Hey Jan en Rebekkah,
Ik weet niet of jullie al iets hebben terug gehoord over jullie vraag of al zelf informatie hebben gevonden maar ik ben sinds kort ook bezig met het uitzoeken hoe alles werkt in Engeland met verhuizen, baan en etc. Ik ben 19 en ik heb zelf bijna 5 jaar in de VS gewoont, en was voor heel '10 in NL behalve voor een korte vakantie, en ik miss een Engelstalige land maar me familie leeft in NL dus wil ik niet ver gaan.
dus UK here I come! …
I hope you don’t mind if I continue this message in English, I’m assuming you guys can both read/understand it coherently.
I would love to share what I know so far about moving to England, based on what I’ve gathered on-line and from friends who’ve traveled there for the same purpose.
Oh and there are some threads on this very site that explain in detail and in dutch, all the steps you should take in case this isn’t very helpful.
First and foremost I think it’s vital that you start saving up money right now. I’m not talking large quantity or anything but it would be nice if you had a little over three months worth of rent in your pocket(bank account) just in case. This is of course entirely depended on your budget and how much your planning to work/school and pay for rent. (and of course if money is an actual issue, like if you already have a good chunk of money saved up.
For example; I’m planning on getting a 1 bedroom apartment of maybe £350 PCM (Minimum) because I generally detest sharing an apartment, even though it seems to be a common thing in England since most Apt/flats/houses, especially near London, are shared with house-mates… Anyway, this means that I will most definitely have €1200 put aside for security deposit, first month’s rent and a emergency rent stash. (It pays to be cautious trust me) Sharing of course is cheaper, it’s mostly like a actual house or flat(apartment) with 2/7 bedrooms where you might have to share bathrooms, kitchen and other amenities, so it’s a little like a college dorm. Your own room is of course private and the prices vary depending on where you plan on staying. Outside of London you can find great places under £200 PCM (monthly) which is about less then £50 a week.
*Don’t forget UK Money conversion to Euro’s in your calculations though!
Second, if your not sure about whether your continuing school after HAVO then I suggest you start looking for a job. Most jobs are for those who can start as soon as possible or maybe within the month, depending on experience, what’s worked out pretty well for me is searching at the following website for - ‘No Experience’ or ‘Minimum Experience’.
jobsinretail.co.uk ; monster.co.uk ; reed.co.uk ; totaljobs.co.uk ; jobseekers.direct.gov.uk
It depends what you’re willing to do, but if it’s just to start off and to give time to settle in, I wouldn’t be picky. Also, it’s been often suggested to start off looking for work early on, maybe at least three months ahead if not more. This also applies to finding a place to stay. You don’t want to wait 'till the month before you plan to move, to start look 'cause you never know. Especially since England is also still in a recession and finding a job might be hard/ it might also not, but it’s all circumstantial.
*Oh if you can buy a cheap second(third) phone at a grocery store solely for UK businesses it would really help you out in case employers or Landlords want to contact you after receiving your CV/application.
Thirdly, and this is mostly for Rebekkah, it would be great if you had a good means of transportation. England is much like Holland in many ways, and public transportation is always there where you need it and just about everywhere. BUT, if you plan on working or going to school in London (which I am hopefully) but you want to live at a nice but affordable place, because London is VERY expensive, then commuting is going to be a big deal. I myself plan on living an hour or two outside of London (if I can’t find a affordable place there) so I’m in the works of getting my licence in hope of buying a car once I get there… This is of course not necessary but right now you have the opportunity to sort that out, and if you can get a license then better now then when it’s too late… If you can’t, well then public transportation will be kind too you as well, so don’t worry Jan.
Lastly, there are some moving companies that move between UK and NL, I’m not sure what their rates are but you should keep that in mind in case you want to check out what’s more affordable, moving your own stuff or buy whatever you need in UK. >> movingeasy.net
In the UK
There’s a few things you should do once you get to UK,
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Get your NI number, it’s easy just go to a Job Center Plus, or call and make an appointment.
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And I read somewhere that it’s important to get Electoral Roll
My own personal budget for moving to England is at least 3600, this includes Three month’s worth of rent, license, car, some (cheap)furniture, a good TV=P, money for food and other extra expensive for at least 2/3 months and a little pocket money. This is based on living alone instead of sharing. Sharing of course might result being cheaper and in the case of Jan that might be best.
The following websites have been really great in my search ;
Preloved.co.uk - Kind of like UK version of Marktplaats, you can find cheap furniture and stuff…
rightmove.co.uk - Has great apartment search!!
Het kan zijn dat jullie dit allemaal al hebben gelezen of gehoord, maar ik dacht dat ik toch effe liet weten wat ik wist!
Succes met alles!
Gr,
Maily:wereld:
