These pages are divided into a number of sections to help you find the information you need. If you want to go directly to one area, please click on one of the headings below.

We have included many links to help you get the details you need, for example the website statistics.gov.uk will tell you about the UK in general. The sections are:

Introduction
Accommodation
Climate
Customs and traditions
Entertainment and attractions
Insurance and medical treatment
London
Money and discounts
Post
Shopping
Smoking
Tax
Telephones
Tips
Transport

Introduction

The UK is divided into four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. England is by far the biggest, having a population of about 50 million, out of a total of nearly 60 million.  Scotland has five million people, Wales nearly three million and Northern Ireland 1.5 million. For everything you need to know about the UK, please click here. Below, we have divided this section into various headings to help you during your stay in the UK. This is constantly updated, and if you have any suggestions, changes or additions, please contact us.


Accommodation

Your accommodation could be with a homestay family, in a hotel, in a hostel, in your own rented accommodation or you could even stay with your teacher. This depends on your preferences, the course you take and the school you choose. The school will help you to choose and tell you what to do, for example how to contact your homestay family before arrival. Please tell your school what type of accommodation you want.

If you want to find your own accommodation, you could look at:
VisitBritain.com
LondonDiscountHotel.com
HotelLink.co.uk
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Climate

The British climate is always a subject of conversation. To summarise: the climate is changeable and it's difficult to say what the weather will be like. The month of May might be wet and grey one year but sunny the next; November may be bright and clear or foggy and cold. In general, the summers do not often get very hot and the winters do not get too cold, except in the north of Scotland and during short cold spells. Usually, the south gets more hours of sunshine than the north.

The least pleasant months for visitors are November to February, when it is quite cold and the days are short. From April to September is the best time to visit, when most attractions are open, and the tourist season operates. July and August are the busiest months and when Britain is at its most exciting and there is daylight for up to 17 hours.

For more information about the weather, please visit:
MetOffice.gov.uk
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Customs and traditions

There are many things different in the UK from your own country. For example, English people who see each other regularly do not normally shake hands or kiss when they meet. They sometimes shake hands when they meet somebody for the first time.

A lot of British social life takes place in the pub. Pubs serve alcohol, cold soft drinks, and sometimes coffee and tea. The opening times are from about 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., but some have special licences to stay open later. 10 minutes before closing time, they will call "last orders" or ring a bell. After closing time, you will have about 20 minutes to finish your drinks. You will normally buy your drinks at the bar, as there are no drinks waiters. You must be over 18 to buy alcohol.  It is traditional to buy "rounds" for your friends, which means one person buys a drink for everyone in a (small) group. Most pubs sell snack foods and often meals as well. Some of them do not have waiters, and you order your food or drink at the bar, pay and then take a seat.

Discos and nightclubs are usually open until the early hours of the morning. You have to pay to get in and may have to follow a dress code, for example smart casual dress only. Drinks in nightclubs are normally more expensive than in pubs.

If you are invited to lunch or dinner at a friend's house, it is polite to take a bottle of wine. You could also take chocolates, or flowers, or something from your country.

Perhaps Britain's greatest cultural export is the English language, the lingua franca of the international community. There are a large number of regional accents, and this can be confusing even for native speakers. Do not worry if you cannot understand some of these accents, as they can be very strong!

Please also see the sections below, which deal with such customs as giving a tip to, for example, a waiter in a restaurant.

There are a number of websites which might help:
VisitBritain.com
LonelyPlanet.com
RoughGuides.com
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Entertainment and attractions

For information on attractions around the whole of the UK, please take a look:
here for England, here for Scotland and here for Wales.

For more information on London, please visit the London tourist site.

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Insurance and medical treatment

If you are unwell during your visit to Britain, firstly see a pharmacist or chemist. They will advise on treatments available without a doctor's prescription. You could also try the National Health Service (NHS) website at NHSdirect.nhs.uk. If this does not help, see a doctor (your school should help you with this). If your country does not have a reciprocal health care agreement (see below), you will have to pay to see the doctor. Ask at the doctor's reception for the necessary forms. You may need to telephone the doctor to make an appointment.

