This
page gives you advice about some things to do
before you leave home and how to budget for your
life in London.
Click on the list below for more information:
Information for
Students coming to the UK for less than 6 months
If you are coming to the UK as a Study
Abroad student or you are coming to study on
short courses, you are unlikely to be able to
open a UK Bank account. Before coming to the UK
you should:
- Open a bank account in your own country with a multi-national bank. You should then be able to use your international card in ATMs in the UK (although you will have to pay a small fee each time you do so
- Bring a credit card just in case you need it
- Or you could bring traveller's cheques to cover the whole period that you are here
- When you are in the UK - never carry large amounts of cash with you.
It can be difficult to open a bank account in
the UK so it is a good idea to find out about
banking before you leave. Some banks in
your country may have an agreement with a bank
in the UK - ask them to find out. It may be
helpful to bring a reference from your bank,
translated into English if necessary.
There may be UK-based banks in your country and
it may help to open an account before you leave.
Check with the bank in your country first to
find out if you can transfer the account or use
the account in the UK.
It may also help if you ask your bank at home to send your statement to your UK address. You can then use this as evidence of your UK address when opening an account.
When you open a bank account, you can pay in
travellers' cheques, or arrange to transfer
money into the account electronically. You can
also bring a banker's draft. This is a document
drawn up by the bank in your home country. Even
if made out in sterling, it can take up to one
month to "clear", before the funds are
available.
The UK does not have a cash culture and you
can pay for most things by card. You should
never carry large amounts of cash with you.
It may take some time to open a bank account in
the UK and a few weeks before you can use the
account so you will need to make sure that you
have enough money for at least a few weeks. You
should bring some travellers' cheques which you
can change at banks and currency exchange points
all over London. You could also use Eurocheques
or a credit card. The UK does not have rules
about the amount of money you can bring into the
country, but your own government may have
regulations about the amount you may take out.
To avoid problems, plan your finances well in
advance and ask your bank for details.
London is an expensive city to live in but
how much you spend depends on your lifestyle.
You must ensure that, after paying your fees,
you will have enough money to pay for rent,
food, travel, books, materials and other living
expenses. We recommend that you allow around
£800 per month for regular living expenses (The
British Council estimate that you will need at
least £9,000 to live here for one year). You
will need considerably more if you are bringing
your family with you (although if you are here
for longer than 6 months, your partner will
probably be allowed to work). Your rent is
likely to be your biggest cost: go to
Accommodation for information
.
As well as the transport card, there are many
discounts in Britain for students - in art
galleries, cinema and in many shops. You will be
able to use your University ID card but some
places only accept a
student discount card which you can obtain
from the Student Travel Agency. You can get
cheap international flights through
STA.
As a full-time student in the UK, you will be allowed to work for 20 hours a week during term-time and full-time during the holidays. You may find it difficult to work as many as 20 hours a week and follow your course so you should not rely on these earnings to pay for living costs in the UK. For more information, go to Working. Also, remember that for immigration purposes, you must be able to show that you have enough money to stay in the UK without working.