UK Student Savings



You are highly welcome to the UK 🎉

Did you know that Nottingham is home to the Legendary Robin Hood and his mistress, Maid Marian?

Nottingham also has the oldest Bramley apple tree in the world, and is the first city to ever use a road traffic light.

If you're a movie fan, then you must have seen Gotham, which is an actual place in Nottingham. Or 'Peter Pan in Wonderland' which was inspired by the Arboretum close to Trent Uni.

Congrats on your admission!

Arriving in Uni

Almost all shops in the UK have an App with amazing student discounts, so be sure to download the App before going shopping.

Where there's no App for the shop, don't forget to take your student card along to claim your discount. 

Student Beans or UniDays is also a nice App to search for discounts before you shop or book your next ticket.

First Steps

You'd need to pick up the following as you arrive:

  1. Student Card

  2. BRP or eVisa

  3. DBS Certificate (Apply online for this if you'd like to work in a care home).

  4. Mobile Phone Number (Voxi offers affordable student plans)

Accommodation

Not yet settled? Here are some links for student friendly houses:

Bank Account

You can start with Digital banks by downloading the bank app from the Play store, before heading to traditional banks on the High Street.

  • Digital Banks: Monzo, Revolut

  • Traditional Banks: Barclays, Lloyds

  • Transfer to Africa: OA Pay

NI & Share Code

In addition to having your bank account, you'd need the following for a new job:
  1. NI (National Insurance) Number

  2. Share Code (to prove your right to work).
Both can be generated online on https://gov.uk

Job Hunting

It's time to land your first (or next) student job! In addition to LinkedIn, here are some sites to explore:

And here are some agents in Nottingham:
  • ProxyCare Agency: +44 1908 766286

  • Am2pm Recruitment:  +44 7866 140602

  • Laney Winner Recruitment: +44 7498 149007

  • Kingdom Recruitment:  +44 7713 761825

  • Ultimate Group Service: Office at NG3 2D

Food and Grocery

I'd recommend the following shops for cheap grocery.

Don't forget to reuse your shopping bags.

Also, items with a Yellow Sticker are generally cheaper than other items.

Lidl, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons all have Apps that can help you save more on your shopping.

  • Lidl / Aldi (cheapest Frozen Chicken Wings, Chips, Chicken slices)

  • Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's (special discounts for App users)

  • B&M (best for electronics and stationery)

  • Poundland (Cheapest Meal deal and quick purchases)

  • Morrisons (Has a 'Savers' option for cheap laundry liquid, sausages and general groceries)

  • McDonalds App (Enjoy wrap of the day for £1.99 and get other discounts)

  • KFC (Enjoy extra discounts from Student Beans)

  • Amazon Prime Student (6 months free delivery and free prime membership)

Getting Around

Download and activate your student profile on the following travel Apps:
  • Student Beans (lots of student discounts)

  • UniDays (lots of student discounts)

  • Lime (50% student discount for electric bicycle hire)

  • NCTX Bus App (for buses in Nottingham with student discounts)

  • Netgo App (for trams in Nottingham with student discounts)

  • National Express (for bus tickets to other cities, with discounts from Student Beans)

  • Flixbus (for veeery cheap bus tickets to other cities with student discounts from UniDays or Student Beans)

  • Megabus (for bus tickets to other cities)

  • Uber Discounts (up to 50% discount for affordable taxi rides)

  • Maze Map (for navigation on Campus)

  • PayPal (for International payments)

  • Robin Hood Card (optional, for combined bus and tram tickets)

Faith and Worship

Here are some Faith activities in Nottingham for students:
  • Muslim Facilities at DICE every Friday evening.

  • Buddhist, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish, & Quaker worship centres.

  • Christian & Catholic services, including Cathedral on Sundays from 8 am.

Prepping for the Future

Feel free to explore the following and get ready for your time after school:
  • Electoral Register (free of charge and helps to boost your credit score)

  • Totally App or ClearScore App (for your first Credit Card)

  • ISA and Lifetime ISA Account (for savings towards buying a house)

  • Drivers Licence (you can apply for a temporary drivers license online and use it as a Valid ID in the UK. No need to take a driving test or having any prior knowledge of driving).

Travel Tips

If you will travel frequently by train, then you should consider buying a Rail Card for extra savings. You can buy this from TrainPal or Trip.com. Here are some other important Apps to have:
  • Booking.com (Best for accommodation. You can split your payments with Klarna)

  • TrainPal (Best for train travel with student discounts from UniDays)

  • Trip.com (Excellent for train and flight travel. You can split your payments with Klarna)

  • You can join Rotaract club to travel to Europe 3 times a year, or to other local and international events.

And of course...some fun!

Rotaract club can help you to have some fun and community service with responsible adults like yourself.

In Nottingham, you could join Rotaract NTU. You could also pop into any of the following student-friendly venues:
  • Wax Bar (Fri & Sat) - Free entry,  £12 for 4 drinks

  • Rev de Cuba (Wednesday Salsa) - Free entry.

  • Pryzm

  • Ocean

  • The Level (NTU City Camus)

  • The Point (NTU Clifton Campus)

  • Castle

  • Old Market Square

  • Arboretum

  • Wollaton Hall & Deer Park

  • Attenborough Nature Park

  • Gedling Country Park

  • Colwich Country Park

CREDITS

This post was compiled by Sir Clem and reflects his personal opinions. Please send your questions or thoughts to clementowums@rotaract.org.uk. Thank you for reading.