Life in the UK - SBUHB Employee Onboarding

Arrange your UK accommodation
Make sure you have made suitable arrangements with your accommodation in your home country, i.e. ending tenancy agreements, cancelling utilities etc
If you are bringing electrical goods, you are likely to need a transformer and an adaptor plug. The electricity supply in the UK is 240 volts
Remember to send your change of address to relevant companies and organisations
If you are bringing your family— find out about childcare/schools in the area you are moving to and register your child if necessary

As well as your travel documents, it might be a good idea to bring:

A photocopy of the main parts of your passport
A letter from your NHS Board or Trust confirming your offer of employment
A certified police report from your home country to speed up pre-employment checks in the UK
Degree certificates
Reference letter from your bank in your own country to help you get a UK bank account
Driving licence
Backup photocopies of essential documents

It is important for you to have a suitable place to stay while you are based in the UK. Make sure that you arrange some form of accommodation before you arrive in the UK, even if it is only temporary. There are many options when it comes to renting accommodation and finding somewhere suitable is not usually a problem.

Private Renting

There are various ways to rent a property in the UK. You can rent through an estate or letting agent or if you prefer, directly from a private landlord. Rental properties are advertised on websites, such as Zoopla, Primelocation and Rightmove among others, which bring many estate or letting agent listings together in one place.

Things to consider

The GOV.UK website has useful information on private renting, including your rights and responsibilities as a tenant, information on tenancy agreements and your landlord’s responsibilities.

The cost of accommodation will vary across the UK, so research the area you are moving to before arriving. Estate or letting agents/landlords will usually take advance rental payments every calendar month. On top of the rent you pay, you are likely to incur additional expenses (some of these may be included in your rent but check with the estate or letting agent/landlord beforehand):

Deposit: Most landlords require at least 1month’s deposit plus the first month’s rent in advance of moving into a property. There may also be additional administration & inventory fees.

Council Tax: A monthly tax which is payable by everyone who owns or rents a home in England, Scotland or Wales. The amount you will need to pay varies, depending on property type and council area. Visit the GOV.UK website for further details.

Contents Insurance: You should insure your belongings in your property. Comparison websites such as www.moneysupermarket.com and www.comparethemarket.com are good places to look to find a good deal for you.

Water rates: All properties in the UK need to pay water rates, these are either charged based on property size or paid via a meter reading. Water suppliers are regional across the country.

Utility Bills: Gas and electricity bills in the UK can be very high. You can often get discounts if you have both utilities provided by the same supplier, such as Good Energy. Comparison websites can be a good place to start to see the best deal for you.

It is worth familiarising yourself with this and against the exchange rates with your own country’s currency. Some small stores are reluctant to accept £50 notes, and it’s worth keeping this in mind if you plan to bring cash with you to the UK. Having a UK bank account will be essential to enable you to live and work in the UK.

With-drawing money and making transfers between UK accounts is usually free and having one will make the payment of your wages easier. There are several different bank accounts available in the UK and it is important to find the right one for you. The Money Advice Service can tell you more about the different types of bank account that exist and give you help on deciding which is right for you.

All banks usually require two valid and original documents (one from each list below) confirming your identification (ID) and proof of your UK address.

Appropriate ID
Biometric Residence Permit [BRP]
Full and valid passport
Photocard national identity card
A full UK or foreign photocard driving licence
Appropriate proof of address*— UK or foreign bank/credit card statement (less than three months old and not printed from the internet)
Council Tax bill
Jobcentre Plus letter confirming National Insurance number (less than three months old)
Letter/bill from utility company Some banks may also want to see proof of income and employment.

If you are planning on bringing your family with you while you work in the UK, it shouldn’t be a problem. The GOV.UK website has details of the process that you/they will need to go through to make it possible. If you have children under the age of 18, you will need to consider childcare and education arrangements. If you have children under the age of 18 then you will need to consider childcare and education arrangements.

For children under the school age there are many types of childcare available in the UK, what you decide is right for you will depend on their age and your own needs. The price of childcare varies greatly across the country and between the type of care you chose.

Children over five in the UK attend full-time compulsory education until the age of 18. State education in the UK is free. However, there are some schools that have their own entry and payment systems and private independent schools that are not state funded. There are numerous types of school in the UK. The GOV.UK website can give you an overview of what these are and what entry requirements they may have.

Primary School

State primary schooling begins at age five (occasionally younger) up until children are 11 or 12 years old (Educational years 1-6) when they enter secondary education. During this time, if you are in England, your child will follow the first two stages of the National Curriculum, Key Stages 1 and 2.

Secondary School

UK schools teach students until they are 16 (Educational years 7-11 or S1 to S6 in Scotland)) and prepare them for GCSE exams or equivalent following National Curriculum, Key Stages 3 and 4 in England or the Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland.

Post 16 Education

After completing compulsory education children can go on to study A-levels or equivalent qualifications at a sixth form college or further education college. (Educational years 12 and 13 or S5 and S6 in Scotland). Higher Education This is education that happens in universities or institutions offering degrees or higher qualifications.

Before you arrive, we advise that you contact the Local Council of the area you will be living to find out how to arrange a school place.

Calling abroad

It is likely you will want to call home. It can be expensive, but you can reduce the cost of calling abroad with;

An internet enabled device/computer

You can video or telephone call another device without additional cost, Skype and Facetime being the most popular.

Mobile Phones

The UK has a number of different mobile phone network providers, so you are likely to find one that suits you. You can either use a phone that you already own and are bringing with you or purchase a new one in the UK.

The UK is generally a safe country to live, with low rates of violence and street crime. However, as with anywhere there may be times when there are risks to you, your family and belongings, but there are things you can do to reduce these risks.

The UK’s Crime Stoppers and Neighbourhood Watch websites provide practical guidance and advice for keeping safe in all sorts of situations such as, your personal safety, on the streets and public transport and looking after your belongings, as well as safety at home, theft, and identity fraud. You can also refer to GOV.UK for information on the UK law, reporting crimes and keeping safe.

Emergencies

If you witness or are involved in an emergency situation there is one number to call that can connect you to the three* emergency services– the Police Service, the Fire Service and the Ambulance/Medical Service. All three Services can be contacted by dialling 999. You can dial 999 from any phone free of charge. If you need to call from a mobile you can do so without the need to enter the pin or password. Dialling 999 for any of the three emergency services should only be done in serious circumstances. When you call 999 you will be asked which of the three services you would like to be connected to.

The Police Service

Take a look at the Police website for information on when it is appropriate to dial 999, and what situations should be dealt with by using the non-emergency number (dial 101 for non emergency situations) and which situations should be reported to your local council.

The Fire Service

You should call 999 for the Fire Service in the event of being caught in, or witnessing a fire. The Fire Service website provides information on contacting the fire service in the event of an emergency as well as general fire safety advice.

The Ambulance/Medical Service

You should call 999 and request the Ambulance/ medical service when you are or you witness someone who is seriously ill, injured or their life is at risk. The NHS website (England only) details this, as well as other healthcare services which should be used in non-emergency situations, such as going to an NHS Walk-in centre or making your own way to a local A&E department. The NHS24 website provides this information if you are in Scotland, and NHS Direct in Wales. If you urgently need medical help or advice but it’s not a life-threatening situation, you can call 111 the NHS non-emergency number.