Hi there. I would recommend you to contact the owner personally. Give him a call or email him. I assume he could arrange something for you, because based on my experience, the owner can wait until you come to UK to sign the contract. And about the deposit, I don't know if the owner wont mind to wait, but you can transfer the money through the owner bank account, just ask for his account number and sort-code. Or if you have someone in UK, why dont ask that person to help you out.

Hope this help.

This post has been edited by fakerdemit: Aug 7 2011, 02:32 AM

Hi all! Can anyone tell me about the estimated living expenses between Cardiff and glasglow? I wish to study in uk but at the same time..try to lower down my parents' burden..thx ya

A few comments on various airlines (Economy Seat) based on experience:

Thai Airways
Direct Flight
the tickets are quite cheap if you do booking at the last minute.
Food served are quite appetizing.
disadvantage: no entertainment! earphones provided.
flights sometimes quite empty, so you can sleep on 3 seats.
Return ticket costs Rm3200, one way ticket RM1800 (sep 2010 rate)

Brunei Air
Transit at Dubai
tickets are cheap during promotion period. london return ticket around 500 quids.
food so-so.
strict baggage limit.
flights sometimes quite empty, so you can sleep on 3 seats.

Emirates
Transit at Dubai
food are nice. airticket price quite reasonable.
would be cheaper if you fly from gatwick airport instead of heathrow airport.
best entertainment provided as the screen is touch screen
seats are quite big.
but flight super full. so definitely no place for you to sleep comfortably.
food so-so.

My friend took Singapore Airlines A380. they have super spacious seats.
but tickets are pricy.

my two cents

This post has been edited by chelsh: Aug 7 2011, 03:34 PM

thanks for the info

good info!

I've got a very good deal. rm1.8k one way ticket from Mas.
For a direct flight, its quite a good deal.
20kilo's though but with the Grads card you will get an additional 10kilo's.
Oh yeah, ISIC no longer works for MAS.
Other airlines maybe.

Hello, can anyone help me with the estimation off living expenses range for 2 years at University of Sunderland? Need to budget a bit before deciding where to go.
Thanks in advance.

Must we print out the currency conversion rate from oanda when we submit our visa application? If not, must the bank statement/reference letter state the savings in pounds instate of malaysian ringgit?

I live in Cardiff so I can offer some advise. Other than school fees, I suppose rent would be your next biggest expense.
If you are planning to study at Cardiff University, your best options are to live in Cathays or Roath area. They are within walking distance to the university (10 - 20 minutes at most). I used to cycle to uni, even nowadays I cycle to work as parking in the city is quite expensive. Student accommodation should cost around £200 - £240 depending on size of rooms and facilities. Broadband, gas, electricity and water are usually all inclusive. I know of some students living in Riverside and Splott area. They may be cheaper but not as convenient and are not desirable areas to live.
If you live in university residential halls it should cost you about £2600 - 2300+ per academic year. Download this page:

http://www.cf.ac.uk/for/prospective/reside...s%202011-12.pdf

I do mostly home cooking so my cost are very low, say about £20 should easily last me a week. Takeaways can cost you around £4 - 6 per dish but their portions are quite huge!

If you need a car, it is relatively cheap. £500 - 800 should buy you a nice 8 - 10 year old Fiesta or Micra. Insurance is a killer and can easily set you back £500 at the very least. You can use your international license for a year. Travel by bus is around £1.25 onwards. If you get a return, you can use the same ticket the whole day. Train is expensive. A trip to London and back is about £72. I use Megabus. Booking online in advance cost a mere £1 all the way to London!

I suspect cost of living in Glasgow is pretty similar. Personally I prefer Cardiff for its relatively better weather, nice friendly people and lovely city. Glasgow is rather gray and gloomy and the city has seen better days. Good luck!

How is the condition in London now?

Nope, Malaysia Ringgit is fine
Though after conversion, the value of the Ringgit must be more or equivalent to the Pounds.

Do we really need to bring chest x-ray scan passing through the immigration? Do they really ask for it? Or I can just show them my medical report form?

I figured out it will be quite hassle to bring those unfold-able big envelope

Thanks a lot for the info

They will want the actual pictures. Make sure it is with ur hand carry.

Yes, and do make sure they are of good quality and not blurry! I did mine at Sunway Hospital together with my blood test. Paid good money for it too. They were not happy with mine because there was a 'cloud' on the image and they suspected TB! I had to retake my chest x-ray when I arrived at Cardiff. Did it in an old dilapidated infirmary not even fit for purpose! Their x-ray equipment must be like a hundred years old. I wasn't happy because I was exposed twice to radiation in less than a week. The Doctor said it was fine but still. The second x-ray thankfully was ok. The x-ray in Cardiff was free btw.

Actually, its just the chest x-ray that they want right ?
Since they didn't ask me for any medical documents.
But I guess my parents would want me to do a full medical check up before I leave.
Le sigh, needles.

General rule of thumb is, airline will almost always transit at their home base before continuing their journey from London to Kuala Lumpur.

For example. Thai Ailine will transit at their home base Bangkok before going to KL. Brunei home base is Bandar Seri Begawan. Emirate is Dubai. Cathay Pacific is Kong Kong. Sri Lankan Air will transit at Colombo etc . Since MAS home base is KL, it's the only direct flght without transit by default.

Ha ha, needles! Actually, I'm not sure if a full medical test is needed. I did mine years ago. I even subjected my then 7 and 8 year old kids to blood tests thinking that they were necessary. What a waste of money. They are now traumatised for life! But for me and the wife, I think it was ok to have done the tests. At least we had a sense that we were in a clean bill of health.

hi, what is the approximate living cost in London? Is it safe to assume that 1,000 pounds is the maximum cap per month?

1000 pounds ?
That's a lot, I'd say.
Unless you're living in some high class/expensive place.