Settling into Kings and London London Calling!

2 Welcome to London! Test your knowledge! 1.How many languages are spoken in London? a.) 120 b.) 200 c.) 250

3 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.) Kings Cross

4 Welcome to London! Answer: Waterloo…apparently! 3.How many bathrooms are there in Buckingham Palace? a.) 28 b.) 78 c.) 158

5 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 whats 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!)

6 Transport Expansive 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 Persons Railcard 30% discount on trains – useful if travelling out of London (But never forget to pay your fare!)

7 Top Tips – Transport Buy an A-Z so you dont get lost! Make use of your student discount – its 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!

8 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

9 Whats 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.)

10 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 Kings!) 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

11 And whats 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

12 Top Tips – Going Out Get your NUS card and always ask about student discounts. Are there other loyalty cards you could get? Find out whats free Sign up to mailing lists to find out about discounts and special events Keep an eye on whats going on in the Union Get to know your local area and check out the area guides – is there a cheap cinema nearby?

13 Top Tips – Going Out Free papers and Time Out magazine and website Half-price ticket booth at Leicester Square Venue mailing lists Ticket exchange - Freebies and discounts – Meal deals – Returns at venues – best seats for lowest price!

14 Shopping Big supermarkets often cheaper for essentials. Major supermarkets are Sainsburys, 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 – Waterstones, Blackwells, Foyles – but look out for second-hand shops too

15 Dont 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 or pick up a form in our information roomwww.tvlicensing.co.uk Even if you are in College halls of residence MAKE SURE YOU GET INSURANCE!!! If you dont and your belongings are stolen or damaged you will lose a lot of money ( specialise in student insurance policies)

16 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!

17 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!

18 Useful Links Transport: – – – and Discounts and deals: –NUS card - – – –Price comparison – –Us! – ww.facebook.com/kingsinternationalstudentsupportww.facebook.com/kingsinternationalstudentsupport

19 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 to us at or call the Compass – – to book an Visit our website – 20

The Compass 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 21

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 22

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 Guys), Tuesday (Waterloo) and Thursday (Denmark Hill) Organise lots of events and trips during the term Regular services and activities throughout the week 23

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 for detailswww.kcl.ac.uk/careers

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 Kings halls and in nearby boroughs – check 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 Kings is at Waterloo Station Health information at

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! 26

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 27

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

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 Kings. If you have a visa for elsewhere speak to a Student Adviser as you will need to obtain a new visa Kings 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 33 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 wont be activated if you enter the UK via Ireland – nobody will know youre 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 Kings and a bank statement to show immigration when you return Check customs requirements so you dont bring back anything illegal! Expedia, Opodo and Eurostar are handy websites for booking short breaks Make the most of being on Europes doorstep!

Exploring the UK & Europe HOST UK organises visits to stay with Host families throughout the UK. Kings pays for your first visit – you just pay travel! See for detailswww.hostuk.org International Students House has a travel club which runs regular trips. Check out Haggis and Shamrocker – great trips to Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Visit for details – 10% discount for Kings students! Type KCL into promo boxwww.radicaltravel.com

Need more help? - lots more info including presentations from Orientationwww.kcl.ac.uk/advice - letters, general help and informationwww.kcl.ac.uk/thecompass - events and networkingwww.facebook.com/kingsinternationalstudentsupport We hope you have a great time at Kings!

Any questions? 37