Moving To/Living In London Megathread - ALL QUESTIONS TO GO HERE

philologos

Had my National Insurance Interview today at the Jobcentre Plus on Camden High Street so I thought it might be helpful to describe the process.

1. Ring Jobcentre Plus on 0845 600 0643 (open between 8am and 6pm) and tell them that you are looking to apply for a national insurance number. They will try and arrange a location, a time and they will give you a reference number. They will also post you a letter in the post which will arrive a few days later with this reference number on it.

2. Arrive at the centre with documents which might help you to prove your identity such as passport, drivers license, birth cert, letter with proof of employment, your PPS number (I didn't realise this until today and I managed to search through my GMail for it on my phone) and your proof of address (I got a bank statement sent from Ulster Bank to my house). `

3. When you arrive tell the person at the desk that your National Insurance interview is today and leave your letter with them. They will call you and give you a number and tell you where to wait for a staff member to talk to you.

4. When you find the waiting area your number will be called and you will be asked to essentially show the documents and give the relevant information. They will fill out your application and ask you to sign the relevant section. They will ask you to sit down while they give your passport back. For some reason it took me longer than the other documents to get back, presumably they are doing some checks to ensure that it is valid and genuine.

That's it, I'm told I should expect my National Insurance Number in the post in 2 - 4 weeks time. I was also given a phone number in the event that this doesn't happen.

Bagel

I'm not sure if it works the same way in reverse but when I moved to Dublin from London I was able to open an account with the Ulster bank very easily as I had a nat west account. I think the two branches talked to each other before we moved . So if you are with Ulster bank over in Ireland it would be worth a quick phone call to see if they can oil the waters. I remember when I first moved to London many moons ago setting up a bank account was a nightmare.

Golden3333

Hello,

With regards to setting up a bank account, thanks to advice from Philologos, I rang up Ulster Bank in Newry and they began the process of setting up a (fee-free) sterling current account for me over the phone using my ROI address. They post down the application forms which you sign and post back along with bank statements & bills (proof of address) and photocopy of passport signed and stamped by any ROI branch of Ulster Bank. Obviously this process takes a bit of time posting things back and forth but judging by the problems some people have had setting up accounts when they arrive I thought it is a good option for people to know about.

I also found this free "find your feet in London" guide online that some people might find useful.

Finally, I have a question of my own. Could anybody please give advice on changing money from Euros to Sterling. I will be starting College in a few weeks and have to pay fees and I am hoping to transfer some of my savings over too. I have found this company which seem reputable and are regulated in Britain but I would be keen to know if anyone has had experience with them or similar and could give advice?

Thanks very much!

djpbarry

Golden3333 wrote: »

Could anybody please give advice on changing money from Euros to Sterling.

A friend of mine recently recommended CurrencyFair, although I've not yet tried it myself.

Bagel

Golden3333 wrote: »

Hello,


Finally, I have a question of my own. Could anybody please give advice on changing money from Euros to Sterling. I will be starting College in a few weeks and have to pay fees and I am hoping to transfer some of my savings over too. I have found this company which seem reputable and are regulated in Britain but I would be keen to know if anyone has had experience with them or similar and could give advice?

Thanks very much!

Might be missing the point here so apologies if I have. You can organise a sterling money transfer via the Ulster bank to the institutions bank account or get a sterling bank draft. Re savings once you have your new account set up in the UK you can transfer the money electronically via your bank - think it costs around 24e. I'm not sure why you would need to use the company mentioned.

Golden3333

Thanks for the recommendation djpbarry.
Sorry Bagel, I didn't explain that very well! I'm basically looking for the cheapest way possible to transfer and also get the best value for money. These type of companies don't seem to charge you anything and also offer a better rate then most banks but seeing as I've never used them before I'm a little wary that there may be a catch!! :-)

philologos

Golden3333: I did it the annoying way. First way I tried it was a Sterling transfer which at AIB cost €15 but the advantage is that the exchange costs are nullified. A £6 charge is taken from Ulster Bank at arrival.

