1. Bring enough money to cover your monthly food and personal expenses
You will want to ensure that you have enough money to last you until your first pay day – please note that you will need to declare to customs cash of 10,000 Euros or more (or the equivalent in another currency) if you are travelling from a country outside the EU.
There are some great cheap supermarkets in the UK to help keep your food budget down – you can even order groceries online from some major supermarkets such as Tesco, Morrisons and Asda so that food can be delivered to your accommodation when you arrive in the UK.
Remember, when entering the UK you will not be able to bring in any meat or dairy products from outside the European Union. There are also restrictions on traditional medicines, food products such as fish, eggs and honey, as well as some fruit, vegetables and plants.
2. Make sure that you buy a UK sim card when arriving at the airport.
Moving away from your family and friends is a big step, and we’re sure you will want to stay in touch. Get an international sim card for your phone – there are lots available, just pick the one that is best for you. If you make a significant number of international phone calls, it will often be best to buy a bundle that includes international calling. For instance, Lebara Mobile offers a number of 30-day bundles that include either 100, 500 or 1000 international minutes (along with the normal allowance of UK minutes, texts and internet):
| EE (per min) | Giffgaff (per min) | Lebara (per min) | Lyca Mobile (per min) | O2 (per min) | Vodafone (per min) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philippines | 20p mob / 15p landline | 11p mob / 9p landline | 15p mob / 9p landline | 15p mob / 9p landline | 13p mob / 10p landline | 30p mob / 12p landline |
| India | 5p mob / 5p landline | 2p mob / 2p landline | 2p mob / 2p landline | 2p mob / 2p landline | 2p mob / 2p landline | 1.5p mob / 1.5p landline |
| USA | 3p mob / 3p landline | 2p mob / 2p landline | 5p mob / 5p landline | 6p mob / 6p landline | 2p mob / 2p landline | 1.5p mob / 1.5p landline |
| Nigeria | 10p mob / 10p landline | 9p mob / 10p landline | 12p mob / 1p landline | 12p mob / 1p landline | 9p mob / 9p landline | 25p mob / 5p landline |
| South Africa | 8p mob / 3p landline | 10p mob / 3p landline | 19p mob / 12p landline | 19p mob / 12p landline | 10p mob / 3p landline | 25p mob / 5p landline |
| Australia | 10p mob / 3p landline | 12p mob / 10p landline | 9p mob / 3p landline | 9p mob / 1p landline | 12p mob / 2p landline | 25p mob / 5p landline |
| Saudi Arabia | 14p mob / 10p landline | 13p mob / 9p landline | 15p mob / 9p landline | 15p mob / 9p landline | 12p mob / 8p landline | 30p mob / 12p landline |
| Italy | 7p mob / 3p landline | 3p mob / 3p landline | 9p mob / 5p landline | 19p mob / 7p landline | 10p mob / 2p landline | 25p mob / 5p landline |
| Spain | 8p mob / 3p landline | 9p mob / 2p landline | 9p mob / 5p landline | 19p mob / 7p landline | 9p mob / 2p landline | 25p mob / 5p landline |
3. Check the weather in the UK so that you can pack accordingly
The weather is the UK can be quite unpredictable and you will often hear someone making small talk by complaining about the weather! In general we have relatively warm summers and cool winters. Our summers are cooler than those on the European continent, but the winters are milder, with temperatures not much lower than 0ºC in winter and not much higher than 32ºC in summer (although this year the heatwave soared into the high 30s!)
4. Enquire what is provided at your accommodation such as pots and pans etc
A home cooked meal can be a great comfort when you are making yourself at home in your new accommodation – check with your landlord what will be provided – pots and pans etc. If you need to stock up on kitchen essentials, you can get equipment at low cost from shops such as Home Bargains or TK Maxx.
5. Ensure you bring all the documents you need
We will have carried out compliance checks with you, however it is useful to have the following documents:
- Your passport
- Your birth certificate
- Any relevant Visa paperwork – check if you need a Visa here
- A National Insurance Card – apply for one here
- Documents required to open a UK bank account – in order to open a UK bank account, you will need a document to prove your identity and one to prove your address (this could include your tenancy agreement)
Interested in moving to the UK to work?
We recruit healthcare professionals across the UK – check out our permanent jobs for nurses and doctors online, give our team a call on +44 (0)20 7861 8950 or submit your CV below for us to contact you about relevant roles!
