What do Students need to remember when packing

• Letter of acceptance from institution.
• Photo ID, passport & an extra copy of the front page of your passport.
• Travel insurance, visa documents (if you need them), extra copies of passport photos
• Keep copies of insurance policies, travellers’ cheque numbers, passport numbers, your visa etc in a safe place or with family/ friends
• Credit cards/travellers cheques.
• Mobile phone and charger.
• Mains electrical power in the UK is 240v. UK plug sockets usually take 13 amp with a 3-pinned fused plug. Please check all your electrical equipment will work on this voltage before coming to the UK. Do not bring any electrical items that need mains power unless they are dual voltage 110-120/220-240v (for example, a laptop computer). Remember this will also apply to your mobile phone charger and you may need to buy an adaptor.
• Consider bringing your own laptop, especially if your course demands making presentations, power point. We have a wireless network in the college and of course you are also welcome to use the student computers during school opening hours.
• An internationally recognised student card if you have one.
• A good bi-lingual dictionary. Mono-lingual dictionaries can be bought in London if you do not already have one.
• A memory stick to save any work you do in the college.
• Any materials you might wish to use for self-study, (for instance, a technical book on a specific subject that interests you) or for a presentation on your course, (for instance, statistics, graphs or a map).
• Suitable winter clothing as well as equipment if you have interests in sports.
• perhaps an umbrella.
• Couple of passport-sized photographs, for student cards, travel passes etc.
• duvet (13.5 tog), pillows and bed linen;
• desk lamp, fused adaptor (not a three-way plug);
• bath and kitchen towels, personal toiletries and toilet paper;
• crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils, pots and pans.

Arrival and orientation for students in London

Arriving at Heathrow

Short-term students (up to 6 months)

Short-term study students (up to 6 months) who have not obtained a visa from their home country should NOT use the eGates, as they need to see an officer for a stamp in their passport. They MUST see a Border Force officer and get their passport stamped if they are coming to the UK as a Short-term study student (up to 6 months). This stamp gives them the permission needed for their studies.

Non-visa nationals from the countries above entering the UK with a short-term study visa must NOT use the eGates. They MUST insist on seeing an Immigrating officer and obtaining a short-term study stamp in their passport.

Students who fail to obtain a Short-term study visa stamp in their passport can be enrolled on arrival at LEM, but MUST exit the UK within 30 days and re-enter to obtain the Short-term study visa stamp.

Transport

By Underground
A quick and easy way to get to central London is by the Piccadilly line. The journey time is usually under an hour and trains run every 5-10 minutes. Underground tickets are available at all stations. Tickets are issued by zone, depending on which part of London you are travelling to. A one-day travel card gives unlimited travel around London. For more information visit www.tfl.gov.uk/fares-and-payments or visit the Travel Information Centre at Heathrow Terminals 2 and 3 underground station.

By Train
The Heathrow Express is a non-stop train service that is the fastest travel option between Heathrow Airport and central London. Services run every 15 minutes. Tickets can be pre-booked or are available on arrival. For details of special offers and to pre-book tickets visit www.heathrowexpress.com or ring 0845 600 1515 (UK only).

Arriving at Gatwick

By Coach
National Express direct services to London Victoria operate once an hour with a journey time of 1.5 to 2 hours depending on the time of the day.

By Train
The fastest train service into central London is the Gatwick Express which travels direct to London Victoria station. Trains are non-stop and run every 15 minutes from 05:00 to 23:45 with a journey time of 30 minutes and a less frequent service running through the night.National Rail services also run to London Bridge every 20 – 30 minutes during the day with a journey time of about 40 minutes.

Arriving at Stansted

By Coach
National Express coaches from Stansted to London run 24 hours a day, the average journey time is 1 hour and 5 minutes.

By Train
The Stansted Express train is the quickest way to get to London. Services run every 15 minutes from 05:30 to 12:30. Stansted express stops at London Liverpool Street Station or Tottenham Hale and the journey time is 47 and 36 minutes respectively.

Arriving at St Pancras

If you are coming to the UK on the Eurostar, you will arrive into St Pancras International station which has excellent links around London.

By Underground
The Circle, Hammersmith and City and Metropolitan lines all stop at St Pancras making it easy to travel around the city.

Living in London

Transport in London

Oyster cards

The TFL Oyster card is London’s travel smartcard. It can store your season ticket or prepay (pay-as-you-go travel), or a combination of both. You simply touch it on the card readers at Tube and DLR stations, on buses and at tram stops.

Oyster cards are reusable. When your ticket expires, simply buy another one using the same Oyster card.

When your Pre Pay runs out, just top it up. Paying for transport in London with cash is much more expensive than using an Oyster card so, since you are certain to use the Tube or buses while you are in London, we strongly recommend that you get an Oyster card.

