Two Kinds of Rental Accomodation:-
Shared Acco - 2 or more people share same house, kitchen, toilets etc. Every tenant gets an individual room. Most shared-acco rental contracts are for 6 months (rolling after that) with 2-4 weeks notice period. You are expected to pay deposit (usually one month's rent) and one month's rent upfront. Usually these contracts are done direct with landlords and estate agents arenot involved in them
Whole House/Flat - This typically involves three parties 1)Tenant (single person, couple or group of friends), 2)Estate Agent, 3) Landlord. Landlord is more or less invisible in this arrangement (although by law, you can ask for Landlord's contact details). Estate Agents take care of the house, rent and all maintenance. You will have to go through a Credit Check(at your cost - £45 Approx) and in some cases might have to provide reference letter from your employer. Estate agents will charge admin and contract drawing fees ( £60 - £125 Approx) to you. Contracts are Assured tenancy agreement of 6-12 months. (rolling after that - with one month notice period). In most cases, You will have to pay 1 months rent in advance and deposit which could be 1 to 1.5 times of monthly rent. You are liable to pay for remaining term of contract if you have to leave before the term is over, unless you, with mutual agreement between you and estate agent, find out someone who is interested to take up the property on rent.
House Move Tips:-
1a) Register yourself on voter's list (www.aboutmyvote.co.uk) and with a local GP (Free Healthcare Doctor) (find nearest surgery/clinic on NHS website) as soon as you move into a new accomodation.
1b) If you are the sole occupier or have a non-earning spouse then you can get 15-25% council-tax discount if you apply for it in writing at your local council office.
1c) When you move houses In UK, you can take advantage of Royal Mail Redirection (roughly £5/month). This facility will automatically redirect all your post from old address to new address. You can even apply Online for it at www.royalmail.com. You will never miss that important bank/creditcard statement or your visa papers from homeoffice :)
2a) Always take meter readings on the day you move out and move in. Check from your landlord/estate agent about who are the utility (gas, electricity, water) provider companies for the house you are moving in. Its your responsibility to call up utility companies and inform them about your house move. Any laziness here can spoil your credit history later. To find out which utility company provides cheapest gas/electricity in your area try www.moneysupermarket.com Or www.uswitch.com.
3a) Virgin Media is the best choice for Telephone/Cable TV if they provide fibre-optic (Not services through a Normal BT Telephone Landline) services in your postcode area. Its usually a 12 month contract. Otherwise you can go with SKY TV and Broadband. You will need British Telecom (BT- Telephone Line) for Sky Broadband. Sky & BT both will also require you to sign a 12 Month Contract. For Sky Dish antenna make sure you get the permission from landlord or estate agent in writing.
3b) For Broadband Service comparison check http://www.thinkbroadband.com/
O2 Broadband is also a very good deal for money if you have a O2 mobile contract!
4) Tesco, ASDA and Wilkinson are considered to be the cheapest Groceries and Home Goods Superstores in UK. However, if you are in london, your local high street will most probably have a 1 Pound shop like (poundland, costcutter, 98p shop etc), where most household things are sold for around £1. These can save you lot of money while settling in a new accomodation.
5) Argos, Index, PRIMARK are some other high street shops famous among Indians. They provide quality products like furniture, bed linen, clothes etc for cheap prices along with 30 days money back guarantee.

##Harrow ##
02082027627
07723093055
02084272377
02089075150
02088615854
02086210429
02089072500

##Wembley/Alperton##
Alperton 0208-902-6790 (Dinner Included)

##Hounslow East##
Hounslow East - 02085695683 - (North Indian Dinner - £3/head - NO tiffin delivery - Dine at PG only)
Hounslow East - 0208 7377 848

## Heathrow,Hounslow,Isleworth,Brentford,Northolt,Greenford areas. ##
Sams Café Tiffin Service - 127 Lillie Road, SW6 7SX
Tel No-00447957952594.0044-2076103100

##tiffin service in canary wharf##
www.lunchbrunch.co.uk
Upton Park/East ham Area - 07533425556

INDIAN FOOD IN LONDON :-

Indian Curry is UK's No 1 Fav Food for more than a decade, however the most fav dish "Chicken-Tikka" isn't an authetic India-Born Dish. Most Curry restaurants in UK are owned and operated by Bangladeshi People which is the reason that food doesn't taste anything like we are served in India. Plus a lot of Indian people have reported that Bangladeshi Restaurant Staff had been very RUDE to them on many occasions. We would advise you to double check about the staff & operators of a restaurant and better avoid chances of a humiliating experience.

