Everything you need to know about living in the UK as an international student.
UK Weather and Seasons
You must have heard that there is always raining in the United Kingdom. It’s correct to say that there is a lot more rain in the UK, and it can be cloudy momentarily.
You must be thinking, why people always associate the UK with rain, the reason is that, its weather is quite unpredictable. There is no season for rain and it can rain any time on any day.
Clothing in UK
You will see that people in the UK prefer to wear all kind of cloths, from smart to casual, unusual to usual.
School going children mostly wear a uniform. For older students, there is no specific dress code, it’s quite informal in the UK; one can choose what to wear.
Food and Drink in UK
There had been a time when UK’s food was quite boring and insipid, boiled veggies and some more stuff like that.
But times have changed. In recent years there has been a big food changes there for two main reasons though.
For one thing, there has been a massive campaign for healthy-eating, supported by the government.
Secondly, there is change because of travelling and immigration, people have discovered international food and have started loving it.
Road signs in Wales can be seen written in both Welsh and English
The way English is spoken across the UK will be difficult for you to grapple with at first but with the passage of time you will be able to understand their accents and phrases.
Language and AccentsSlang and Street language
Slangs are informal words and phrases, and learning slangs can be quite a fun. For example, you might hear people saying ’Cheers’ that means ‘Thank you’, or saying ’What’s on the box?’ that means ’What’s on TV?’.
Religion in UKReligions in UK
UK’s official religion is Christianity, even though it is a multi-faith society where other religions are being practiced at ease. In the UK no one can discriminate you on the grounds of race, nationality or religion since it is against the law.
UK EtiquetteUK etiquette
When you first arrive in the UK, you will feel a kind of lost because of cultural difference but soon you will settle down; people in the UK are very friendly.
The following tips will help you to get settled quickly.
Time consciousness
Being late in the UK considered a bad thing, whether it’s for the class room or you are seeing someone if you are going to be late, just give a call to the concern person.
Making Queue
In the UK people are in the habit of queuing and for everything, for buses, shopping, trains, public toilets, so if it is not the case with your country please be sure of it when you live in the UK. UK people see this as a sign of politeness.
Tipping
It is always considered polite to tip a waiter, waitress, hairdresser or taxi driver around 5 to 10%. If the bill says ‘service included’ then there is no need for adding a tip.
Small talk
When you are meeting someone for the first time, it can be impolite to inquire about personal details like salary, political interests, hobbies etc, so make sure you are not doing this.
Please, thank you and sorry
People in the UK use Please, Thank you, Sorry so frequently, you can term these words as customary in the UK, so being polite and considerate should be in your head.
Having completed your studies, you have many options to choose from. You can further pursue a higher level of education, you can find full time work or you can head home.
Start to think about having a career naturally comes when you are going to finish up with your course within a few months or days. This can be very exciting time; foresightedness stirs about your dream career.
However, it could be difficult to prepare for interviews and getting time for looking up for jobs when you are also coping with your exam preparations too. Here is a very useful link for you.
National Career Services website is a wonderful resource; they provide range of services from planning your career to placing you on the job.
If you want to work in the UK when you graduate, you need a visa. Contact UK Border Agency (UKBA) website and see what is next for you in the UK.
At first it might seem tougher when it is time to leave UK. You might feel overwhelmed by your emotions, definitely, there are friends and teachers but thankfully, there are ways for being in touch.
Several UK’s institutions run alumni associations, these associations may offer parties and get to gathers in your home country, you just have to contact your institution in this regard.
The British Council also runs the same alumni groups. You can contact your local British Council office in your country or state.
