hi, anyone here was in Belfast or going to study at Belfast?
going to flight this coming tuesday.. and mate going that day also?

Hello there Criptonox89.

To start it off with, I haven't been in Taylor's engineering programme, but I do have frens who have been in Taylor's Engineering and twinned over to the UK. However, they didnt go to Birmingham but instead went to University of Bath. Mind me asking which field of engineering you are taking?

I myself, have been studying in at University of Bath for the past 2 years and I have just recently moved to Birmingham for my placement. So I would be able to answer a good part of your questions there.

Living costs: Accommodation accounts for the biggest portion of your living costs, do check up the University's website for prices on university accommodation. It's usually the better option as you would be housed with other undergraduates and enables you to meet more people. As far as the range goes, they may range from £80-over £100 per week depending on what sort of accommodation you want. Other livings costs may include monthly bills for electric/water/gas but these would mostly be included in your accommodation costs (if you're under University accom.). Food and drinks would be solely dependent on you. I'd say typically around £50-70 a week would be a good gauge, but you may end up spending more/less on this. Shopping would not be a big worry if you spend wisely and time your buys with the sales. You'd be surprised at the amount of deals that crop up if you hunt hard enough.

Malaysia vs UK (Birmingham): Well for one, and I have to say this upfront, you will definitely miss the MAMAKS. No more round the clock access to good food. The alternative to that is the good old British Pubs where you go in for a pint and perhaps a burger. The culture here is not all that different to Malaysia but if you're up for beer then I suppose it would be a good start . I must also say that the Brits themselves are pretty friendly. If ever you are in doubt, ask around and believe me, you will get help. I'd say its just about as safe as Malaysia can be, if not better.

Malaysian population: You would be seeing quite a few Malaysians now and then and perhaps bump into one on the streets. But part of the UK experience is to come here to meet people from other countries like China, HK, Germany or even UK itself. Oh and by the way, there is a China town in Birmingham for you to shop for 'essentials' to cook. There are chinese supermarkets and also restaurants.

Part-timing: Students usually work part time in restaurants. Some also do retail/supermarkets which pays higher but is harder to get into. The basic pay in the UK is governed by the law and it's £4+/hr IIRC. Don't quote me on this but an average waiting job pays around £5/hr. It's a sizeable amount of side money to earn whilst you're studying. And if your employer doesn't mind, you could work more than 20hrs a week. However, if you keep to the 20hr limit and work say in McDonalds, you'd be looking at an extra £250-300 a month. So YES, it is good pay.

For both scenario, I think there are some flexibility for return but I don't think it works that way. So in short, I think you would need to stick to the phone you first bought.

I'd stay away from Vodafone.

A thing I would like to stress about working part time. Don't forget you are there to study. Unless if you are working part time to support your study or your daily living expenses, don't work to hard to a point it would compromise your studies.

Hi, I think the visa process time depends on the period you apply, when lesser ppl apply, u will get to know ur result faster.
I applied in the early September, it took me 5 working days. I think you can try to call the VFS for more accurate answer.

yup, I got my student visa already

How come got 5 kg extra de? erm..my agent call me again, now can carry 30kg in my check in baggage =) (I think I dun take the risk, if they mood of the officer not good, then I will be fine for RM 230 per KG )

p/s:
I have some new question
Q1) for the check in baggage, is there any restriction that I cannot carry certain size of bag which is too big? or they will just weight it and see whether my baggage is overweight of not?

Q2) the time writen in my air ticket, izit the local malaysia time?
Eg: Fly from KLIA at 0200 , reach Dubai at 0459 (malaysia time or dubai's time? ), transit at 0759 reach Glasgow at 1225 (malaysia's time or Glasgow's time?)

This post has been edited by Raining: Sep 17 2008, 08:56 PM

visa rly need so short time to get it?
end of august i tried to apply for uk uni for this month intake but i've been told tht u cant make it coz visa need takes long time to process..some even few months also cant get it..
kinda confuse

http://www.msltravel.com/about_msl.php
I keeps telling people to book here. They automatically give you 30 kg on all flights for student. The only condition is you buy an international student card from them for RM20.

Check-in baggages are all based on the weight. No specific size restrictions, unless they are seriously oversized - oversized bags are basically bags that you personally cannot carry alone (super huge ones). In my past experience, if you're flying and you have overweight luggage (or you are unsure) just go super early. If you're 3-5kgs over, the check-in officer will turn a blind eye and let you past. Women check-in officers are particularly strict on the weight issue but you might get lucky. Also if you are indeed overweight, prepare an extra bag to take out some less important items. Decide which of these are less important when packing so that you are able to remove them quickly at the check-in counter. You can then choose to carry on those items as hand carry or perhaps just forgo it altogether. Don't be afraid to chat up the check-in lady to let you through cause you might be a lucky boy.

The times written in your air ticket are in fact the local times of your destinations. For your case: you leave KUL at 0200 and arrive at DXB at 0459 (early morning - just in time to see the sunrise in Dubai). Your transit time is 3 hours and you fly from DXB at 0759 and land at GLA at 1225 (around about time to grab lunch and head off to see good ol' Scotland).

Also, as you're flying on Emirates, do remember that you have an option to use their Online Check-In facility. It saves you all the time queueing up at the check-in counter. Just go to the Emirates website 24hrs before you flight and enter your ticket number. You will need to print out a Confirmation Ticket to be presented with your Flight Ticket. All you do now is go to the Online Check-In counter to show them the two tickets, check the luggage in and be on your way. 15 mins from queueing up to sipping a coffee at the cafe.