If you are really missing Indian Food like the way it tastes in India then nothing can beat Indian Restaurants in Southall (Overground from Paddington Station- its also known as Mini-Punjab). There are many good restaurants there serving you exactly the same taste as you get back home. Plus you can also get rare things like Aloo-Samosas, Jalebis etc. Many other Indian areas like Hounslow, East ham etc have some good restaurants owned and run by North Indian Or Pakistani Staff. Probability of you liking the food served there is very high. :) . JD Wetherspoons chain of pubs in london serve a fantastic Curry deal on Thursday (Which is a curry day in many Pubs) in which you are offered a spicy-hot chicken tikka + naan + basmati rice + mango chutney + pappadams + 1 Pint of beer - All this for only £6.49 Pounds something. Its a great offer and food is yummy too. Combine it with a Movie and your thursdays will become as good as your weekends. :) Or checkout the total Indian Style canteen at Indian YMCA near Warren Street Tube Station where you can get Indian Canteen style food for £5. :) Or checkout the lunch buffets (£5-£6) at Diwana's or Chutneys (pure-veg) plus Aloo-Samosa from Ambala Sweets at Drummond Street (Near Euston Station). It's pretty good. There is also this £2.50 takeaway decent taste Indian curry available in heart of west end. When you come out of Leicester Square station, on charing cross road, walk towards Barclays Bank Cash Machines/Trafalgar Square. This "coffee n snacks" Indian owned shop is just there, a little before the Barclays cash machines. Or Try lamb/chicken/veg Samosa and Achari Lamb + Pulao Rice (awesome) at SPAR-Haymarket. Its just Opposite Tiger Tiger. Or Try the awesome chicken/lamb/veg biryani from any TREATS shop in London. For Nearest "Treats" to leicester Square, walk to charing cross station and then to embankment station. Just after Gordon's Wine Bar you will find a small Treats Shop. Great Cappuchino and Super-Great take-away aromatic Biryani (with kishmish, kaju etc) for just £2.90 :)

www.quickindiancooking.com/ - Interesting Blog on Indian Cooking
http://healthycooking-sumi.blogspot.com Blog - Healthy Indian Cooking

TRAVEL INSIDE LONDON :-

Check www.journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk to plan your journey From Point A to Point B, inside london on Train/Tube/Bus/DLR etc. Its a very useful website. It tells you the total expected journey time PLUS the Start and Destination Maps with walking route (If a walk is part of your route to reach an address) in green color.
NOTE:
1)The TransportForLondon Dept runs a very helpful and little known Mobile-SMS service for people lost in london and trying to get to somewhere from somewhere. When you are lost in london, at any time of day or night, type a Text Msg(SMS) on your mobile like "A to B" (Where A and B can be name of Bus Stop/Tube Station/Post Code) and you will receive back in few seconds a Text Message from TFL telling you about the best/fastest route to reach your destination. For Ex "Holborn to Baker Street" MORE HERE.
2)TfL has launched a new service to help you get home. When you're out and about, just text HOME to 60835 and the telephone numbers of your two nearest (Your Mobile's Location) licensed minicab operators will be sent directly to your mobile phone.

To find out any location in UK based on postcode or street name click www.maps.google.co.uk. It also is useful to find out prominent businesses, restaurants, bars, clubs, tourist attractions in london and UK

Most people don't know that travel in London is the 2nd costliest part of your expenses after accomodation. Travel per mile in london costs more than travel cost per mile on a CONCORDE plane(now discontinued). Depending on which zone you live in, your monthly travelcard can cost
zone1=£93, zone1-2=£93, zone1-3=£109.10, zone1-4= £132.90,zone1-5=£159.00, zone1-6=£171.30. Students get 30% discounts on travelcards. If you don't take tube/train to work everyday then your best option is Pay-As-you-Go Oyster Card. It costs less than paper tickets and It will never cost more than one-day-travelcard if you use it for multiple journeys.

Note:
You can top up the credit on your Oyster card and check the balance remaining (or see what amounts have been charged) in the following ways:
- by placing it on the Oyster card reader on one of the ticket machines in a Tube station (when you are adding credit, you must finish by placing your Oyster card on the reader a second time)
- by asking at the ticket office of a Tube station
- by going to the Oyster card website: http://www.oystercard.com. If you have a credit or debit card you can arrange for your card to be topped up automatically every time that the balance falls below a certain level

The advantages of having an Oyster card are:
- you save time, because you do not need to queue to buy tickets each time you want to travel
- it is simpler
- fares are cheaper if you use an Oyster card
- you should automatically pay the cheapest fare if you make several Tube or bus journeys, even if you change your travel plans

Note that currently only a few of the National Rail stations in London accept Oyster cards. If you plan to use some local London Overground train services as part of your journey it may be cheaper to buy a one-day travelcard (a paper ticket) from a ticket office, because these are valid on trains, bus or Tube services within the zones shown. There are plans to introduce Oyster card readers at all train stations in London in 2009.

Off-peak Travelcards can only be used after 9:30am on Monday-Friday, or any time on Saturday, Sunday or on a Bank Holiday. The Oyster daily price cap is the maximum you will pay if you use your Oyster card to make journeys during the day.

