Moving to the UK can feel daunting with so many things to organise. Here’s a quick look at some of the essentials IMGs need to organise to help with the transition to the UK. By Jonathan Darbinson, IMG Relationship Manager at Medical Protection.

Moving to a new country is exciting, but at Medical Protection we know that it can also feel daunting at times. To help you make your big move with ease we've pulled together a summary of some of the practical things you'll need to have organised to make a great start in the UK.

Opening a bank account

You’ll need to get a bank account set up to ensure you are able to receive payment for your first month of work; however, this can be trickier than you might expect! There are fewer banks on the high street and they require you to submit several documents that may be difficult to get hold of when you first arrive.

As well as completing an application form you will need to provide various documents, including proof of address using evidence such as a utility bill, council tax bill and other bank statements. Some banks will accept job contracts and tenancy agreements, but this is not always the case. In some situations, banks may accept a letter of employment from your Trust or Health Board written to the bank. Before you request this from the Trust or Health Board make sure you have checked what information the bank needs from them eg, your full name, start date and duration of contract etc.

It’s worth checking if your home bank is able to help open a bank account in the UK for you, if it has a corresponding banking relationship with a UK bank (you’ll need to ask if this is the case). Some UK banks have international accounts for non-residents that can be opened from abroad so you may be able to open an account before you move. Be careful though as some banks may charge monthly fees for these accounts.

If not, using an online or digital bank is probably an easier way to get a bank account organised as the documents required for this are ID (passport), a UK mobile number, email address and a physical UK address for where they can send a card, but you don’t have to provide a proof of address or payslips. The only drawback is that a digital bank won’t have a branch that you can go into.

When you choose a bank account in the UK the account you opt for will depend on your personal circumstances and you may want to consider costs and monthly charges, the range of products and services, flexibility and any incentives offered. For more information about getting a bank account and for impartial advice visit citizens advice.

Accommodation

Everyone’s needs are different and you will need to do plenty of research to get an idea of the location you want to be in and how much you are able to pay for rent. Don’t be afraid to ask friends or contacts you have in the UK questions, as it may be difficult to assess this from abroad.

In some circumstances you may be able to stay in hospital accommodation. If that is the case, you will be able to find out more information from the Trust or Health Board’s website or by contacting the estates department. However, if the hospital accommodation isn’t suitable, or if you prefer to rent somewhere separately, there are plenty of options. We’ve included some pointers below but it’s worth reading the governments’ guides to renting in England, Scotland and Wales.

When choosing a location you may need to think about the following factors:

• Can I get to and from work easily from the location?
• Are there good transport links?
• What is the neighbourhood like?
• What are the local amenities?
• Are there childcare options/schools nearby?

Once you have a rough idea of where you want to live, rental websites like Rightmove are a good place to start and make it easy to search for available properties. But if you don’t necessarily want a place to yourself, you may consider renting via Spareroom.

Here’s a reminder of some of the things to consider during your search:

If you’re looking for somewhere to stay on a more short-term basis and don’t have friends or family you can stay with, try searching on Airbnb, Expedia or booking.com.

Get a UK SIM card

If your existing mobile operator doesn’t offer free roaming in the UK, then having a UK SIM card will help you to keep in touch with friends and mean you can be contacted easily. There are loads of options for operators in the UK but fundamentally you will need to choose between a prepaid SIM card or a contract based on either SIM only or including a handset.

The downside of a monthly contract is that you are tied into a contract term (often up to two years) and the total you pay out overall may be much more than if you’d bought the phone outright and then signed up for a SIM only contract with the same allowance.

It can be more difficult for IMGs to get a mobile phone contract set up as the provider will carry out a credit check before accepting your application (to make sure you’ll be able to make the monthly payments) for which you would need to have a UK bank account. The company will look at whether you’ve paid back your credit on time, how much credit you currently have and how you’re managing it. They may also look at any financial associations you may have (such as someone you share a bank account or mortgage with) and what their credit history is. In the first instance it may be easier to choose a prepaid SIM first and transfer to a contract once you are settled.

Citymapper

This app helps you to navigate your city easily with turn-by-turn directions for all your public transport, walking, cycling and scooter trips and enables you to compare travel options across transport modes. You can even personalise your experience by saving home, work and your go-to stops or stations for quick and easy trip planning.

TFL and other local travel operator apps can also help you search between the quickest and cheapest ways of getting around.

