LIVING IN THE UK:
You may find that it takes some time to adjust to living in a different country and a new environment. There are bound to be cultural differences and the following may be useful information to guide you during your stay.
Accommodation
Most hospitals will provide single accommodation on the hospital site once you take up appointment, but you should ask about this as early as possible. Married accommodation is usually limited but may be available on request.
You will have to pay rent, but usually less than in the private sector, and if your on-call duties oblige you to be resident you should get an appropriate rebate. Find out what is included in the rent and what extras you will have to pay.
Private rented accommodation may better suit your needs, but is more expensive, takes time to arrange, and has potential pitfalls. Take advice from the medical staffing department or hospital accommodation officer. Again make sure you know what is included in the rent and what will be extra.
Banking
You must have a bank account into which your salary is paid. You may be able to choose a UK bank that has an arrangement with your bank at home. Banking hours are restricted and inconvenient when you are working so you should obtain a card that gives you access to automatic cash machines. (There may be one in the hospital).
Taxation, National Insurance Contributions
The medical staffing department or payroll department will give you advice about this. You have to pay various contributions, usually deducted from your salary.
Shopping
Take advice on types of shops, location and opening hours. Most shops are open Monday to Saturday from about 9 am to 5.30 pm, some corner shops and supermarkets stay open until 8, 9 or 10 pm, and there may be a 24-hour supermarket in your vicinity. Some shops open for a few hours on Sundays. The shops may close on Bank Holidays and Public Holidays.
Families
If you wish to bring your family, it is advisable that you come alone first and arrange for your family to follow once you have established yourself. In particular, you will need to organise appropriate accommodation, either in the hospital or privately.
If you and your spouse are both working and you have small children then, unless you have help from family, you should use either a registered child-minder or a recommended nursery. Many hospitals run crèches to look after the children of staff.
Schooling
Children aged 5 to 11 years attend primary schools, and then transfer to secondary schools from age 11 to 16 or 18 years. Education is compulsory for all children up to the age of 16 and is provided free of charge within the Local Education Authority (LEA). Allocation to schools is made by the LEA but it may be easier to contact the Head Teacher of the local school.
You may wish your children to gain education in the independent sector. In this case, you will need to contact the school directly and your child will be required to sit an entrance exam. If successful, you will be expected to pay the appropriate fees for your child's schooling.
Healthcare
You should register with a local General Practitioner on arrival; do not wait until you are ill. You, your spouse and your children are entitled to free medical treatment, but other visiting relatives are not. You can attend hospital casualty departments free of charge in the event of accidents or emergencies. The hospital where you work will make a pre-employment health check, and will advise on any aspects of health relating to your work.
Telephone
If your hospital accommodation has a phone connected to the hospital switchboard then you will be charged for personal calls. The call charges may be higher than the telephone company rates but you do not pay line rental. With the agreement of the hospital management you can have your own phone installed by the telephone company. You will have to pay an installation charge and line rental as well as call charges. You should explore discount services for overseas calls.
As an alternative to a fixed telephone you may prefer to buy a mobile phone. The cost of the phone is usually low, but monthly charges for the service and call charges are relatively high.
People
The people are generally friendly and welcoming. They may be a bit blunt, asking direct questions and saying exactly what they mean, which can be a bit disconcerting if you are not used to it. You may find the dialect hard to understand, but people will help you if you ask.
Women do not lead sheltered lives. They take an active part in all aspects of life and work. Men and women are treated as equals, and it is important that you recognise this, both in your work, and in social settings.
You will notice that nurses address patients of all ages by their first names, John or Mary. Patients would normally expect doctors to be more formal, addressing them as Mrs Smith, Miss Jones, Ms Brown or Mr Johnson. If you are in any doubt, ask politely what you should do.
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