Travelling and leisure activities
Weather and Environment
3. UK Culture
Culture has been defined by many authors. According to the authors (ENR, 2003; Hofstede, 1997; Li & Karakowsky, 2001) culture is referred to as “knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving. Hofstede (1997) claimed that culture is a system of knowledge shared by large group of people. It is a way of life of peoples in group, “the behaviors, beliefs, values, and symbols that they accept, generally without thinking about them, and that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next” (Hofstede, 1997). He claimed that it also includes explicit and implicit patterns.
Li and Karakowsky (2001) defined that culture can be used for cultivating behavior; it can be use for learning purpose of a person in total, It is an accumulated experience which can be transmitted socially, or more briefly, behavior through social learning. He also claimed that it would be useful in representing a symbol of “skills, knowledge, attitudes, values, and motives” of a communication in a society.
Therefore, culture is the sum of total of the learned behavior of a group of people that are generally considered to be the tradition of that people and are transmitted from generation to generation.
If you are planning to study in UK, work and live you should be aware of some essential features of the UK. It is essential to understand the local culture and living condition in UK so that it would be useful to adapt to the local environment quickly. From the definitions and arguments of the authors Hofstede (1997) and Li and Karakowsky (2001) it can be clearly drawn that culture plays an vital role in settling in a new environment and understanding of the culture would be more beneficial to the new person coming to UK. Therefore in this context I have explained the context of UK culture and how it influences the living and working in UK as new international student coming from India. Culture: As the coin has two sides there both bad and good sides, expectations are many in number. The culture of UK is a wide mix and highly diverse and has more number of foreign communities from all parts of the world. The UK people respect and have tolerance towards foreign nationals. People have total freedom and they make their own independent decisions. The culture of UK allows and encourages new, innovative, and creative ideas. English is the main language in UK and it is the origin where the language has been developed.
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4. Living in UK
Housing: Arranging accommodation in UK
It is more important to arrange for accommodation in advance before you arrive at UK. You have an opportunity to stay in the university accommodation or private accommodation. The University accommodation is very easy to be booked and automatically you are secured in safe environment because the universities strictly follow the rules and regulations of the government and other health and safety measures. Whereas, it would be advisable to check for further details before getting in to the private accommodation.
Private accommodation: Private accommodation would be quite difficult to arrange before you arrive UK but however there are possibilities that you can make for arrangements for a short period by searching in the internet.
Council Tax: Council tax is exempted for students and it would be a great support for the students. Halls o residence in the university will not have taxes for students but however if in private accommodation they send the bills it can be claimed through the university for the exemption the process of doing so is quite easy and not complicated.
Rented accommodation: The cost of the rented accommodation highly depends upon the area and the size of property that you would like to have. For students it normally costs between 60 to 100 pounds per week in most of the areas.
Checklist: what to ask about private accommodation
- What does the rent cover? Meals, electricity, gas, hot water, use of telephone, television?
- If any of these things are not covered, roughly how much extra will you have to pay? Are there meters for the gas, electricity or telephone?
- Can the landlord increase the rent?
- Will you or your spouse have to pay Council Tax? (See previous page.)
- When must you pay the rent? Weekly? Monthly? The first day of the month? The last day of the month?
- How will you keep a record of what you have paid? Is there a rent book? Will the landlord give you receipts?
- If you have to pay an initial deposit, when will it be returned to you? What does the deposit cover, and in what circumstances will it not be returned? Your deposit should be no more than two months’ rent. If the landlord asks for more, get advice (see ‘Further information’ below).
- Make sure you get a receipt for your initial deposit and any agency fees you have paid.
- How long is the tenancy agreement and how much will it cost to renew it?
- If you want to end the tenancy agreement, what terms and conditions affect your ability to do so?
- If you want to leave the accommodation, how much notice must you give the landlord?
- If the landlord wants you to leave, how much notice must he or she give you?
- Make sure you have your own copy of the tenancy agreement, signed and dated by the landlord.
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Language: English is the language which is widely used language and it is originated over here. It is one of the highest numbers of English speaking countries in the world. As compared with other countries nearly around 60 million are from UK, USA 23 Million, Canada 20 Million, and Australia 15 Million. (UK Student Life). British English is easy to understand and learn so I would suggest that you would take a short course in IELTS so that it would be benefitting your stay over here and all the courses are run only in English.
Travel: The transport in UK is well organised and it is easy to travel to all parts of the country. There are frequent flights from all over the world and from India you have got quite lot of flights connecting UK airports. The country is small and you can also make one day trips in UK. You also have a chance to experience a variety of culture in UK. You have several popular international airports like London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Stansted, Birmingham, and Manchester.
