It’s the British equivalent to a social security number. You must apply for one if you have the right to work in the UK. It ensures that you pay taxes to the British government. You can also use it if you are claiming benefits or tax credits.
You can apply for a National Insurance (NI) number by going to an interview at a local JobCentre. In the interview you will have to prove your identity and that you are working, will start working or are looking for work. Interviews can be set up by calling the National Insurance Allocation service hotline, 0845 600 0643.
After the interview, you will get a card in the mail with your NI Number. Like your social security number, you want to keep this secret.
Now you’re probably wondering why you should even bother getting a NI Number? Most jobs will require that you provide one when they are putting you the company payroll. If you don’t have one, you will be given a temporary number and will be put on an emergency tax rate which can be as high as 35%. Trust me, there is nothing worse than seeing a large portion of your check taken out because you failed to get a National Insurance Number. So be sure to get one.
The black cabs around our fair city are as iconic as the double-decker bus. However, you’ll soon discover that these masters of the road are pretty damn expensive. How expensive you ask? On St. Patricks Day last year, it cost me 50 quid. Yes, 5-0 to go from Soho to ActonTown. And this was all on the meter.
You also have the occasional issue of cabbies refusing to take you where you want to go. This happened to me while I was in Ladbroke Grove around 2 AM trying to go to ActonTown, which by the way isn’t that far away. But after being turned down by three cabbies, I unfortunately had to wait for the night bus.
That being said, mini cabs can be really dodgy. Firstly, you have no guarantee that the driver is properly trained. I have on many occasions had to give my mini cab driver the postcode of my destination to enter into a sat nav (GPS). And he still had trouble getting me there.
In contrast, all black cab drivers have to know London like the back of their hand…well central London at least. They all have to pass an intensive driving exam called the Knowledge where they literally have to know ever nook, cranny and intersection of the city. Just tell them where you want to go and they’ll get you there. Problem is it can be hard to find an empty cab especially if you’re in a popular spot like Piccadilly Circus or Soho at night.
Which bring us back to mini-cabs which tend to be conveniently parked right outside clubs late at night. The only problem with this is that its illegal for them to do this. It can also be dangerous as the person who you think is a cab driver could just be some crazed murderer/rapist. So unless you are with a group of people, I’d be extremely cautious of going into one of these alone. You really should only get into a mini-cab if you have called them to pick you up.
But on the bright side you can get the number of a reputable mini-cab service, like Addison Lee and have them pick you up. No muss. No fuss. Plus mini-cabs are on a whole cheaper than black cabs and their prices are negotiable.
The verdict: Black cabs are awesome if you’re going short distances or if you need to get to a place you’ve never been. However, if you want to save a bit of cash, mini-cabs are the way to go.
Ah, the announcement that every Londoner hates to hear when getting on the Tube. Don’t you just hate it when someone decides to kill themselves at the height of rush hour? Couldn’t they find a more convenient time to end it? Don’t they know I have places to be? When this is your reaction to someone’s death, you know that you’ve become a full fledged Londoner. Or perhaps just a cold-hearted bastard.
But back to the topic at hand, the Tube. It’s small, its crowded and seems due to the impending Olympics seems to always be closed due to engineering works. And for some reason, it doesn't run 24/7. But the trains come frequently and it’s one of the most efficient ways to get around London. Unless of course you can afford to take a black cab everywhere.
The trick with the Tube is knowing when to get on. If you try to go anywhere during rush hour, you’re pretty much going to be crammed in a car. But if you travel during off peak hours, it really ain’t that bad. Some may even say it’s enjoyable.
The pricing for Tube tickets is based on a zone system. So if you’re travelling within zone 1 you pay a set price of either 1.80 GBP with an Oyster card of 4.00 GBP if you’re paying cash. If you’re going from zone 1 to zone 2, then you’ll pay even more. You can calculate the price of a single fare here.
If you use the Tube as your main mode of transportation, I highly recommend buying an Oyster card. This is a card that you can buy from any Tube station. It costs 3 GBP but as you can see you get great savings on fares for the Tube as well as the bus.
In addition to the saving on pay-as-you-go fares, you can also put a weekly, monthly or annual travelcard on your Oyster card. The pricing also depends on what zones you are travelling in. However they have the benefit of paying one price in advance and allow unlimited travel on either the bus and/or the Tube, DLR and London Overground. You can get more info here. Please note that you can not get a monthly pass for zone 1 only. You have to get one for zones 1 and 2.
For more information about the Tube including maps, you can visit the TFL website.
Brits are known around the world for their reserve. This is fantastic when watching a period drama but when you’re actually trying to make friends with them it comes off as well….rude. We all have the image of people going down to the pub and having a wild night of drinking with the friendly locals. Do not expect to mosey up to your nearest pub, order a pint and instantly become friends with anyone there.
For one thing, Londoners don’t like strangers to speak to them. They’d really prefer if you not acknowledge their existence especially if you’re sitting next to them on the Tube. Don’t believe me? Just try to strike up a conversation with a stranger and see what happens. I almost guarantee that you’ll be ignored and written off a mentally ill. But if the person next to you does acknowledge your existence, they’re probably another expat or certifiably crazy.
