Dharkchild:

Aiight bro. PS don't make any payment or sign a contract till you have seen the property yourself. I learnt that from here.

I took a risk by making a deposit of 200 pounds(50k) to secure the accommodation I wanted based on a friends recommendation, but if eventually I do not like the apartment then I have to forfeit my money. That's not the kind of risk I would want to take another time, but we keep learning

I would send you some website where you could search for apartment and arrange for viewing when you get to Sheffield. I would also try to view done apartment when I get there, but remember taste differs and no contracts or financial commitment except you are willing to bear the consequences if any

You don't forfeit the money, did you pay it through bank transfer or your friend?

honey86:
Sorry for your loss. I can remember that justwise warned you not to pay for an accomodation you have not seen but you did. Wish you had listened.

Not yet a Loss oooo, still in Nigeria. I am just preparing my mind for the worst, tho I was willing to take the risk. Hopefully it would be worth it. Wishing myself the best...loll

justwise:

You don't forfeit the money, did you pay it through bank transfer or your friend?

My friend did. He said he wrote a check and they confirmed receipt. But they said something like its gonna be with insurance or so. I believe I would like the place tho would find out by September 12th.

Dharkchild:

My friend did. He said he wrote a check and they confirmed receipt. But they said something like its gonna be with insurance or so. I believe I would like the place tho would find out by September 12th.

If its a check then you will get your money back....that is if your friend is telling the truth, checks are very easy to trace.

Though i smell rat about the whole thing.

justwise:

If its a check then you will get your money back....that is if your friend is telling the truth, checks are very easy to trace.

Though i smell rat about the whole thing.

Yeah he is telling the truth, loll. Its ok to be sceptical but I know he is. I am just the one who assume I would forfeit it, he didn't say that. Thanks Alot 'm happier now, more like killing two birds with one stone. But really hope I like the apartment so I wouldn't have to go through the stress of settling down.

plz guyz,
which area wud b best 4 accomodation 4 sum1 attending The university of sheefield n wud b @ a walkable distance?

@justwise
all these schools outside london kai - accomodation cheap o!

You dont wanna know how much it is in london
student accomodation studio flat -- 800-1000pounds incl bills (rooms are like cubicles oh)
student accomodation shared --- 600 incl bills
Private accomodation for shared flats 450-550 incl

And I cant do shared accomodation.....
Getting a 1bed flat outside london now. God dey

salsera: @justwise
all these schools outside london kai - accomodation cheap o!

You dont wanna know how much it is in london
student accomodation studio flat -- 800-1000pounds incl bills (rooms are like cubicles oh)
student accomodation shared --- 600 incl bills
Private accomodation for shared flats 450-550 incl

And I cant do shared accomodation.....
Getting a 1bed flat outside london now. God dey

Accommodation cost in London is crazy, some pple who works or study in London lives outside London mainly cos of accommodation issue.

bjohnsen: Royal Holloway, university of London, MSc. Petroleum Geosciences. Kindly contact me if you are going to the same school.

RHUL too, information security but still waiting for Visa

justwise:

You can get bill inclusive from £250-£300 for double bedroom a month there in south Yorkshire, for single bedrooms you may get between £170-220 a month, it depends on how good the accommodation is and the distance to university and city center.

This is quite cheap. But what bills are inclusive? I'm guessing maybe only electricity to be this cheap.

Donxavier:

This is quite cheap. But what bills are inclusive? I'm guessing maybe only electricity to be this cheap.

justwise is right, the apartment'm hoping I would get is £300 and its all bills inclusive (light, water, electricity and internet) and its ensuite. I saw other apartments within same price range but just that you share bathrooms. justwise is so right on this.

Dharkchild:

justwise is right, the apartment'm hoping I would get is £300 and its all bills inclusive (light, water, electricity and internet) and its ensuite. I saw other apartments within same price range but just that you share bathrooms. justwise is so right on this.

What's the site. Maybe I can check for aberdeen area.

Donxavier:

This is quite cheap. But what bills are inclusive? I'm guessing maybe only electricity to be this cheap.

All bills........gas, water, electricity, internet. the kitchen must be equip with washing machine, fridge, microwave, cooker and dryer sometimes.

The room will have reading table, wardrobes and sometimes bookshelf, but you must view it to confirm all these, online pictures are nothing.

Donxavier:

What's the site. Maybe I can check for aberdeen area.

Google student accommodation in Aberdeen and you are good to go. check for rooms in house share. Like justwise said arrange for a viewing to confirm current state of house.

justwise:

All bills........gas, water, electricity, internet. the kitchen must be equip with washing machine, fridge, microwave, cooker and dryer sometimes.