WhatsApp

Owned by Meta, WhatsApp is a free messaging and video calling app. It’s simple to use and means you can keep in touch with friends and family easily sharing photos, videos and documents with individuals or groups. It works across mobile and desktop and all you need is your phone number to get started.

Uber

Uber is a great way to travel without the hassle of driving and parking and at a much more affordable price than a black cab and many taxi companies. You can book, track and pay for your trip from your phone sharing your journey with others and seeing price estimates before you confirm your trip. You can even arrange to pick up friends on your way and split the cost with them. Check to see if Uber is available in your city.

TimeOut

This app is a great hub of entertainment including round-the-clock events for cinema, cuisine, music and more. Originally a London-only magazine there’s now much more to discover across the UK.

Social life

Social connections are an important source of fun, pleasure, relaxation and support, all of which play into maintaining good physical and mental health and will help you to adjust more easily to life in the UK.

As well as joining online groups there are lots of other opportunities to expand your social circle in the UK. Joining a club or group that interests you is an obvious choice, and whether you’re into sports, debates, arts or reading you’ll be able to find a group or organisation full of people with the same interest. Look out for posters at the library or ask at the local leisure or community centre.

Working as a doctor means you probably won’t have a lot of free time but you may consider volunteering to connect better with your community. Volunteering has many benefits as well as allowing you to meet new people. To find out about opportunities contact local volunteer centres or charities, or apply via a volunteer website such as Do-it.

IMG forums can also be incredibly helpful so if you’re not engaging with one already here are a few  resources where you can ask questions and get advice from people that have been or are going through the same things as you:

Dr Omar Alam's Facebook group

GMC Welcome to UK practice workshop

Royal College courses, workshops and events

Dr Omar Alam’s blog

SavvyIMG

Arora Medical Education networking events

The most important thing to help you  build a social life is to say yes to invitations. This may mean you feel a bit out of your comfort zone at times but accepting invitations will improve your chances of meeting more people and minimise the feelings of being homesick.

Places of worship

The UK’s official religion is Christianity but there are many different faiths celebrated in the UK, and churches and other religious groups play a large role in the community. In the larger towns and cities it’s easy to find somewhere to practise your faith whether that be a church, mosque, gurdwara, temple or synagogue. They may run activities such as social gatherings, music and singing, children’s activities and health and wellbeing sessions as well as offering advice and support, so are worth exploring if you’re looking for a community of people to welcome you to a new area.

Schools

In the UK, education for children under 16 is free from a state school and children usually begin school in September after they turn four, although you can apply for a place at any time. All children are entitled to a place at a state school although there are other options including faith schools, academies, private or paid for schools or grammar schools as well as others.

If you’re bringing children with you to the UK, you’ll need to apply for a school place for them. Contact your local council to ask about the schools in your area and where places are available. You can also compare school performance from the government website.

All schools have an admission criteria set by the local council and some children may be given priority based on their location to the school, whether they have a sibling already at the school or if they follow a particular religion. You should be able to find this out from the school website.

If you have younger children and require childcare for when you’re at work, then you will need to research nurseries in the area. Some  Trusts and Health Boards offer a childcare service on-site so a good place to start would be the Trust or Health Board website. You may also be able to get some help in funding this from the government tax free childcare scheme.

Transport

For getting to and from work most hospitals will have information on the website explaining public transport and parking options likely found in the patients and visitors section.

Otherwise, travelling around the UK can be confusing as there are lots of different options and no single source of information. All of the different train and bus operators have their own websites and apps, and there are additional companies like Transport for London (TFL), and local authorities that have tried to amalgamate the information.

Two apps that can really help you to get around, or at least suggest the easiest ways to do so, are Citymapper and Google Maps. Both of these offer multi-modal trip planning including public transport, walking and cycling and enable you to add stops and personalise your searches.

Finding the best value ticket and paying for it can be complicated though. For buses and taxis, you can walk up and pay, often by contactless, but this may not be the cheapest option. Usually, you can buy tickets in advance through the operator’s own payment tool but if you need to use more than one operator for your journey eg, if you need to travel by train and bus or make multiple bus journeys, you may pay less with a ticket from the local authority to cover the different operators rather than buying separate tickets for each. Unfortunately, the system works differently in every city so it may take a bit of time to work out the best option. Try contacting the local tourist information as they are used to advising people on the easiest way to get around.