Www.kcl.ac.uk/advice Settling into Kings and London London Calling!

www.kcl.ac.uk/advice

Settling into King’s and London

London Calling!

www.kcl.ac.uk/advice2

Welcome to London!Test your knowledge!

1. How many languages are spoken in London?

a.) 120

b.) 200

c.) 250


Welcome to London!Answer: 250 – London is the most

linguistically diverse city in the world!

2. Where is the best underground station to spot mice?

a.) Waterloo

b.) Victoria

c.) King’s Cross


Welcome to London!Answer: Waterloo…apparently!

3. How many bathrooms are there in Buckingham Palace?

a.) 28

b.) 78

c.) 158


Where to start?!• Get to know your surrounding area• Consult My Campus and My Local Area guides• Make the most of Students’ Union and College

events throughout the term• Explore with new friends• Find out what’s free!• Try different places – food, entertainment etc.• Make a list of all the things you really want to do, and

start doing them!

*(The answer was 78, by the way!)


TransportExpansive network through London of:

• Underground• Bus• Train• Taxi• River Transport• Tram

•Student Oyster cards – apply online. Gets you 30% off weekly/monthly passes. Upload these onto your card.

• Young Person’s Railcard 30% discount on trains – useful if travelling out of London

•(But never forget to pay your fare!)


Top Tips – Transport• Buy an A-Z so you don’t get lost!• Make use of your student discount – it’s cheaper to

get a weekly/monthly travel card if you are travelling on public transport every day

• Buses are much cheaper than tubes. Buy a bus pass rather than a full travel pass if you only use buses

• Always ensure you know an alternative route to College/home in case of problems on public transport

• For travelling around the UK, get a Young Persons Railcard

• Never try and dodge your fare – you could get fined!


Things to do and see• Students’ Union – clubs, societies and events• Museums and galleries – over 300 in London!• Concerts, plays and musicals• Football, cricket and other sporting events• Festivals and other events• Parks• Public Buildings and Monuments• Cinema• Pubs and Clubs• Eating out


What’s Free?

Most major museums and galleries including:• Tate Modern and Tate Britain• National Gallery• British Museum• Imperial War Museum• Victoria and Albert Museum• Natural History Museum and Science Museum

(You will usually need to pay for special exhibitions.)


What else?Free concerts/events:•In the summer lots of organisations run free open-air concerts and events, including

•Somerset House

•National Theatre (Both near King’s!)

•Music venues such as the Barbican, Wigmore Hall and Royal Festival Hall often run free lunchtime concerts – look in Time Out for information.

•Many churches have regular free lunchtime concerts

•BBC shows – free tickets for recordings at www.bbc.co.uk


And what’s cheap?• Cinemas – much more expensive in Central London;

cheaper on weekday afternoons. Student discounts.• Theatres often run student offers/last minute offers• Even restaurants often offer student discounts, so

always check just in case!• Lidos – outdoor pools which are cheap for swimming

and wonderful in summer!• Students’ Union facilities, such as bars, club nights

and the gym, are usually cheaper than public facilities• Lower-division football matches and league and

twenty20 cricket matches


Top Tips – Going Out

• Get your NUS card and always ask about student discounts. Are there other loyalty cards you could get?

• Find out what’s free

• Sign up to mailing lists to find out about discounts and special events

• Keep an eye on what’s going on in the Union

• Get to know your local area and check out the area guides – is there a cheap cinema nearby?


Top Tips – Going Out• Free papers and Time Out magazine and website• Half-price ticket booth at Leicester Square• Venue mailing lists• Ticket exchange - www.seatwave.com • Freebies and discounts – www.vouchercodes.co.uk • Meal deals – www.toptable.co.uk • Returns at venues – best seats for lowest price!


Shopping• Big supermarkets often cheaper for essentials. Major

supermarkets are Sainsbury’s, Tesco, ASDA (Walmart) and Morrisons. Waitrose is a bit more expensive.

