Academic Year in the UK

Academic Year in the UK!
The Academic year runs from late September or early October to June. Academic year is split into three terms - Autumn (late September/early October to mid December), Spring (January to late March/early April) and Summer (April to mid-July).
Accommodation for Foreign Students in UK
For your own peace of mind, you should try to arrange your accommodation in the UK before you leave home. Ultimately, you are responsible for arranging your own accommodation but your school, college or university are likely to help you. Many institutions have student advisers or accommodation officers who can give you information on how to find accommodation.
If you’re studying English, nearly all English language centres can help you arrange suitable accommodation. The type of accommodation available will depend on where you study: it may be halls of residence or a hostel, or lodging with a UK family. Living with a UK family is the most common option and will give you the opportunity to practise English in a supportive environment.
If you are planning to bring a lot of personal belongings with you, it is advisable to arrange insurance. Along with your travel insurance it is advisable to arrange contents insurance, which can be arranged once you arrive in the Uk. Your institution’s students’ union or international office should be able to suggest insurers to you, or you may wish to look through the Yellow pages, the local business phone directory for listings. Many insurance companies offer specially tailored policies for students, so don’t forget to tell them you are a student when you ask for a quote!
Boarding
If you are planning to study at, or are planning to send your child to a UK independent college or school, you will most likely be offered boarding at that institution. Independent boarding schools offer a relaxed, home-like atmosphere. Pupils stay in bedrooms or dormitories on the school site, living under the same roof as residential house staff and their families. Younger pupils usually share a room with up to four others of a similar age; older pupils may have a study-bedroom to themselves. Boarding schools take great trouble with caring for their students - house staff are never far away and there is normally a qualified nurse on duty.

Independent schools are complete communities. As well as the pupils, many of the teachers and care staff, such as the school nurse, also live at the school. At evenings and weekends, you'll have access to all sorts of leisure and social activities. You can join school sports teams, drama groups, choirs and bands; learn to play an instrument, dance or play a whole host of games. Schools often also arrange trips to local theatres, museums, tourist and sporting attractions as well as other places of interest.
A UK independent school provide a complete package. As well as your lessons, you will get the use of science and practical laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art equipment; fantastic sports fields, gyms, swimming pools, music rooms, drama studios and a whole variety of other opportunities. You'll be living and studying in amazing buildings, often with a fantastic history and containing libraries that have been built up over centuries.
At school you'll be mixing with students from all over the world, whose different backgrounds and new perspectives will add to your experience. At any one time, around 16,000 international students are studying in UK independent schools. You'll meet people from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australasia and even the pupils from the UK may have parents who live and work abroad, gaining an insight into other customs and cultures.
Many independent school students say how this environment has meant they have made friends they’ll keep for the rest of their lives. It's a unique experience that you couldn't put a price on.

University and college owned accommodation
Most international students coming to study at a UK college or university will be entitled to at least one year’s accommodation in an institution-owned property. Around 30 per cent of international students studying at further education colleges live in accommodation owned by the college. If you are a higher education student coming to the UK for the first time, accommodation provided by your college or university is probably the most suitable choice, which is why it is taken up by more than half of the international students on degree courses in the UK. Your institution will try to match your needs with the options available.

Halls of residence
The most common form of accommodation for higher education students is in halls of residence, located on campus or a short distance away, which are usually owned by the institution. You will live in a study-bedroom, either by yourself or with another student, on a corridor of around eight to 10 rooms. You may have to share a bathroom, though many institutions do have en-suite rooms, particularly for postgraduate and mature students. Halls of residence are often the cheapest available option.

Some halls provide two meals a day, and others provide shared kitchens in which students can cater for themselves. Self-catering halls tend to be cheaper, but you may prefer to pay extra to have meals cooked for you - mealtimes can be a good opportunity to meet other students. Most halls of residence have laundry facilities as well as cleaning staff who change bed sheets and empty bins. Generally the cost of utilities, such as water and electricity are included in the rental cost. Spare rooms can sometimes be booked in advance for parents or friends who are visiting

Social life in halls
Living in student halls of residence is a great way to meet new people and make lasting friendships. Each hall usually has an elected student body which has a say in the running of the hall and which organises a lively social programme. Many halls have their own bar, café, television lounge, music rooms and sports facilities.

As they are run by universities, halls offer a supportive environment. They are often supervised by university staff and have people on hand to help students settle in, including staff and senior students. Security is often provided 24 hours a day. The rules can, however, be restricting for some. There is always the risk that you might not get on with your fellow students and you may prefer to live in either a livelier or quieter environment.

