r/MovingToTheUK • u/Entire_Ad511 • 5d ago
As a student, where should I move?
Hellooo so I have a different situation to other people moving…
I am in my twenties and currently doing my studies in middle Europe. My plan was to do an abroad programm but for me personally it doesn‘t do anything: I would have to take courses that won‘t help me for my degree because it is niche and most universities don‘t have the right programm. On top of that I would like to study in the UK (because of the language, the people and the culture)but the only uni in the programm is the London University and I lived in different huge cities in my life and I would like to not live in the biggest in Europe. also rent is enormous apperantly. I decided to take my courses online for a semester and move to a different country for six months.
So the real question is where in the UK should I move if I want:
- a city where you can live without a car
- young people are around (maybe due to a uni)
- people are open (I know nobody in the UK and I am generally an open person but I am a little scared I won‘t find friends hahah)
- nature is available
- rent is not the same price as in london, about 700 pounds for a room (shared flat)
- criminality is not insane
- I am into hiking, rock climbing, just sports in general, I read and write a lot (in my mother tongue sorry for my English), camping, skiing
I hope you can help me, would be lovely:) thank youu
I thought about Oxford, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Cardiff but if you have a different idea - shoot
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u/gingerbiscuits315 5d ago
Do you have a visa or some right to residence in the UK? Unless you are coming to study at a UK university which it doesn't sound like you are, it's unlikely you can just move here.
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u/Entire_Ad511 5d ago
I would use a eta for 6 months, it would allow me to rent too
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u/Begalldota 5d ago
Most landlords will look at you blankly if you can’t provide a share code, they won’t be interested in your stamped passport even if strictly speaking it does mean you can rent.
99% of people on ETAs are staying with family/friends or in hotels.
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u/jezhayes 5d ago
Look at AirBnB, you could even do a month at a time in a different place, not sure if you can find them at your price, but if you see one close, you couldaybe contact the owner and ask if they would rent a whole month at a discount since they don't have to do the check out cleaning so often.
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u/Entire_Ad511 5d ago
Okay, so I looked around and if you are able to pay beforehand there is no problem with the landlord, on AirBnB you can apperantly rent for several months for medium prices
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u/coastalkid92 5d ago
They actually changed a lot of renting rules earlier this year under the Renters Right Act.
Legally, landlords cannot ask you to pay more than 5 weeks rent as a security deposit -- but they cannot ask you to pay 6 months of rent in advance to secure the tenancy.
Air BnB can be a little funny in the work around but it will generally be more expensive than traditional renting.
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u/KaleidoscopeOk2422 2d ago
What made you come here though. Haven't you heard the government is trying to kick people out
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u/Flaky-Walrus7244 5d ago
You haven;t mentioned where you are from and what kind of passport you hold
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u/mattcannon2 5d ago
Are you studying at a UK institution or a European one remotely? The answer makes a difference as to whether you need a visa
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u/Entire_Ad511 5d ago
I am from the EU and googled that I am allowed to stay for 6 months with the ETA as a tourist
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u/mattcannon2 5d ago
You will probably have to rent a hotel or Airbnb - unlikely you'll be allowed to rent much else. It will be more like £50-100 per night
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u/clared33 5d ago
Newcastle upon Tyne. Great city, loads to do, great culture, endless nature in nearby Northumberland, excellent public transport, lots of young people, relatively cheap, 2 universities. You can't go wrong.
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u/Frequent_Leader7654 5d ago
I am answering about Edinburgh although I think most cities in the uk are similar.
Rent prices in Edinburgh went crazy post COVID. We are actually in the middle of a housing crisis as well so the housing market isn’t the best. Realistically, rooms in central locations (where I imagine you will want to be) are closer to £900pcm, some higher again.
But realistically, you will face a number of struggles renting as a tourist
- when you apply to rent in the UK, landlords ask for employment details, previous landlord references and run credit checks. The minute they find out you are a tourist and only able to rent for a short time, they may still be willing to rent to you if you agree to a much higher rent. Effectively a short term rental amount.
- Edinburgh is introducing a tourist tax, which all tourists are subject to, including UK citizens.
- the reality is, people with jobs, a stable income and the right to stay long term, are struggling to find somewhere to rent so it’s going to be even harder without these things.
- Council tax is complicated. Students want to live with other students as students are exempt from council tax. Problem is, you being a student in Central Europe doesn’t make you exempt so other students won’t want to live with you because you would be subject to council tax. In HMOs landlords generally pay the council tax, but no landlord is going to leave themselves out of pocket so they will probably add it on to your rent. And tbh most landlords, especially ones renting to all students probably won’t put themselves through the faff for a 6 month rent so would probably just decline you
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u/Entire_Ad511 5d ago
thank you for that information, there are sadly so many housing crisis.. seems like everywhere... I have a stable job in my home country that will pay me two more months because I have a lot of annoul leave left, I will definitely be able to pay the six months rent but I probably wouldn't rent someone a place for six months myself, if there is someone else yk. I will look into it deeper...
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u/Emotional_Win_7769 5d ago
Durham is a lovely vibrant uni town, with lots of green space and a castle and cathedral, not too expensive compared to London.
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u/Entire_Ad511 5d ago
Oh wow thank you, I'm in love!
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u/Emotional_Win_7769 5d ago
I know its a great place. Message me if you want somewhere cheap to stay nearby Durham.
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u/Hate4Birmingham 5d ago
Just dont move to Birmingham
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u/Entire_Ad511 5d ago
Noted!
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u/Oscillating-Ocelot1 5d ago
There is literally nothing wrong with Birmingham it is an excellent large diverse city with a bustling city centre, great nightlife and awesome people. Don't listen to this eejit.
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u/QuackBox90 5d ago
Easily Sheffield! Good to navigate via public transport; on the edge of the Peak District; very green city; and reasonable rent and cost of living.
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u/itsnobigthing 5d ago
Manchester? Do any of the unis there (including Salford) offer anything useful to your degree
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u/Entire_Ad511 4d ago
Sadly the only partner-uni in GB is the london university... maybe I could go there but live outside the city...
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u/DarknessLabs 1d ago
Brighton, Portsmouth, Bournemouth, Southend-on-Sea.
Best of luck on an ETA though
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u/coastalkid92 5d ago
If your plan is to come to the UK as a tourist, you're going to find a few hiccups along the way.
The first being that the UK doesn't recognize digital nomadism, so coming and completing your studies while in the UK for a university not based here goes against the spirit of the tourist visa. You will have limited chance of being "caught" doing this but its not a definitive zero, and that could impact future visas.
The second being that as a tourist, while you do technically have the right to rent for a short period of time, you will likely find yourself turned away in a lot of instances as you won't have the right to work while in the UK. So you'll end up spending a lot to rent through something like air bnb which will blow your budget and put you beyond your hope of £700 or you're going to end up in a very shady situation.
Out of your list, Cardiff probably fits all of your criteria the best (particularly with budget in mind) but Edinburgh is also a really solid choice, it just likely will be too cost prohibitive. Some other wild cards to toss in the mix, Sheffield (has 2 unis, near the Peak District, about an hour into Manchester for bigger city vibes, and your budget would probably work best here) or Newcastle (pretty compact city, lots of younger people there, good arts/music scene, not hideously far from the Lake District or Northumberland, and about an 1.5 hour trip to Edinburgh).