1. Bring pictures of your loved ones and bring with them frames. They will surely lighten up your room.
2. Money
Have an amount around £250-500. You will never really know what you might still need until you're here already. So, it's better to have an extra money you can use until you receive your first pay.
♡ Then upon arrival, you will also receive a cash advance of £250-300 (depends on your trust). That will be deducted from your salary, thus, your budgeting skills will be tested upon. You will also need to buy some groceries after a week or so but don't worry it'll just be around >/< £30 a week depending on your needs.
♡And for most, the IELTS and CBT refund will take place after you get your bank account details. So until you have your bank appointment and claim your debit/savings card after 5-7 working days, you can support yourself with the money left in your pocket.
♡ Please don't wait until you get here to exchange your php to gbp. You'll get more gbp in the Philippines than anywhere here (that includes airports). When you arrive here, try to avoid converting everything you see from Gbp to Php if you dont want to have a migraine. LOL
♡Housing expenses depend on your trust. No need to worry, because it will be deducted from your pay so no need to cash out.
Have an amount around £250-500. You will never really know what you might still need until you're here already. So, it's better to have an extra money you can use until you receive your first pay.
♡ Then upon arrival, you will also receive a cash advance of £250-300 (depends on your trust). That will be deducted from your salary, thus, your budgeting skills will be tested upon. You will also need to buy some groceries after a week or so but don't worry it'll just be around >/< £30 a week depending on your needs.
♡And for most, the IELTS and CBT refund will take place after you get your bank account details. So until you have your bank appointment and claim your debit/savings card after 5-7 working days, you can support yourself with the money left in your pocket.
♡ Please don't wait until you get here to exchange your php to gbp. You'll get more gbp in the Philippines than anywhere here (that includes airports). When you arrive here, try to avoid converting everything you see from Gbp to Php if you dont want to have a migraine. LOL
♡Housing expenses depend on your trust. No need to worry, because it will be deducted from your pay so no need to cash out.
3. Baggage allowance
Depends on your airlines really. Make sure you know what's required before you purchase luggages. Maximize your allowable check in baggage weight. Ask your agents, because they're the ones who will arrange it for you. But usually you can have a hand carry. So for someone who doesn't want to carry a heavy load for your shoulders, you can have a small cabin luggage (max dimensions please ask airlines customer support if needed or google it) and a backpack. You will have to endure long walks in airports and this will just make your long haul maybe just a bit better.
Depends on your airlines really. Make sure you know what's required before you purchase luggages. Maximize your allowable check in baggage weight. Ask your agents, because they're the ones who will arrange it for you. But usually you can have a hand carry. So for someone who doesn't want to carry a heavy load for your shoulders, you can have a small cabin luggage (max dimensions please ask airlines customer support if needed or google it) and a backpack. You will have to endure long walks in airports and this will just make your long haul maybe just a bit better.
4. What to put inside your checked in/ hand carry baggage:
FILIPINO FOODS
😋
♡ Believe me, you will regret it if you don't do this. Bring as many Filipino comfort foods you like as you can. Mind the expiry dates though. There's only 2 Chinese stores I know which sell Pinoy products and I had to travel 30-45mins before I can get there and they only sell a couple of things one might want to have. So pack your canned goods (corned beef, tuna or sardines, because it all taste different here), instant noodles (because you can find Maggi here but you can't taste anything), chips, fave biscuits, dried goods (daing, tuyo, tinapa haha) and condiments (ketchup, Mang Tomas, soy sauce, patis, bagoong). Last time I bought this in a Chinese store at East Croydon, Roller Coaster £0.89, Century Tuna £1.4, Stik-O £2.09, and there was no Mang Tomas sadly.
♡If you are allowed to bring 23kg or more for each bag, then you can make one of it as your own personal (haven) grocery bag
♡ For dried goods, wrap in a newspaper or bondpaper then put them inside ziplocked plastic
♡ A small rice cooker, maybe? But if you're lucky with your accomodation, you won't need to buy a lot of tools for cooking etc.
♡No need to bring utensils and plates.
FILIPINO FOODS
😋♡ Believe me, you will regret it if you don't do this. Bring as many Filipino comfort foods you like as you can. Mind the expiry dates though. There's only 2 Chinese stores I know which sell Pinoy products and I had to travel 30-45mins before I can get there and they only sell a couple of things one might want to have. So pack your canned goods (corned beef, tuna or sardines, because it all taste different here), instant noodles (because you can find Maggi here but you can't taste anything), chips, fave biscuits, dried goods (daing, tuyo, tinapa haha) and condiments (ketchup, Mang Tomas, soy sauce, patis, bagoong). Last time I bought this in a Chinese store at East Croydon, Roller Coaster £0.89, Century Tuna £1.4, Stik-O £2.09, and there was no Mang Tomas sadly.