I then tried it with a Euro transfer which was free with AIB but cost me £39 in total due to the exchange rate commission + £6. It was a lot of money in fairness but it is still very annoying.

djpbarry

Bagel wrote: »

Re savings once you have your new account set up in the UK you can transfer the money electronically via your bank - think it costs around 24e. I'm not sure why you would need to use the company mentioned.

Because the banks charge a fortune. It costs me £20 to make a transfer from my Lloyds account here to my Ulster Bank account in Dublin – that is absolutely scandalous and I refuse to pay it anymore. Just to put that charge in perspective, I have a currency card from FairFX that I can load with sterling (at no charge) and then withdraw cash anywhere in the world at a cost of just £1 per withdrawal (with excellent FX rates). There is absolutely no justification for charging these kinds of fees for transfers from London to Dublin and I would recommend that everyone seek out an alternative before instructing your bank to make the transfer.

djpbarry

djpbarry wrote: »

A friend of mine recently recommended CurrencyFair, although I've not yet tried it myself.

I've actually just tried this myself and would recommend it. No charge for depositing sterling from my Lloyds account, got a rate of £1 = €1.15 on the CurrencyFair market and was then charged €3 to withdraw the funds to my account with Ulster Bank. Funds left my Lloyds account on Monday and were in my UB account yesterday. Happy Days.

niamh4626

Hi!

As per my previous post I am moving to London!!

I'm going over the 1-5th October for interviews and what not but I have two questions:

1. Do I have to be living in the UK to apply for my National Insurance Number or can it be sent to my Dublin address? If I have to be living in the UK, can I use my friends address?

2. Do I have to be in the UK to get an oyster card or can I buy one on line before I go? It looks for a post code when ordering but obviously I don't have one. living in Ireland. I can always get it send to my friends address anyway but I was just wondering.

I look forward to your replies!
Niamh

djpbarry

niamh4626 wrote: »

Do I have to be living in the UK to apply for my National Insurance Number...

Yes.

niamh4626 wrote: »

If I have to be living in the UK, can I use my friends address?

Probably not a good idea. I would just wait until you're living here and then apply. It's not that big a deal.

niamh4626 wrote: »

Do I have to be in the UK to get an oyster card or can I buy one on line before I go?

You can buy an oyster card in pretty much any tube/train station in London.

upmeath

djpbarry wrote: »

niamh4626 wrote:

If I have to be living in the UK (to get NI number), can I use my friends address?

Probably not a good idea. I would just wait until you're living here and then apply. It's not that big a deal.

I don't see why it's not a good idea. People have reported it taking anywhere from 2-4 weeks on these pages so why not just get the process started. I'd like to think most of us have a friend we can rely on to receive one letter on your behalf in good faith. I'll be staying with a friend for my first while and I'll be giving his address when I apply for NI.

Fysh

upmeath wrote: »

I don't see why it's not a good idea. People have reported it taking anywhere from 2-4 weeks on these pages so why not just get the process started. I'd like to think most of us have a friend we can rely on to receive one letter on your behalf in good faith. I'll be staying with a friend for my first while and I'll be giving his address when I apply for NI.

You'll need to attend an in-person interview, though - as an Irish citizen you don't need a work permit to move here, but it's almost certain that you'll be required to turn up to an interview in person with documents to prove your identity before you're given an NI number.

I've never heard of someone getting a postal application completed in less time than it would take to just arrange & attend the interview. At best, you could phone up and see if you can book the interview ahead of your travel date, but even then I don't really see the point. Then there's the "proof of identity" aspect - that'll almost certainly involve a passport and possibly a birth certificate, and there's not a hope in hell I'd trust the Royal Mail with both if I had the option of going in person instead.

niamh4626

Thanks for the replies!

I knew I had to attend an interview, no problem at all with that but wonder will I get my National Insurance Number the day I attend the interview or if it then will be posted out to me. Oh, and my friend over there is my best friend so I have no problem in trusting her with important mail!!