The room will have reading table, wardrobes and sometimes bookshelf, but you must view it to confirm all these, online pictures are nothing.

That means it's better to get there before making arrangements. I'm staying with a cousin for 2 weeks, so I'd use that to find places. I guess aberdeen too should be cheap.

Dharkchild:

Google student accommodation in Aberdeen and you are good to go. check for rooms in house share. Like justwise said arrange for a viewing to confirm current state of house.

Thanks bro. Will do that.

@ Justwise,

Can you give an idea of how payment goes as regards accommodation.
Is it monthly, 3months,6months or the whole one year?

Donxavier: @ Justwise,

Can you give an idea of how payment goes as regards accommodation.
Is it monthly, 3months,6months or the whole one year?

You pay the deposit plus one month rent to start with then its monthly after that, You will be given your deposit back when you are moving out of the room.

justwise:

You pay the deposit plus one month rent to start with then its monthly after that, You will be given your deposit back when you are moving out of the room.

Like how much deposit are we talking about? Any idea an average deposit for single room? Those that you said are around £170-£250 per month.

Donxavier:

Like how much deposit are we talking about? Any idea an average deposit for single room? Those that you said are around £170-£250 per month.

In most cases...if the rent is £200 a month then you will be asked to deposit £200 as well.

justwise:

In most cases...if the rent is £200 a month then you will be asked to deposit £200 as well.

Wow this is amazing. This means the £800pm for outer london is a luxury budget.
If you can realistically get a decent place all bills inclusive for £200pm, then another £200pm should be enough for all other expenses(Feeding,Transport and all other miscellanous activities) if one is prudent. That's like £400 in savings. Or is this naïve thinking? Are there other hidden cost am not putting into consideration.

Donxavier:

Wow this is amazing. This means the £800pm for outer london is a luxury budget.
If you can realistically get a decent place all bills inclusive for £200pm, then another £200pm should be enough for all other expenses(Feeding,Transport and all other miscellanous activities) if one is prudent. That's like £400 in savings. Or is this naïve thinking? Are there other hidden cost am not putting into consideration.

Its possible to get a single bedroom for £200 a month including the bills but the accommodation may not be in great condition or closer to university.
There are single rooms going for £260pm including bills but the accommodation is in great condition.
Yes you could save £400 if you avoid a lot of temptations, if nothing....then....

justwise:

Its possible to get a single bedroom for £200 a month including the bills but the accommodation may not be in great condition or closer to university.
There are single rooms going for £260pm including bills but the accommodation is in great condition.
Yes you could save £400 if you avoid a lot of temptations, if nothing....then....

Thanks Great advice. As regards the.20hr work. Is there a downside to working more hours. I don't intend breaking the law but am just curious as to how they go about ensuring you only work for 20hrs. And will it be divided over the 7 days? Like say you work 3hrs everyday or can there be only weekends, say just 10hrs sat and 10hrs Sun.
From my calculations, is it realistic you can earn up to £400pm from the work? Are those earnings taxed?
Lastly, how soon can one start the part time work? Is it compulsory you must have National insurance before you can do part time work? Are most part time jobs usually 3 months contracts where after that you have to go and find another one. I have already heard plenty discouraging talk on how it is difficult to get part time work now but I know it's very much possible regardless of the recession.

My thinking is if £400pm can come from Budget savings and then another £400pm from work. Then I can save £500 and do luxury with the remaining £300.

yes you need NI

yes work is taxed , 20%TAX for salaries under 29,000pounds per annum

By the way, before you postulate on parttime work. Please bare in mind your school schedule will determine what time you have left over for school
Teaching methods and grading is very different and adjusting to it is another thing entirely.
Colleagues who been there and done that find either there's no time for work when your trying to do well in school, whilst those who focus on keeping up the work dropped the ball in school.

Donxavier:

Thanks Great advice. As regards the.20hr work. Is there a downside to working more hours. I don't intend breaking the law but am just curious as to how they go about ensuring you only work for 20hrs. And will it be divided over the 7 days? Like say you work 3hrs everyday or can there be only weekends, say just 10hrs sat and 10hrs Sun.
From my calculations, is it realistic you can earn up to £400pm from the work? Are those earnings taxed?
Lastly, how soon can one start the part time work? Is it compulsory you must have National insurance before you can do part time work? Are most part time jobs usually 3 months contracts where after that you have to go and find another one. I have already heard plenty discouraging talk on how it is difficult to get part time work now but I know it's very much possible regardless of the recession.

My thinking is if £400pm can come from Budget savings and then another £400pm from work. Then I can save £500 and do luxury with the remaining £300.

