Blog no. 23 – My experience in the UK (Personal blog)

Finally I can say – I am back ☺️

This is my first blog in 2022; which explains how action packed my life was since December ‘21. It was heart warming to see people reaching out asking for status of my upcoming blogs and few asking if my blog page is dead 😅 – Simple answer is NO.

Where was I since December 2021? – I have been lucky to be provided with an opportunity to travel to the UK with work assignment; hence busy with the paper work and in saying good-bye to my family & friends.

Whilst I was busy – I have been thinking since months to write a blog on my travel and stay experience from Mumbai (India) to the United Kingdom so that people who are planning to travel in the future will benefit from my experience (hopefully). I have been drafting this blog since weeks now (along with my other household chores, of course ☺️) , finally got a chance to complete and share with ya’ll !

Note: Before I share my experience, please keep in mind that the experience may not be the same for everyone. This experience is purely from my own personal experience & has no influence from anyone else.

Do take some time out to read the article & share your experience, comments as well !!! So, here we go !!

1. Pre-travel activities – JFYI – I was notified by end of November 2021/start of December 2021 regarding this opportunity
   1. Passport renewal – To be honest, I was lucky with this. My passport was due to expire by November and one day (in the month of July), I had this bright idea of renewing my passport with no hope of travelling abroad due to our very own COVID. I applied online for the passport renewal and got my passport renewed with 1 month (normal process). Overall process was extremely seamless and credit should be given where it’s due – Kudos to TCS for executing this simple & seamless process!
   2. Visa – All my visa activities were support by my organisation’s travel team so the experience for people who are travelling by their own will be different. Documents required were quite straightforward (e.g. education certificates, experience certificates, address proof, photo proof, Form 16, bank statements, payslips, etc.) except for few, which I will cover below. I must also acknowledge & appreciate how smooth the VFS process is. Few key take always –
      1. Medium of instruction letter – I had no clue what this document was to be honest, but here it is – This letter is to prove that your academics were conducted in English & basically proves your proficiency. All I had to do is – a) Go to my college b) Raise a request with a letter explaining why I need the MOI letter c) Provide photocopy of my marksheets. I received the MOI letter in 3 working days. (FYI – Your experience may change if your graduation was done directly from a University i/o a college | And if your primary language wasn’t English then you need give IELTS exam)
      2. Bank statements – 6 month bank statements will be required. Key take away is – you need to go to the bank & have them stamped
      3. NAARIC – National Academic Recognition Information Centre provides a certificate based on their assessment on our academic certificates (including the above mentioned MOI letter). This certificate is required for your visa submission
      4. Online upload – This is a must do process ! Please upload all relevant documents within 24 hours, prior to your visa interview schedule. Why is this helpful? – a) You don’t need to carry all your documents to the VFS centre (Except for few which will be notified to you) b) Time taken to complete the whole process was c. 10 – 15 mins
      5. VFS schedule – Given an option, please opt for first few slots in the morning. It’ll be less chaotic & much quicker as compared to other slots during the day
   3. Shopping – Buy things which you may not get in UK or if they are extremely expensive in the UK. These are few things I could think off – a) Pressure cooker/Wonderchef cooker b) Tea strainer c) Indian spices d) Indian schezwan (if you love Indo. Chinese like me) e) Power bank (useful for long hauls) d) Umbrella or water proof jacket (Check Decathalon), e) Steel utensils like plate (if you are used to eating in it unlike me) and f) Winter clothes (for you to survive initial months). Based on my experience, I wouldn’t buy – Too many Winter jackets; you will get better ones in the UK. Also, don’t buy too many food items like lays, Maggie, etc. – you will get it here. To summarise – You should buy items esp. food for your initial 2 month survival (as you will need to be as economical as possible)
2. Flight experience – Nothing major to share here to be honest except – If you are in a direct flight, you should know that it’s a 10 hour flight. Ensure that you have enough of movies, series, songs downloaded as the options which you may have in your flight may not be as per your choice 😅 Rest – Have fun !
3. Post landing experience – Key take away here is – if you have any connections in the UK who can help you by pre-booking a cab – please do ! Highly recommended. If not, you should be fine if you are landing during the day; but if you are landing during odd time, there can be scenarios of cabs not available or available after hours or available but expensive. Also, there will be taxi drivers outside the airport asking if you need a trip and also claim to charge you less – DO NOT TRUST THEM! Just opt for airport cabs; they might be expensive, but they are safe 👍🏻 Also, whilst you will have WiFi at the airport; recommendation is to buy a SIM card (either at the airport vending machine or any shop near your accommodation) – You will need data more than calling to be honest!
4. UK experience – I have categorised this section into 7 key sections –
