What you need to open a bank account in UK?

An international student must have a bank account in a UK bank.To open a bank account, you need the following: Passport, Unconditional Offer Letter (original documents only) and confirmation of your UK address and your home (overseas) address.

Usually, banks will regard the address on your offer letter as your home address. If that's not the case with you, you need to produce a document to confirm your home address. Some of the Chinese students run into a minor trouble with this. As for me, I brought my I.D. Card and its stamped/signed Chinese translation. The bank clerk said to me: "It's great!"

For students living in university-owned houses, you need to bring with you Accommodation Offer Letter to confirm your UK address.

Buy a coach ticket before you enter Britain!
(28 SEP 02)

If you have to take a coach from London Heathrow Airport to your university, you must purchase a ticket before you enter the country. You can buy one via www.gobycoach.com or www.nationalexpress.co.uk. A one-way ticket from Heathrow to Coventry cost me 11.50 pounds on the night of 24 September 2002. Without a ticket booked, most probably, you have to go first to Victoria Coach Station, London, and from there you can buy your ticket even at night. But this will cost you more!

Just at the entrance of Heathrow Airport, I am sure someone, wearing no uniform, will stop you and ask enthusiastically, "Where are you going?" "Do you have a ticket?" "Follow me, please!" He must be a taxi driver. As an international student, try your best to avoid taking a taxi partially because taxi is the most expensive transportation in Britain.

Different Definition of Children
(29 SEP 02)

In China, a child shorter than 1.2 meters are qualified to pay half for some tickets, i.e. trains and buses. But in UK, a child aged between 5 and 12 years old is eligible for a discount of 50% in most of the similar situations.

Bank commission
(29 SEP 02)

For some British universities, if you pay ALL the tuition fee before a certain deadline, you are eligible for a discount. But you must be well aware that the bank in the UK will take a charge off your money. For example, when I paid ￡6900 by T.T., the HSBC in Coventry took off ￡12.

How much goods cost in Britain?
(29 SEP 02)

While shopping in Coventry, I found some interesting phenomena. For example, milk is much cheaper than soft drinks in most stores. The followings are some of the items I bought during my first-week life in Coventry.

At Wilkinson Hardware Stores Ltd:
-a double bed quilt:￡8.49

At Sainsbury's:
-banana (750g):29p
-1 pint of posteurised milk: 29p
-4 vegetable samosas (200g): ￡1.69
-10 salami (100g): 75p
-white bread (400g): 52p

At"99p Stores", every item is much cheaper than in other stores. For example:
-4 cans of Coca Cola and/or Pepsi Cola (0.33 liter each): 99p