This post has been edited by jinXxxx: Sep 17 2008, 09:54 PM

lol...u can carry 30kg. but u have to give ur agent (or something like that im nt sure myself) ur proof that ur going there to study. example such as ur unconditional offer letter and the passport that shows ur student visa.

for check in luggage there is a restriction. u can read here:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=...9807&sec=nation


now the visa will take 8-10 working days to process if the application is straighforward (no need interview) if need interview is 20days. check here for more info:

http://www.vfs-uk-my.com/

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Added on September 17, 2008, 10:40 pmthankx maybe its better for me to just get the prepaid and wait for the phone i like then transfer from the prepaid to the contract if within same telco, can transfer rite? how?

This post has been edited by Arturia: Sep 17 2008, 10:40 PM

man
i duno tht
if know earlier 1 month i think i mayb also will preparing to UK now
but anyway only can c some of u all preparing to thr
just can envy for now

thanks for the advise, my agent just inform me this afternoon, I can carry 30 KG once again . (Can bring more ikan bilis )


hehe, thanks for the replies. You have clear all my doubt I will try the Online Check-In facility ^^

don't worry, human learn from mistake. All the Best!

This post has been edited by Raining: Sep 17 2008, 11:36 PM

but it makes me change to aus which is not my dream at all
but still will go uk if got any chances

hey i have a question..
which mobile phone network is the best for making international calls?
and is postpaid or prepaid a better a choice

I think O2 used to have a plan which the user could use the monthly voice call allowance to make international call but I think they stopped offering this already. I usually buy IDD cards from the shops.

It depends on your usage, really. If you don't make calls or send text very often, then prepaid is the one you should go for. Many sign contracts to get the phone.

Thanks a lot for your reply.

I'm planning to do Mechanical Engineering, still deciding between BEng and MEng. Do you mind explaining about the CEng application in UK? If i were to take BEng, could i be a CEng? How many years i've to work for?

If i were to take MEng, i can get the CEng title straight away after examination from ECUK?

Is that recommended to stay in university accommodation? How's their university accommodation? Would it be too worn? or bad hygiene? Is there any sorta like studio room there?

Btw, i believed working >20hrs/week is illegal right? How many % will be taxed by government? As I'm studying at Malaysia now, i found being a part-timer is really hard, as no shop is gonna employ you for the 4-5 hrs a day, is that possible to happen in UK?

Thanks again for your kindness, i feel more confident...

This post has been edited by Criptonox89: Sep 18 2008, 02:33 AM

CEng.
1) BEng + Complete Master Level of education (e.g. ECUK exams) + CPD (Continuous professional development, this could be company scheme or self learning + work experience)

2) MEng + CPD (Continuous professional development, this could be company scheme or self learning + work experience)

Work experience, you are looking at about 4 years. AFAIK, IMechE doesn't specify a minimum working experience period but the general consensus is you wouldn't get your CEng. if you apply too early. Therefore, it will be a minimum of 3-4 years before you can acquire CEng. regardless of what your education level is.

University accommodation
Yes take it. Usually they are fairly good. Yes there are studio rooms but it will cost more.

Working
Yes more than 20 hours would be illegal. You are a student so you will not be taxed. I used to work in Hilton during weekends on evening. Usually about 6-12am and usually I get free dinner as well (left overs).

There are also shops that would hire you for a few hours per day once or twice every week. Working student are fairly common so most shops would be flexible with the hours.

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Added on September 18, 2008, 3:40 amYes you can transfer the number but it would take a few days etc. You can ask for your number to be transferred to a different telco if you want to.

This post has been edited by Geminist: Sep 18 2008, 03:42 AM

Uhm..which means, in order to graduate with a BEng in UK, we have to sit for exams from ECUK? Just as what Malaysia did, we need to sit for exams from IEM/BEM for graduating with a BEng?

Great, you had truly enlighten me...Thanks a lot bro.

lol...ikan bilis. i brings lots of serunding. hohohoho~

why not go for differed entry? I mean its nt a good idea to go places where you don wish to go at all. just my 2 cents.

i know..but i cant do anything n if rly wan go uk means i need wait for next year intake which on sept..1 year from now..so long n worried tht time i dun have any moods to cont study..
aus also not bad but still prefer europe country..

Arturia. Referring to your quote on the MAS baggage limit (http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/24/nation/20429807&sec=nation), the 32kg is the limit for one piece of luggage.

They are imposing a 32kg limit for each luggage bag. If you have a 35kg bag, you will need to check it in as two bags. And do remember that this doesn't mean that you won't be charged for overweight luggage. The weight allowed on is clearly printed in your ticket. Do double-check this weight with the agents to see if there are any further allowances. The last thing you want is to travel with a 28kg bag thinking you're under this '32kg limit' and getting charged for an excess of 8kg.

And to Criptonox89, if I could add on to what Geminist has said earlier, yes CEng status would be based more on what you do after you graduate, rather than what you graduate with. Typically, you would need to be working under a company with CPD for around 4 years to achieve this status. There are other ways to speed things up. For example, you could take a year out in your studies to do a placement (like I am) and have that year count towards your CEng. If you are looking towards achieving CEng, you would need to commit yourself to staying in the UK for a few years after graduation.

This post has been edited by jinXxxx: Sep 18 2008, 04:11 PM

aarararahghghgh my visa still not ready....T_T. I applied last last Monday(sep 8), next Monday starting my course already....only left tomorrow one day for it to be approved. Anyway did you guys receive any email from fco? THey sent one to my friend who applied one day earlier and they said decision has been made but need 3 working days to collect. WTF. That time also start already la BABIIII!!!


This post has been edited by bonedragon: Sep 18 2008, 05:48 PM