This week Felicity West from UK Work Study takes us through some of her top tips for international students coming to study in the UK…
1. Plan your arrival in the UK
So your flight is booked and you know what time you’re due to land. But have you planned your travel between the airport and your university? Many universities offer help and subsidised or discounted transfer arrangements for their international students. Contact the International Office at your chosen university for details.
2. Bring local money with you
Make sure you have some British money (pound sterling – £) or a prepaid cash card topped up before you travel. Bear in mind that most shops in the UK will not accept £50 notes, and buses usually will not accept anything larger than a £5 note. A good option is to get a MasterCard® prepaid card, which you can top up in any currency from anywhere in the world.
UK Work Study’s Study Pack includes applications and help for getting a MasterCard prepaid card.
3. Pack for all weathers
The weather in the UK changes all the time and it is talked about daily. A greeting between people often includes a comment about the weather: “It’s a bit nippy today isn’t it!” (It’s cold!), “It’s pouring out there!” (It’s raining really hard!), “Turned out nice again!” (What a surprise, it’s sunny!).
Check this website for common weather expressions to join in the conversation.
4. Go to your university’s freshers’ week
At universities in the UK, a freshers’ week is usually held before teaching officially starts. The week consists of many events specifically for new starters to get to know the university, city and each other.
The main part of freshers’ week is the freshers’ fair, which is held on campus and showcases the university clubs you can join. Joining a club is a great way to make friends.
The NUS (National Union of Students) will also be there. For just £11 you can get an NUS Extra card which entitles you to 40,000 discounts in 120 countries as well as cheap entry into locally run university events.
5. Get a UK phone number
Make sure you have a UK sim card (and phone number) with you from day one. It will cost you less to keep in touch with your new friends at university, as well as when calling your friends and family back home to tell them what a great time you’re having!
There are many available to buy in the UK, but The UK Work Study’s Study Pack includes a UK sim card with credit on that is sent to you in your home country BEFORE you come to the UK.
6. Bring an alarm clock
The whole of the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Don’t rely on your natural body clock or the noise of your flat mates to wake you – bring a small battery powered alarm clock to make sure you are up and ready to go!
7. Register with a UK doctor
Most universities provide an on-campus GP (general practitioner) who can act as your doctor for minor ailments and complaints whilst you are away from home. Ask your international student officer for advice and information about the services available at your university.
Remember, in a serious medical emergency you can call 999 for an ambulance. This is also the same number if you need to speak to the police or fire brigade.
NHS Direct also have a website with a symptoms checker and other medical information and advice.
8. Get the resources needed for your studies in advance
You will need a supply of pens, paper and folders for your studies. Most universities have bookshops on campus where you can purchase these.
You may also have been sent a reading list for your first term, or will receive it on your registration. Order these from the bookshop as soon as possible as many people will be wanting the same books as you and stocks may run out fast!
One piece of equipment you may want to consider is an audio note-taker. It can be hard to make notes and remember everything that was said during a lecture, even if English is your first language!
The UK Work Study’s Study Pack includes a discount voucher for the purchase of a Sonocent Audio Note Taker.
9. Make the most of the language services at your university
If you are reading this and coming to study in the UK for university, you can probably understand English quite well. But how confident are you at having a conversation in English? Every former international student we spoke to for this article said they wished they had used their English more from day one.
The university experience is new for everyone, no matter where they come from. Remember, it’s not just the education you are coming to the UK for, it’s for new experiences and culture. Don’t be afraid to use English, it will only get better the more you speak it and will make you very employable in your future career.
10. Learn how to make a cup of tea
This is the most important tip. Almost everyone in the UK drinks tea. A lot! There are many coffee shops on every high street in Britain – there’s probably one on your university campus – but when the British get home they ‘put the kettle on’ (make a cup of tea).
Learn how to make the perfect cuppa here.
Finally, don’t forget to have fun. Now go and put the kettle on!
Find out more about the work of UK Work Study via their website, email or twitter.
]]>
The winner of our latest competition is announced…
It’s been another busy week on the @dhlservicepoint Twitter stream and you’ve certainly kept us on our toes with your brilliant entries.
