Hi there. Are you thinking about moving to the UK?
If so, you have come to the right place!
My name is Simon. I am an Aussie who travelled and lived in the UK on the Youth Mobility Scheme visa in 2017. Living in the UK for two years was one of the greatest decisions of my life and I write about this so you can do it too!
Travelling to the UK has been a rite of passage for many Aussies and Kiwis but with the Covid pandemic happening many have been waiting for their chance to start exploring and adventuring around the UK and Europe.
Moving to the other side of the world and setting yourself up over there can seem daunting. However, it doesn’t have to be. Keep reading as I share with you all the tips, advice, how-to-guides and other things I wish I had known back then to help you move over smoothly and have the greatest UK experience ever.
Let’s begin.
Once you have decided you want to live in the UK you will need to apply for the UK Youth Mobility Scheme visa. After getting your application approved, you will need to start organising a lot of things including when you want to fly over, where you are going to live, what to pack, which flights to book and what insurance you need. I created an Ultimate Checklist so you can make sure you don’t forget anything before you go.
For most people, London is the obvious place to live. However, it’s still worth considering other major cities including Bristol and Manchester. You can also change your mind halfway like I did and move to a different city.
Landing in the UK
Once you arrive you will likely take the Tube to your new/temporary home. Although exciting, this is the time for you to get active and set yourself up as soon as you can. This includes collecting your Biometric Residence Permit (BRP), getting your National Insurance Number (NiN), finding a place to rent, registering with a local doctor and accessing the NHS, getting a UK bank account, setting up a new phone plan, working out where to buy your groceries and more!
Working in the UK
One of the first things you will need to do in the UK is find a job. Living and travelling in the UK is going to cost money so the faster you can land a job the better it will be. Luckily, Aussie workers are well accepted in the UK. Trust me, they love Australians here! There’s also plenty of jobs but it’s worth preparing! Read here to find out how to get a job in the UK. If you are a contractor or freelancer, read here about how you can get started.
Do you need to find a job before you go to the UK? I did and it made things a lot easier when it came to setting up a traditional bank account (not necessary anymore as online UK banks don’t require this), finding a place to live and earning British pounds as quickly as possible . However, it’s not a prerequisite and you can find a job once you get to the UK.
Living in the UK
By now, you should have started to get the hang of things. However, there’s a lot of tips and tricks which will make your time in the UK even better whether that be cycling in London, surviving UK winters or searching for good coffee and rare Asian restaurants! You will also be wanting to get out there and meet people from all around the world and make new friends.
Make sure you also visit a few Christmas markets, go castle hunting and see all of UK’s biggest sights!
You might also want to buy a car and drive around the UK.
Travel
This is the fun part. At this point, you have a phone, you have a home, you have a job and you’re starting to make a few new friends. There is a huge amount of flexibility when it comes to where and how you want to explore the UK and Europe. Some people will spend a few months travelling at a time, others will alternate between one month of work and one month of travel, others will prefer taking spontaneous weekend trips or you might want do a combination of all of the above. There are multiple ways of travelling which is awesome!
I share some of the things which I learned after making my way through most of Europe, and what Aussies and Kiwis before you have learned. This includes how to pack, how to search for cheap flights, how to find the best hostels, cool places to check out, where to find the best adventures (Kayaking Norway’s Fjords) and what are the best experiences (usually pretty cheap if you know where to go).
I do have one massive game-changing piece of advice for you now though. Travel solo. Yes, having friends to travel with is great but going solo is something you should definitely try. You will meet way more people from all parts of the world, you will have some of the greatest experiences and you will learn so much more about yourself.
So if you are new to all this, I’m glad you are here. Let’s get started! If you are already in the UK then let’s keep going!
If you want to binge read all the posts check them out here.
All the best
Simon