Beginner's Guide to Moving Abroad

Your visa is arrived, your flight is booked, and your job's welcome email is in your inbox, but it feels like something is missing... like there is something you're forgetting to do. Well, you are in luck! As time creeps closer and closer to the 6 month-iversary of my landing in the UK, I thought it would be helpful to compile a things-I-wish-I-knew-before list. So, consider this your survival kit of information from someone who has been there and done that.

Table of Contents

Packing

Phone Stuff

Banking

Flat Hunting

Bills

Choosing a GP

OSCE Prep

Packing

Listen, I have to be honest. I love packing. Whether it's for a weekend getaway with the besties or a two week Europe trip with the family, I am a creature of organization with a freak desire for structure. But you should have seen my face as I stood in my 1200 square foot Fort Worth apartment and everything I own laid out on the floor. With the knowledge I could take MAYBE a tenth of this with me, I had to make some serious cutbacks, which leads to my first packing tip: invest in some good garbage bins because we're throwing EVERYTHING away! Maybe not *everything* but I've found hyperbole can be effective.

• Clothes

Every piece of clothing that you have been making excuses for keeping, give it away or throw it away. In fact, if you know you're still a good 4 months-year away from moving, here is what I want you to do: take every piece of clothing hanging in your closet and turn the hanger around so that the hanger appears "backwards". Every time you wear something, put it back the right way and in a few months you'll have a pretty good idea of what you actually will wear when you move. Also be thinking about the climate difference. Obviously moving from Texas to England was going to require a fairly different wardrobe, so if you have three pairs of denim shorts that look the exact same (guilty), keep your one favorite and give the others away! Although I will say, most US>UK packing advice includes not bringing ANY summer clothes, but with summers reaching record high temps here in England, it wouldn't hurt bringing a few summer pieces.

• Everything else

The way I viewed packing for my move was this: clothes...and not clothes. I am a very sentimental person, so it was not easy for me to leave things like picture albums and little knicknacks from family members. Especially in the dead of winter with 45 minutes of sun a day, you'll wish you had brought some sentimental things from home for comfort. We're not robots, it feels nice to look at a purse I didn't necessarily "need" to bring and think of my mom who got it for me. If it's an option for you, have a family member or a friend ship this stuff to you in a box so you don't have to use any of your precious 50lbs of checked bag space for the collectible shot glasses you got on study abroad. Also, keep in mind that as you live and exist in this new place, you'll begin to collect new things, so definitely save room for yourself to grow. After all, a large reason many of us move is to break the mold and grow as people, so don't let hanging on to physical items hold you back from your personal evolution.

• US staples

Finally, I wanted to touch on something VERY important (to me). My favorite body wash. I love it so much! But I cant find it in the UK:(. So I made a point to pack extra and bring it with me until I can find a new fave. It helps to make a list of things you use daily that might be harder (or more expensive) to get in England. For me, I packed extra body wash, electric toothbrush heads, Chik-fil-a sauce (HAD TO, OKAY!!?), and my favorite gum.

Phone Stuff

This was one of the first big logistical items I had to consider before making my move. I really put a lot of thought into this and it honestly stressed me out because there is no AT&T or Verizon in the UK and I had no knowledge of what carrier to go with. It seemed like there were a lot of mixed information about the reliability of the carriers and I didn't have anyone boots-on-the-ground who could tell me what's what. So, let me tell you what I did and what I would have done differently if I could do it again.

1. E-Sim or Prepaid SIM card

If you've done any amount of research on how expats get service when that one way flight touches down, you'll know theres basically two ways to do this: e-sim or physical SIM card.

