O2 had an unlimited student plan on a one-year contract: 10 pounds for the first half year, 20 pounds for the second half (I ended up not choosing it because I don't even use 10GB of data🤣) I also keep a second phone with my old Taiwanese number.
3. International driving permit: I got one at the motor vehicles office myself, but... in the UK they drive on the other side, and little me didn't dare drive at all QAQ I got the permit for a trip to Iceland~ mainly for renting a car. Details here>>
4. You really can leave your NHI card in Taiwan, but decide for yourself about your national ID card (I left mine in Taiwan~ it's more convenient if my parents need to make bank transfers or collect the Quintuple Stimulus Vouchers for me)
5. Scan all your documents into digital files: passport, ID card, BRP
6. Suitcases: how much luggage should you bring? I brought one big suitcase and one backpack (and bought a small travel suitcase in the UK). After all, too much luggage is hard to move around once you're in the UK, so I'd suggest not bringing two suitcases. Just buy coats in the UK; Taiwanese clothes usually can't handle London's cold (bring about 4 outfits. I'd suggest packing a few extra Uniqlo thermal tops: they don't take up space and keep you warm, and thermal tops in the UK are super expensive...600 and up)
7. Medicine (my own suggestions): hydrocolloid bandages, contact lenses, painkillers, and remember to see the dentist before you come to the UK!! 8. Other stuff: ID photos, sheet masks, stationery you love, and just one UK plug adapter; if you need more, buy a power strip locally. If you want to buy contact lenses in the UK, try this link~~
Buy Contact Lenses Online in the UK | Feel Good Contacts UK
YouTube luggage reference link: 🏠Housing: I have some clever friends who first found temporary housing in the UK and only signed a lease after viewing places. They felt viewing in person was more reliable. Housing in London costs much more than in the rest of the UK. 👉In my first year in the UK I mainly looked at student housing: student rental platforms such as:
Studio: 300+ private bathroom and kitchen. En-suite: 200+ private bathroom, shared kitchen. Non en-suite: 180+ shared bathroom and kitchen. Later I heard from a friend living in a private house that in Whitechapel it can be as low as 150 per week. You can browse around on the local rental platform SpareRoom:
SpareRoom for flatshare, house share, flat share & rooms for rent
👮♀️For safety, check out this video: generally, northwest London is the safest and most expensive, and East London is the most dangerous area. Really, don't take the risk🥲 I live in the southeast near the Canary Wharf financial district, one of the safer parts of the southeast. PS: stay alert living in London. Often just a few streets over you're in a rough area, with lots of litter and graffiti. At night, try not to go under bridges or to quiet places. 🚉Transport: transport here is super expensive. I applied for the student Oyster card; you can apply here
👉
18+ Student Oyster photocard - Transport for London
Find out if you're eligible for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard for discounted travel in London
Master's students, whatever you do, don't buy the six-month pass unless you're in zone 1. I'm in zones 2-3 and it's 74 pounds a month, not actually any cheaper😡 ! (I regretted it so much after buying) Just tap your student card each trip. 🚌If you want to travel by train, you can also apply for a student railcard here: 👉
16-25 Railcard | Buy Student Railcard for Only £30 with Trainline
You get 30% off. Johnson probably knew British trains are too expensive, which is why they launched this discount….. ✈️For flights, I've only flown British Airways and easyJet. If you have lots of luggage, budget airlines actually aren't cheaper, because luggage costs extra and the price ends up about the same as a regular airline QAQ Job hunting: 👉大頭妹Janet趣英國 Highlight: super detailed job application timelines and info .
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👉Celia: a super thorough YouTube explainer on the visa (I honestly forgot my own application process) all I remember is that it was expensive QAQ 👉Podcast 我是住英台:
EP36. A Taiwanese headhunter in the UK workplace (feat. 大頭妹Janet) - 我是住英台 | Podcast on Spotify
Highlight: interviews with professionals in all kinds of fields working in the UK, diverse perspectives. That's some of the info I follow plus my own experience!
Hope this helps you all～～
Oh right! Whose YouTube videos or articles do you all watch to learn about the UK～ Feel free to recommend them to me🥰 See you next time👋