If you have guests in London they can buy single tickets for cash, or get a Daily Travelcard.

You can get an Oyster card at an underground station or at certain shops when you arrive.

If you are studying with us full time for more than 14 weeks you will be eligible for a Student Oyster card, which will give you further discounts (usually around 30%).  You can only apply for a student Oyster card after you have arrived at the school.

The Underground / The Tube

The Underground is divided into six zones. Zone 1 being central London and increasing the further out you travel from the centre. Last trains run at around midnight. For more information on Transport for London’s Tube pages. (http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2625.aspx)

Buses

Remember to put your arm out to stop the bus. The last buses and tubes leave central London at around midnight but there is also a network of night buses. All night buses have a letter ‘N’ before the number on the front of the bus. Daily travel cards can be used until 04.00AM the following day on these night buses.

On some routes you have to buy your ticket before boarding the bus, so check if there is a machine at the bus stop. When travelling on a London bus, you must press the red button once to indicate that you want to get off at the next bus stop. More information on Transport for London’s Bus pages. ( http://www.tfl.gov.uk/modalpages/2605.aspx)

Women’s Health Problems:

Contraception and birth control advice is free for students entitled to free NHS treatment. Go to your doctor or your local NHS Family Planning Clinic. Advice on pregnancy and family planning can also be obtained from private agencies registered with the Department of Health, such as:

British Pregnancy Advisory Service:
45 Columbo Street
London, SE1 8EE
Tel: 03457304030 Website: www.bpas.org

Dentists:

If you are registered with a doctor for NHS medical treatment you can go to a NHS dentist. Lists are available from the reception or at post offices. There is a charge for dental treatment under the NHS. For more information
about NHS dental charges, please see: http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/1781.aspx?CategoryID=74

Opticians:

Eye tests are available from any optician. It costs around £20. Lenses and frames for glasses can cost £50 or more, depending on what you choose.

For more information and location of opticians near college please see:

http://www.nhs.uk/Service-Search/Opticians/w1d-2du/Results/11/-0.131890058517456/51.5161781311035/9/0?distance=25

Registering with police

If you come from an EU country you will need to apply for an European Health Insurance Card in your home country.

Healthcare for EU students if you come from an EU country you are eligible for free healthcare in the UK, but you will need to check any restrictions in your home country (your home country will have an agreement with the UK).  You must apply for a European Health Insurance Card in your home country before you come to the UK. If you need to see a doctor you can go to a surgery (an NHS surgery, not a private clinic) with your European Health Insurance Card and make an appointment.  You do not need to register with the doctor.

Most European Health Insurance Cards are valid for a visit of approximately 3 months.  After this time some doctors surgeries will allow you to register and get free treatment although the surgery can choose not to register you if you are not a permanent resident in the UK.

If you are from outside the EU and you will be studying in the UK for at least six months then you can register with a doctor.  We recommend that you register as soon as possible to save time if you become ill.  When you ring the surgery you would like to register with check the following:

• that they are accepting new patients (some surgeries are full)
• what paperwork you will need to register (typically a passport and proof of your address).

If you are from outside the EU and will be studying in the UK for less than six months you will need to go to a private medical centre.

Who needs to register with the police

You may need to register with the police if you come to UK for longer than 6 months, extend your current leave or switch to a different visa.

You’ll be told if you need to register with the police on one of the following documents:

• your entry visa vignette (if you’re travelling to the UK)
• your biometric residence permit (BRP)
• the Home Office letter that approved your application for leave

Who needs to register with the police

You may be told to register with the police if all the following apply:

• you’re 16 or older
• your visa or immigration application is for longer than 6 months
• your visa or immigration application is not exempt from the police registration requirement
• you’ve been told to register on your entry visa vignette, your BRP or Home Office letter that approved your application for leave
• you’re from one of the countries in the following list

You must register with the police if you’re from:

Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Libya, Moldova, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Palestine, Peru, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

You may also need to register if:

• you’re stateless
• you hold a non-national travel document

You don’t need to register if you have dual nationality with one of these countries and a country that’s not on the list.

How to register

You must register within 7 days of arriving in the UK or within 7 days of getting your biometric residence permit.

You must register at

Overseas Visitors Records Office (OVRO)
323 Borough High Street
London
SE1 1JL.

Fees

Registering with the police costs £34. You can pay at the police station.

Documents you must provide

You’ll need to take:

• 2 recent passport size colour photographs
• your passport with your entry visa vignette
• your BRP, if you have one
• the Home Office letter that approved your application for leave

You may need to provide additional documents depending on your status and the police force you’re registering with. You may also have to fill in an application form before you register. Contact the police to find out.