I personally bought a physical SIM card from Three off of Amazon (this exact one, but I also looked into one of these pay as you go plans from giffgaff) and put it in my phone before takeoff. I didn't know how much data to buy so I bought the 50gb for one month, I only used ten because most places I went had wifi already but I personally operate on a "better safe than sorry" system. Note that these physical SIM cards will expire after one month so it's a use it or lose it kinda vibe. This honestly worked great for the month and Three made it really easy! So easy, in fact, that I ended up signing a 2 year contract for their phone plan and wifi bundle *insert English groans*- for once in my life I didn't do enough research and am now stuck with horrible wifi and service for the next two years.... c'est la vie I guess. From what I have been told, the cultural equivalent to AT&T and Verizon in the UK are EE and O2. EE has wifi (called broadband here) bundles with BT that are reliable.

E-Sim cards aren't something I am very familiar with at the minute, however I plan on using one during my international travels. The way they work is by downloading an app or going on an E-Sim provider's website (Airalo and Holafly are the two most popular I've seen), purchasing an E-Sim, and activating it based on what phone you have! I found this article to be very helpful.

Finally, something I found out before I moved was that, at least for AT&T, is that in order to change your sim card, especially for an E-Sim, your phone needs to be "unlocked" this typically involves paying out your phone contract so as to not owe any money to the US phone carrier when you switch to a UK carrier. To find out if you have SIM restrictions on an IPhone, go to Settings>General>About>Carrier Lock. If it says "No SIM restrictions", your'e golden! If not, check out this post by Apple.

2. Phone Numbers

You never really know how much is connected to your phone number until you no longer have access to it and you're getting Multi-Factor Authentication texts sent to a number you can no longer use. Making large purchases on a US credit card and they need to text you to verify it's you? Too bad! Locked out of your email and need to type in the code sent to your US number? Oopise! These are all things that have caused a concerning amount of tears because I did not realize how detrimental it would be to lose access to my US number. Want to learn from my mistakes? Here are a couple of things you can do to make this part of the transition not so painstaking.

• Port your number into Google Voice.

• If you're unable to port your number:

• Call anything and everything that uses your US number

Banking

There is one thing I did in advance that helped me get on my feet as soon as humanly possible and that was set up a bank account before even moving. Let me be frank, don't mess around with even thinking about joining a brick-and-mortar bank before moving. For now, all you'll need is your phone.

1. Wise vs Revolut vs Monzo

The Big 3 when it comes to mobile banking in the UK. While I did research on all 3, I went with Wise (formerly Transferwise) and I frankly don't have any experience with any of the rest so I'm not going to touch on Revolut of Monzo. This article is great at comparing the three, though. But I could write a million love sonnets about Wise and i'll tell you why-se (insert laughter). When you download Wise, you create a USD (or your home currency) bank account in the app first, then create a GBP (or the currency of the country you're moving to) bank account in seconds (promise this isn't an ad lol). Next, you link your home US bank account and transfer money to aforementioned USD Wise account in the app, which you can then transfer into GBP in a few more seconds! (Again, not an ad I swear). It is so easy and self explanatory. Plus, changing the primary phone number on the account from my US number to my UK number was easy too! It comes with the option to get a physical bank card sent to your address along with Contactless Pay options (which is used virtually everywhere in the UK).

2. Sort Codes

You'll notice on your UK bank account that you have something called a Sort Code. This, alongside an account number is how you can send money to people and vice versa. In the UK, Venmo/Zelle/CashApp aren't a thing. Instead, you send money directly to and from your bank accounts! Pretty convenient and not as sketchy as it sounded to me when I first heard of it.

3. Getting paid

Having all of this set up before you get across the pond will make it so much easier for your employers to pay you on time. I had this ready on my first day of induction and my first paycheck was able to not be pushed back!

4. US taxes and foreign bank accounts

As it is tax season, I am doing my first round of expat taxes right now. I plan on doing an entire post for expat tax tips, but I thought this piece of information was important to write here. (Disclaimer: I am definitely not an accountant or tax professional. Seriously. The closest I've gotten to any textbook knowledge on taxes is one of my best friends getting her masters in accounting. Even now I'm not sure if the connection between accounting and taxes is correct. Anyways continuing!) If the sum of your foreign bank account is or has ever been equal to or greater than $10,000 USD this tax year, you must file a special tax form to claim this called an FBAR. H&R Block has a really great article about this here.