# Cheaper fares are available if you don't need to travel through zone 1 (the cost depends on the number of zones through which you need to travel), or if you are a child, 16-17 or a senior citizen.
## If you have a Student Oyster Photocard you can buy travelcards for 1 week or longer at a cheaper price. These cost about 30% less than the equivalent adult prices (there are no special student discounts for single or 1-day tickets). Note that these are only available to people who are studying in London and requires a special card (you cannot get a discount with an ISIC or NUS card). For details of how to apply for a Student Oyster Photocard, see: Travel/Transport/London/Guide.
### If you have a National Rail Railcard (a Young Persons Railcard or a Disabled Persons/HM Forces/Senior Railcard) and you register this Railcard on your Oyster card (by showing it at the ticket office of a Tube station), your Oyster daily off-peak cap is reduced by about a third. A Young Persons Railcard can be bought by anyone aged 16-25 or by any full-time student (even if you are aged 26 or over), and this railcard also allows you to get a third off off-peak travel on the UK train system. The daily price cap is not reduced if any of your travel is during peak times. For more details, see: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/faresandtickets/singlefares/6769.aspx
Click Here For Further Info On The London Travel Subject

MOBILE PHONES :-

Most Mobile phones sold in India are DUAL BAND. Meaning they work on both 900/1800Mhz Frequency Bands. Most GSM networks in India are on 900Mhz whereas most GSM networks in UK are on 1800Mhz.
So a Normal GSM (Nokia.LG,Samsung etc) Phone In India will work in UK too. However UK has 3G networks as well and 3G Sims don't work in Normal GSM phones. Most students prefer T-Mobile(Free Voicemail), O2 or 3 network. Vodafone and Orange are not that popular among Indians. O2 is the most popular network among working professionals. O2 is also usually the cheapest network for Roaming in Europe. Recently Three network has comeup with 3Skypephone in joint effort with Skype which is proving to be very popular among those Indians who talk a lot with people back home. Three's Mobile Broadband is also the most popular mobile-broadband in UK. Most Pay-monthly (Just like India's Post-Paid) Phone Instruments come free on a 12/18 month contract. You are liable to pay for remaining term of contract if you break it before the term is over. Not getting proper signal in office/home isn't accepted as a valid reason to get rid of contract. SO MAKE SURE, the network you are interested in shows good strength signal on a friend's phone in office or at home, otherwise you'll be stuck with it for 12/18 months which is a very long period. When a contract is over, you can port your no. to another network (taking no. with you) within 2 hrs. All you need is a PAC code which your existing network will provide you.

http://www.mobile-phones-uk.org.uk - UK's leading mobile phones review site.
Lebara Pre-Paid Sim = 5p/min (India landline) / 7p/Min (India Mobile) / 10p Any UK Network

Some good websites to find mobile phone deals are:-

www.three.co.uk
www.carphonewarehouse.co.uk
O2 Home - for 3G Iphone, Sim only + mobile offers and Broadband
T-Mobile Offers - from T-Mobile
www.onestopphoneshop.com Great Offers - Part of CarphoneWarehouse - No Scams
www.e2save.com - Part of CarphoneWarehouse - No Scams
www.dialaphone.com
Ps: You are strongly advised not to buy mobile phones from small sites as there have been some scams reported recently. After few months of operations, these companies declare themselves bankrupt and you don't get your Moneyback ever!

CHEAP CALLING TO INDIA:-

TRAVEL TO/FROM INDIA :-

1) Almost all Indian Mobile phones (GSM) work here in UK.
2) After landing at Airport you can get a Pre-paid ( its called pay-as-you-go in UK) sim-card from vending Machines at Airport for £10. All those cards come with £10 calling credit. Recommended Sim is
1) Lebara Pre-Paid Sim = 5p/min (India landline) / 7p/Min (India Mobile) / 10P Any UK Network
2) Vodafone - PrePaid as it will let you call direct to India landline for 5p/min and India mobile for 14p/min
so you can inform people backhome that you reached safely. Don't use international roaming on your Indian Sim as it will cost you more than £1.20- £1.50 per minute to make a call to India using an Indian Sim. (Note: If you have come here to stay for more than a month, then get a Three network's skypephone from some mobilephone shop on high-street on pay-as-you-go simcard. Three not only gives maximum UK minutes on pre-paid simcards but if you have skypephone, you can call friends/family with Skype-on-Pc, anywhere in world for free.)
3) Then if you need to call the taxi/cab service from your destination, open the sim'card's user guide and find out Contact No of their directory services. That No. will typically start from 118. Ex - 118-118. (Calling mobile network's own directory services will be cheaper than calling 118-118, typical costs 40-50p per call) Call that directory Service no and get 2-3 taxi services contact Nos form them. Call the taxi services and ask for special rates for heathrow pickup. They should send a taxi right away or in most cases will have a taxi already on way to heathrow coming to drop-off some passenger. If you take the black cabs from outside heathrow then that will cost you much more than pre-hired cabs from your destination town.

