Guest proud2beaussie Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Ok,As someone who has lived in Australia all my life I have tried to give sensible advice on these forums to Brits wanting to come to OZ,now maybe some of you good people can return the favor. You may or may not be aware that I am planning on moving to London in March to be with my English GF who has a deteriorating,chronic illness.I hold dual citizenship having been born in the UK but lived in Australia for 44 years. I have never lived in the UK as an adult so will need to obtain the things that you Brits consider commonplace. So here goes. 1 I have a job to go to but I need an NI number,how do I go about it? 2 How do I get an NHS number? 3 How long can I drive in the UK on a oversea licence and will I need to do a driving test? 4 How do I get a bank account-any suggestions on which banks are good ? 5 How long before I can apply for credit card,I have an amex which I will keep and pay it off by bank transfer. 6 Anybody know of a good place in London to buy chefs uniforms (My old one's are passed it now) 7 Any suggestions on things I might have missed. Thanks N'OZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olly Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Nigelinoz - as soon as you are off the plane, go to the pub and have a pint of ale. That will help with your re-orientation back into the UK. That's what I did, and all the rest fell into place......:biglaugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PommieLady Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 This link is perfect for you :wubclub: Useful U.K Links : British Expat Discussion Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest proud2beaussie Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 Thanks Pommie Lady,Very Helpful Indeed ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest PommieLady Posted January 3, 2009 Share Posted January 3, 2009 No Worries Mate :wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verulam Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 Hi Nigel...If you have a full aussie licence you wont need to sit a test in the UK, you can swap your aussie one for a UK driving license but you have to surrender the aussie one, and if you dont apply within a year then you will have to take the test .Hubby was also qualified to drive heavy machinery ie front loaders etc in Australia but if he wants to drive them here in the UK he has to take the test for those again. Seems a bit daft to me...allowed to drive straight away on UK roads but not to drive off road on a building site or quarry LOL. When you visit a doctors to register, they will sort the NHS card out for you and it will come through the mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest17301 Posted January 4, 2009 Share Posted January 4, 2009 With regard to banks Nigel, Alliance and Leicester are a decent one, they offer a 0% interest free overdraft and their fees are reasonable. A lot of the banks are still charging ridiculous unauthorised overdraft fees but A&L seem fair. Have a look at www.moneysavingexpert.com; a really good consumer research site that is highly regarded in the UK. Amex is not as widely accepted as visa/mastercard and your credit rating has to be good, banks are reluctant to lend and have tightened criteria loads lately. Not sure if your Aussie rating counts sorry. As for getting an NHS number; as you are a british citizen it should be as simple as ringing your local surgery (seems to be based on a 'catchment area type criteria' and asking if they are taking on new patients; if they aren't they will give you details of the nearest GP to register with (you just go and fill in a form) Good luck for your new life, what area are you moving to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest proud2beaussie Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks to everyone who posted with helpfull advice,it is most appreciated,sorry I didn't get around to thanking you sooner. N'OZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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