Flat Hunting

PSA: In the UK, the term "leasing" or "renting" is often replaced with the term "letting". This is the word I'm gonna use, so don't be confused!

I had a pretty successful flat hunting experience, and I think living in a smaller city definitely helped. There are so many websites available that will show hundreds of available flats in the location of your choosing, which you can then taper down to fit your specific criteria. My favorites are Rightmove, Zoopla, and OnTheMarket. Don't be too picky, though. It is important to note that the standard of living is lower in England overall, and mixed with the ever increasing housing crisis, I'd expect many expats are surprised by what kind of flats they can afford. Don't go into this process expecting the same level of McMansion-vibe-grey-flooring-apartment you might have had in the States. But I personally do not mind this difference, and actually prefer the UK flats with more personality and history.

While I was beginning to look, a realtor that works with international nurses to help find flats gave me some advice and questions to ask:

• You will want to ask about the bills as these might not be included (it will say on the listing)

• Electric or gas heating (gas is less expensive generally, mine is electric)

• Any bills included?

• Which Council Tax Band the property is (explained in the Bills section)

• Average water and electric (or gas) bill for last tenant

• Ask what the heating hot water is controlled by, ideally you want a combo boiler that runs both electric and gas

• Ask what the landlord is like and who they are

• One flat I viewed was shown by the landlord, another was by a realtor

• How safe is this area?

• Bus stops nearby?

  • Google maps has a public transit feature that can show you the best way to get from point A to point B via public transportation. I used this to vet every flat I looked at and my current flat is mere steps away from the bus stop that takes me to work!

• Are there any additional fees associated with letting this property?

• If you live in a flat complex there might be building management fees

• How to file maintenance/work orders if necessary?

A few of my own things to look for/know about:

• In the UK, there are no outlets in any of the bathrooms. This is normal!

• Keep in mind that the closets here are much smaller than those in the States. Keep in mind the size of the closet relative to clothes you have brought.

• This is going to sound dumb, but check and see if there is service. Some spots in towns and cities are dead zones, don't be like me and start renting a flat just to be surprised when you have no service.

In the US, there is this general attitude of "shopping for options", especially when it comes to apartments. In Fort Worth, my roommate and I saw probably 4-5 flats before deciding on the one we chose. Let me be clear: do not do that here. If you like it, ask for letting details as soon as you decide. Definitely keep your standards and don't choose a gross place because you think that's all that is there, but if you like a flat, snatch it up! Or someone else definitely will.

After you decide you like a flat, you'll fill out the application and the landlord will decide if he or she wants to move foreward with you. It took less than one hour from me submitting the app to getting the call saying the landlord was happy with me renting from her. This is now crunchtime. Once you pay the deposit (typically 6 weeks of rent), the property is taken off of the market for 7 days. You have this much time to submit payroll references (to prove you are earning an income), and to submit whatever information they request. For me this was: Bank details (to confirm I actually have a UK bank account), address history, salary info, employer info and your Right to Rent Share Code (use your BRP card to get this information here). Once completed, they process the information and work on getting a move in date set! It is definitely a stressful process, but when done effectively can move pretty quickly.

Things to prioritize when flat hunting:

• Location to bus stop that takes you to work

• Nearest supermarket

• How close to the social scene

• Visit the flat on your own before the tour at multiple times in the day if you can!

• Number of windows in the flat (you'll thank me come wintertime)

• Ground level/if there are stairs required to access

Bills

I don't want to make the joke about adulting and bills and yadda yadda but it rings true! Setting up bills here was different than in the States because in Texas, my apartment complex just added it on top of our monthly rent and we never had to set anything up. Here, individual tenants are responsible for organizing all bills, but usually you'll be getting mail from whichever company the previous tenant used giving you an option to continue using their services.

• For water, I use Thames Water company and I pay the flat rate option of ~£25/month for my studio flat.

• For Electric I use Ovo Energy Company and I pay the flat rate option of ~£50/month for my studio flat.