If its your first trip to UK, you would be worrying about the cold and always rainy weather in UK. But don't pack too much warm clothes as because of lack of significant pollution here, you can really wear same stuff many more times than you are used to in India. Plus clothes-stores like PRIMARK sell clothes for same price (sometimes even cheaper) as you would find in INDIA. So better keep your luggage light.
Suggested Clothing:- bring two warm outers (atleast one jacket which can handle water), 2-3 sweatshirts (thick stuff T-Shirts, best for this weather), 4-5 shirts n ties, 2-3 trousers, 2 jeans, one pair of sports shoe and one pair of formal shoes (Shoes are very costly here) and rest you can buy here.

After landing:- Most people land at Heathrow Airport although Gatwick, Birmingham and Manchester are also quite common landing options.
From Heathrow (Check Flight Status on all U.K. Airports):-
1) Best Option to reach Central london is buy an Oyster Card at Heathrow Underground Terminal and Top it up with £7 Credit(Enough for one day). Piccadilly line (usually no service between 12:30AM - 4:00Am) from heathrow takes you to heart of london and with further connections (www.journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk) you can reach almost everywhere within Zone 1-6 of london. There is also a Heathrow Express Service (Oyster not valid) which costs a little more but is the fastest method to reach London Paddington (Zone 1).
London's Major Overground Stations are VICTORIA (For South West England), WATERLOO(For South East England), PADDINGTON (For West England), KINGS CROSS(For North East England & Scotland), LIVERPOOL STREET (For EAST England), EUSTON (For North West England and Scotland). Tickets bought in advance over the net are much cheaper than bought on the spot. Check www.nationalrail.co.uk to plan UK National Rail journeys and to check ticket prices. Don't forget to Buy a National Rail Network Card (£20 for an year) which gets you 33% discount on any National Rail Offpeak Ticket above £10. You will easily reover £20 or may be more in an year.
2) BUS Travel in UK is the cheapest mode of transport. Almost all UK airports have good long-distance BUS Connections to Important cities and Stations. Check http://www.nationalexpress.com to plan your journey. Tkts can be bought on the Heathrow BUS Station or on the bus itself. Although, tickets bought online are much much cheaper than Tkts bought on Spot. You just need the Booking Reference No. to board the bus. Keep it in writing and not just on Mobile as Mobile Battery usually goes off while travelling. Good connections to Victoria, Waterloo, Euston, Birmingham, Coventry etc.
3) TAXI - is the costliest mode of transport in UK. Especially the BLACK CABS from the TAXI RANK outside Airports and Stations. Your best bet is to phone a Hired Cab Service located in your destination area. They usually have special rates for Airport Pickups.
1) Search for a Taxi Company in your Destination area at http://www.yell.co.uk
2) Call atleast 3 of them , and ask them for special rates for heathrow.
3) Most of them would want passengers to come out of airport and meet at/around some landmark like signboard/bus stop. Inform this thing about landmark to your guests. Also give your guests the contact no of cab company so they could liase with them when their flight lands.
4) If u ask taxi company to wait at Airport in arrival lounge - with a sign in their hand then they will charge you extra for that. Parking at heathrow isn't cheap.
Low cost, Prestige VIP Meet n Greet Parking Service At heathrow
http://www.airportdirect.org/ another good + cheap pickup service

Cab Companies Near Heathrow
(You can call from payphone at Airport and wait outside Departures - thats their fav pickup spot):-
020 8577 5050
020 8569 4040
020 8570 3939
020 8423 4444
020 8385 0101

Sending Cargo/Courier to India
===============================
A J Worldwide Services (Hounslow based) :- 020 8570 0888 (Delhi:- 011-26786501)
Another cheap cargo service - 01895422112
DTDC - 02085702030
Data post by royal mail is trackable and guranteed service ... its either one day guranteed or then u can go for slightly less expensive service called global priority
For India the international signed-for (Royal Mail) is only tracked till it leaves UK.
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Voting and Credit File Info:-

http://www.aboutmyvote.com is the site to download registration form and post it to council office to register yourself as a voter. Being on voting list is one of the most important parameters for a good credit score.
Must Read :- How to Improve your credit score :-
http://www.moneysupermarket.com/c/articles/money/how-to-improve-your-credit-score
This guide can help you get good credit cards, loans, mortgages when you need them. It takes years to build a good credit file. So start building it as soon as you feel you are resident In UK and will stay here for more than a year.
Some Basic Tips:-
1) Get on VOTERS list as soon as you move into a new address.
2) Don't change address more than 2-3 times in last 3 yrs. Even if you've actually changed, for purpose of online credit card and loan applications, don't show more than 2-3 address in last 3 yr. Maintain a text file of these records and always fill same information on every application.
3) Get a credit card asap (if you don't get it from 1-2 posh providers, try capitalone.co.uk, don't make too many applications in few days, every search is recorded in your credit file, wait for few months) . use it for spending. Clear ur balance in full every month for 3 months. Ask for a raise in credit limit. Then after another 6 months ask for another raise. You should ideally reach 10K credit limit to have best chances for a good mortgage offer.
4) Get your credit file every 6 months for £2 only, from http://www.experian.co.uk and/or http://www.equifax.co.uk
5) Whenever You buy any services in UK which require a contract of 6/12 months or so (like mobile phone, accomodation, etc), in most cases the decision will be made by provider if your credit file is OK.
6) BOTTOM LINE is Credit File is Hugely Important thing in UK. So take it seriously.

