Whether or not this is your first time away from your country, you are probably thinking about the different aspects of living in a new culture. Most grantees find that they must make some adjustments, since many things are new or unfamiliar. The process you will go through may be difficult, but it is also exciting and contributes to your personal enrichment and understanding of other ways of life.

Adapting to another culture may be frustrating at times, but there are people at LASPAU and at your host university who are able to help. Temporary problems should not discourage you. A growing familiarity with the new culture and with the resources available to you will greatly increase your enjoyment of your surroundings. You can read more about the process of cross-cultural adjustment by downloading this document in PDF format.

We also advise you to visit the Education UK website developed by the British Council to assist international students in the United Kingdom. The link is provided at the bottom of this page under the Links section. This site provides extensive information for international students.

Immigration, Education, and Culture

Please pay particular attention to the material on immigration on the Education UK website, which can be found under "Living in the U.K." It is critical that you obtain the appropriate immigration documents for yourself and your family prior to entering the United Kingdom. This section also offers information on culture, accommodations, educational systems, and other topics related to living and studying in the United Kingdom.

Health Care

If included in your contract, LASPAU will automatically enroll you in the Virginia Surety insurance plan once you become a LASPAU-administered grantee, unless you inform us that you have alternative coverage. The Virginia Surety insurance plan, provided at no cost to you, is only for you and does not include any of your dependents. Please click here for more information on the Virginia Surety insurance plan, as well as on how to obtain coverage for your dependents.

Employment

If you or your dependents would like to work while in the United Kingdom, you must be certain that both your program sponsor and the government of the United Kingdom will allow you to do so:

• To verify whether your program sponsor will allow you to work, please contact your LASPAU program advisor or coordinator.
  
  
• To verify whether the U.K. government will allow you to work, please go to the "Living in the UK" section of the British Council website and scroll down to "Working in the UK" or talk to your international student advisor at your host institution.

Housing and Your Mailing Address

Local newspapers, websites such as craislist.org, letalife.com, or clickflatshare.co.uk, and your host university's international office can often serve as excellent resources when searching for off-campus or on-campus housing.

Make sure your mailbox at your home, dormitory, or residence hall indicates your full name (first and all surnames).

The British Post Office provides a mail redirection service if you move while in the UK. There is a fee for the forwarding service.

Additional Links

You may also want to look at the Guidance Notes section of the UKCOSA: The Council for International Education website. This section contains informational leaflets in PDF format that address some of the most important areas of concern for international students in the United Kingdom.

LASPAU does not maintain any of the outside websites listed on this page and is not responsible for any of their contents. Please let us know if you find other online resources that might be helpful to international students in the United Kingdom.

Please note that the external websites listed above are not maintained by LASPAU, and LASPAU is not responsible for any of their contents. Please let us know if you find other online resources that might be helpful to international students in Belgium.

Last revised: July 7, 2006