The countdown has begun..........

ok so its 65 days until I shift my entire life to London indefinitely and im feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment along with the sick feeling like there is to much to do and not enough time.

I thought id post a thread for any kind of advise or suggestions on things i need to make sure i remember that i get or do or have in place as there are bound to be things i forget or don’t know about that you current UK biggies may have experienced or learnt during the transition

Sooooooo my work registration is done (a teeny bit of paper saying I can practice as a physio in London = 390 pounds)

Im in the process of my Visa (costing a sweet $580 dollars and now we have to get biometrics done too, photos and fingerprints)

I have kinda herd but have no idea about how to get a NI number or bank account???


and yea anything else you can possibly think of that may help would BE MUCH APPRECIATED xxx

I'm sure there are a lot of older threads with this stuff in here.... the most important thing (assuming you've got your visa sorted) is bank account.. you basically have two options.. if you're a national bank customer, you can sign up to Lloyds thru them. Otherwise, Thomas Cook will hook you up with a HSBC account. I think it needs a minimum amount for the HSBC one, but it's better to go that option if you can, cause the Lloyds one charges you a monthly fee.

Other than that, I wouldn't worry too much about anything else. You don't need a NI number right away, and I don't think you can apply till you're over here anyway. Just sort out whatever things you need to do at home before you leave, say goodbye to everyone, and plan for some cool things to do once you arrive

As always, wise words from Mutant

If you have your bank a/c and visa under control then you are sweet. Oh, and try and get proof of address sorted. I arranged to have my bank statements sent to my UK address (I would suggest you get them sent to your brother's place) one month prior to arriving. You need proof of address for heaps of things.

If you're with ASB, you can open an HSBC account through them. It'll cost you NZ$60 in administration, and you'll need £750 as the opening deposit to create the account.

Once you have your NI number you will automatically start paying into a state pension plan. I'm assuming you wont still be here when you are 65 (or whatever the age is) so make sure you opt out of this into a private plan otherwise you will lose these contributions. Once the private plan is set up, your NI pension contributions will automatically be put into this plan. Its a couple thousand pounds a year so well worth it. When you leave just transfer it over to an NZ/Aussie pension plan.

ohh thats def handy to know thanks

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS....

MAKE SURE YOU SET UP YOUR BANK ACCOUNT BEFORE YOU GET HERE!!!!!

OH AND LLOYDS TSB ARE ABSOLUTE SHITE! HSBC OR NATWEST WOULD BE THE BEST OPTIONS (OF A BAD BUNCH!)