Thursday, 29 November 2007
how-to: London property rentals - Nestoria
Only just having come across nestoria I had to shout and scream about it. It is by far the best property search engine I have come across. Simply fantastic!
Monday, 15 October 2007
how-to: Australian Federal Election
The Australian federal election has been called for November 24th, If you voted in the last election and have not changed your electoral status you'll probably be up for a fine upon your return. So hears what to do.
You'll want to fill out the form which can be found here, sign it and fax it off to the number specified for your given state.
It's not compulsory to vote once enrolled as an overseas elector and thus you cannot be fined, you do however run the risk of not being able to vote again while not on Australian soil. So check the Australian embassy's website for further details on how to vote closer to the day.
You'll want to fill out the form which can be found here, sign it and fax it off to the number specified for your given state.
It's not compulsory to vote once enrolled as an overseas elector and thus you cannot be fined, you do however run the risk of not being able to vote again while not on Australian soil. So check the Australian embassy's website for further details on how to vote closer to the day.
Sunday, 20 May 2007
how-to: getting a doctor's appointment in the uk
To get a doctors appointment in the UK you first must be registered with your local GP after which you can make appointments which depending on the clinic can take up to a week. This is why it's important to register with your GP as soon as you've found a place and settled in.
The NHS have a postcode search in the top left corner of their website, you can use this to find your local Doctor.
In the event you're already sick and need some attention, then you'll want to goto a walk-in centre. These are surgeries often attached to A&E (Emergency) of Hospitals, or they can just be clinics. You are usually attended to by a triage nurse before seeing a physician.
The NHS postcode search will also return your closest walk-in centre.
All consultations with a NHS doctor are free, however if you are prescribed any medication, you have to pay around £6.50 per item.
The NHS have a postcode search in the top left corner of their website, you can use this to find your local Doctor.
In the event you're already sick and need some attention, then you'll want to goto a walk-in centre. These are surgeries often attached to A&E (Emergency) of Hospitals, or they can just be clinics. You are usually attended to by a triage nurse before seeing a physician.
The NHS postcode search will also return your closest walk-in centre.
All consultations with a NHS doctor are free, however if you are prescribed any medication, you have to pay around £6.50 per item.
Saturday, 12 May 2007
how-to: London flatshare accommodation
Obviously this depends on the sort of accommodation you're after, but if you're like most antipodeans you're probably after sharehouse/flatshare accommodation.
By far the easiest place to find flatshare accommodation would have to be Gumtree, basically a website dedicated to classifieds, but with a fantastically large selection of flatshare accommodation.
Here are a couple other websites dedicated to the flat finding market (although i've not had any success with them).
I allocated about two weeks to find a place in London, obviously it depends on your standards (of which mine are quite high), If you don't have friends to doss with, then stay in a hostel. When I moved over I alternated between wake-up in Paddington, great Location next to Paddington station, and a mates place in south London, this allowed me to scour both north and south London for a place to live. It ended up taking me about 8 days to find the place I still call home.
A quick tip while house hunting, If you happen to be looking at a room and a competitor comes in, you should chat with them, find out where they've been and where they're going. Flat hunting is a lonely game and it's sometimes great to team up with people, what may work for you may not for another person. Numerous times during my flat hunting stint, I'd just find one place to look at that night, and then just go around with other flat hunters.
Where to look?
By far the easiest place to find flatshare accommodation would have to be Gumtree, basically a website dedicated to classifieds, but with a fantastically large selection of flatshare accommodation.
Here are a couple other websites dedicated to the flat finding market (although i've not had any success with them).
How long did it take to find a place?
I allocated about two weeks to find a place in London, obviously it depends on your standards (of which mine are quite high), If you don't have friends to doss with, then stay in a hostel. When I moved over I alternated between wake-up in Paddington, great Location next to Paddington station, and a mates place in south London, this allowed me to scour both north and south London for a place to live. It ended up taking me about 8 days to find the place I still call home.
A quick tip while house hunting, If you happen to be looking at a room and a competitor comes in, you should chat with them, find out where they've been and where they're going. Flat hunting is a lonely game and it's sometimes great to team up with people, what may work for you may not for another person. Numerous times during my flat hunting stint, I'd just find one place to look at that night, and then just go around with other flat hunters.
Friday, 11 May 2007
how-to: UK bank account without a job?
Go into a branch of the respective bank, and apply for a standard current account. When the question of employment is raised, respond with home maker, this is a valid profession that doesn't require any proof such as pay slips, p60 etc.
Some banks require proof of address, a phone bill, council tax etc. At the time of writing this Barclays is lax enough and does not require proof of address in the UK, you will however have to provide identification from your country of origin.
things you will need
Some banks require proof of address, a phone bill, council tax etc. At the time of writing this Barclays is lax enough and does not require proof of address in the UK, you will however have to provide identification from your country of origin.
things you will need
- passport
- proof of address, bill etc. (not needed for Barclays)
- debit/credit card from your home country's bank
Thursday, 10 May 2007
how-to: National Insurance Number
Equivalent to Australia's TFN or NZ's IRD the United Kingdom has a thing called the national insurance number (NI Number). You should apply for one as soon as you land by calling 0845 600 0643 between 8.00am and 6.00pm, Monday to Friday.
Do this asap as it will take weeks to get an interview, and then a couple more to get the number, with out the number you are taxed at the highest tax rate (Which can be refunded, but that's just plain annoying).
Do this asap as it will take weeks to get an interview, and then a couple more to get the number, with out the number you are taxed at the highest tax rate (Which can be refunded, but that's just plain annoying).
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