Working more than 20hrs a wk can get you in more trouble than you bargained for, with your £7200 maintenance money and 20hrs work you should be fine.

The 20hrs can be done in 2days or 5days, it all depend on the type of job you got and how many hours the employer has for you per day.

Part time jobs could last for a wk, a month or even yrs, its a random thing.

Yes getting any job now is difficult, not just part time job, some may be lucky to get one quicker, for some people it may take ages, employers have thousands of job seekers to choose from so they can decide to pick the best CV out of thousands, so its a tough call.

You need to get national insurance number before you even start applying for job,your tax contribution is record on it, students don't pay tax so you can claim it back if you are taxed or fill tax exemption form from your employer so that you will not be taxed.

Yes you can earn up to £400 a month doing part time but that will depend on how much you are paid per hr, by law national minimum wage is £6.08 per hr, multiplier that by 20hrs per wk x 4.

You could be lucky to be paid £6.30. or £7.00.....per hr, its not guaranteed but the minimum you will be paid is £6.08 per hr.

justwise:

Working more than 20hrs a wk can get you in more trouble than you bargained for, with your £7200 maintenance money and 20hrs work you should be fine.

The 20hrs can be done in 2days or 5days, it all depend on the type of job you got and how many hours the employer has for you per day.

Part time jobs could last for a wk, a month or even yrs, its a random thing.

Yes getting any job now is difficult, not just part time job, some may be lucky to get one quicker, for some people it may take ages, employers have thousands of job seekers to choose from so they can decide to pick the best CV out of thousands, so its a tough call.

You need to get national insurance number before you even start applying for job,your tax contribution is record on it, students don't pay tax so you can claim it back if you are taxed or fill tax exemption form from your employer so that you will not be taxed.

Yes you can earn up to £400 a month doing part time but that will depend on how much you are paid per hr, by law national minimum wage is £6.08 per hr, multiplier that by 20hrs per wk x 4.

You could be lucky to be paid £6.30. or £7.00.....per hr, its not guaranteed but the minimum you will be paid is £6.08 per hr.

How long does it take to get the NI?
Thanks very much.

salsera: yes you need NI

yes work is taxed , 20%TAX for salaries under 29,000pounds per annum

By the way, before you postulate on parttime work. Please bare in mind your school schedule will determine what time you have left over for school
Teaching methods and grading is very different and adjusting to it is another thing entirely.
Colleagues who been there and done that find either there's no time for work when your trying to do well in school, whilst those who focus on keeping up the work dropped the ball in school.

People who did my course last year only had classes 3 days a week. Let's even assume things have changed now and it's 4 days, at least weekend should be free and I can be fully concentrated on my books during the weekdays. I heard there are lots of assignment and all that.
By God's grace I should be able to cope with proper planning and organisation.
BaBa God Noni

Donxavier:

How long does it take to get the NI?
Thanks very much.

It takes less than a month.

Donxavier:

People who did my course last year only had classes 3 days a week. Let's even assume things have changed now and it's 4 days, at least weekend should be free and I can be fully concentrated on my books during the weekdays. I heard there are lots of assignment and all that.
By God's grace I should be able to cope with proper planning and organisation.
BaBa God Noni

Yes that maybe lecture only, you still have group works and seminars then time to do assignments. In most Msc courses you will do at least 8 modules per semester, because Msc courses are done in a yr in the UK its always intensive with a lot going on within short period.

justwise:

Yes that maybe lecture only, you still have group works and seminars then time to do assignments. In most Msc courses you will do at least 8 modules per semester, because Msc courses are done in a yr in the UK its always intensive with a lot going on within short period.

Thanks very much. More questions

How much will phone bills eat into my budget?. I have a gf I call every now and then. All these special friends calling that glo and mtn offer has made us talk every often.
How can I continue that from the uk? What network is the cheapest for international calls. How much can I budget if I intend to call like 4 times in a week for some minutes.

Donxavier:

Thanks very much. More questions

How much will phone bills eat into my budget?. I have a gf I call every now and then. All these special friends calling that glo and mtn offer has made us talk every often.
How can I continue that from the uk? What network is the cheapest for international calls. How much can I budget if I intend to call like 4 times in a week for some minutes.

Nobody can tell you how much phone call will cost you, you will tell yourself when it hits your bank balance.

If your gf is on yahoo or Skype then you can call her for free through any of those

justwise:

Nobody can tell you how much phone call will cost you, you will tell yourself when it hits your bank balance.

If your gf is on yahoo or Skype then you can call her for free through any of those

Ok, at least calling rates. What is the cheapest line or network. And how best is it to call Nigeria from the uk. I heard it's better to call landlines and all that. Don't really know