Protect yourself from Identity Theft/ Electronic Identity Theft

Online Bollywood Music, Radio & Movies Links:-

Music
================================

Radio
Download FireFox Media Player Plugin Here
RadioTeenTaal - paris *Editor's Choice
RadioOfIndia FM
Bombay Beats FM
DesiSoundz FM
Apna Radio FM USA
101.6 City FM Dubai
Radio Nimbooda France
Craze FM
Bollywood Hindi World Music
GuyanaNJ FM
MadhurSangeet USA 50s,60s,70s,80s*Editor's Choice
Radio Mirchi FM India
Desi Music 24/7
Radio Tarana
Sanskar Radio
Aag Radio (more punjabi)
Mera Sangeet *Editor's Choice
Radio City Lucknow

Religious
Radio Sai

All UK Online Radio Stations

All Indian Online Stations
Listing of All Radio Stations In India
Some More Stations Here
And Some More Stations Here
Some More Here

www.unity101.org Radio (Community-uk) Direct Link:- http://icecast.commedia.org.uk:8000/unity24.mp3
Or http://www.unity101.org/listenlive.html
http://www.sunriseradio.com - 1458AM
http://www.dishant.com/
Hum Fm Dubai
Search for MadhurSangeet in Shoutcast Radio

Delicast Indian Radios List
MarsKarthik radio List
List of Regional Languages FM Channels

BBCWorld News
SkyFM 24hrs Jazz

Online TV

Movies & tv
================================
http://www.bhejafry.net/ - Beta Site for Movies www.idesitv.com - claims to show live stream of Sony and Zee
http://orkutmovies.wetpaint.com/ -Online Movies
http://www.lucky88.eigenstart.nl/ -Online Movies
http://www.ssupload.com/ - Online Hollywood Movies
http://www.tv-links.co.uk/index.do/4 - UK TV serials
http://www.videoduniya.com/ - Huge Repository - Google video based theme
http://www.muft.tv - Huge Repository - online movies and recorded TV serials
http://www.muftonline.com - forum based- registration needed
http://trailfire.com/peasea79/marks/67667
http://www.moviesfromindia.com
http://www.filmijoy.com/Forum/forumdisplay.php?f=144
http://www.webmirchee.com/ - full hindi movies
http://www.bharatmovies.com - full hindi movies
http://www.watch-movies.net
http://hindidownloadlinks4u.blogspot.com
http://www.hindifilmfun.com
http://www.start2enjoy.com movie site with high quality screen


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Other Useful Info:-

Tourist information
Visit Britain http://www.visitbritain.com/world

UK immigration
British High Commission http://www.ukinindia.org

British culture
BBC World Service http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice

Hindu culture in UK
Hindu Youth UK http://www.hinduyouthuk.org
Sacred-texts:Hinduism (vast repository of resource on Ancient Hinduism)

Hindu Panchang

Life in England
Multikulti (in Gujarati) http://www.multikulti.org.uk/gu

Living in the UK
Indian High Commission http://www.hcilondon.net

Useful Info for Students

Q:- I am coming to UK to study in XYZ college. How good is XYZ college?
Ans:-
1) One should do some google research about XYZ college. Check the Uni/College ranking lists (links provided below)
2) Try to find communities for that college on orkut/facebook or at http://indianstudentsinuk.com..etc.. You can find out the ratings and reviews of these UK Unis / Colleges by Indian Students at http://indianstudentsinuk.com - Its a very new site dedicated to Indian Students in UK and is getting popular day by day.
The G8 (Best 8 MBA colleges) includes Judge Business School (Cambridge), London Business School, Said Business School (Oxford), Imperial College Business School, Manchester Business School, Lancaster Business School, Warwick Business School and CASS (City University, London). 3) There are thousands of college in UK.Don't waste your time contacting random people on internet about a random college. Only someone who studied at that college can tell you real stuff about about that college.
4) Contact the college directly and ask them to put you in touch with some Alumni of that college. Then ask that Alumni about his/her experience at that college.

http://www.educationuk-in.org - British Council Events in India
http://www.ukieri.org - UK-India Education and Research Initiative

STUDENT VISA INFO

VISA Information at UK Govt site - http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/howtoapply/infs/inf5students
Official British Govt Site for Online Visa Applications http://www.visa4uk.fco.gov.uk
http://www.e2wconsultancy.com - 0800 0845 329 - Student Visa Specialist - Good Feedback about them.

