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WORKgateways UK e-newsletter

Monthly e-News for the UK Working Traveller

July 2010, Volume 6 Issue 7

The WORKgateways e-newsletter is written for working travellers bound for the UK hailing from all over the globe — from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Canada and more. Whether you're already in the UK, impatiently awaiting your departure date or thinking about going in the future, we've got something for you. Scroll down to view this month's info.

Contents

What's new

Focus

In every issue


Welcome

Although the weather has been gorgeous and the summer is in full swing, England is reeling after their exit from the World Cup on Sunday, after a destroying defeat at the hands of the skillful Germans. This weekend also saw the Glastonbury festival celebrate its 40th birthday - meaning everyone is definitely out and about enjoying this fab time of year! Check out our guide to the best festivals coming up, as well as lots of other useful stuff to help you plan your UK adventure and very important visa news. Don't forget to visit WORKgateways to register with agencies, apply to positions and get that UK job search underway.


What's new

UK Bank Accounts: What You Need to Know

Opening a bank account as a new arrival in the UK is a difficult process, because it takes a while to sort out the proof of address, utility bills and employment contracts that banks require before you open an account — luckily, we can help with great-value UK bank account start up packages on WORKgateways that can help you sort out an account quickly and easily.

Traveller companies like 1st Contact are able to help new arrivals in the UK set up a bank account because they have developed special agreements with the banks. You can read about our bank account packages here. Through 1st Contact's Kickstart package, you have three options:

  1. Barclays International Account. This account is opened before you arrive in the UK and you need to allow 6 weeks for this application. There are fees of £5 per month on this account and you need to expect to earn at least £24K while working in the UK.
  2. Open a bank account on your arrival in the UK (this is the most popular option). 1st Contact will book the bank meeting for your chosen bank (HSBC, Barclays or Lloyds) and you will need to attend a bank meeting at a specific branch in London. This is a fee-free account so therefore with the standard UK current account there is no monthly fees associated with this account. No minimum balance or minimum deposit is required.
  3. If you cannot attend a bank meeting in London, you can open a Lloyd's account through Kickstart using a postal application. There is no monthly fee associated with this account, and no minimum balance or deposit.

To appy for any of the above accounts, just fill in the online application form at WORKgateways. You can also view our other bank account packages here. We only recommend great-value traveller packages and all the options on WORKgateways are far easier then just arriving in the UK and trying to set up your bank account yourself.

Find out more about UK bank accounts here.

The Latest UK Immigration News

The new UK Home Secretary Theresa May has announced that the new government will be enforcing an annual limit on some visa applications. The proposed restrictions will not apply to working holiday makers travelling to the UK on Youth Mobility or Ancestry Visas, however there will be an annual cap on Tier 1 and Tier 2 visas

The proposal has been met with concern by some who believe a cap may hamper employers' ability to attract talented staff from Kevin Green, Chief Executive of the Recruitment & Employment confederation says: 'There were huge skills shortages before the recession and if the private sector is to grow rapidly out of recession, it will need skilled workers to do so. An artificial cap on immigration will affect business growth and delivery of core services such as social care.'

The cap will not affect working travellers who come to the UK on an Ancestry visa or working holiday visa — there is still a huge demand for workers in areas like social work, teaching, hospitality and more. With big events like the Olympic and Paralympic Games coming up in 2012, sectors like hospitality will need to fill a lot of positions.

For Tier 1 and Tier 2 applicants — what does it mean for you?

From 19 July 2010, the government will introduce a limit on the number of applications to Tier 1 (General) that they will consider in any one month. They will also increase the pass mark for Tier 1 (General), from 95 points to 100 points. From this date there will also be a limit on the number or certificates of sponsorship that an employer can issue for a Tier 2 visa.

Need to get your UK visa sorted out? Visit our WORKgateways visa page. You can also search available jobs in the UK or register with UK recruitment agencies.

Find out the latest UK immigration news and updates at the UK Border Agency website.

International Money Transfers: Get a Free Transfer

WORKgateways has partnered with Tranzfers and Ozforex to give you quick and easy tools to help you manage your money and get it between the UK and your home country. This month, money transfer experts Tranzfers explain the factors affecting exchange rates to help you understand more about international transfers and get the most out of your money.

Register now for the special offer this month: your first transfer completely free!

Last week China teased the market announcing they would allow the Yuan to become more flexible. Investors responded by buying up commodities, gold and growth currencies. However, it all came apart when the UK released its 'emergency' budget containing sweeping austerity measures in an effort to narrow the nation's debt and keep it AAA credit rating. Unfortunately for the commodity Dollars (NZD, AUD and CAD) this came after China's shine started to wane.

As a result the Aussie Pound fell to 0.5763, its lowest level in 2 weeks. The Kiwi, Canadian, Euro and US had similar experiences dropping lower than the GBP — good for those sending money back home from the UK though!. (For the Euro, this was largely due to Europe some uncertainly in Europe as France's largest bank and the world's 11th largest company, BNP Paribas, was downgraded from AA to AA-).