Spoke to a couple of recruitment agents earlier, I'm starting to get really excited now!!

Fysh

I'm reasonably sure they don't give it to you on the day, they usually write to you within a week or two to tell you the number and then send you out the card a few weeks after that.

djpbarry

upmeath wrote: »

I don't see why it's not a good idea. People have reported it taking anywhere from 2-4 weeks on these pages so why not just get the process started.

An interview has to be attended to start the process. And besides, you don’t actually need an NI number to commence employment, so I don’t really the see the point in prioritising it.

niamh4626 wrote: »

...will I get my National Insurance Number the day I attend the interview or if it then will be posted out to me.

It will be posted out some time after the interview. The interview is essentially the lodging of an application, which is then sent off for processing and results in your application being either approved or rejected (usually the former). But I wouldn’t be worrying too much about the NI number. Focus on finding a job and a place to stay – both are far more important.

niamh4626

Grand job, I just didn't want to be paying emergency tax r whatever because i didn't have an insurance number.

Thanks a million for all the answers. No doubt I'll come up with a few more questions over the next few weeks and I will look forward to boardies drinks once I arrive!

djpbarry

niamh4626 wrote: »

Grand job, I just didn't want to be paying emergency tax r whatever because i didn't have an insurance number.

Oh you probably will be, but it's only for a few weeks (if even that). You'll probably get a chance to attend an interview for an NI before you start a job, so you may not be on emergency tax at all.

upmeath

Sorry Fysh, I misread niamh's response and thought it was a permanent move rather than a fleeting visit. In my case I'll be moving over permanently, beginning at a friend's address, and one of the first things I'll be doing will be to start the NI process, giving my friend's address and receiving correspondence at his address. I'll be in England all the while so I'll be able to attend NI meetings. I didn't mean to mislead.

ballsymchugh

try not to laugh or explode in anger at the NI number application interview though...
in my case, i was asked when i moved to the UK. august 8th 2002. kinda laughed through saying that it was a ryanair flight on a thursday afternoon... then saw the guy writing that down too while repeating it out to himself.

then came the signature..
i sign my name about 20-30 times a day. it'll start off normal, but by 5 it's a line and a dot. it took me 5 or 6 goes to get it to a level that almost matched my passport. some aul wan kept saying it wasn't good enough. in the end i just wanted to push the pen through her eye.

i applied for mine over a year after i got here, so if to anyone self employed moving over, it's no big rush at all.

LadyMayBelle

There was a kerfuffle over my signature too..My passport at the time had a signature from ten years ago..okay I didn't think I had changed THAT much but my writing had changed since doing the leaving cert.

philologos

niamh4626 wrote: »

1. Do I have to be living in the UK to apply for my National Insurance Number or can it be sent to my Dublin address? If I have to be living in the UK, can I use my friends address?

You have to be in the UK. Look back to my previous post in the thread, it contains the contact number. If you ring this you'll be given a time and a location for a National Insurance proof-of-identity interview. I got my number less than a week later.

niamh4626 wrote: »

2. Do I have to be in the UK to get an oyster card or can I buy one on line before I go? It looks for a post code when ordering but obviously I don't have one. living in Ireland. I can always get it send to my friends address anyway but I was just wondering.

You don't have to, but I wouldn't panic about the Oyster card you can get one at the machines in the tube / train stations for the most part for £5.

exiledelbows

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

If you plan to get work with children (nursery, preschool, primary, high), in the health, medical or social care field as well as some other areas where you will be working with vulnerable people, you must have a CRB check (a Garda clearance basically). You cannot legally apply for this as an individual, so if you are job hunting for work in this field, register with an agency who will apply for it on your behalf (some will charge you for this process), such as Hays, Carefirst, Prospectus etc

If you are offered work somewhere that doesn't request a CRB check, watch yourself as their reputation may not be very good and you have very little to fall back on if all goes wrong.