• Argos – very cheap for essentials like kettles and crockery

• Lots of local markets in London. Good for bargains!• Sales throughout the year in major stores – check out

Oxford Street and Westfield!• Major bookshops – Waterstone’s, Blackwells, Foyles –

but look out for second-hand shops too


Don’t forget…• If you have a television it is against the law not

to have a television licence. For information and to get a licence go to www.tvlicensing.co.uk or pick up a form in our information room

• Even if you are in College halls of residence MAKE SURE YOU GET INSURANCE!!! If you don’t and your belongings are stolen or damaged you will lose a lot of money

• (www.endsleigh.co.uk specialise in student insurance policies)


Utilities and services

• Shop around for good deals (price comparison websites)

• Save money – call using Skype• Go to Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U for

deals from different providers – more options! • Be careful of special deals – they are often only

cheap for the first few months!• Open a UK bank account – otherwise you have to

pay to withdraw money!


Top Tips – Shopping • Find your nearest large supermarket and check out own-

brands

• Check out some price comparison websites for the best deals for mobile phones, utilities etc.

• Check out your local area for local shops/markets

• Check for student discounts in shops – even some major store such as Top Shop and HMV have student discounts

• Make sure you get insurance!


Useful LinksTransport:

– www.tfl.gov.uk

– www.youngpersons-railcard.co.uk

– www.thetrainline.com and http://uk.megabus.com/

Discounts and deals:

– NUS card - www.nusextra.co.uk

– www.vouchercodes.co.uk

– www.timeout.com

– Price comparison – www.pricerunner.co.uk

– Us! – ww.facebook.com/kingsinternationalstudentsupport


Help, Advice and Support– All free– Impartial– Confidential– Available to everyone– If you need help, just ask!


Student Advice and International Student Support

What do we do?

• Part of Student Information and Advice – fully trained and qualified to offer immigration advice

• Offer free one-to-one advice and guidance on a range of issues including immigration, practical advice (e.g. opening a bank account), housing, finances

• Send an email to us at [email protected] or call the Compass – 020 7848 7070 – to book an appointment

• Visit our website – www.kcl.ac.uk/advice

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The Compasswww.kcl.ac.uk/thecompass

https://twitter.com/KingsCompass

• We are your first port of call for all student information, advice & guidance

• We have helpdesks at the Denmark Hill, Guy's, Strand and Waterloo campuses

• We offer a 24-hour enquiry service for students called Compass Online via Student Records

• browse the FAQ databank, send us a query, request a letter/ID card, track progress of your enquiry

• We bring services to you by hosting drop-in sessions & special clinics

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Counselling• Also part of Student Services• Free and confidential• Trained, experienced counsellors• Appointments available at each of the main campuses

Booking an appointment:• Download a form from the website • Visit one of our offices or the Student Health Centre and pick up a

form• Telephone the Counselling Service directly

www.kcl.ac.uk/counselling

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Chaplaincy

• Chaplains based on every site

• There for all students, no matter what their beliefs

• Trained listeners with lots of experience supporting students – there to listen and chat

• Free international lunches on Monday (Strand and Guy’s), Tuesday (Waterloo) and Thursday (Denmark Hill)

• Organise lots of events and trips during the term

• Regular services and activities throughout the week

www.kcl.ac.uk/chaplaincy

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Careers• Experienced Careers advisers• Range of resources available – visit the Careers library!• Extensive events programme and fairs• One-to-one appointments and CV• Advertise part time and full time vacancies and internships• Based on Level 1 of the Macadam Building• See www.kcl.ac.uk/careers for details


Health• International students allowed free treatment on the National

Health Service if here for more than 6 months in total• College Health Centre open to all those in King’s halls and in

nearby boroughs – check www.kcl.ac.uk/health for details• You must register with a doctor, even if you are not ill! • For serious illnesses and accidents, call 999 for an ambulance• Walk-in Medicentres quite cheap – closest to King’s is at

Waterloo Station• Health information at www.nhs.uk


A bit about immigration...Tier 4 Student visas:

• Obtained before you came to the UK

• You can extend your leave within the UK if you decide to study here for longer

• You can work under certain conditions while you are here – up to 20 hours a week in term time and full time in the vacations, but you cannot be self-employed, take up a permanent full time post or work as a professional sportsperson or entertainer!

