Hi! I'm Filipina and my husband is British. We're planning to move to the UK in a couple of months. I have A LOT of questions about moving to the UK, so any help in answering any and/or all questions would just mean so much to me! So before we start I'd like to say thanks! 1. Where should we move to the UK? - We're looking at places around London. We don't need to be IN London, just around is fine. Somewhere where the rent is okay - not expensive or what. We're willing to move farther away from the city if that means we could have a bigger apartment/ space. However, we'd like to be a maximum of around 1-2 hours away from London, plus it would be great if there's a university/ college nearby since I am planning to study while we're in the UK. PS. If there's a filipino community around the place, it would be a big plus. 2. How difficult is it to learn how to drive in the UK? And how long does it take to learn/ get a driver's license? - I don't know how to drive. Are there driving schools around london? If yes, what is a good driving school and how much do they usually charge? 3. Is it difficult to buy a car in the UK? - We're looking to buy a used car to save money. Any recommended used car businesses would be great. 4. Which bank should we bank with? - We're moving all out assets (money etc.) to the UK. We would love to have a bank that would be willing to open up a bank account for me (while I'm on my spouse visa), or a joint bank account for us. 5. What's a good internet provider for the home? - We both don't watch any TV and just Netflix all the time. A strong, reliable and fast internet connection is also needed because my husband does a lot of work online. 6. What's a good mobile service provider? - We'll both be needing new numbers and preferrably a family plan or something for our phones. We would like a mobile provider that has a big data usage limit since we'll both be frequently calling our families (mine in the Philippines and his in Australia) via Viber or WhatsApp. 7. Where to buy cheap furniture in the UK? - Most of the apartments that we're looking at right now are unfurnished, I don't know if this is just hwo it is in the UK or if its just the apartments we're looking at. But since most of them are unfurnished, I'm assuming we'll have to buy furniture for them. 8. Which universities/ colleges are "Philippine-friendly" in the UK? - I have a previous Bachelor's degree from the Philippines and I want to study when we get to the UK. Which universities would most likely recognize my previous degree and allow some of the previous subjects I've taken to be accredited/ recognized? 9. What is a large grocery store chain in the UK that sell Asian products? - Just stuff like noodles or soy sauce or what. Are those available everywhere or do we have to go to a special Asian grocery store or what? 10. Where are some nice places to go out? And how much will it cost for a night out? - Just dinner and drinks, a nice date place for a couple. How much would it cost for a nice fancy night out (special occassions just like for birthdays or anniversaries etc.) and for a normal "date"? 11. Any additional advice/ comments etc. That you think might help us?
Hi there and welcome to the forum. You have some great questions there, unfortunately, it is many years since I lived in UK, so not I'm not best qualified to answer them. I'm sure there will be many that will be able to answer some if not all of your questions. I take it that you have already sorted all of the visas etc.
Lloyds bank seem easier to register with and get statements from. Driving lessons will set u back 30quid a time and it is hard to pass test here as you need theory test first.
Theres loads of asian shops. If you live in Reading then there is a Filipino shop and asian supermarkets. About 30 minutes from London and much cheaper.
My answers in bold above. This is all based on my experiences. We have different opinions here so might as well listen to others. Good luck!
