We were overjoyed to hear back this week from David Job, an Australian who came over to England to fulfil his dream of working in England’s capital. With Eteach’s help, he secured a role as a science teacher in a secondary school in east London.
On his trip across the planet, David picked up some invaluable knowledge about immigrating to England to teach.
Read his six top tips:
“Australia has some systems to ensure anti-fraud and such, but the transition to the UK has highlighted just how comparatively simple getting started in Australia is. New arrivals in England should be made aware of a few things.
Banking
At the time of writing, the only bank that will allow you to create an account with just an Australian passport is Halifax.
- The account you can get is the basic account.
- It will do everything you need to live.
- It will depend on who you talk to, but unless you can provide ‘proof of address’, it’s a waste of time looking anywhere else.
Credit ratings
Your overseas credit rating amounts to nothing. Prepare to start over. This is particularly pertinent when trying to get a phone plan. You can start with a ‘pay as you go’ though.
Proof of address
Getting proof of address is the most annoying thing ever. It will be literally one of your most important documents. Used to sign up to a doctor’s surgery (GP), some libraries, banks, jobs… basically if it is an institution of some kind, they want to know where you live.
– A work-around is to have your National Insurance Number (NIN) application confirmation letter sent to your address, use that to sign up to a doctors surgery and then use their letter of acceptance for everything else.
– Without proof of address, you more or less don’t exist in the UK.
London transport
Get an Oyster Card (a touch-card for the Underground subway rail system), a bike or both. These, along with walking, suffice for all commuting needs within London.
Socialising
Socializing is governed by rules. I read “Watching the English” by anthropologist, Kate Fox. It was both illuminating and comforting. You’re not failing to connect with people, everyone else just connects in very different ways here.
Winter
England’s weather has been good to me so far. I’ve not yet had to walk through hard rain, some wet air occasionally but nothing inconvenient. I’ve not minded the cold. It has been a bit difficult to get up a few mornings for the chill in the air. Much of my days outside of school are spent either walking the streets or in Hyde Park so I’ve been able to see the sun and get fresh air more than most. The only particularly depressing part has been leaving for work before sunrise and getting home after sunset for several weeks. Most inconvenient has been the 1.5 to 2 day drying times of washing.”