Change of circumstances

If you registered with the police you must tell them if any of the information you’ve given them changes. Contact the police station to check if you need to go in person.

If you registered at the Overseas Visitors Records Office, check what changes they need to know about and how to report them.

Local Services

Public Libraries in London

There are hundreds of public libraries in London. Some of them may allow membership for the residents of that borough (area of London) only whereas most of them give a membership card regardless of the area you live in.
You can also use internet/computers for 1 hour for free in a public library.
To register with a public library you will need 1 proof of ID (e.g. passport) and a proof of address (any bill – e.g. bank statement, credit card statement etc.)

The British Library
96 Euston Rd, London, Greater London NW1 2DB, 0843 208 1144

Southwark Local History Library
211 Borough High St,London SE1 1JA,
Ph:020 75250232

City Business Library
Guildhall, London EC2V 7HH
Ph: 020 73321812

Post Offices

You can post letters and cards in the red post-boxes you see in the street. They should show the times of collection on them. Last times of collection vary but are usually 17.30 Monday to Friday (sometimes later) 12.00 Saturday. Post is collected from some boxes (but not all) on Sundays, particularly at post offices.
Check the information on the box before posting, especially if it is an urgent letter. You must take parcels to a post office.
It is difficult to be precise about how long letters and cards take to get to other countries. Two days is perfectly common to most of western Europe, but it can be a week or more.

Most post offices are open between 09.00 – 17.00 Monday to Friday and 09.00 – 13.00 on Saturday.

Post Office around us:

• oo
• 88

Local Police Stations

Bethnal Green Police Station
12 Victoria Park Square E2 9NZ
Opening times: 24 hours a day

Brick Lane Police Office
23-15 Brick Lane E1 6PU
Opening times: Wednesday to Sunday 12 noon-8pm

Banking

It is advisable for you to open a bank account when you arrive in London and start your course. There are several major banks and building societies in London you can choose from.
You will need to have your passport, confirmation of your UK address (credit card statement, or electricity bill, or your rental agreement etc.) and a letter from the College.
We will assist you in opening a new bank account in London and give you a letter from the college confirming that you are enrolled as a student at LEM.
The college cannot recommend any particular UK bank. 

The following banks have branches close to LEM:

Barclays

• 100 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 5JD
  
• 29-33 Wormwood Street, London EC2M 1RP

HSBC

• Whitechapel (400233) 75 Whitechapel Road, Whitechapel, London, E1 1DU
• Old Broad Street (400731) 100 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1BG

Lloyds

• 210 Commercial Road London, E1 2JR
• 3-5 Whitechapel Road London E1 1DU

NATWEST

• Black Lion House
  45 Whitechapel Road, E1 1DU
• Natwest, 216 Bishopsgate,
  EC2M 4QB, London
• 280 Bishopsgate London,
  EC2M 4RB, London

Local walk-in clinic

We strongly recommend that you register with an NHS general practitioner as soon as you arrive, even if you do not normally need to see a doctor. You will need a proof of your address to register at your local GP clinic.
 If you want to see the doctor the same day, then you can use the services of NHS Walk-in clinics. Soho NHS Walk-in Centre is based at the Soho Centre for Health and Care, located in Soho Square.

Guy’s Hospital Walk-in Centre,
Great Maze Pond
London
SE1 9RT
Tel: 020 75346500
Opening Hours are:
Monday – Friday 8.00am to 7.00pm; 
Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays (Closed only on Christmas Day) 10.00am to 8.00pm.

Private  Medical Centre
City Walk-In Clinic
3-34 Bury St, London EC3A 5AR
Hours: 7:30am – 6:30pm (Mon-Fri)
Saturday & Sunday Closed
Phone: 020 7101 0355
https://walkin-clinic.co.uk

Insurance:

We advise all students to arrange medical and personal insurance. LEM does not provide insurance or endorse any insurance company, but Endsleigh Insurance Services (www.endsleigh.co.uk) is a commonly used company and can arrange insurance for you.

Worship Places

Saint Botolph
Aldgate High St, London
EC3N 1AB
stbotolphs.org.uk
Phone: 020 7283 1670

Roman Catholic Church of the English Martyrs
30 Prescot St, London
E1 8BB
rcdow.org.uk
Phone: 020 7488 4654

Bricklane Mosque
59 Brick Ln, London
E1 6QL
bricklanejammemasjid.co.uk
Phone: 020 7247 6052

The East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre
82-92 Whitechapel Rd, London
E1 1JQ
eastlondonmosque.org.uk
Phone: 020 7650 3000

Sai Trust
Middlesex St, London
E1 7EZ
saitrust.uk
Phone: 07711 200300

Hindu Pragati Sangha
33 Rhondda Grove,
London E3 5AP
hindupragatisangha.net
Phone: 020 3489 7078