This week we asked you what the weirdest package you’ve ever sent or received is, and with 113 entries you didn’t disappoint!
All week you’ve been tweeting us with your mad entries that have made us laugh, cringe, gasp – or all three! And we were particularly surprised to see a high number of entries about guinea pigs, teeth and various food types, including chocolate-covered ants!
Due to the high number of great entries, we decided to share our favourite top 10:
@finleypoppet: Emailed hotel to say we’d left son’s glasses. No problem we have them. Got a hearing aid instead. Must have got lost in translation! – How ironic!
@bev_metallica: A small box of guinea pig poo! No, really! (Sent to a pig on antibiotics who needed the healthy bacteria from it!) – Well you learn something new every day!
@WISHGIRL123: I’ve sent fertile chicken eggs and had live maggots sent to me for my chickens – What did the postie think of that?
@Saspidistra: This life-size cardboard dalek arrived in the post recently! – Thanks for the great photo.
@_sal1978_: I once had to send our garden scarecrow by courier to my sister when she was at uni to decorate a room for a party – What was the theme to that party?
@thunderbirdsGO: I received a Nappy Cake congratulating me on my 1st child. I was 13, NOT pregnant & my parents totally freaked out! – We’re not surprised they did!
@trainsniffer: When my puppy lost her baby teeth my mother insisted I post them to her so she could put them in a scrap book – What else went in there?
@mumsiekelzof4: Some edible lollies with dead bugs inside from my sister in law. There was an ant, scorpion and maggot – What did they taste like?
@_Rachel_S: My Nan sent me a book on caring for tropical fish. I don’t own any tropical fish – Your Nan sounds great!
@Sarah_Ly1: I had my old teeth mould sent through to me recently, which I took when I had my brace when I was 13. Ewww – Gross!
And the winner is…
Although there were many fantastic entries, there was one clear winner that shocked us, scared us and made us laugh:
@For_Kate: Last year I received a packet of dried shrimp & a spanner with a note saying: “Thank you sweetheart” * scared face *
Congratulations Katie, you’ve bagged yourself £100 in High Street vouchers.
Thank you to everyone who entered. Keep an eye out for more great competitions coming your way soon.
Follow us on Twitter @dhlservicepoint
]]>
Rainbow Trust is a charity that makes a real difference to families who have a child with a life-threatening or terminal illness. We’re encouraging everyone from DHL staff to DHL customers to get involved…
The prospect of your son or daughter being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness is too horrifying to imagine. Sadly, it’s a heartbreaking reality faced by thousands of families in the UK every year. Coping with the emotional turmoil of childhood terminal illness is amongst the hardest things a family will ever have to do and it’s regrettable that until recently so little support has been available to those facing such traumatic uncertainty.
Rainbow Trust Children’s Charity can make a difference. It offers emotional and practical support to families going through the hardest of times. Rainbow Trust workers join the families in their homes, offering support and understanding to distraught siblings, taking some of the practical burden off exhausted parents and helping them find the strength to cope. Relying almost entirely on voluntary donations, it’s an undeniably good cause, helping around 1,000 families deal every year.
That’s why we’re on a mission to encourage everybody, from DHL staff to DHL customers, to do what they can to support this incredible charity. There are lots of ways to help out, from regular giving to special occasion contributions. You can also get involved by taking part in fundraising events or even organising your own fun event.
At DHL, we’re setting out to raise a whopping £75,000 for the Rainbow Trust in 2011 through our Life Cycle fundraising scheme. Life Cycle is a campaign that we’ve been running since 2009, encouraging all our staff, across various branches of DHL, to get involved in a host of exciting fundraising events.
This year, intrepid DHL staff across the country will be: dusting off their running shoes and taking to the roads in the BUPA Great North Run, going beyond the call of duty in our Life Sky Dive, cycling from London to Paris, and swimming their way to success in the Great North Swim. Life Cycle on Tour will take a mini-sports centre, housed in the 40ft Life Cycle trailer, to DHL sites across the UK – making it even easier for staff to get involved with local sponsorship.
If you’re feeling inspired and want to help Rainbow Trust make a difference, head over to their website for ideas on how to get involved.
