Internship in London, what should we expect for costs?
Sep 13th, 2006, 07:42 AM
#22
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Flanneruk- FYI, NOT A STUPID TOURIST!, nor ignorent. My comments were based on experience of friends who have kids that have done semesters abroad last year. So chill out and if you give your opinion , don't slam someone elses just because you don't agree. That's just rude.
Sep 13th, 2006, 08:01 AM
#23
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An unexpected expense we encountered in Italy last semester was for internet access. It was not available at our daughter's host home, so she went to internet places and they were quite expensive. She'd buy a card worth an hour at a time, but it adds up quickly when they are keeping in touch with their home campus and friends.
Sep 13th, 2006, 08:09 AM
#24
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The internet isn't expensive in London - About £1 an hour, plus the place she's working at will probably have access. There are also internet cafes all over the place here.
Audere - proving that even government offices have internet overhere.
Audere - proving that even government offices have internet overhere.
Sep 13th, 2006, 08:14 AM
#25
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laartista:
OK You're not a stupid tourist.
You just believe, uncritically, nonsense you hear at third hand from stupid tourists. Does that make you feel better?
Take a Gristede's shopping basket (remembering to add on the taxes that NY merchants keep off their price lists) and compare it to buying Tesco own label groceries (remembering Tesco don't lie on their price tickets).
Go and see a play in both cities. Spend a night in a pub in both cities. Go and have a meal (remembering the ever-outstetched palms of the beggars who're allowed to pass themselves off as waiters in NY) and compare the end price with London. By and large, they end up roughly the same. Indeed, if I do the things I like doing in New York, they cost me more than in London.
Now show me someone who thinks they're paying twice as much in London and I'll show you someone who's incapable of managing money, and is behaving improvidently with their parents' money.
They might not do so if they faced a few critical questions about why they think they need so much more to live on here than our kids do.
That might require switching a few brains on. But being gullible is always a great deal easier.
OK You're not a stupid tourist.
You just believe, uncritically, nonsense you hear at third hand from stupid tourists. Does that make you feel better?
Take a Gristede's shopping basket (remembering to add on the taxes that NY merchants keep off their price lists) and compare it to buying Tesco own label groceries (remembering Tesco don't lie on their price tickets).
Go and see a play in both cities. Spend a night in a pub in both cities. Go and have a meal (remembering the ever-outstetched palms of the beggars who're allowed to pass themselves off as waiters in NY) and compare the end price with London. By and large, they end up roughly the same. Indeed, if I do the things I like doing in New York, they cost me more than in London.
Now show me someone who thinks they're paying twice as much in London and I'll show you someone who's incapable of managing money, and is behaving improvidently with their parents' money.
They might not do so if they faced a few critical questions about why they think they need so much more to live on here than our kids do.
That might require switching a few brains on. But being gullible is always a great deal easier.
Sep 13th, 2006, 08:35 AM
#28
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I'm assuming that she will have a UK mobile phone?
We have UK pay-as-you-go cellphones that we use when we travel. I bought the Mad For Minutes phone cards for 5 pounds from the newsagent in our local tube station. It gave me something like 500 minutes to the US from my UK mobile phone. It gave very few minutes if used from a pay phone, though. Your daughter will want to check the terms of the card she buys against which type of telephone she intends to use.
For you to call her cell phone, it will be an international long distance call, which will depend on your carrier and plan. From you home phone, you may want to consider ATT, which has a favorable international plan for $1.00/month that gives you a rate of $.09/min.to the UK. From your Verizon cell, it looks like you could bring the rate down to $.20/min. with the correct plan and a $3.99/month charge. You could also buy international calling cards for you home or cell phones.
We have UK pay-as-you-go cellphones that we use when we travel. I bought the Mad For Minutes phone cards for 5 pounds from the newsagent in our local tube station. It gave me something like 500 minutes to the US from my UK mobile phone. It gave very few minutes if used from a pay phone, though. Your daughter will want to check the terms of the card she buys against which type of telephone she intends to use.
