big scary London.

My little sister arrives in London in early January, and doesn't really know what to expect. She's going over with a friend, but doesn't really know many people (if any) in the city, so she's going to be arriving into a bit of an unknown. Having not been there myself (yet), I'm unable to offer her any decent advice.

Can any of you helpful people offer any advice or tips to make her arrival a little easier and less stressful? Jobs, flats, possible traps to avoid, stuff to do beforehand in NZ before flying out, anything at all.

Cheers

Get a bank account for sure - I'd suggest HSBC, you can go into a branch and sort it (Queen St one will let you).

You can pay a company to help you out with all this stuff which might be a good idea.

Try these guys www.1stcontact.com

expect the first 6 months to be rough (especially financially)... but actually the most fun if you don't worry too much about that...

if you survive that long, then you won't want to leave

Down to a tee Mutant.

Its also advisable to look into temping positions until a full time job comes along.
It provides a short term financial solution as the interview process can take some time over here.

I work in recruitment in London. If you are on a working holiday visa you can forget about applying for a permanent role - it's going to have to be a temp or contract position. If it's office work they are after I would suggest Reed, Hayes, Hudson or Adecco. They all have good websites showing there current vacancies.

Maybe that is only the case for London, but i am on a 2yr working holiday visa (the one that lets you work for the full 2yrs) and i landed a permanent position. And im sure when my visa runs out, they will be more than happy to help me stay through sponsorship... so i wouldn't rule out permanent work if that's what she's after. Although, i can imagine people make pretty good money doing contract work.

She'll have a 4 year ancestry visa.

Thanks guys - keep em coming, she is appreciating this.

Yeah London is expensive, getting any kinda job asap will really really help. Cause you'd be surprised when using NZ $$$ how quickly it goes because you are not earning £££

Ancestry is now 5

It is? Since when? I'm sure when I went to apply (this was for a right of abode I'm sure it read 4 years....thats cool though if it is 5!

it's pretty easy to extend as well apparently, so if you got a 4, you can get a year or two extention, then go for right of abode if you need it

But surely a right of abode you'd actually have to have your mother born in the UK...thats how I got mine...had to proove it and all

Early January will be COLD. February will be worse, and you're lucky if March is any better. It gets dark around 3 or 4pm and everyone in London is grumpy - especially Londoners...

Don't live in Acton or Shephards Bush.

Just don't.

You won't really experience London. The Acton Black Hole is like a holiday camp for rowdy Aussies, Kiwis and South Africans - you can try and visit London but the black hole will just suck you back in. "Welcome to the Hotel California..."

But like Mutant said - if you can stick it out you will love it. Spring is great in London as people actually cheer up with the anticipation of Summer (don't expect Customer Service though - they just don't know what it is) and Summer itself is wicked!

Getting a job is COMPLETELY different depending of what field you work in. I would definately suggest doing research on the web in the areas you are looking for work. I actually talked with 1stContact as mentioned above, but they didn't really help me at all - despite taking some hard earned cash for their "services". However I work in a specialised field.

And you can't hear it enough times - GET A BANK ACCOUNT BEFORE YOU GET HERE.

Hey princess - you know you don't have to wait till it runs out yeah? If they are happy to sponsor you, the sooner the better. It takes a little while to come through, and if they think you're committed to staying in the country (as opposed to just extending your working holiday) then tend to give you a longer visa. Mind you, the way they assign them has changed since I got mine...

I got mine in March, the form said 4 years, but in between it must have changed.

For those on 4 year VISAs wanting an extension, it'll cost ya, I have 2 friends going through this at the moment, don't think it's cheap.

ahhh i see i see...glad i have aright of abode, much easier....was a breeze getting in at heathrow, walking into the shortest line (the EU passports line), they looked at the photo, looked at the right of abode and said thank you.

Piece of piss!

You can get right of abode for a lot of things... one of them is having lived in the country for 5 years on another (non-working holiday, non-tourist) visa.

It's a good idea to get some of your New Zealand mail (eg. bank statements) sent to a London address if you can because you need evidence of your address for a lot of things when you get set up here.

There's been some good advice given here already. My 2 cents...People shouldn't expect it to be a bed of roses when you arrive. It can be tough financially and if you don't know many people London can be a lonely place. It's easy to meet people through other people but if you don't know that many people to start with making friends can take some time, particularly if you are not living in an "antipodean" area. Your lifestyle here is often a lot different to back home as your standard of living isn't the same due to the high cost of living - esp. when you're gaining UK experience and earning a lower wage.

Having said the negative stuff, London is awesome. There's so much to do, it's a huge mish mash of cultures and if you enjoy dance music there's no better place in the world to live.

Can't really add on all the good comments in here Dan

yep - i do thanks


i do only want an extension, possibly another 6mths, but i could imply that i want indefinate leave to remain..

did you apply yourself, or did you arrange through an angency?

As people have said organising a bank account first is a wise move.

Secondly bring as much money as possible. Moving into a flat can clean out most kiwis when they come over and if she has a period out of work then money doesn't last long. Most decent places you're looking at around £100/week for a double room (yes it can be cheaper but this is a good average) so if she ends up paying 6 weeks deposit + a months rent in advance it's a big chunk.

She should also try to have a look at sites like www.gumtree.com for flatshares and post questions on forums to get a feel for neighbourhoods she wants to live in.

Lastly I'd say while there is a BIG kiwi / aussie crowd here to try to make friends and do things outside of that lifestyle - why leave home just to go to antipodean pubs doing what you'd do at home but in worse weather.

absolutely. i'd start by purchasing matching a track top and bottom, getting knocked up, increase your daily cigarette intake, tie your heair back as tightly as possible and look like a bulldog chewing a wasp.

It's all about embracing the culture you're trying to live eh?

hehehhe call

Did you hear that 40 mins of the tubes is equal to 2 cigarettes?

Funny huh?

Ealing is a wicked place to consider living.

Clapham !

anywhere in Wandsworth is good - good transport links, nice pubs, lots of parks and the lowest council tax in the UK

Some good pointers here.

I arrive there in 3 weeks! I want to try and stay away from where all my mates are staying in Acton, im sure it will all come together... well hopefully!