A recent survey conducted by the Association of Consulting Actuaries (ACA), has revealed that most defined contribution pension schemes run by smaller firms are attracting combined employer and employee contributions of less than 8% of earnings.
There is also little evidence they are keeping pace with the increasing cost of building a sufficient pension as lifespans extend.
The ACA survey gathered responses from 404 smaller employers with 250 or fewer employees. According to the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, there are over 1.2 million of these smaller firms which employ over half of the UK’s private sector employees (60%) and generate a half of all private sector turnover (49%), amounting to £1,589 billion per year.
Food for thought.
Equally worrying is the fact that at present, two thirds of the UK’s smaller firms offer no pension scheme at all despite the fact they will be required to auto-enrol their employees into a ‘qualifying workplace pension scheme’ between 2014 and early 2016 under government pension reforms.
Of the firms in the ACA survey without pension schemes, almost all (96%) said cost was the main reason they did not currently provide them. And of those that do, they stated the reason employees did not join their schemes is also mainly because of cost (84%).
Commenting on the survey results, ACA chairman Stuart Southall said:
“Our survey has found savings by both employers and employees into defined contribution schemes generally have failed to keep pace with the cost of building a sufficient pension. Pension contributions into most schemes reporting to this survey need to double on average to at least 15% of earnings if reasonable retirement incomes are to be achieved.”
For information on how DHL Servicepoint can help small businesses visit: www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk
]]>
Earlier this month the Prime Minister, David Cameron, announced the government’s plans to expand its New Enterprise Allowance scheme which assists those out of work who wish to set up their own business.
The initiative will be rolled out nationwide this autumn with the potential to create thousands of jobs in 2011 alone and up to 40,000 new businesses by 2013.
David Cameron said:
“It is vital that we ensure businesses, and those people who find themselves out of work but have the drive and desire to set up their own business, have all the advice, support and mentoring they need. Together we can make the years ahead some of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial in our history.”
Those interested in the New Enterprise Allowance will be given access to a business mentor who will provide guidance and support around their business idea and through the early stages of trading.
If they can then demonstrate they have a viable business proposition with growth potential, they can claim financial support which could be worth around £2,000 to each unemployed person who wants to start their own business.
The scheme begins in January in Merseyside and will then be rolled out to the remaining target areas from April and nationally in the autumn.
Are you a budding entrepreneur? Could you benefit from the New Enterprise Allowance? To learn more visit: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/updates/new-enterprise-allowance/
For information on how DHL Servicepoint can help small businesses visit: www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk
]]>
Last month on Christmas Day, according to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) around 850 people filed their online tax return despite the deadline for submission not being until 31 January 2011.
Super organised or sad? You decide. Either way the 31 January deadline still looms and is now only a matter of days away. Miss it and you face an automatic £100 fine.
Most small business owners who are self-employed will have to complete an online self-assessment tax form. It may be time consuming and painful but it is also mandatory, so the best option is to bite the bullet and crack on.
Francesca Lagerberg, head of tax at business and financial advisers Grant Thornton, says: “Those who plan to file online should ensure they have prepared the relevant documentation and have not left it too late to avoid being caught up in the last minute rush. Last year an estimated one million people had to pay the taxman £100 for a late submission. In the current economic climate it would be a shame to incur an easily avoidable £100 penalty.”
Grant Thornton also adds that while £100 is the maximum penalty payable for late submission this is capped at the amount of tax outstanding as at 31 January. Therefore, if any outstanding tax liability is fully paid by this date the penalty is reduced to nil, although the penalty may be issued automatically and an appeal will need to be lodged with HMRC. If a business partnership tax return is filed late then there is a penalty of £100 for each partner in the partnership and this applies even if all of the partners pay their taxes by 31 January 2011.
Still confused? Call the HMRC helpline on 0845 900 0444 or visit http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/sa/
For information on how DHL Servicepoint can help small businesses visit: www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk
]]>
Like it or not, this month’s VAT increase from 17.5% to 20% has happened and we are all feeling the pinch: none more so than SMEs.
According to a survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), more than 70% of small businesses expect the VAT rise to have a negative impact on them with 71% of the 1,600 respondents expecting the rise to be unbeneficial to their business. A further 52% expect to increase prices, 45% expect a fall in turnover, and 36% expect a loss of customers as a result.
