International Student Guide

Stylish accommodation for Erasmus and international students

City Room Rentals can match you to comfortable and stylish accommodation across the UK, providing you with a fantastic home for short term accommodation (termly) or longer term (six months or full year) as part of Erasmus programme or for international students in general. Our advertised student rooms have everything you will need for a comfortable stay, from stylish bedrooms with en-suite and non en-suite bathrooms, fully equipped kitchens and total peace of mind with secure and managed student buildings. Search here to find your perfect student home.

We are approved university accommodation partners and have housed thousands of students across the UK. Take it from us, we understand that moving to a new country can be scary and we have a multi Lingual Bookings Team on hand to help you along the way, so please do get in touch for any help or support you might need. In the meantime, we’ve put together some useful starter information that we hope you will find useful.

Opening a bank account

Bank Account

Once you arrive in the UK it’s really important that you open a bank account to keep your money safe and secure, which you can only do in person when you enter the country. The process of opening an account can take between 5-10 working days so it’s important you make sure you have enough money to keep you going in your new city until you get your new bank account opened.

Check around for the best student bank accounts on the market, there will be a variety of student deals you can take advantage of- follow this link for more information in researching the best deals here.

Always check the selected bank requirements and remember to take your passport and introductory documentation from your university/college/institution containing your personal and course details.

Other great sources of information and reading include The Money Advice Service which provides people with really useful information on budgeting and money management. Also check out the British Bankers Association for their recent publication guide for international students.

Student discount cards

Discounts

If you like discounts, then you’ll love being a student! Take advantage of student discounts with the National Union of Students Extra discount card offering great discounts up to 25% off on a variety of great things from Spotify, Amazon and Student Travel.

Another great option to explore is the student discount card offered by Save The Student.

Like to Travel?

Why not explore the UK while you are a student and take advantage of the transport savings. There are great options such as the Young Person's Railcard and/or a Coach Card. The Young Person's Coach Card can be purchased easily online at National Express or by buying at National Express bus stations, remember to take your student ID as proof.

A Young Person's Railcard offers you a third off your rail travel in the UK, all you need to do is visit 16-25 Railcard. It’s a really good investment, costing £30 for one year or if you are studying longer term why not go for the three year option at £70. Again, remember you will need proof you are student and also a valid form of ID and a passport-size photo.

Getting a UK Mobile phone

Mobile

Mobile phones are easy to buy when you arrive in the UK, but be very careful as it can be expensive to call home to another country with International roaming charges applied. A really cost effective option can be to purchase a new UK Sim Card giving you a dedicated UK number while you study in the country. Some of the best International Sim Card options can be found by visiting Lebara offering bundle minutes to call internationally at competitive prices.

For more impartial advice for mobile phones, tariffs and price options please follow this link for more information mobiles.co.uk.

Generally you will find Pay as you Go plans are offered in the UK for less than 12 months but tend to be slightly more expensive, with calls and texts charged at a standard charge. Contract plans tend to be less expensive than Pay as you Go but typically can only be purchased on 12 and 24 months contracts, which isn’t ideal if you are only visiting the UK for a short period of time.

NHS

Doctors

When you arrive at your new student accommodation it’s really important that you register with the local doctor surgery (a General Practitioner or GP) by visiting the surgery. This is a free service and is where you will visit if you need to been seen by a doctor for a non-emergency issue.

You can check out the lists for your area by NHS for England and Wales or NHS 24 for Scotland.

Another useful contact is NHS 24 who can provide out-of hours health advice over the phone by calling their helpline on 08454 24 24 24.

Dentists

Dental treatment in the UK can be very expensive and isn’t free everywhere so you will need to check out various options available in your city location. NHS dentists tend to be cheaper and subsidised, again though you will need to be registered in advance for any treatment you receive from them. You can check out the lists for your area by visiting NHS for England and Wales or NHS 24 (for Scotland).