Resumption
If by now your visa has not been issued by the UKBA then you are already running against time. Schools generally resumes mid august to second week in September for those coming in for the winter sessions and a delay in visa approval might mean you would miss a number of your core modules. I was issued my visa late and by the time I got to school the first core module had already been completed and had to play catch up. If your visa is issued late it is preferable you defer your admission till the following year especially if you would be a self sponsored student. It is extremely difficult to try to work and catch up on missed lectures in UK universities. Resuming late means you miss orientation and such an activity in the UK is very important because you can go on and complete your masters without knowing where you can print documents for free. As much as possible try making it to your orientation or at least ask around for info. Within the first month of getting to the UK open a UK bank account. The bank would need your details from school and your passport. Do it as early as possible.

Work
Immediately you resume apply for the National Insurance Number (NIS) which is needed before you are allowed to work. It generally takes two weeks or longer but it’s better to have a head start by applying for it earlier. UKBA only approves a work limit of 20 hours per week term time thus as a student you are limited to work only 20 hours of work per week. If you are fortunate and you can work 80 hours per month you can conveniently survive. Unfortunately only few employers are willing to employ people for under 20 hours and even in most cases the time schedule available for you may not suit your academic timetable. It would be better if you can get a night shift in big retail stores like Tesco. I have a friend working 16 per week at Tesco’s but from 10pm to 7am. The incumbent UK government frowns at employees employing students beyond 20 hours. Most jobs will pay you through your bank account thus the government can easily monitor the hours you work. Jobs that you might likely do for 20 hours or less are very low skilled jobs. I had a friend who worked as a security guy monitoring CCTV cameras in a room at his work place while he was a student and today he works with an oil firm in the UK and today owns a house in Weybridge (you might need to Google it up to know how posh the area is.). The point is do whatever you need to do legitimately to succeed in life. Army Gen. Colin L .Powell was the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the most –senior African American military officer in U.S history. Believe it or not the guy had to clean toilets to pay through his school. The End in this case justified the means.
(http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2007/blackhistorymonth/timeline.html ).
I know of a Nigerian who lives in the UK who is willing to do any legit job except care. Some students do shady stuff with peoples NIS in order to work more than the stipulated hours and I won’t advice any Nigerian to get into illegitimate stuffs. The UK is a police state and even though some might get away with it you may not.

Skills.
The Uk is a society that hammers on technical skills just like any developed country but unfortunately in Nigeria we perceive low skilled people as the dregs or the society or jobs as been menial or degrading. Every job is good as long as it is legit. I learnt how to cut my hair in Nigeria before coming and I was taught by my barber. I wished I had acquired more skills in that area. There are always openings for barbers, female hair dressers even in white run shops. Try as much as possible to acquire one skill or the other. Such jobs can earn you some real good money and you might even be able to do such jobs in the confines of your room and work as many hours as you want. After all it’s your inherent ability. If you are a bad ass computer programmer or software developer or software Engineer then you would easily get a Job. I got a 40k pound per annum Job in Bristol but turned it down during the course of my studies because it’s a field I want to deviate from. At masters level especially when you are on your second masters you need to be sure of what you want to do with the rest of your life.

Drivers License.
You can complete your masters without getting even a one hour job but a way to enhance your job search is to be able to drive thus having an International driving license is a must. A lot of part time jobs need guys that can drive and in such a competitive environment having such skills may give you the needed edge in getting a job. You could work as a delivery person who delivers pizzas etc. I know of a Nigerian PhD student who does that to supplement is meagre income from home. Please no arrange license, learn to drive well before coming to the UK and be very observant of how they drive before you decide to start a car. Watch the bus drivers; ask questions as to the meaning of signs on the road surface and by the road. Talks to the drivers, a number of them are willing to teach you if you ask nicely. A Bangladesh (most UK taxi drivers are Asians) taxi driver gave me a brief lecture on some road markings especially as regards road signs that shows when to overtake and when not to. You could as well enquire from them how to become a taxi driver because that is another Job you might consider. Your international driving license permits you to drive for only one year. If you have the funds it is preferable you apply for the UK driving license. The cost varies depending on a number of factors. You can spend over a thousand pound or less depends on how bad you want it.It is advisable if you desire to get a UK driving license that you apply for one immediately.

