If you are half as curious as we were when we decided to book our plane tickets to London, you might as well read a bit and get your facts straight before you make that final decision. Living in London is going to change your life dramatically and you will need to know what you are getting yourself into. The first six months will be quite harsh, you might even hate it but do not let that stop you from experiencing London and Europe.  It might just turn out to be one of the greatest things you have done in your life.

 You may have heard about the giant checklist everyone needs to check off before they come to London, forget about it. We will make it as short as possible without skipping out on the important things. First of all, make sure your paperwork is in order before you board that plane. The customs officer will want to see proof of accommodation, financial means, and valid visa and a medical check-up or x-rays.

If you are staying with friends in London until you find your own place then get them to write a simple letter stating that you will be staying with them and what their address is. A hostel or hotel can do the same for you. Anyone coming from Africa would need to have a lung x-ray to prove you do not have TB when you land at any London airport. Bank statements or travellers check should be sufficient enough as proof of financial means.

By the way, you might want to take around £30 cash on you so that you can pay for an Oyster Card or train / tube ticket to your new home. It won’t cost you the entire £30, but you may need to buy something extra along the way or get lunch, breakfast or even dinner.

Buy yourself a hard case suitcase as we all have heard the rumours on how easy it is to steal stuff out of a zipped suitcase and you won’t even see the evidence when you do eventually arrive.

It would also be a good idea to get your CV typed up before the time and save a soft copy on a USB drive for easy access when you need to make changes. You could also join a community website like Facebook and mingle a bit with a few Londoners so that you will have a few friends when you do land here and they can show you around a bit more. Locals always know how to do things cheaply if they want to.

Note: If you are going to be working in the caring industry you will need to get a clearance certificate from your local police station to prove you have no criminal record. This is quite important.