Student holidays
Not all halls provide accommodation for the whole year. You may have to clear your room during the holidays if the building is rented out for conferences or summer schools. Check with your international officer whether this is the case. Most universities will make exceptions for international students and allow you to stay during vacations or at least to store belongings in a secure space if you are going home. International students are often guaranteed accommodation at least for their first year. It is best to accept any offers as early as possible. Few institutions have enough rooms to accommodate every single student so they need to know as early as possible if rooms are going to be free.

University and college houses 
Some institutions may have purchased houses or flats that have been adapted for small groups of students, couples or families. There are also some schemes whereby private landlords allow their houses to be managed and let by universities.

The cost of your breakfast and evening meal may be included in the rent you pay. Where meals are included you can expect to pay from £300 to £380 per month. Bathroom facilities may be shared but an increasing number of universities and colleges now offer en-suite rooms, where you have your own private bathroom, at a slightly higher rent. For students with families, a number of universities and colleges offer two- or three-bedroom family units at a cost of £450 to £550 per month.
Privately owned accommodation
If you choose to rent accommodation that is privately owned, the options are shared flats/houses, lodgings, bed-sits (a single rented room with living, sleeping and sometimes cooking facilities) or private hostels. Prices can vary considerably and your institution housing office may be unable to help you if you run into problems with the landlord. For students at further education colleges, the most common form of accommodation is lodgings or home stay, which involves renting a room in a private house. The rent normally includes the cost of cleaning, laundry, breakfast and evening meals.

House and flat share 
A place in halls is usually only guaranteed for one or two years of a three-year course; usually for the first and/or third years. For your second and/or your third year flat or house sharing tends to be a popular choice. Flats and houses for rent are advertised in local papers, shop windows and in your institution's accommodation office. The best time to look for accommodation is before the end of the summer term, in June and July. If you find a flat or house at this time of year, you may need to pay for it over the summer. Some landlords will, however, reduce the amount if you are not going to be living there straight away. If you enjoy independence and cooking for yourself, sharing a flat or house is a great option. For a room in a house or flat shared with other students, expect to pay between £200 and £500 per month. The rent often excludes household bills, such as water, electricity, telephone and council tax, so check with your landlord what the rent does include before you sign the contract, so there are no unexpected costs after you move in.

Bed-sits 
Short for 'bedroom/sitting room', a bed-sit is a one room apartment in a larger building. Each room will have a single or double bed with a washing area and many also have a private cooker and bathroom. Bed-sits can be any size from reasonably spacious to extremely cramped. Although cheap, bed-sits can be lonely unless you are in a building with lots of other students. Noisy neighbours can also make it difficult to study and you will have a landlord or agency to deal with. However bed-sits can be a good way of assuring your freedom if you find the rules imposed in halls of residence too restrictive. Expect to pay between £200 and £600 per month, usually excluding household bills.

Home stays
 This is a particularly popular option for English language students and younger students at further education colleges. You live in the home of a host family, where you have your own study-bedroom and a certain number of meals with the family. Arrangements are flexible according to the needs and wants of the student, although your stay is usually seen as a kind of cultural exchange. Complete immersion in UK life is often the best way to develop your language skills and understanding of the culture and customs of a British family. You will be expected to respect and abide by basic rules that the family may impose. You are paying, however, so services such as babysitting and housework are entirely at your discretion and you are under no obligation. Home stays can work very well for students who value security and prefer a home environment, although if the host family has young children you may find that it is not the best environment for quiet study. The real advantage is that you will have to speak English daily.

Short-term home stays
In most cases home stays will be arranged for the duration of your course, either privately or through the institution you are going to attend. If you choose another accommodation option, however, it may still be possible to arrange a short, one-off weekend home stay by way of an introduction to British culture and home life. They can also be arranged through organisations such as local churches, temples, mosques or synagogues, and charitable organisations with international links. One particular organisation that arranges weekend home stay visits across the UK is Host UK, which was set up by the British Council in 1991. You can find out more at www.hostuk.org

Lodgings 
This is a room in a family house or a house owned by another individual who lives on the premises; the owner may be another student. Lodging can be similar to a home stay but the relationship is more commercial and there may be little or no element of cultural exchange. You may have little contact with the family or landlord and be treated simply as a tenant rather than as a paying guest. You are still entitled to privacy, respect and a decent standard of living, although the family or landlord may have rules about bringing guests and friends into the house. Lodgings are advertised locally in newspapers, shops and supermarkets and also through student accommodation offices and religious and charitable organisations. For lodgings where meals are included, you can expect to pay between £350 and £400 per month. Household bills are usually included.