Preparing for the UK

What to pack

Packing your hand luggage

Make sure that you pack the following items in your hand luggage, so that you have them readily available during immigration and custom checks at the airport and when travelling to Gloucestershire:

• Passport (containing your visa if applicable).
• University of Gloucestershire offer letter and printed CAS Statement.
• Flight tickets or print out of online flight booking.
• Address of your UK accommodation, even if only temporary.
• Current bank statements or evidence of funds.
• Valuables (wallet, cash, credit cards, phone, etc).
• A small amount of cash in pounds sterling, to cover any initial costs (taxi fares, food, etc). However, don’t bring large quantities of cash in case it’s gets lost or stolen – additionally, most UK shops and services operate cashless, as does the University, where you’ll need a valid credit or debit card to make purchases.
• Appropriate clothing (UK temperatures are seasonably changeable, but warm clothing and a waterproof jacket will likely be useful while travelling).
• Any medication that you are currently taking. There is no guarantee that you will be able to get the same medication in the UK as prescribed to you in your home country. In order to get medication in the UK, you will need to be assessed by a doctor. It is a good idea to bring your current prescription and a note from your doctor, with an English translation if necessary. 

Packing your hold luggage

When packing your hold luggage, it is good to remember to include the following:

• Make sure you hold luggage is safely secured and labelled with your details in English.
• Check your baggage allowance in advance, as exceeding this could be extremely costly at the airport. Try weighing your fully-packed suitcase at home to be sure you’re within the airline’s weight limit.
• British weather, while following broad seasonal temperatures, is unpredictable and liable to change. It’s useful to make sure you pack items that are suitable for all seasons. You may choose to consider buying suitable clothing once you’ve arrived in the UK, although it would be wise to avoid buying clothes at the more expensive airport outlets.
• Electrical items, including a UK travel adaptor.
• Products from your own country that may be harder to buy or more expensive in the UK.
• Any other personal items.

What you don’t need to pack

There are some items that you will not need to pack, or are advised against packing such as:

• Items that can easily be bought in the UK.
• Physical books and literature – these will add weight and bulk to your baggage. Once you’ve enrolled at the University and received your reading list, it’s likely that most books will be available at the University Libraries or in digital format.
• Expensive, valuable, or sentimental items that are difficult to replace.
• Towels, bedding and kitchenware – these will take up valuable space in your luggage and you’ll be able to buy them easily and cheaply locally or online.
• There are some items that are banned or restricted and will be seized by customs on entering the UK.
• If you are carrying cash equivalent to £10,000 or more when you enter the UK to or from any other country you must declare it.

Settling in

When you first arrive in the UK it may take some time to feel settled and to get used to your surroundings.

We asked some of our international students to share their experiences of life as an international student at the University of Gloucestershire:

Life in the UK

British culture may be quite different to that of your home country and you may feel you need time to adapt. This is completely normal, even if you’ve carried out extensive research and preparations before choosing the UK, or if you have travelled a lot previously. To help you settle in, there are a number of resources you can access to help you adapt and feel at home.

Great Britain Magazine (GB Mag) has put together a useful guide to understanding British etiquette.

The British Council has put together some top tips for newly arrived international students in the UK.

The British Council has also launched a new open online course (MOOC) on preparing to study and live in the UK.

Mobile phones and the internet

Most international students will wonder about phone access in the UK, and whether or not they should buy a new phone once they’ve arrived in the UK. The need to buy a new phone, or rather use an existing phone with a new UK SIM card, generally depends on whether your current phone is locked or unlocked.

Locked phone

Having a locked phone means that your phone can only be used with a specific network. This will likely be the case if you received a discounted or free phone when signing up for a contract. The network provider will potentially lock your phone to their network, to prevent you obtaining a discounted phone and then switching to an alternative provider.

If your phone is locked, you may be able to pay to get your phone unlocked in your home country, although this is usually only possible after your initial minimum contract term has ended.

If you can’t get it unlocked, then your options are to either buy an unlocked phone in your home country that can be used in the UK, or to buy a phone in the UK. In this situation, you may be better off buying an unlocked phone in your home country, to enable you to use it as soon as you arrive in the UK rather than being without a phone for a few days while you source a new phone.

Unlocked phone

If your phone is unlocked and not tied to a particular network, you will be able to bring it to the UK, buy a new UK SIM card on arrival, and start using it straight away.

UK SIM cards

As an international student you’ll have a variety of SIM options available to you. Most network providers will offer international packages which may include discounted international calls, texts, or data plans. To see which mobile network provider is the best for your area, visit the OFCOM website and type in your UK address postcode.

UK SIM cards are available in two formats, ‘SIM only’ or ‘Pay as you go’.

SIM only deals will charge you a monthly rate for a prescribed level of data usage, measured in GB of data per month. Some of these will lock you into a 12 month contract, whereas others will be a one month rolling contract – it’s important to check which contract you’re signing up to before completing your purchase.

If you’ll rarely be using the network to place phone calls, send texts, or access data services, then a ‘pay as you go’ SIM card may be the better option. You will need to add/top-up the credit on your phone in order to use data/send texts/make calls.

Whichever option you choose, remember that in order to register with a GP and engage with other NHS and banking services, you will need to provide a UK mobile number, so sorting this out as soon as possible is important. 

Internet

The UK ranks in the top 17% for broadband speeds around the world. Many public places offer free internet access through WiFi hotspots, e.g. supermarkets, restaurants and travel hubs. The University provides free access to eduroam while on campus, an international WiFi internet access roaming service, which is also available at a number of other educational organisations throughout the UK. You will need your University of Gloucestershire user ID and password to be able to access this WiFi.

If you’re living in private accommodation, you will most likely need to arrange your own WiFi broadband access. Most providers will offer contracts of either 12 or 18 months but some may offer shorter contracts and discounts for students.

To see which broadband provider is the best for your local area, visit the OFCOM website and type in your UK address postcode.