Now some people have managed to do down the work route to making friends there. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn’t. Again, we have images of the entire office going out for a pint after work on the company’s dime. But in THIS economy, don’t hold your breath. Also note that most Brits who work in London, do not live in London. So as soon as the clock strikes 5 (or 4:55 in my office), they are dashing out the door to get a start on that long train ride home.
So how the hell do you make friends??? One word. Social networking. Don’t laugh. It actually works. All of the friends that I’ve made while living here I’ve meet though a social networking site. Now that doesn’t mean that you should randomly start friending people on Facebook in the hopes that they’ll meet you for a drink. Again, if they do, they’re probably crazy. Instead, I highly recommend checking out Meetup.com.
Meetup.com is like a bulletin board of different interest groups. If you’re really into something like sports, wine, volunteering, nudity, (yes, even nudity), then there is a meetup group for you. As with anything, some of the people are nice and some are weird. Just go in with an open mind. You never know who you’ll meet. I can honestly say that I’ve met some truly awesome people through various groups including the London pub crawls and the New Girl in Town groups. So it is worth checking it out. There is even an American expat group which has a pretty awesome Superbowl party and is a great way to meet other Americans.
Another alternative is Yelp. Although they are primarily a review site they do have loads of off-line events. They have a thriving London community and put on some great events, salsa dancing, pub crawls, movie nights, group dinners, etc. And these people know how to party. So if you show up for one of their events, prepare for it to be a long night out as their events will inevitably have a pre-party and an after party.
I’m not a religious woman, but I’m told that you can always find a friend in faith. So be sure to also check out any groups that your local church, synagogue or mosque may have.
Unlike many parts of the US, there are not huge apartment complexes here in the UK that you can just walk into a rental office, view an apartment and get in. Correction: There are apartment-like complexes littering Londontown. But those ladies and gentlemen are government housing aka the ghetto or as the Brits put it council estate.
Most rentals are privately owned and advertised either through an estate agent or through a website like Gumtree.com. You can find an estate agent on your local main street or high street in Brit-speak. They also tend to have website. So a simple Google search of “estate agent + London” should bring up plenty of hits.
Be leary of estate agents that ask for cash if you call about an amazing property that they advertised on their website. They don’t actually have that property. They just want you to pay to find other properties that may look like the one they advertised. Unless you are super busy, you really don’t need them to do this for you. An agent should show you a property free of charge and if they ask for money, just throw an American fit and tell them to go fuck themselves.
Of course Gumtree.com also has its scams. One in particular will advertise an amazing place in central London that’s pretty dirt cheap. A flat in Marylebone for only 500 GBP a month!!!!! They’ll write you and say that they only want serious viewers and ask that you agree to bring a deposit just in case you like the property. Now if you want to be robbed. Go right ahead and show up with a few hundred pounds to meet a stranger person in a strange home. Fingers crossed, you won’t be robbed. Or fingers crossed, they actually own or have a right to rent out the property! Illegal sublets to happen so be careful.
That being said like any other large city, the rental market is also very, very competitive. So if you see a property that you may want, I highly recommend taking it at the first chance that you get. Some landlords will want a deposit and the first month’s rent in hand before they sign a lease over to you. So when you view a property be sure that you have the funds to move in right away and try to sign the lease ASAP.
Something else to consider is that properties in London are advertised with a weekly rental price and not their monthly price. So to get an idea of what you’ll pay monthly for rent you can take a trip back to grade school math and use the following formula:
Monthly rent = (weekly rent x 52) /12
Now again, I’m not sure why properties are advertised in this way. In fact most landlords will insist that you stay for a minimum of 6 months. So you’d think that they’d at least advertise the monthly rent for their property, right? Wrong!
Also remember that London is a pricey city so be sure to take into account your utility bills as well as two taxes that are alien to Americans, TV and council tax. TV tax is the tax that you pay to have a TV. Sounds crazy right? But it’s used to pay for the free BBC shows. So instead of having those annoying telethons on your local PBS station, everyone has to chip in. It costs 142.50 GBP per year. Back in the day, they used to come door to door and check your property if you didn’t pay your TV tax. I don’t own a TV and did receive a letter saying that someone would come by. However, I called the TV Licensing people and let them know that I’m broke and don’t have to TV and was never harassed by them again.
Council tax on the other hand, is the tax that you pay for local services such as trash collection, library up-keep, etc. This is paid to the local council and your monthly costs depend on which council you live in, the type of flat that you live in as well as whether or not you are the sole occupant of the flat or if you have flatmates. The most expensive council tax is in Richmond while the least expensive is in Wandsworth. If you live in a basement flat your council tax may be more that in you lived in the top floor of the same building. It all depends on how the property is zoned. Also if you live on your own, you can get a discount on your council tax. Confused? Perplexed? You can enter the post code of the property you want to rent and get an idea of the council tax here. Or you could always just ask your landlord.
