Going to London... finally
I posted a couple weeks ago asking about the job and rent situation in London and all that. Welp, I am about to make the move!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've got my Visa (a 2-year work permit) about 4000CAD saved up and this is equivalent to 2261GBP, roundtrip tickets, and travel insurance, so I'm pretty much set.
I'd love it if you could help clear up all these questions I have:
1) As I said before I will be there on a 2-year-working holiday visa. How hard will it be to get a credit card there? Specifically I am hoping to find one that offers points to spend on groceries. Does Tesco have something like this? Also, this question is more general, but will I be able to continue building up credit whilst (gotta start getting used to using that word) abroad with a foreign credit card?
2) How do I best (with the less fees involved) transfer money over to my UK bank account? Wire transfer? Moneygram? Money order? Specifically, which methods will have particularly long waiting times?
3) The first two nights, I will be staying at a hostel in central London. It's very close to London Bridge Station and the Borough Tube Station. I will be arriving at LHR at about 9:30AM on a Monday (rush hour?). What's the most economical and sensible way to get my hostel from LHR? (given I will have quite a bit of luggage). Doing it by underground seems not too sensible as I'll be moving over here I will have lots of luggage and I am a slight girl. Or is it not too bad? Also it would be nice to see some scenery while riding in to London, and I'm assuming the underground doesn't offer much in that regard, am I right? So given all of this, what's the best transportation method that's relatively cheap and provides me with pretty views? The London Express seems OK - the fare is 13GBP and I can get a 25% discount with my IYTC card. It's a 15 minuite ride. It stops at Paddington Station. How close is this to my hostel?
4) I want to open up an ING Direct UK account once I'm in the UK. Does anyone have an account with them? Would I have much trouble getting an account with them?
5) BUNAC/SWAP UK has some kind of a partnership with certain banks: NatWest, HSBC, and Barclays. Is there anything in particular I should know about these banks? Hidden fees? Bad reputations? The NatWest account offers a free Young Persons Railcard which gives 1/3 off rail journeys. Would you say this is a good deal? I'm assuming the rail card is only useful for trains within the UK?
6) What's a VAT refund? Apparently the refund only applies to items bought within the last 3 months before leaving the EU? So if I am to stay 2 years, then only the things I buy in the last 3 months qualify for a tax refund?
7) How do I ensure my electronics will work in the UK? They are all meant for North American wall sockets. I have an expensive SEDU hair straightening iron, a curling iron, and a Canon digital camera, and my laptop I'd like to bring over.
8) People were sort of scoffing at me for wanting to find a place for 200GBP/month in London. Obviously, I can't know the condition of the places for sure till I get there, but looking through Gumtree I was able to find quite a few ads with roomshares or even single rooms for 50 GBP p/w or less in Zone 2 and beyond. I intend on studying a few courses at City Lit (how is this place, by the way?) and at Birkbeck College, .basically this will entail lots of commuting back and forth between zones. SO -- what would basically work out cheapest for me? Getting a place in ZONE 1 and thereby eliminating most daily travel costs, or a place in ZONE 2 which would mean I'd have to pay for transport. Even with the Oyster card, how much would a round trip be from Zone 2 to Zone 1, for example? (NB: I REALLY want to save money. So travelling, experiencing the culture, and having a gay old time in London is important, but not paramount. I am saving up to go to school as well.)
9) In terms of job hunting, how important really is having a cover letter and reference letter? Over here in Vancouver, I've never needed to submit reference letters (never even asked my employer for one); all I do is include a list of phone numbers of my references when requested. As for cover letters, they were rarely needed for the sort of work I've applied to in the past (data entry, office admin, waitressing, etc.) If, however, having a reference letter and a CV is really pivotal in securing a job in LONDON, then I want to be prepared!
That's it for now. I know it's long! But... better safe than sorry is what I say. Thanks very much in advance for any advice you guys can give me. =)
I'd love it if you could help clear up all these questions I have:
1) As I said before I will be there on a 2-year-working holiday visa. How hard will it be to get a credit card there? Specifically I am hoping to find one that offers points to spend on groceries. Does Tesco have something like this? Also, this question is more general, but will I be able to continue building up credit whilst (gotta start getting used to using that word) abroad with a foreign credit card?
2) How do I best (with the less fees involved) transfer money over to my UK bank account? Wire transfer? Moneygram? Money order? Specifically, which methods will have particularly long waiting times?
3) The first two nights, I will be staying at a hostel in central London. It's very close to London Bridge Station and the Borough Tube Station. I will be arriving at LHR at about 9:30AM on a Monday (rush hour?). What's the most economical and sensible way to get my hostel from LHR? (given I will have quite a bit of luggage). Doing it by underground seems not too sensible as I'll be moving over here I will have lots of luggage and I am a slight girl. Or is it not too bad? Also it would be nice to see some scenery while riding in to London, and I'm assuming the underground doesn't offer much in that regard, am I right? So given all of this, what's the best transportation method that's relatively cheap and provides me with pretty views? The London Express seems OK - the fare is 13GBP and I can get a 25% discount with my IYTC card. It's a 15 minuite ride. It stops at Paddington Station. How close is this to my hostel?
4) I want to open up an ING Direct UK account once I'm in the UK. Does anyone have an account with them? Would I have much trouble getting an account with them?
5) BUNAC/SWAP UK has some kind of a partnership with certain banks: NatWest, HSBC, and Barclays. Is there anything in particular I should know about these banks? Hidden fees? Bad reputations? The NatWest account offers a free Young Persons Railcard which gives 1/3 off rail journeys. Would you say this is a good deal? I'm assuming the rail card is only useful for trains within the UK?
6) What's a VAT refund? Apparently the refund only applies to items bought within the last 3 months before leaving the EU? So if I am to stay 2 years, then only the things I buy in the last 3 months qualify for a tax refund?
7) How do I ensure my electronics will work in the UK? They are all meant for North American wall sockets. I have an expensive SEDU hair straightening iron, a curling iron, and a Canon digital camera, and my laptop I'd like to bring over.
8) People were sort of scoffing at me for wanting to find a place for 200GBP/month in London. Obviously, I can't know the condition of the places for sure till I get there, but looking through Gumtree I was able to find quite a few ads with roomshares or even single rooms for 50 GBP p/w or less in Zone 2 and beyond. I intend on studying a few courses at City Lit (how is this place, by the way?) and at Birkbeck College, .basically this will entail lots of commuting back and forth between zones. SO -- what would basically work out cheapest for me? Getting a place in ZONE 1 and thereby eliminating most daily travel costs, or a place in ZONE 2 which would mean I'd have to pay for transport. Even with the Oyster card, how much would a round trip be from Zone 2 to Zone 1, for example? (NB: I REALLY want to save money. So travelling, experiencing the culture, and having a gay old time in London is important, but not paramount. I am saving up to go to school as well.)
9) In terms of job hunting, how important really is having a cover letter and reference letter? Over here in Vancouver, I've never needed to submit reference letters (never even asked my employer for one); all I do is include a list of phone numbers of my references when requested. As for cover letters, they were rarely needed for the sort of work I've applied to in the past (data entry, office admin, waitressing, etc.) If, however, having a reference letter and a CV is really pivotal in securing a job in LONDON, then I want to be prepared!
That's it for now. I know it's long! But... better safe than sorry is what I say. Thanks very much in advance for any advice you guys can give me. =)