If you've missed the previous parts of this blog series, please visit here for the first 'How Do I Get Started?', here for the second 'Creating Your GMC Account' and here for the third part 'Finding Your Job in the NHS'.
Relocating
Healthcare (NHS)
The National Health Service (NHS) is a government-funded medical and healthcare service that visitors may use without having to pay. There may be differences to this once you are staying in the UK for over 6 months. For further information if you are moving from EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, please visit this page. For further information if you are moving from outside of the EEA, please visit this page.
Relocating
- Location – If you’re unsure of which UK location you want to settle in and apply for jobs in, you can visit this page from VisitBritain that gives details on different parts of the UK to help you make your decision. It is worth bearing in mind that the cost of living varies from location to location across the UK.
- Housing – The most popular housing options are either renting or buying. This is done through letting/estate agents, you can also view properties on websites such as Rightmove or Zoopla.
- Cost of living – Along with paying rent for your property, you will also encounter the following costs:
- Council tax – the amount of council tax you pay depends on where you live. It is worth bearing in mind that a property has the same amount of council tax to pay whether there is 1 person living there or 4, so the total will be far less if you are living with others.
- Utility bills – Electricity, gas and water
- Television license – At the time of writing, the cost for a colour TV license is £154.50/year. However, from 1st April 2020, this will increase to £157.50/year.
- You can visit this page for a rough guide on the cost of living for day-to-day products
- Education – If you have dependents moving over with you that are aged 5-18, then you will need to ensure you enroll them in school as it is compulsory for children of this age. Once you know where abouts you will be located in the UK, you will need to contact the local council to organise your dependents going into local education. More information can be found here.
- Opening a bank account – In the UK, you do not have to pay to open a bank account. It may be worth contacting your current bank to ask if they have a connection with any UK banks. If not, our International Recruitment Team will be able to guide you through the process as they have great relationships with UK banks. More information can be found here.
- Driving – Depending on which country you gained your license in, you may be able to drive in the UK for up to 12 months. To check if you are eligible for this, please visit this page. Once these 12 months have passed, to carry on driving, you will need to either exchange your documents for a UK license, or pass the DVSA’s UK driving test. This information is correct at the time of writing in the Brexit transition period up until 31st December 2020, this may change from 1st January 2021 onwards.
Healthcare (NHS)
The National Health Service (NHS) is a government-funded medical and healthcare service that visitors may use without having to pay. There may be differences to this once you are staying in the UK for over 6 months. For further information if you are moving from EU countries, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, please visit this page. For further information if you are moving from outside of the EEA, please visit this page.