Common reasons for refusal of student visa:-
1)No evidence of the student possessing funds required for the course
2)Insufficient funds
3)Poor preparation, no sound knowledge of the course applied for
4)Lack of English knowledge
5)Forged documents: Students found with fraudulent documents are banned from applying to any UK varsity for 10 years

Q:- Bringing a wife/husband/civil partner and children to the UK?
Ans:- http://www.educationuk.org/pls/hot_bc/page_pls_user_article?d=1125#bringing_partner

Q:- Working while studying? / Working when your studies have ended?
Ans:- http://www.educationuk.org/pls/hot_bc/page_pls_user_article?d=1125#work

Some very useful links

LEAGUE TABLES

http://scholarship-positions.com/category/uk-scholarships/ - UK Scholarships

Big Q:- How to Find out which course to do and from which university?
Ans:- There is no simple Answer. Everyone has different requirements. You will have to do your own research using links provided here. A helpful blog on the subject is http://ukadmissionposts.blogspot.com/

How safe is your university town/city? Click here to find out.

An alternative source of information (aimed mainly at British students) which includes rankings for various non-academic factors is published by Push: http://www.push.co.uk

To read comments from other international students about a university, see: http://www.iagora.com/istudy.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

International students: an assessment is made based on the qualifications obtained in the student's own country. In addition, universities also require evidence that the English language skills of international students are good enough. Often students must have a recent IELTS score of at least 6.0, a paper-based TOEFL score of at least 550, or a computer-based TOEFL score of at least 210 (check your university for their requirements). For more information about these exams, see English/Exams. You may be able to take an English course at the university or college before the main course starts (a pre-sessional course). For information about studying English at a language school, see: Course/Language.

If you are not in the UK, contact the British Council in your country (see: Links or http://www.britishcouncil.org/home/home-contact/home-contact-worldwide.htm). Representatives from UK universities and colleges sometimes travel abroad to meet prospective students at presentations or interviews, or to attend a local "study abroad" or "UK education" fair. The British Council may also organise seminars explaining about choosing a course, applying and living in the UK.

FIND A COURSE

A course search facility is available from the UCAS (University and Colleges Admissions Service) website: http://www.ucas.ac.uk. There is a map of university and higher education colleges on the site, and direct links to each of their websites. There is a guide for international students at: http://www.ucas.com/studyuk/index.html. You can register on this site to take a free test called the Stamford test, which is designed to help you to find courses which are relevant to your skills and interests.

The following sources may also help you to find a university course:
http://www.prospects.ac.uk/ Education Opportunities in UK for International Students
http://www.hotcourses.com
HERO include a "university finder" at http://www.hero.ac.uk/uk/universities___colleges/index.cfm
Hobsons produce a guide "Study UK" at http://www.studyuk.hobsons.com
Study Choice: http://www.studychoice.com contains information about courses at UK universities and other institutions.
Hot Courses provide a directory of courses at: http://www.hotcourses.com. This includes a section of information for international students.
Exploiting online courses to achieve career advancement (Risk Management)
SII - Investment and Finance Certifications
UKCISA provide guidance notes for students on "Choosing the right course" at: http://www.ukcisa.org.uk/student/information_sheets.php.
A lot of very useful info for students can be found here http://www.ukstudentlife.com/Course.htm

Students should keep in mind that they can very well earn back their course fees by working part-time within legal permissions. There are many temp jobs available in London. Minimum pay rate in london is £5.50/hr. Best way to get a temp job is ask your friends or simply walk down to a nearest high street (where most shops of a town are located) and ask/apply in each shop.

FIND AN INTERNSHIP/APPRENTICESHIP/JOB

Most work experience is unpaid. Normally you need to make your own arrangements for accommodation if you need to work far from where you are currently living, and need to pay for your own expenses for travel, accommodation and other living costs. Note that if you are from outside the UK, you WILL NEED TO have a visa or passport which allows you to work in the UK - even if there is no pay for the work.

Applications for work placements often need to be made 3 months or more before the placement starts, so it is a good idea to start planning as early as possible. Work experience is often for quite short periods, typically between about 1 week to 3 months. The most popular times are during the UK school/university holidays, especially during the summer months. Work Placements: A Survival Guide for Students

To find Temp Jobs for 20hrs/week when you are studying regular course- best way is to apply to a local Job Centre Office and other local recruitment agencies. Check Yell.com to find a Local Recruitment Agency or contact local council office for help.

The National Council for Work Experience website : http://www.work-experience.org

Below are some of the organisations which help students to find internships/placements to obtain work experience in the UK.