You are strongly advised to take out adequate insurance cover before travelling to Britain. Overseas visitors who become ill while in Britain can only get free emergency treatment in the Accident and Emergency departments of National Health Service hospitals. In other cases, you may be asked to pay unless you are a national or resident of the European Economic Area or you are a refugee living in the European Economic Area.

Some countries have a health agreements with the UK, and so treatment is usually free. These countries include (amongst others): Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Belarus, Bosnia, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Montserrat, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. You may also wish to insure your possessions and your course fees in case you cannot come to Britain.

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London

London is, of course, the capital of the United Kingdom (UK). We have collected some possibly surprising facts. London has a population of 7,370,000, expected to rise to 8,1 million people by 2016. One in eight of the UK population lives here, together speaking over 200 languages. About 20% of London's population comes from an ethnic minority.

London is the premier city in Europe in terms of size, population and wealth per head. Its opportunities for entertainment by day and night are huge. London can look unplanned, with old and modern buildings side by side. However, it is this diversity which gives the city its appeal. There are many world-class museums, monuments, buildings, churches and historical sites. As London is so large, visitors will need to make use of the extensive public transport system, most famous being the tube or the underground train system. Travelling by bus above ground is a great way to experience the sights and sounds of this diverse, multicultural city.

There are some very good websites for you to get more information:
LondonTown.com
VisitLondon.com
Statistics.gov.uk
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Money and discounts

The British pound is divided into 100 pence. Notes come in denominations of £50, £20, £10 and £5. Coins come in denominations of £2, £1, 50p, 20p, 10p, 5p, 2p and 1p.

The UK has no controls governing the amount of money you can bring into the country, although some foreign governments may have restrictions on the amount you may take out of your country. To avoid problems, plan your finances well in advance and seek advice from your bank. The immigration officer may want to see evidence that you have sufficient money for your stay in the UK. If you are staying for some time in the UK, you should open a bank account. Ask your English school for advice. Most shops, restaurants, etc accept credit cards.

The UK can be expensive and London in particular. If you are not sure of how much money to bring, as a guide you should budget £30-£40 a day to include accommodation, transport and some food.  You will need less than this outside London, where life is cheaper.

Traveller's cheques are widely accepted in UK banks and it is better to buy them in pounds to avoid changing currencies twice.  There are a lot of cash machines in the UK, so you should have no problem in getting cash. Credit cards are widely accepted. Students or young people can often obtain discounts. You may be eligible for an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) which will give you many benefits and you an ask your school about this.

For more information, please see:
RoughGuides.com
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Post

Stamps are sold in Post Offices and in some shops, especially newspaper shops. If you are writing to a non-EU country, it is cheaper to buy from Post Offices. International letters need blue airmail labels.

For more information, look at:
RoyalMail.com
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Shopping

Shops outside London are normally open from about 9.00 a.m. to about 5.30 p.m. and some shops open late on Thursdays and on Sundays for about six hours. In London they are open longer. Banks are open from about 9 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. and on Saturday mornings.  Again, in London shops may open longer and on Sundays.

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Smoking

Smoking is not allowed in many public places, but is allowed in most pubs and clubs. There are special smoking areas in some public places. If you smoke in a non-smoking area you may be asked to leave. You should check before starting to smoke.

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Tax

There are three bands of personal income tax set at 10%, 22% and 40%. The standard rate of value-added tax (VAT), which is paid on many everyday goods, is 17.5%. VAT is a tax that is added to many shop items like clothes and if you are from a non-European country you can claim back VAT if you spend over a certain amount. You need to ask for a VAT form from the shop where you buy your goods. You then give the form to the UK customs officials at the airport when you return home. Keep all receipts.
 

Duties (taxes) are added to tobacco and alcohol and are quite high.  

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Telephones

There are many public pay-phones; some take coins or credit cards, others use special phone cards which have to be bought in advance from Post Offices or other shops. Many phone boxes have e-mail and internet facilities.

If you want to use your homestay family telephone, please ask for permission first and pay for all calls. It is cheaper to telephone internationally after 6 p.m. on weekdays and at any time at weekends.  If you want to reverse the charges (make a collect-call) dial 100 for a national call or 155 for an international call and ask the operator to make the connection for you.