Hi! New here!

CanuckAbroad
Site Admin


Back in Victoria after living in Budapest

Joined: 04 Mar 2003
Posts: 482
Location: Victoria

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2004 3:07 pm

 

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Don't know if it's the same for the UK, but in Germany I too had to pay for local calls. It wasn't too bad actually though! In fact I usually had a smaller phone bill than here in Canada. Here I pay $30 a month for telephone service - In germany I was paying like 20 DM (back in the day..so probably about 12-15 Euro, or a little more than $20 CAD). I used the phone quite a bit too.

What I found particularly frustrating was that you had to pay more to call a cell phone. So if you wanted to call someones home number it was like 2 cents a minute. If you wanted to call their cell phone it was 10 cents a minute. Really annoying...But a good thing about Germany was that there were all sorts of pre-dialers. You dial say 1030 before your number, and you get a much better rate.

Again though, I dunno how much of that is similar to the UK But probably fairly similar.

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oohmercyme
Moderator



Joined: 21 Mar 2004
Posts: 312
Location: London, England

Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2004 5:27 pm

 

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Does it make more sense to have just a cell phone rather than a cell and landline? Or is the cost of long distance cell service outrageous?

I don't have cable here and only get 5 channels, so I guess I could live without TV too. Though why would I need TV when I am in England since EVERYTHING will be new to me!

Matt and Brenda- where in Canada are you from? Are you abroad permanently?
_________________
Lori

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CanuckAbroad
Site Admin


Back in Victoria after living in Budapest

Joined: 04 Mar 2003
Posts: 482
Location: Victoria

Posted: Fri Apr 02, 2004 8:07 am

 

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I'm back in Canada right now (Victoria), but who knows for how long.

I used a cell phone for the longest time instead of a land-line but..long distance is CRAZY expensive on a cell phone.

I'd get a landline for sure if you'll be there for a while, and a cell phone if you actually need one.

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Brenda
Super Member



Joined: 21 Feb 2004
Posts: 178
Location: Stirling

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2004 12:16 pm

 

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or mobiles as they are called in the UK, are all the rage. I am somewhat alien to most people as I do not have one myself, although most of the children in my class (eleven year olds) have their own.

People find it weird that I do not have one, but then I explain that I don't really have anyone to call on it, because I am not calling Canada on it; I do that from home (1p per minute with 18866 by the way - check out their site.)

Besides, when I did inquire about getting one, it was the inquisition all over again. Did I have a permanent job? What was my salary? We'll let you have one but you have to put down a £200 deposit and sign up to a year's contract. Uhmm... pass.

To answer your question, I'm originally from Kamloops, British Columbia and I'm in the UK on a permanent basis as I got married this past summer to a wonderful man.

You want scary? Ask me about doing laundry over here... pain in the ass.

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oohmercyme
Moderator



Joined: 21 Mar 2004
Posts: 312
Location: London, England

Posted: Sun Apr 04, 2004 6:09 pm

 

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Oh no!!! Even doing laundry is going to be an ordeal!?!?! I notice many apartments have washers in the kitchen (the kitchen!?!?) but no dryers. And I thought I was paying an insane amount of $$$ for my tiny apartment in TO, but London is even worse! 300 sq ft for L600! CraZy!
_________________
Lori

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Brenda
Super Member



Joined: 21 Feb 2004
Posts: 178
Location: Stirling

Posted: Mon Apr 05, 2004 12:28 am

 

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There are some things you can do to make the move less stressful and living here less expensive. I have to hunt down the websites for you and I will provide them in the next few days. My husband and I are embarking on the common hobby in the UK; home improvements (wait till you see the programmes on the tv) - I am dangerous with a drill!

I'll write again soon,

Brenda

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Brenda
Super Member



Joined: 21 Feb 2004
Posts: 178
Location: Stirling

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2004 1:32 am

 

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Hello again.

My top recommendation for moving to the UK would be to share a place with someone. This would help avoid all the costs and bureaucratic tape of getting your own phone line ( I think BT would want a deposit since you have no credit history here), television licence and utility bills. Even if you did this for 6 months, you would give yourself time to adjust to the UK and time to get to know the area you want to live in. You would also have people to talk to, which can help with homesickness (but it can also make it worse, oddly enough)

There are several sites to check out to find accommodation. You may first want to check with the agency that is placing you to see if any of the other social workers they have placed are looking for a roommate. The first place I stayed was with a teacher who taught at the same school as me. It worked out well and I had someone to explain the cultural differences I was constantly discovering between school systems and living in the UK in general. I paid £200 a month plus my phone bill, so it was a deal.

I’m not sure if social workers are considered “key workers” but you may want to contact this site as they appear to specialise in finding affordable housing for public service employees. http://www.unite-keyworkers.com/f.asp

Once you know what area of London you will be working in, you could use this site to help you find accommodation. http://www.moveflat.com/c/94293.htm A helpful site to use to see what the area is like is www.upmystreet.com If you input the postal code, they tell you interesting information on the inhabitants, like the percentage who own microwaves and the percentage of single parent families. They also give crime statistics, which can be useful as well. Keep in mind travel costs, they can add up quickly in London.

Do you know what kind of visa you will have? If you can, try to get one yourself instead of having the agency getting one for you on your behalf. If you get a visa in conjunction with the agency, then you may end up “tied” to them and unable to stay here unless it is working for them. Are you planning on staying here longer than a year? If you are, then you might want to consider the following:

If you’re under the age of 28, you can qualify for a two year work/travel visa. If one of your parents or grandparents were born in the UK, then you can qualify for an ancestry permit or a right of abode. I have an ancestry permit which allows me to stay here for 4 years, but that’s a mute point as I’m now married to a British citizen.

Hope this helps,

Brenda

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oohmercyme
Moderator



Joined: 21 Mar 2004
Posts: 312
Location: London, England

Posted: Tue Apr 06, 2004 6:38 am

 

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WOW Brenda- thanks for the great resources!! (Thanks Matt too for answering all my questions). I will check out all those links.

I am in the process of trying to get Dutch citizenship and am awaiting to hear if I am eligible. My understanding (and I may be wrong) is that with an EU passport I can live and work anywhere in the EU. Failing that I will be applying for a work visa. I just turned 32 yesterday, so the working holiday visa is out.

I think I would prefer to do things without an agency, however, it does seem like they would make many things easier.

Thanks for all the help!
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Lori

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