While large corporates are able to absorb the additional costs, most small companies cannot and will have to pass them on to their customers.
The FSB is therefore urging the chancellor to review the VAT increase when the country’s deficit has been significantly reduced and return it to its original 17.5%.
It is also calling on the government to further help small businesses by increasing the threshold at which they begin to pay VAT – from the current rate of £70,000 to £90,000 – arguing this has the potential to create up to 35,000 jobs.
John Walker, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, says:
“Small businesses have had a tough time in 2010. These figures show that almost half of respondents are going to have to increase prices as a result.”
“If the government truly believes that the private sector is going to strengthen the recovery we need to see action. Increasing the threshold at which companies have to register for VAT will put almost £900 million back in the pockets of small businesses. Without this small firms will struggle to bounce back as the spending cuts start to bite.”
For information on how small businesses can cut their courier costs and save money with DHL Servicepoint visit: www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk
]]>Are you running your business in the most tax efficient way?
While it is important to keep the taxman happy, it is also important to ensure your tax affairs – both business and personal – are managed so as to minimise the overall financial impact on your bottom line and your own purse.
A recent Real Business article, ‘The definitive tax guide for business owners’, offers ten top tax tips covering everything from reviewing reward packages and VAT arrangements to transferring business ownership and investing for capital growth.
It also includes information on an HM Revenue & Customs facility called the Business Payment Support Service which helps businesses experiencing cashflow difficulties to agree revised tax payment terms, without incurring penalties, on most taxes and duties including income tax, corporation tax, VAT, PAYE and National Insurance.
You can read the full article here.
And remember, if you’re running your own business DHL Servicepoint is also here to help with your delivery needs. Our destinations include 220 countries worldwide with UK deliveries starting at £5.95 and the USA and Canada at £25.95. All parcels are guaranteed and tracked at every stage and signed for on receipt.
Just pick your nearest DHL Servicepoint, pack your parcel for free when you get there, pay and then leave the rest to us: www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk/howto.htm
]]>We can all breathe a sigh of relief for now as the Bank of England once again announced last week to keep interest rates at 0.5% for the 19th month in a row.
While savers will not be best pleased, those with mortgages and loans – which includes a large chunk of the SME (small and medium size enterprise) community – will certainly applaud this welcome news.
And the decision will come as no surprise to the business world and economists who have predicted that the rate will remain at 0.5% until at least next year. A necessary move perhaps, as while the UK is slowly dragging itself out of the recession – the economy grew by 1.2% in the second quarter – there is still talk that we’re not out of the woods just yet…
So if you are an SME business owner with cost-cutting high on your to-do list, why not send your parcels via DHL Servicepoint’s cost-effective and safe and secure international service.
Our destinations include 220 countries worldwide with UK deliveries starting at £5.95 and the USA and Canada at £25.95. All parcels are guaranteed and tracked at every stage and signed for on receipt. Just pick your nearest DHL Servicepoint, pack your parcel for free when you get there, pay and then leave the rest to us www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk/howto.htm
]]>Thinking of going freelance and setting up your own business?
No doubt the products, services, company name and even branding are sorted. But what about the all important legalities such as which business model works best for you?
Accounting specialists in the freelance and small business sector, Easy Accountancy, advise you to think carefully about the two main options available – sole trader or limited company – before making the leap.
They say: “One of the key challenges when making the decision to go freelance is to choose between becoming a limited company or simply setting-up as a sole trader. While there are benefits to going limited, many freelancers choose the sole trader option – primarily because they don’t want the hassle or the legal commitments which come with a limited company.”
Questions to consider are: what type of business is it, what will your turnover and profit be, do you have future plans to grow the business, what level of commercial risk will you be exposed to?
For the full article please click here.
lAnd don’t forget, whatever choice you make DHL Servicepoint is here to help with all your business delivery needs. Our simple three step process couldn’t be easier: pick your nearest DHL Servicepoint, pack your parcel for free when you get there, pay and leave the rest to us: www.dhlservicepoint.co.uk/howto.htm
]]>