-UK's Official Grad Jobs Site http://www.prospects.ac.uk/
- Work Placements UK: http://www.workplacementsuk.com
- Intern-UK: http://www.internuk.com
- Southern Work Experience,http://www.yeseducation.co.uk
- Placement UK: http://www.placement-uk.com
- Aspect: http://www.aspectinternships.co.uk
- The Student Placement Co: http://www.spco.co.uk
- Eagle UK: http://www.eagle-uk.demon.co.uk
- Jobs.efinancialcareers.com - Graduates & Internships Jobs UK
- Apprenticeships In UK - Apprenticeships In UK
http://www.iprofile.org UK's leading Online CV formatting service
http://www.cv-library.co.uk ( useful site to compare and develop your own CV by benchmarking it with simillar skills CVs of others available on site)
http://www.jobs4medical.com (for pharmacy and medical jobs)
www.careerforums.co.uk - Career Exhibitions and Seminars
www.theappointment.co.uk - retail and hospitality
www.inretail.co.uk - Leading Job Site for retail sector
http://get.hobsons.co.uk - 750+ Pages of Jobs, Recruiters and advice
http://insidecareers.co.uk - Detailed insight into a career as an actuary

The BBC offers a wide range of work experience placements, including many which require fluency in a certain foreign language: http://www.bbc.co.uk/jobs/workexperience

There is a National Work Placement Exhibition each year. For details, see: http://www.gradjobs.co.uk

An interesting offer from MSN- Win £3000 to spend on whatever you want at Uni!

Some news on web about Indian Students In UK:-
Rise in UK student applicants
UK universities continuing to attract Indian students

OTHER USEFUL LINKS:-

Studying in the UK
British Council http://www.britishcouncil.org/india

Education UK
http://www.educationuk-in.org

London accommodation
Indian YMCA http://www.indianymca.org also famous for its Authentic Indian style Canteen where dinner is £5.

Study abroad agency
Study Overseas Ltd http://www.britishhighereducation.com

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Guide to qualify as a Solicitor in England

Some Useful Sites:
http://www.llm-guide.com/
www.legalweek.com

This is a quick guide for all lawyers who wish to qualify as Solicitors in the UK. First and foremost the requirements, if you are a qualified lawyer in India and have practised in India for 2 years in both contentious and non contentious fields of law you can apply for your eligibility certificate from the Law Society/ Solicitors Regulatory Authority. You need to contact the law society to know the exact fees applicable for obtaining the eligibility certificate. Please note that currently you can process all these things in Delhi and Mumbai; India.

Once you are in receipt of your eligibility certificate you can then book your test dates with either College of Law or BPP. Though there are other test providers but I would strongly recommend these two and above all College of Law. College of Law also conducts revision course spread over two Saturdays in their London branch at Chancery Lane. Also College of Law conducts these tests 4 times in a year which gives you more flexibility to take these tests. You can also take up distant learning courses for the same and the major subjects include Solicitors Conduct and Accounts and Financial Services Authority.

Solicitors Regulatory Authority has changed a few rules and is always in a continuous process of updating requirements for eligibility for the Qualifying Lawyers Transfer Tests. It is thus strongly recommended that you contact the Law Society and get the most updated version of eligibility requirements.

The good news is unlike before you can take these tests now in India and thus save a lot on your expenses. Now one would like to know the benefits of qualifying as a Solicitor in the UK. Dual Qualification always benefits anyone with better job opportunities especially in a competitive global market. Also qualifying as a Solicitor makes you eligible to take your California Bar Examinations and also to qualify as a Solicitor in Australia; thus opening a world of opportunities. Hope this information is of assistance for budding lawyers to make the world their Oyster.

Special Thanks: Information provided by Counsellors at www.e2wconsultancy.com who also specialise in giving Course Study/Visa Advice to foreign students interested to take up Education in the UK.

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Useful Info For Pharmacists

Following UNIs run conversion Courses so that Indian Pharmacy Graduates can register with RPSGB as a Pharmacist. To work in UK as a Pharmacist, which is a lucrative job sector, one needs to do either a conversion course or full course from a UK Uni/College :-
1)Brighton
2)Birmingham (Indian Area)
3)Sunderland
4) Robert Gordon Uni in Aberdeen, Scotland

Good Places to do Full UK Pharmacy Course :-
1) The London School of Pharmacy - UCL - http://www.pharmacy.ac.uk
2) Kings College London
3) Portsmouth

Psychology/Psychologist

The British Psychological Society is the society one needs to register to work as a psychologist in United Kingdom.

BPS has different grades of membership:-

http://www.bps.org.uk/membership/grades/grades_home.cfm

If one is a Student, he/she can get student membership and then continue his/her study in the field.

