Care work in England may differ in terms of healthcare protocols, patient interaction styles, and regulatory frameworks. The National Health Service (NHS) and private healthcare providers have specific standards and procedures. Cultural differences in patient care and communication can also be significant.

Finding suitable long-term accommodation is an important aspect to a settled working environment for any new international teacher. Quantum Scholars provide guidance to help you achieve this but ultimately it will be down to teachers to view and secure their own accommodation.

Whilst it would be fantastic to have accommodation set up before arriving in England, we advise against signing a lease or paying a deposit until you have actually seen a property in person!

We recommend that teachers have pre-arranged accommodation for the first few days following on from the Teacher Induction event, usually a cheap hotel or bed and breakfast that is local to where you will be living long term. Airbnb has been a revelation in helping teachers get set up with an initial place to live over recent years. Please remember though that you will not have access to a car, so make sure your initial accommodation allows you to get around easily and view other properties that are within a good travelling distance to your school where you’ll be commuting to every day.

With a short-term base, you can then arrange viewings for longer-term accommodation whilst getting a feel for the area you’re living in. Shared accommodation is the most common and recommended suggestion for overseas teachers arriving in England, especially if you’re travelling alone. It’s the best way to save money and it also provides excellent opportunities to meet new friends.

Contracts will typically be 6 months long but there are plenty of other options on websites such as www.spareroom.co.uk for house shares and more flexible contracts. Also try www.zoopla.co.uk for whole properties.

Have in mind a figure of paying somewhere between £400-£550 per month (outside London) including bills as part of a house share and approximately £600-£800 per month living inside London. There are of course cheaper options that do come up as well but this is a good conservative figure to keep in mind.

Your salary will greatly differ depending on the city you live in, to be in line with living costs. This means that if you are located in London you will likley have  a greater salary than other areas.

The average salary for Healthcare Worker is £29,160 per year.

The average NHS salary ranges from approximately £22,850 per year for Nursing Assistant to £60,121 per year for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse.

Overseas healthcare workers in England can access various support systems, including language courses, cultural orientation programs, professional development training, and networking opportunities with other healthcare professionals. Employers and local communities often provide resources to assist with accommodation, schooling, and adapting to the local lifestyle.

Opening up a high street bank account is not always the easiest exercise for international teachers when they first arrive in England. Thankfully though there is a relatively new and fast growing alternative online bank called www.monzo.com which is extremely helpful in bypassing the issues teachers experience when opening an account with a high street bank.

When opening a high street bank account you generally have to provide evidence of having a long term address in England which is highly unlikely for teachers when they first arrive in England. With Monzo however you can open an account without having to provide a long term home address.  Monzo will also provide you with the same debit card as a high street bank meaning you’re able to always have access to cash through ATMs and make online/in-store purchases.

VISIT www.monzo.com/download for more information on how to start an account. Please note though that you can only open the account online once you arrive in England.

If you do still prefer and choose to go through a high street bank, there are plenty of them and this is what you will need to help set you up with an account when you arrive:

• Your passport
• Your visa
• A letter of employment from you school/employer (Quantum Scholars)
• A utility bill from your previous home address overseas (dated within last three months of arrival)
• Evidence of your long term residence in England (utility bill / tenancy agreement)

The UK has a whole range of well-known high street banks so look out for any of the following when setting up an account: Natwest, HSBC, Halifax, Barclays, Lloyds, RBS, Nationwide, Santander.

When you arrive in England, you must search for your local Job Centre Plus and book an appointment with them to start the process towards gaining a National Insurance number which is something every worker needs to have in England. You will be asked for a short fact to face interview and then provided with an NI number although the process can take several weeks. Until gaining an NI number you will be on an emergency tax code but the tax you pay will always be straightened out once you gain your NI number.

To learn more about National Insurance please visit www.gov.uk/national-insurance.