The Hard Stuff (Part 1)
Bank Accounts
One of the most difficult things to get in the UK is a bank account. Because it’s a financial hub, the country is very careful about whom they give accounts to. When I got here, I had to open a Passport account at HSBC because I had no previous credit history in the UK. I also had no fixed address because I was living at a friend’s house.
The account costs me £8 a month but it’s made my life very easy! I had my account up and running within a couple of days and my money was accessible!
To make it easier, open a bank account in your home country that allows you to open a sister one internationally as it will allow for faster, cheaper transfers.
You can probably open the international account from your home country as well, saving you some time and effort here as well. Definitely something work looking in to!
The Job!
It’s easier to find a job when you’re here. However, register with as many temp agencies from before you leave as you can to start you off and build contacts. Since most of us are here on 2 or 5 year visas, temp jobs are often the easiest to find. Permanent jobs are hard to come by though they are definitely worth trying for. It takes endurance to find a job in a foreign country so don’t give up! Post your resume for viewing on TotalJobs and Guardian Jobs – they’re the biggest job boards in the UK. Reed may help as well, though I did not personally use it very much.
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