For you to call her cell phone, it will be an international long distance call, which will depend on your carrier and plan. From you home phone, you may want to consider ATT, which has a favorable international plan for $1.00/month that gives you a rate of $.09/min.to the UK. From your Verizon cell, it looks like you could bring the rate down to $.20/min. with the correct plan and a $3.99/month charge. You could also buy international calling cards for you home or cell phones.
Sep 13th, 2006, 08:39 AM
#29
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4khansen,
My sister just spent a year in London as a student. Her way of checking if a price was "fair" was that if it was the same amount in £ as it usually would be in €, it was ok (reference: Belgium). Eating and drinking out is very expensive, and my sister even found groceries to be quite expensive compared to Belgium, especially meat, fruits and vegetables. Fresh fish seemed to be almost non-existant.
As for the mobile phones: she got a special mobile card from O2 where she could call one foreign phone number for free, as much as she wanted. That was our home phone. I don't know if it's also valid for the USA, but it might be worth checking out. They also have special tariffs in general for people calling abroad often.
My sister just spent a year in London as a student. Her way of checking if a price was "fair" was that if it was the same amount in £ as it usually would be in €, it was ok (reference: Belgium). Eating and drinking out is very expensive, and my sister even found groceries to be quite expensive compared to Belgium, especially meat, fruits and vegetables. Fresh fish seemed to be almost non-existant.
As for the mobile phones: she got a special mobile card from O2 where she could call one foreign phone number for free, as much as she wanted. That was our home phone. I don't know if it's also valid for the USA, but it might be worth checking out. They also have special tariffs in general for people calling abroad often.
Sep 13th, 2006, 08:40 AM
#30
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< but that's in places like Wetherspoons which are dingy hovels >
BUT they are about the only national chain that serve DECENT beer rather than the Spanish / Mexican / whatever pigswill that passes for beer in the Kewl bars
BUT they are about the only national chain that serve DECENT beer rather than the Spanish / Mexican / whatever pigswill that passes for beer in the Kewl bars
Sep 13th, 2006, 09:11 AM
#31
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Flanner- First it's not third hand, I've been to London numerous times. Second a student who has done a semester abroad is not a tourist, they are living there. It is more expensive for Americans in London no matter what kind of budget you are on because of the exchange rate. That's just common sense. I have many clients in England and ship there regularly, alot of Brits come to NYC to do X-mas shopping because of the exchange rate. That's first hand info. from them, not third hand. I'm just going to agree to disagree.
Sep 13th, 2006, 11:39 AM
#32
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if there are any TVs in the flat, make sure she will be properly licenced. if her room in the flat has its own tv, she will need her own licence unless she has a lease shared with others (by the way you describe the internship programme, i don't think she has a shared lease). if there is only one tv in a common area, then the you only need one for the whole flat - the landlord may or may not have the property licenced but your daughter is responsible for ensuring that her flat and/or her room in the flat is properly licenced.
Sep 13th, 2006, 01:18 PM
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Sep 14th, 2006, 03:52 AM
#38
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>>>>
The licence isn't much
<<<<
in fact it's about £135 or US $250. you can apply for a refund of the unused time when you leave, however.
this is not very convenient for someone who has left the country as the refund cheque will be in sterling.
best to just check with the programme (or whoever is arranging her housing)to see what the situation is. a landlord taking in short term tenants and providing a TV for them should pay for the licence but there is no requirement for him to pay for it. the authorities often target places where people come and go (eg short term places or housing used by students - exactly the type of place your daughter will live).
The licence isn't much
<<<<
in fact it's about £135 or US $250. you can apply for a refund of the unused time when you leave, however.
this is not very convenient for someone who has left the country as the refund cheque will be in sterling.
best to just check with the programme (or whoever is arranging her housing)to see what the situation is. a landlord taking in short term tenants and providing a TV for them should pay for the licence but there is no requirement for him to pay for it. the authorities often target places where people come and go (eg short term places or housing used by students - exactly the type of place your daughter will live).