Commute.
Get to know where you would live in the UK before you resume because the distance from your house to school matters. If you are fortunate to live not too far to your school please get a bike immediately you resume. You can get a good second hand bike for 40 pound and above and if properly used can last you throughout your stay in the UK. The average price of a bus ticket is about 14 pounds per week. If you multiply that by 56 weeks, you get my point. Some boroughs’ have student fares and from my school to oxford bus station is 1.20. In some areas if you are above 18 years nothing like student bus passes for you oh. It is advisable to make enquiries about it from your student union association. Some schools have hostel accommodations while some don’t. Mine is within a military environment so foreigners are not entitled to on site accommodation. In such situation look for the nearest town but what should be your guiding factor is the location of your home, school and work. You need to be able to balance all that if not you would wear out yourself and end up spending more than you bargained for.

Clubbing I
An article has been written about foreigners frowning at the way the British consume alcohol. For crying out loud it’s their country. You might be shocked the very first time you go out clubbing because you may see sights that are mind boggling. You might see bodies littering the ground in awkward positions but the police are always a stone throw away. In the town where I stay the town centre is home to a number of clubs and a major police station is also located there. You might see police men and health workers lifting drunks to a safer place and don’t think you might loot a drunk, a camera might just be watching your every movement. The UK is the country with the highest number of CCTV cameras. When you see people passed out on the ground ignore them and move on with your life. They have the necessary social services to assist them but that does not mean you see an individual passed out on the middle of the road and walk past. You could decide to take them off the road to the side of the road or somewhere safer. Who knows the camera might just pick your good act and you become a celebrity over night. The watchword is ignoring drunks as much as possible and never ever take a drunken girl to bed. It is assumed that drunks are incoherent and incapable of making right decisions. A drunken girl who agrees to have sex with you may get over the hangover and report you that you raped her even if it was a mutual consent and even with friends as witnesses. A girl that is willing to have sex with you must be at the moment of consent be sober enough to have taken such a decision.
Clubbing II
When you go to a club especially if it is a predominantly white club you may get depressed at the number of rejections you get. White girls generally would not be seen dancing with a black boy. You would get pushed, shoved aside like dirt that you may end up becoming a racist. The best way to club is go with your friends. White girls mostly move in groups when they come to clubs. It’s a form of security and protection thus it is better four guys to walk up to four girls at once. If you go into a group of girls to pick one, game over bro. For groupies its either they all find someone they can all enjoy the evening with or they go home without dates. All for one and one for all. Also some of the ladies are actually lesbians and some will candidly tell you thus you need to very careful. I have tried to dance with a couple of girls only to be harasses by their partners. Whenever you go clubbing go to enjoy yourself even if it means you would be dancing alone. Generally have a nice time and go home. If you are a very good dancer then it makes it easier for you to easily make female friends. The British love a person who can dance, who doesn’t. Right from our LIT days in secondary schools girls have always liked guys who dance and they still do. White girls are not immune to that as well. Well you might be wondering why white girls and not black girls. That is another matter generally. Also if you have money to burn fill your table with champagne and watch what happens.