   1. Accommodation – Finding a rented apartment was indeed a task. Process is unlike we have in India where we can call up our agent at any point in time & meet up over the weekend. Key take away is a) They don’t work on Sunday’s; and half day on Saturday b) They work 9 – 5. They won’t respond post shift c) Process is – You schedule a visit for the apartment of your liking; provide a quote which will be routed to the owner. Post this they will get back if we were nominated or no. Recommendation – a) Use Rightmove & Zoopla b) Try & give a token amount (not under the table; doesn’t work in the UK 😂) and block if you really liked the apartment. Key learning – If you have a kid; you can’t opt for a 1 room kitchen apartment
   2. Household chores – I am someone who had a maid and a cook who used to manage household chores. I was a pampered child and an adult who used to be served with lunch and tea at my workspace. Be ready to not enjoy these while you are in UK (and if you are in a situation where your better half is not with you). Be ready to clean your kitchen and bathroom, vacuum your house, wash & dry your clothes, etc. Initially you may feel odd/bored but trust me – you have to do this; I had to ☺️ Be mentally and physically prepared !!
   3. Food – This was one element I was really nervous with. I am a pampered guy who lived in Mumbai, Kerala most of my life and have been travelling abroad for a month or so. This was my first long term trip hence the nervousness. But – honestly, it’s not that bad. Due to cultural diversity, you will find a lot of options where it comes to food. But, key take away is – You may not opt to eat outside on a daily basis. Recommendation – a) Learn basics – rice, daal (lentils), Bhaaji, etc. b) If you are comfortable/scared using pressure cooker (Like I am), buy Wonderchef cooker (not a paid promotion) and understand the proportion of rice/daal + water. Best part about this cooker is – it won’t open until the pressure is completely off and secondly you have presets for rice, daal, biryani so you don’t need to keep a tab at it. Add stuffs, start & go back to work ☺️. Also, I would recommend you to get acclimatised to UK food as well; it’s lovely.
   4. Travel – Be ready to walk as travelling is expensive. To give you additional perspective – In Mumbai, I used to drive to office even though my office was less than a KM away from home. I used to drive for grocery shopping and other visits like mall, meeting friends and family. But, if you are new to the UK; mostly you won’t be in a position to buy a car/bike for few months/year. Hence my statement above – Be ready to walk ☺️. Initially it’ll be difficult but you will get used to it. Best part is – you won’t sweat ! Only thing you would need is a good pair of shoes. Lastly, google maps is your best friend ! Travel by train, bus or by walk – google maps will give you accurate information
   5. Cost of living – Honestly, this is subjective – based on your lifestyle but let me share my perspective. I am based out of Reading which is outside London hence the cost of living is not as expensive as London. But, it is expensive here in Reading as well. your accommodation (rent + bills) will eat most of your salary. Rest will depend on how you spend. Recommendation – a) Try and find cheaper ways of grocery shopping b) Shop only must haves; at least during initial months till you understand the cash flow c) Walk !! Try and avoid opting for cabs as much as possible d) Keep buffer money in your account – minimum one month rent/one way ticket fare to your hometown (life is unpredictable so best is to be ready for any unforeseen circumstances)
   6. Weather – Weather in the UK is unpredictable. You need to check the weather forecast when you are planning to go out. I have seen all at once – snow, rain, sun (incl. rainbow as well). Key take away is – a) Keep your eyes on the weather app b) Be ready for rains! My overall take is – I have been enjoying weather to be honest. Not as extreme as other countries.
   7. Negatives – From my perspective, there’s only one. If you are attached to your family (like I am) and they are not travelling with you right away or in near future – Be ready to manage this period; it’s tough but not impossible. Based on my experience, here are few takeaways – a) With modern connectivity, it’s easy to stay in touch. Regularly video call your loved ones b) Engage yourself with some activity (I am a console gamer and a movie/series buff – I engage myself with something i/o sitting idle)
5. Few additional tips –
   1. Be prepared to control your spends for initial few months. Buy only things you really need; park luxury items for later
   2. Stop converting currency in your head each time you spend. I know it’s next to impossible. You get a vada pay (from SKVP) in 2.5 GBP; yeah, do not convert
   3. Accept responsibility with grace. Back home we have a support system of family and friends that we need to re-build here. It takes time but you will be able to find your ground. Just remember that life is not perfect anywhere
   4. Be ready to walk. Usually the climates good; suitable for walking. Keep exploring. There will be parks and other beautiful places to explore
   5. Don’t be afraid to meet new people; esp. if you are kind of an introvert like me. Meet up with your friends, cousins, etc. Search – You will find few common friends, relatives for sure ☺️
   6. Respect the local community and the rich heritage of this great nation. Also, get yourself acquainted with the local rules e.g. signal for crossing the road, bins, etc

To summarise – It’s an awesome country to live. There are so many places to explore, foods great, people are diverse and respectful and more importantly – work life is comfortable as well. Enjoy your long term visit/stay (if you are migrating); definitely not too different as compared to Mumbai other than few things I mentioned above. Have fun, cheers !

Below are few pics. I took during my stay in the UK. Enjoy !

Hope this article would have helped you in some shape or form. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions on topics which I couldn’t cover in this article.

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