Council Tax:

• I audibly sighed when thinking how to explain council tax to other Americans. You know when there is trash all over the sidewalk and you think to yourself "hm, I wish there was a social program put in place that would clean up the trash off the street, and I also wish there was an easy way to make sure everyone who lives in this general area could pay for it so those who would be impacted could benefit the most" (a common thought, I know), well that is what council tax is for...kind of. Basically Council tax is a fee you pay over the year that pays for local services like garbage collection, libraries, schools, street lights, etc. How much you pay is based on the value of the property, ranging from Band A-Band H with A being the lowest amount paid and H being the highest amount paid. If you're living by yourself, though, you get a 25% discount which is nice. To make sure you're paying this, and you do NEED to be paying this, go to your local council's website or give them a call, they usually send you a letter in the mail about registering to pay the council tax because you also have to alert them if you change residences.

TV License

• Another doozy, and one that I still do not fully understand, but you read that right: in order to watch any live programs on Youtube, BBC, BBC iPlayer, or anywhere else, you need to pay for a TV license. Now before you cancel that one way flight, know that if you watch regular on-demand Netflix or Youtube, you DON'T need to pay for this, but you will have to claim to the TV License gods that you don't watch live programs. And if they do not believe you, they WILL come and check. I don't own a TV and only watch Netflix on my computer, so I don't have or need a TV license.

Choosing a GP

One thing that I procrastinated on: finding a GP. If you're unfamiliar, GP, or general practitioner is the first line of care in the NHS. Have a cold you can't shake? GP. Non-serious injury that doesn't need immediate medical attention? GP. Lowkey depressed bc england weather is bumming you out? GP. Maybe not the last one but yeah, GP is a great asset to have been signed up for, even if you don't think you "need" it right then and there. Belonging to a GP Surgery (that's british for doctor's office) gets you an NHS number and access to essentially European health insurance. Go NHS!

OSCE Prep

Probably one of the most anxiety-inducing parts of moving to the UK for nursing was the dreaded OSCE- the three hour, ten station skills exam where one wrong move could land you right back in the testing center a few weeks later repeating the whole thing. No pressure!! I was lucky enough to have joined a Trust that provided a 4 day intensive prep course for the Paediatric OSCE. I don't have much experience with the Adult OSCE, but I do know that everything is the same except for the skills stations and a few bits here and there. The OSCE is structured with these 10 stations:

• Assessment

• Planning (writing station)

• Implementation (medication pass)

• Evaluation (writing/speaking station)

• Professional Values (writing station)

• Evidence-Based Practice (writing station)

• 4 Skills Stations

  • For the Paediatric OSCE these 4 skills come from a bank of 10 skills you could be tested on

  • For the Adult OSCE, there are over 20 skills you may be tested on

These stations may go in any order. For example, you may be asked to complete the writing stations first then move on to the clinical stations, it is at the discretion of the examiner. I was tested at Oxford Brookes University and despite my nerves I ended up passing the first time! The biggest piece of advice I can give is this: if you have enough time, take a moment to close your eyes and breathe. The examiner knows how stressful this exam is and will not fault you for pausing your skill to take a breather, just know that the time doesn't stop! I would definitely recommend taking a professional prep course, as they're able to answer questions and clarify some of the more confusing aspects of the test. Obviously, practice makes progress so be sure to go over and over your skills and stations. The test has a 30-40% pass rate on the first go, so find solace in the fact that its not uncommon for people to retake. Luckily, you only need to retake the stations you failed so it is easier to focus on what you need to work on. This article on the NMC website has a lot of good information for each test.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Experience is the best teacher, and there is no way I would be able to cover every detail related to moving abroad. Everyone's journey is different so don't be afraid to make mistakes. Being afraid is normal, but it's how we react to the fear that defines us. If you take that fear and wallow in it, your life will be limited to what is comfortable and your personal growth will be stunted. This one life we live is too short to not do what scares us!

So go travel!

TRN