Money issues
One thing I have come to realize about the UK is that you should always make enquiries when ever in doubt. Due to the close proximity of my house to the city library I preferred going there than my schools library in order to save on cost and meet people. I used to pay 50 pence every day to be allowed to use the socket points until I became friends with a sierra Leonean young chap in his teens. He saw the receipt of the payment of 50 pence and told me why waste money when I can buy a one month off payment. The library staff never told me that. In 30 days you would have spent 15 pounds for charging when a month costs 5 pounds. It’s just like the bus pass. My bus pass is 14 pounds a week but 52 pounds per month saving me six pounds. A day rider is 3.70 pence meaning in a week I would spend 25.9 pounds rather than a 14 pound one week ticket. If you would be doing a lot of train related travels there are also rail cards for students which can be gotten through your student association or by going online. The UK also allows a form of exchange programme whereby foreign students can spend few days with locals in which you would live with a family. This is done in order to help educate foreigners to the culture of the British. Not all schools participate in the programme but if you are interested enquire from your student union.
The library is also a very good place to hook up with the locals like the young chap I met. These locals are the guys who can tell you where you can meet your fellow Nigerian guys. It was a sierra Leonean that told me where the Nigerian owned barber shops were and even gave me a chicks number : ) whose identity I won’t share. Be nice to people and be sincere with them. Don’t act up, become one of them and they will tell you all the secrets the UK holds. The guy who pointed me to the closest swimming pool to my home is a 7 year old boy. He attends swimming lessons and while discussing with him at his mums store he told me about it. Some swimming pools also have other health facilities like gyms etc and make enquiries as regards cost. It takes 7 pound to swim for an hour at my facility but if you get a monthly card it is far cheaper and you can also use other facilities without paying extra. The monthly card covers it. Like I said earlier ASK, ASK and ASK again.

If I remember any other Info I would gladly share it.
Have a lovely time in the UK and please come with winter clothes. It is fast approaching

bjims: Resumption
If by now your visa has not been issued by the UKBA then you are already running against time. Schools generally resumes mid august to second week in September for those coming in for the winter sessions and a delay in visa approval might mean you would miss a number of your core modules. I was issued my visa late and by the time I got to school the first core module had already been completed and had to play catch up. If your visa is issued late it is preferable you defer your admission till the following year especially if you would be a self sponsored student. It is extremely difficult to try to work and catch up on missed lectures in UK universities. Resuming late means you miss orientation and such an activity in the UK is very important because you can go on and complete your masters without knowing where you can print documents for free. As much as possible try making it to your orientation or at least ask around for info. Within the first month of getting to the UK open a UK bank account. The bank would need your details from school and your passport. Do it as early as possible.

Work
Immediately you resume apply for the National Insurance Number (NIS) which is needed before you are allowed to work. It generally takes two weeks or longer but it’s better to have a head start by applying for it earlier. UKBA only approves a work limit of 20 hours per week term time thus as a student you are limited to work only 20 hours of work per week. If you are fortunate and you can work 80 hours per month you can conveniently survive. Unfortunately only few employers are willing to employ people for under 20 hours and even in most cases the time schedule available for you may not suit your academic timetable. It would be better if you can get a night shift in big retail stores like Tesco. I have a friend working 16 per week at Tesco’s but from 10pm to 7am. The incumbent UK government frowns at employees employing students beyond 20 hours. Most jobs will pay you through your bank account thus the government can easily monitor the hours you work. Jobs that you might likely do for 20 hours or less are very low skilled jobs. I had a friend who worked as a security guy monitoring CCTV cameras in a room at his work place while he was a student and today he works with an oil firm in the UK and today owns a house in Weybridge (you might need to Google it up to know how posh the area is.). The point is do whatever you need to do legitimately to succeed in life. Army Gen. Colin L .Powell was the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the most –senior African American military officer in U.S history. Believe it or not the guy had to clean toilets to pay through his school. The End in this case justified the means.
(http://www.defense.gov/home/features/2007/blackhistorymonth/timeline.html ).
I know of a Nigerian who lives in the UK who is willing to do any legit job except care. Some students do shady stuff with peoples NIS in order to work more than the stipulated hours and I won’t advice any Nigerian to get into illegitimate stuffs. The UK is a police state and even though some might get away with it you may not.