•NB the summer is not vacation for Masters students!

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A bit more about immigration...

Student Visitors:

• Either obtained this before travel or were stamped in at the airport for free!• Should be studying in the UK for less than 6 months• Cannot extend your leave in the UK• Cannot work, paid or unpaid• Need to request permissions to re-enter as a Student Visitor each time you leave and re-enter the UK

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Your Visa• Lengths of leave:

• Student on degree courses (including research): should receive leave for the length of their course, plus an additional four months, with permission to work

• Students on courses longer than 6 months but less than one year should receive two additional months after the course

• Students on short courses: should receive the length of the course plus 7 days

• Should be allowed to work (if visa says “no work” or limited to 10 hours/week could be a mistake!)


Entry Clearance Correction Scheme

• FREE scheme in the UK to correct errors made on entry clearance (visas) issued abroad

• Students here for under 6 months should have leave for the length of the course plus one week. Students here for 1 year should get the length of the course plus 2 months. 1 year+ should get length of course plus 4 months

• Should have permission to work• If you think these are wrong on your visa sticker contact a

Student Adviser at [email protected]


Extending your visa• Might need to extend your visa, e.g. for resits, a new course

or writing up your thesis. • Extending your visa can be a complicated process. Ensure

you start preparing your application at least 2 months before your leave is due to expire

• ALWAYS read all the guidance carefully. Rules very strict especially financial requirements

• If your application is late or if there are documents missing it will be refused

• Contact a Student Adviser for assistance, and look out for our presentations on extending your student visa


Tier 4 Visa Conditions• Visa should be issued for study at King’s. If you have a

visa for elsewhere speak to a Student Adviser as you will need to obtain a new visa

• King’s is required to report you if you change your course, move institution, interrupt your studies, leave the course or stop attending and your visa will be cancelled by the UKBA

• If you need to make changes to your study talk to a Student Adviser


Police Registration• “Relevant foreign nationals” entering the UK for more

than 6 months are required to register with the police• Your visa should state that you are required to register• Registration / registering of change of circumstances

(e.g. new address/extension of student leave) must be done within 7 days

• £34.00 fee. Take evidence of student status• Register at the Overseas Visitors Records Office -

Borough


Entering through Ireland

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• Entering via the Republic of Ireland can be problematic as there are no border controls between Ireland and the UK:

• Even if you have a student visa, this won’t be activated if you enter the UK via Ireland – nobody will know you’re here!

• If you are seeking entry as a Student Visitor you cannot get this if entering from Ireland – will have been stamped in as a Visitor to Ireland but not the UK

• If this applies to you seek advice from a Student Adviser as soon as possible


Travelling If you travel outside the UK:• Check if you need a visa before travelling – can take

time to obtain this. Guidance on our website.• Ensure you have a letter from King’s and a bank

statement to show immigration when you return• Check customs requirements so you don’t bring back

anything illegal!• Expedia, Opodo and Eurostar are handy websites for

booking short breaks• Make the most of being on Europe’s doorstep!


Exploring the UK & Europe• HOST UK organises visits to stay with Host families

throughout the UK. King’s pays for your first visit – you just pay travel! See www.hostuk.org for details

• International Students House has a travel club which runs regular trips. Check out www.ish.org.uk

• Haggis and Shamrocker – great trips to Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Visit www.radicaltravel.com for details – 10% discount for King’s students! Type “KCL” into promo box


Need more help?• www.kcl.ac.uk/advice - lots more info including

presentations from Orientation• www.kcl.ac.uk/thecompass - letters, general help and

information• www.facebook.com/kingsinternationalstudentsupport -

events and networking

We hope you have a great time at King’s!


Any questions?

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Www.kcl.ac.uk/advice Settling into Kings and London London Calling!

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