To Practice Psychology in UK, one needs to get Graduate Membership (GBR) and this is same for overseas/home student. Following link shows Graduate Membership details:-

http://www.bps.org.uk/membership/overseas-info/overseas-info_home.cfm

Overseas students at times have to do a conversion course to obtain GBR, following link shows various courses at undergraduate & post graduate level including conversion courses:-

http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/accredited-courses/accredited-courses.cfm

Conversion courses details can be seen on the following link:-

http://www.bps.org.uk/careers/accredited-courses/accredited-courses.cfm?action=conversion

Pharmacist

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) is the society one needs to register to work as a Pharmacist in United Kingdom.

This link details about registration process for overseas applicants:-

http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/registrationandsupport/registration/registrationfromothercountries.html

Other Medical professions

HPC deals with registration of various medical professions, details about registration process for various professions can be found on the following link:-

http://www.hpc-uk.org/aboutregistration/professions/

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Useful Info For MBBS

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Useful Info For Nurses

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USEFUL INFO FOR NRIs:-

Money Transfer Tips:-
1) Most people use www.money2india.com - ICICI venture or remit2india.com - TOI - UTI venture.
Check out this link. RATE Comparison
2) If you have more than £5000 to transfer then try specialist Forex Service providers like www.currenciesdirect.com Or www.rationalfx.com (Both charge £15-£20 transfer fees if its less than £5000)
3) These days, cross bank transfers in UK take only 2 hrs. And then just 2 days for money to reach Indian account. Indian Account can be your NRE or any person's normal account.

For more FAQ/Info on the subject Pls check http://www.sendmoneyhome.org/ (Good source of Info for pre-paid creditcards too)
Note: Companies are themselves responsible for updating ther rates on this site. Some of that data can be quite old. So you can't rely on the rate comparison site to give you a true comparison. Best is to check with remit2india, icici-money2india personally.

Useful URLS:-
Indian IT professionals Worldwide

VISA/HSMP/Workpermit/Job Market Info

1) How is UK IT Market/Testing Market/SAP Market/Networking Security Market Etc etc now ?
Ans - Average. There are jobs in every skills as long as you are good in your skills and can prove that.
Must read The UK IT skills crisis: an essential guide for IT professionals
To get a better idea about the jobs available in your skill set and salaries offered checkout
http://www.jobserve.co.uk
http://www.monster.co.uk
http://www.jobsite.co.uk
http://www.reed.co.uk
http://www.iprofile.org/ - UK's leading Online CV Formatting Template
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk
http://jobs.timesonline.co.uk
http://www.efinancialcareers.com
http://www.activetechpros.com Benchmark your salary against Similar Profile People from All over the world.
www.cv-library.co.uk ( useful site to compare and develop your own CV by benchmarking it with simillar skills CVs of others available on site)
www.jobs4medical.com (for pharmacy and medical jobs)
www.theladders.co.uk (good site for 50K+ jobs but it is paid)
2) Is it right time to enter UK market ?
Ans:- Yes!! Only if you already have a good offer or above mentioned job sites tell you that there is a demand for your skill set.
3) I am coming on an HSMP. How long will it take for me to get a JOB?
Ans:- Ask GOD. :). nobody else can tell the future. :) Well on a serious note, if your english language skills are good and you are good in your main skill-set too then on an average it takes 2-3 months to get a good job (You'll need an average of £500/Month to survive in London). How it goes is, you email your resumes for the job offers to recruitment agencies, they call you and get all your relevant details and feed it in their system according to their own format. Then they go cold for a while and only call you when in their database you match with the requirement they have. Usually, employers here rely a lot on Agencies and assume that Agency would have done the basic screening etc. In 90% of interviews, employers hire someone from the first 10 candidates sent by the agency. So make sure you impress the agency guy with your best communication skills. Having good terms with Agency Guys (talk a little about weather, holidays, music concerts etc, if possible joke about prime minister, finance minister etc :) and then casually ask about the update/progress on any job query) is half the battle won.
4)For 2+/3+/5+/7+ Experience guy how much salary to expect?
Ans- It depends on which Company you join and which part of UK you join. London is a costly place so salaries are higher. Suburban areas are less costly so salary is less. Don't be fussy for your first job. Take whatever you are offered. Once you're in job and have evaluated the worth of your skills according to the job market, you can always switch in 6-12 months time.

For permanent job - £30K - £40K Salary per annum can be called a good start.Salary-Tax Calculator
Contract - £200 - £350 Salary per day is a good start
For contracting:- You will need an umbrella company to bill your hours on your behalf and pay you salary and expenses. Umbrella companies are expert in managing your accounts and can get you good share from your billing. A 70-75% takehome is considered pretty good.

For Work Permits/Visas You can try one of these

Travel/Driving Within UK

To find out Travel Tips to/from the london postcode you are interested in
http://journeyplanner.tfl.gov.uk

General Map /Travel Directions Sites for whole of UK
http://maps.google.co.uk
http://www.theaa.co.uk
http://www.mapquest.co.uk/
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/

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Travel Outside UK

for maps in europe <