Skills.
The Uk is a society that hammers on technical skills just like any developed country but unfortunately in Nigeria we perceive low skilled people as the dregs or the society or jobs as been menial or degrading. Every job is good as long as it is legit. I learnt how to cut my hair in Nigeria before coming and I was taught by my barber. I wished I had acquired more skills in that area. There are always openings for barbers, female hair dressers even in white run shops. Try as much as possible to acquire one skill or the other. Such jobs can earn you some real good money and you might even be able to do such jobs in the confines of your room and work as many hours as you want. After all it’s your inherent ability. If you are a bad ass computer programmer or software developer or software Engineer then you would easily get a Job. I got a 40k pound per annum Job in Bristol but turned it down during the course of my studies because it’s a field I want to deviate from. At masters level especially when you are on your second masters you need to be sure of what you want to do with the rest of your life.

Drivers License.
You can complete your masters without getting even a one hour job but a way to enhance your job search is to be able to drive thus having an International driving license is a must. A lot of part time jobs need guys that can drive and in such a competitive environment having such skills may give you the needed edge in getting a job. You could work as a delivery person who delivers pizzas etc. I know of a Nigerian PhD student who does that to supplement is meagre income from home. Please no arrange license, learn to drive well before coming to the UK and be very observant of how they drive before you decide to start a car. Watch the bus drivers; ask questions as to the meaning of signs on the road surface and by the road. Talks to the drivers, a number of them are willing to teach you if you ask nicely. A Bangladesh (most UK taxi drivers are Asians) taxi driver gave me a brief lecture on some road markings especially as regards road signs that shows when to overtake and when not to. You could as well enquire from them how to become a taxi driver because that is another Job you might consider. Your international driving license permits you to drive for only one year. If you have the funds it is preferable you apply for the UK driving license. The cost varies depending on a number of factors. You can spend over a thousand pound or less depends on how bad you want it.It is advisable if you desire to get a UK driving license that you apply for one immediately.

Commute.
Get to know where you would live in the UK before you resume because the distance from your house to school matters. If you are fortunate to live not too far to your school please get a bike immediately you resume. You can get a good second hand bike for 40 pound and above and if properly used can last you throughout your stay in the UK. The average price of a bus ticket is about 14 pounds per week. If you multiply that by 56 weeks, you get my point. Some boroughs’ have student fares and from my school to oxford bus station is 1.20. In some areas if you are above 18 years nothing like student bus passes for you oh. It is advisable to make enquiries about it from your student union association. Some schools have hostel accommodations while some don’t. Mine is within a military environment so foreigners are not entitled to on site accommodation. In such situation look for the nearest town but what should be your guiding factor is the location of your home, school and work. You need to be able to balance all that if not you would wear out yourself and end up spending more than you bargained for.