♡If you are allowed to bring 23kg or more for each bag, then you can make one of it as your own personal (haven) grocery bag
♡ For dried goods, wrap in a newspaper or bondpaper then put them inside ziplocked plastic
♡ A small rice cooker, maybe? But if you're lucky with your accomodation, you won't need to buy a lot of tools for cooking etc.
♡No need to bring utensils and plates.
5. Sleeping essentials
Your first night won't be as comfortable as you would like it to be, but you'll be fine. If you can bring the following, it will save you money and time looking:
♡Pillowcase x2, single bed fitted mattress sheet, duvet cover(optional), and favorite/ comfy blanket. (brought my fave colors & am so happy i did)
♡ PJs and comfy socks (a lot you can find here as well) so you can just bring a set or 2
Your first night won't be as comfortable as you would like it to be, but you'll be fine. If you can bring the following, it will save you money and time looking:
♡Pillowcase x2, single bed fitted mattress sheet, duvet cover(optional), and favorite/ comfy blanket. (brought my fave colors & am so happy i did)
♡ PJs and comfy socks (a lot you can find here as well) so you can just bring a set or 2
6. Toiletries
♡"Tabo" is life. Just bring one. No questions.
♡Have 1 personal towel if you like. But you'll be given a towel as well included in the accommodation kit.
♡Moisturizer, lotions and lip balm for guys and girls please.
♡Alcohol/alcogel you cant find it here in the groceries. Alcogel very seldom as well. So bring a lot if you cant stand Baktolin hand wash or Sterilium.
♡For women, you can rarely find femme wash, so bring what you can to last you a year. (esp if you're skin's sensitive)
♡All other toiletries are cheap, so just bring with you your supplies dat can last a month or so.
♡"Tabo" is life. Just bring one. No questions.
♡Have 1 personal towel if you like. But you'll be given a towel as well included in the accommodation kit.
♡Moisturizer, lotions and lip balm for guys and girls please.
♡Alcohol/alcogel you cant find it here in the groceries. Alcogel very seldom as well. So bring a lot if you cant stand Baktolin hand wash or Sterilium.
♡For women, you can rarely find femme wash, so bring what you can to last you a year. (esp if you're skin's sensitive)
♡All other toiletries are cheap, so just bring with you your supplies dat can last a month or so.
7. Clothing.
Know what season you'll arrive here. They say winter is worst during February. But due to climate change, who knows. But in any case temperature here all year round is absolutely way colder compared to any place in the Philippines kaya here are the suggestions :
♡ A set of thermal clothes, leggings and socks. Go for the ultra warm heat tech fabrics not the regular ones. @Uniqlo
♡ Coat/jacket. Andami dito. And when you find Primark(like a surplus of Sm), or other stalls with discounts, you'll find the price cheaper and materials even better. No need to hoard from "ukay ukay". But if you find 1 or 2 good items that suit you, then bring them. It will save you space for the more important things. You also need to invest on the real suitable coats/jackets such as SuperDry etc. that can last, to help you brave the weather (whether there's rain wind or snow) and lessen your risk of getting sick.
♡ Scarf, bonnet, gloves (found some touch screen able gloves from @Daiso which is very helpful when you are outside and you need to txt or chat). You can buy some more when you're already here if still need to.
♡ Shoes. It depends to how you prioritize things: comfort, warmth or fashion. Haha For comfort, rubber shoes will make the long haul easier. Any rubber shoes. Or you can wear boots if you like. If you can find a comfortable one that will make your feet warm the moment you land here in Uk. Hopefully, these 2 can coincide to make you fashionable at d same time.
😊 But nevertheless you need not to.
♡ NHS trust policy says black shoes are required as part of the uniform so bring black socks as well. For the shoes, there's a question to use leather/trainers. But i think no trust will not promote their employee's health especially if they're working on long days, so I'll go with the rubber shoes. If you cant find one with a minimal logo, there's a bunch here to choose from. prices range from £27-37. Anyways, you'll have time to buy it before you start working shifts.
♡Regular clothes you can wear inside the accommodation coz there's radiators everywhere. Just dont bring clothes that bleed when washed or else it'll cause chaos in your laundry.
Know what season you'll arrive here. They say winter is worst during February. But due to climate change, who knows. But in any case temperature here all year round is absolutely way colder compared to any place in the Philippines kaya here are the suggestions :
♡ A set of thermal clothes, leggings and socks. Go for the ultra warm heat tech fabrics not the regular ones. @Uniqlo
♡ Coat/jacket. Andami dito. And when you find Primark(like a surplus of Sm), or other stalls with discounts, you'll find the price cheaper and materials even better. No need to hoard from "ukay ukay". But if you find 1 or 2 good items that suit you, then bring them. It will save you space for the more important things. You also need to invest on the real suitable coats/jackets such as SuperDry etc. that can last, to help you brave the weather (whether there's rain wind or snow) and lessen your risk of getting sick.