Local Travel: There are several modes of internal travel like rail services which connects all parts of England; National express also connects all parts of UK and for local buses and tube services in London.
Health: The health is given utmost care in UK. If a student is coming for a course which runs more than 6 months then they are entitled to obtain free health treatment throughout their stay in UK. Public health facilities re also available but booking an appointment would be a bit delaying unless any emergency. The National Health Service provides a free service for all the people in UK and they also provide subsidised treatments who live in UK.
Emergency Services: In case of emergencies you can directly go to the nearest heal centre and explain the situation. The services provided in the emergency services and casuality is fully free. For this you have to register with NHS through the University or in person.
Safety: The country is safe to live with. The security of the people is highly ensured by the police, police don’t usually carry weapons. In recent years there are crime rates increased, usage of drugs also have seen increased. However other things like pests and dangerous animals are not many in UK. The risk of earthquakes hurricanes and other natural disaster are comparatively less, however floods occurs in low areas.
Work: If you are here in the UK as a student you are also permitted to work. Working while a student does have some limitations. You can work as a part-time employee not more than 20 hours per week during the term time and full time during the vacation. Voluntary work in UK is more popular and gives lot of scope to develop skills for employment. There are special rules applicable for the students those who are willing to work during term time. It is essential to obtain a national insurance number to make yourself to go for a job. The careers section at universities would also assist you in finding out parttime jobs and career jobs during and after the course. When considering for parttime jobs it is essential to follow the rules and regulations for the international students. At present international students are allowed to work 20 hours a week during the term time and full time during the vacation.
National Minimum Wages: While working in UK the employers follow the national minimum wages act and the payment and at present for the students who are more than 22 will be able to 5.73 per hour. And students are expemted from tax during their study. The tax amount can be claimed back if the employer deducts the tax from the student employee. Moreover the night works should not be more than eight hours in each 24 hours. And maxim number of hours one can work during full time is 48 hours.
Food: The British culture has a good reputation for its food. They widely use fresh ingredients and cook delicious English food. However you can also get all kind of Asian food as well.
Weather: The weather is moderate. You need to get some war clothes for the winter, however it is not too cold in winter neither hot in summer, and it is moderate. The western part of UK has more rainfall and more sunshine in south.
Money Matters: The currency used in UK is Great Britain Pounds or Sterling Pounds. You can bring with you pounds, other currencies and can be able to exchange here, traveller’s cheques, credit cards, etc.
Insurance: It is advisable take the travel, personal belongings insurance and health insurance which would help you out here in many ways.
Travel and Leisure: UK is a popular place for travel and travel and leisure. You have quite lot of country side, castles, traditional and modern museum, zoo’s and other entertainments.
Further Guidance: You can also obtain further guidance and support from the websites especially in UKCOSA where you can find information regarding accommodation, health and other essentials for an international student.
Useful contacts while living and working in UK
The below are some of the useful contacts while your are in UK and you can collect all the specialist information in these websites and also contact phone numbers for any queries.
Emergency Police: 999
Housing: Shelter, www.shelter.org.uk
Gas and electricity supply: www.energywatch.org.u
Water and sewerage: www.ofwat.gov.uk
Health advice: www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk
Education: [email protected]
Immigration and Nationality: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk
HM Revenue and Customs: www.hmrc.gov.uk
Jobcentre Plus: www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/index.html
Conclusion:
I have covered most of the important issues related to your living an working UK. Hope this might give you a clear idea of your stay in UK and further you can also visit home office websites, university prospectus and local agents to collect more specific information that you may require. The information regarding living and working in UK is available in almost all the university websites and it is essential for the international students those who come to UK understand the culture so that they can avoid from the cultural shock. This may also assist you in settling in UK without problems.
References
ENR (2003). Culture shock challenges firms looking abroad. Vol. 250, No. 23. New York: McGraw Hill.
Hofstede, G. (1997). Cultures and Organizations: Software of the mind. New York: McGraw Hill.
Li & Karakowsky (2001). Do We See Eye-to-Eye? Implications of Cultural Differences for Cross-Cultural Management Research and Practice. The Journal of Psychology, 135(5), 501-517.]
Studying and Living in UK (2007-2008) available at:
(Accessed on 20th May 2009).
UKStudentlife, study, work or travel in the UK. British culture and life. Available at:
(Accessed on 20th May 2009).
Living and Working in UK your rights, electronic version available at:
(Accessed on 20th May 2009).