From Directgov: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/Startinganewjob/DG_195809



It took me 8 weeks to get my enhanced CRB check back, so bear that in mind. I don't think you can apply for it while still living in Ireland, and only some places will consider your Garda Clearance while waiting for the CRB.

Does anyone know what the story is with getting a Garda clearance while living in the UK? She's applied for the CRB but needs clearance from home too. She rang Garda information in Ireland who told her to ring Vetting. She rang Vetting and they said they only do it for companies. Does she need to go home and physically see a Guard or what's the best way to sort this?

Any Irish teachers been in a similar situation?

ballsymchugh

exiledelbows wrote: »

Does anyone know what the story is with getting a Garda clearance while living in the UK? She's applied for the CRB but needs clearance from home too. She rang Garda information in Ireland who told her to ring Vetting. She rang Vetting and they said they only do it for companies. Does she need to go home and physically see a Guard or what's the best way to sort this?

Any Irish teachers been in a similar situation?

while the only do vetting for companies, they do this for individuals.
http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/data%20protection%20access%20request%20form%20(f20).pdf

i applied for one so that i could switch health authorities in the UK but still waiting. in the end i'm back to my old job anyway.
i wonder if it'll have anything about throwing fun snaps at cars back in 1990?!

shouldn't the teaching authority apply for her?

exiledelbows

ballsymchugh wrote: »

while the only do vetting for companies, they do this for individuals.
http://www.garda.ie/Documents/User/data%20protection%20access%20request%20form%20(f20).pdf

i applied for one so that i could switch health authorities in the UK but still waiting. in the end i'm back to my old job anyway.
i wonder if it'll have anything about throwing fun snaps at cars back in 1990?!

shouldn't the teaching authority apply for her?

She's looking to be a supply teacher temporarily while she gets some courses sorted, so there is no teaching authority.

Worried about the disclaimer at the bottom of that form which says it's not a Garda clearance form

ballsymchugh

exiledelbows wrote: »

She's looking to be a supply teacher temporarily while she gets some courses sorted, so there is no teaching authority.

Worried about the disclaimer at the bottom of that form which says it's not a Garda clearance form

oh tits. i didn't see that! i was in a bit of a rush to get mine sorted. when i called the crowd in thurles, they told me that this was the form i needed anyway. it may be the only option open to her anyway.

djpbarry

exiledelbows wrote: »

Does anyone know what the story is with getting a Garda clearance while living in the UK?

My missus got one easy enough. I've no idea how she went about it though - I'll have to check.

upmeath

ballsymchugh wrote: »

then came the signature..
i sign my name about 20-30 times a day. it'll start off normal, but by 5 it's a line and a dot. it took me 5 or 6 goes to get it to a level that almost matched my passport. some aul wan kept saying it wasn't good enough. in the end i just wanted to push the pen through her eye.

LadyMayBelle wrote: »

There was a kerfuffle over my signature too..My passport at the time had a signature from ten years ago..okay I didn't think I had changed THAT much but my writing had changed since doing the leaving cert.

My passport was issued in 2002 and expires next year, I hadn't even done my Junior Cert when it was issued and needless to say my early teenage Arial-esque writing hadn't been broken by a 28 page Leaving Cert Geography answer book yet. Questions were asked as to why my signature had altered, I told the woman so has my appearance so why not question the validity of the passport as a whole.

jimbojazz

I've just been offered a job in the UK.

The company needs an immediate start.

I was over there yesterday to tie up the loose ends.

Then I hit a hitch.

I went looking for accommodation with estate agents and was told that because I was resident in Ireland and had no credit history there that it would be difficult.

They said something about a Homelet referencing agency that they use but they were unsure about whether they check Ireland.

Has anyone any experience of this and can they check Ireland credit history which would clear up the situation.

I'm seriously worried about this now as this job offer has been a god send

afatbollix

Go to grapevine / craigs list and find a live in landlord Most of them wont do credit checks and it would get you started