♡ Scarf, bonnet, gloves (found some touch screen able gloves from @Daiso which is very helpful when you are outside and you need to txt or chat). You can buy some more when you're already here if still need to.
♡ Shoes. It depends to how you prioritize things: comfort, warmth or fashion. Haha For comfort, rubber shoes will make the long haul easier. Any rubber shoes. Or you can wear boots if you like. If you can find a comfortable one that will make your feet warm the moment you land here in Uk. Hopefully, these 2 can coincide to make you fashionable at d same time.
😊 But nevertheless you need not to.♡ NHS trust policy says black shoes are required as part of the uniform so bring black socks as well. For the shoes, there's a question to use leather/trainers. But i think no trust will not promote their employee's health especially if they're working on long days, so I'll go with the rubber shoes. If you cant find one with a minimal logo, there's a bunch here to choose from. prices range from £27-37. Anyways, you'll have time to buy it before you start working shifts.
♡Regular clothes you can wear inside the accommodation coz there's radiators everywhere. Just dont bring clothes that bleed when washed or else it'll cause chaos in your laundry.
8. Miscellaneous
♡Vitamins, common cold and cough medications. We dont want to get sick when we're far away from home.
♡Bring an umbrella, mild to moderate rain is sporadic in the country.
♡3 pin adaptor or extension wires. Even the 3 pin adaptor for your phones, you can buy it @Poundland for £1 or 3 in other stalls. So do bring a powerbank if you have one.
♡ Your phone should be open line. If you like you can activate a roaming sim but there's cheaper means of communicating now, because wifi's everywhere. So you don't need to buy one.
♡You can buy a sim from Three or O2. These two are like Sun and Globe/Smart here. Please dont buy at airports coz you can find it less cheaper outside. Three was recommended so i bought one yes, but because of the low signals in diff places, I also bought O2. Compare the prepaid plans and determine how much you want to spend on your data, calls and texs. Currently, I have a £17 prepaid plan with O2 which gives me 10gb data (which I use only when im outside the trust) and unlimited texts and calls to all networks for a month. Previously, I paid £10 for the 3 sim which included 1gb of data, 3000 mins calls and 3000 texts for a month.
So choose to what suits you.
♡ For post paid and new phones, you need credentials and a bank account and history. So let's leave that until we are settled for 6 months and more.
♡Vitamins, common cold and cough medications. We dont want to get sick when we're far away from home.
♡Bring an umbrella, mild to moderate rain is sporadic in the country.
♡3 pin adaptor or extension wires. Even the 3 pin adaptor for your phones, you can buy it @Poundland for £1 or 3 in other stalls. So do bring a powerbank if you have one.
♡ Your phone should be open line. If you like you can activate a roaming sim but there's cheaper means of communicating now, because wifi's everywhere. So you don't need to buy one.
♡You can buy a sim from Three or O2. These two are like Sun and Globe/Smart here. Please dont buy at airports coz you can find it less cheaper outside. Three was recommended so i bought one yes, but because of the low signals in diff places, I also bought O2. Compare the prepaid plans and determine how much you want to spend on your data, calls and texs. Currently, I have a £17 prepaid plan with O2 which gives me 10gb data (which I use only when im outside the trust) and unlimited texts and calls to all networks for a month. Previously, I paid £10 for the 3 sim which included 1gb of data, 3000 mins calls and 3000 texts for a month.
So choose to what suits you.
♡ For post paid and new phones, you need credentials and a bank account and history. So let's leave that until we are settled for 6 months and more.
9. Nurses Kit
♡Bring a notebook for your OSCE review.
♡Ballpens, pentel pen, markers coz you wont find a lot of good selection here
♡Manila paper to write on things to memorize
♡For girls, pony tails, hair nets and hair clipss
♡All other supplies you can buy at Poundland (they sell a pound or two for almost everything)
♡Bring a notebook for your OSCE review.
♡Ballpens, pentel pen, markers coz you wont find a lot of good selection here
♡Manila paper to write on things to memorize
♡For girls, pony tails, hair nets and hair clipss
♡All other supplies you can buy at Poundland (they sell a pound or two for almost everything)
I highly advise you to tell your family that there's a possibility that you may not be able to send money on your first pay because you are still SETTLING IN. Let them understand if you can.
COST OF LIVING HERE is HIGH! So let's SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!😊
COST OF LIVING HERE is HIGH! So let's SAVE! SAVE! SAVE!
😊
As of the moment, I use TRANSFERWISE which has the lowest transaction fee
If you use the link your first remittance is free of charge when you send no more than £500. Check the time when exchange is higher so your family can receive a bigger amount. It works and delivers in 1-2 days max.
I hope this blog helps. CTTO
Tell your friends. Godbless :)