Clubbing I
An article has been written about foreigners frowning at the way the British consume alcohol. For crying out loud it’s their country. You might be shocked the very first time you go out clubbing because you may see sights that are mind boggling. You might see bodies littering the ground in awkward positions but the police are always a stone throw away. In the town where I stay the town centre is home to a number of clubs and a major police station is also located there. You might see police men and health workers lifting drunks to a safer place and don’t think you might loot a drunk, a camera might just be watching your every movement. The UK is the country with the highest number of CCTV cameras. When you see people passed out on the ground ignore them and move on with your life. They have the necessary social services to assist them but that does not mean you see an individual passed out on the middle of the road and walk past. You could decide to take them off the road to the side of the road or somewhere safer. Who knows the camera might just pick your good act and you become a celebrity over night. The watchword is ignoring drunks as much as possible and never ever take a drunken girl to bed. It is assumed that drunks are incoherent and incapable of making right decisions. A drunken girl who agrees to have sex with you may get over the hangover and report you that you raped her even if it was a mutual consent and even with friends as witnesses. A girl that is willing to have sex with you must be at the moment of consent be sober enough to have taken such a decision.
Clubbing II
When you go to a club especially if it is a predominantly white club you may get depressed at the number of rejections you get. White girls generally would not be seen dancing with a black boy. You would get pushed, shoved aside like dirt that you may end up becoming a racist. The best way to club is go with your friends. White girls mostly move in groups when they come to clubs. It’s a form of security and protection thus it is better four guys to walk up to four girls at once. If you go into a group of girls to pick one, game over bro. For groupies its either they all find someone they can all enjoy the evening with or they go home without dates. All for one and one for all. Also some of the ladies are actually lesbians and some will candidly tell you thus you need to very careful. I have tried to dance with a couple of girls only to be harasses by their partners. Whenever you go clubbing go to enjoy yourself even if it means you would be dancing alone. Generally have a nice time and go home. If you are a very good dancer then it makes it easier for you to easily make female friends. The British love a person who can dance, who doesn’t. Right from our LIT days in secondary schools girls have always liked guys who dance and they still do. White girls are not immune to that as well. Well you might be wondering why white girls and not black girls. That is another matter generally. Also if you have money to burn fill your table with champagne and watch what happens.

Money issues
One thing I have come to realize about the UK is that you should always make enquiries when ever in doubt. Due to the close proximity of my house to the city library I preferred going there than my schools library in order to save on cost and meet people. I used to pay 50 pence every day to be allowed to use the socket points until I became friends with a sierra Leonean young chap in his teens. He saw the receipt of the payment of 50 pence and told me why waste money when I can buy a one month off payment. The library staff never told me that. In 30 days you would have spent 15 pounds for charging when a month costs 5 pounds. It’s just like the bus pass. My bus pass is 14 pounds a week but 52 pounds per month saving me six pounds. A day rider is 3.70 pence meaning in a week I would spend 25.9 pounds rather than a 14 pound one week ticket. If you would be doing a lot of train related travels there are also rail cards for students which can be gotten through your student association or by going online. The UK also allows a form of exchange programme whereby foreign students can spend few days with locals in which you would live with a family. This is done in order to help educate foreigners to the culture of the British. Not all schools participate in the programme but if you are interested enquire from your student union.
The library is also a very good place to hook up with the locals like the young chap I met. These locals are the guys who can tell you where you can meet your fellow Nigerian guys. It was a sierra Leonean that told me where the Nigerian owned barber shops were and even gave me a chicks number : ) whose identity I won’t share. Be nice to people and be sincere with them. Don’t act up, become one of them and they will tell you all the secrets the UK holds. The guy who pointed me to the closest swimming pool to my home is a 7 year old boy. He attends swimming lessons and while discussing with him at his mums store he told me about it. Some swimming pools also have other health facilities like gyms etc and make enquiries as regards cost. It takes 7 pound to swim for an hour at my facility but if you get a monthly card it is far cheaper and you can also use other facilities without paying extra. The monthly card covers it. Like I said earlier ASK, ASK and ASK again.

If I remember any other Info I would gladly share it.
Have a lovely time in the UK and please come with winter clothes. It is fast approaching

amazingemy9: Like How much is the school fees of most of this universities over there?nd do these universities give scholarships too?

bjims:

well it depends on the school and the course. My uni is 15,500 pounds and its a masters. For a masters course its usually above 10k pounds . My friends paid 28k pounds each for their own course.

Danyl:
please @Op are you self sponsoring yourself? does uk schools allow paying tuition twice like canadian schools? thanks

Guestartiste: Hello OP. Pls help me out.I have HND in bus admin n management. I want to come to the Uk on a student visa. Pls does all the school over there require payment before coming over? Is there any school that doesn't require payment at all?
And if I want to come with a visiting visa can my boyfriend who is in the UK be my sponsor. He is a Briton.I don't av a good job that they may think I'll like to get back to so I think the student visa is the best way out.
What do u think I should do?