Moving ahead, some important things to look at when deciding to transact will be:

  1. New Australian Prime Ministers Gillard's development of the supertax;
  2. Retail sales figures in Australia out Thursday;
  3. The outcomes of the G20 summit in Toronto (with expected themes to be global growth, the Chinese Yuan and bank taxes)
  4. US Employment data (Unemployment rate and non-farm payrolls) out on Friday
  5. In Europe there is the German Preliminary CPI, the German Unemployment Rate, Italian Preliminary CPI, a speech by ECB President Trichet in Rome, and finally, on Friday the Eurozone Unemployment Rate.

For more information on the markets or making your earnings go as far as possible when sending money overseas, feel free to register to chat with a Tranzfers dealer at Tranzfers.

Find out more about international money transfers at WORKgateways.

Want to get regular updates? Check out our Twitter feed. Or ask any questions on our WORKgateways forum.


Focus

Your Quick UK Festival Guide

Glasto's over for another year, and you've probably already heard all about Leeds and Reading festivals — here's our lowdown of some of the upcoming festivals that you might not be familiar with. Add them to your calendar now — for this year or maybe even next!

Global Gathering (30-31 July): This international dance music festival has been running since 2001 and is held in Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of Shakespeare. A mecca for ravers, one of the highlights from last year was an unforgettable extended 3-hour set by Armin Van Buuren played in the Boombox to a crowd of 15,000 people in Europe's largest tent.

The Big Chill (5-8 August): This seriously relaxed, eclectic festival is a feast of alternative, dance and chill-out music and comedy held in the grounds of a castle in Herefordshire. Loyal Big Chillers also frequent the Big Chill bars in London's Brick Lane and King's Cross to enjoy the live music, slow-paced ethos. This year's lineup includes Massive Attack, MIA, Kelis and Lily Allen.

Bestival (9-12 September): Head to the beautiful Isle of Wight for this boutique 3-day music festival counting The Prodigy, Hot Chip, Dizzee Rascal and The Flaming Lips amongst its llineup this year. Famous for the Bollywood Cocktail Bar, fancy dress en mass and even a Hidden Disco, it's this uniqueness that makes Bestival a wondrous world of discovery and adventure.

What are National Insurance contributions?

The National Insurance number is like the Australian Tax File Number — anyone that works in the UK must have one, and it's important to get yours sorted out as soon as possible upon your arrival in the UK.

If you plan on working in the UK, it's important that you get to grips with the info about National Insurance numbers. All you need to know can be found in our handy National Insurance guide.

Many people are unaware that you can claim back National Insurance Contributions while working in the UK. This is different from a tax rebate which you can only do when arriving and leaving the UK. An NI (National Insurance) Rebate can be claimed at anytime and only needs to be done once (from then on it is automatically done for you each year).

So what is an NI Rebate? Much of your National Insurance goes towards the State Second Pension. This is a voluntary scheme and any individual working in the UK can choose to take this money for themselves instead. The money can't be given to you in cash but is rather put into your own personal pension. For an average person working on a salary of £30,000, the rebate will be around £1,645. For foreigners this is a no brainer since this rebate will be far more beneficial than expecting to receive a pension from the UK government when you eventually retire and aren't even living in the country.

Get more information about NI rebates on the WORKgateways website.

Find out further information or claim your NI Rebate.

Got no idea what a UK National Insurance number is, or want to find out more? Visit our NI page on WORKgateways. There's tons more info to help you get planning your working holiday on our UK tips pages, too.

Want to get regular updates? Check out our Twitter feed. Or ask any questions on our WORKgateways forum.

Enter Our Travel Photo Comp and Win!

We love to travel, and part of the fun is taking great snaps to show your mates when you get back home. To celebrate the fact that we now have OVER 1,500 MEMBERS in our fab Facebook group, we're asking you to send in your travel pics or upload them to our Facebook photos page to win.

At the end of July, we will select our favourite pics and send the winners a handy travel wallet and either Ryanair flight vouchers or a free UK bank account (your choice!).

So, upload your photos to our Facebook group now or email them to our newsletter editor. Don't forget to include a caption and tell us why it's your favourite holiday snap — it can be anywhere in the world, just as long as you're travelling!

Here is a pic we took of the Place de la Concorde on a weekend in Paris (via the Eurostar from London of course!) to help get you started...


In every issue

WIN! New Lonely Planet Guide to the Greek Islands

A trip to the sunny Greek Islands is a must on every traveller's European itinerary — pick up the new Lonely Planet guide to help you plan your adventure.

With this new edition, you'll find relaxing beaches on laid-back Ikaria, indulge in fine dining on fashionable Mykonos, glide past dolphins on a diving trip near Hydra and explore ancient Crete at the Minoan palace of Knossos.

This month, we have five copies of the BRAND NEW Lonely Planet GREEK ISLANDS guide to give away to some lucky working travellers. Just send us an email with GREEK ISLANDS in the subject line (and your mailing address). Entries close end of July.

Winners of last month's DISCOVER DUBLIN giveaway

Will Brownrigg, Tara Rouse, Rachel Mills, Tom Gault and Brittany Crabbe. Enjoy!


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