Choosing where to live in England!

Hi Riley,

Welcome to the UK.

You have not mentioned if you are Chinese, Asian ( meaning Indo-Pak-Bangla in here) or of European origin, because there are different dos and donts for them.

Will you be financially supported at least for a few months or perhaps one year?

I would strongly suggest that you plan to improve upon your education and professional skills. You are lucky you are still young and you have plenty of time as long as you start moving in the right direction.

I'm Chinese but I received English education in primary school and high school which means I don't have a problem in language. My parents will give me a budget of money for the first few months as it takes time to find a job when I first arrive there. It's unlikely for me to continue my education at the moment for some reasons, so having a job and learning to pay the bills are my goals now.

Hello Riley,

You need to be prepared for lots of pleasant surprises once you arrive in the UK for the first time.

The English you speak at school in Hong Kong is quite different to the street language since "a bird" and "bloke" means something very different here.

I am not qualified to give you an advise for the best place to settle in the UK, but I found West Yorkshire and Lancashire inexpensive, low paced, and people friendly and helpful towards "foreigners". Cities like Leeds, Bradford, Huddersfield and Manchester are worth considering.

A word of caution and advise to you, as an 18 year old female , you need to begin your life at a family friend's or relatives neighborhood for at least a few months to feel safe.

If you desire, I could pass on the contact numbers of " Muslim Sister's Hostel " and similar community run organisations in Yorkshire where you as a non -muslim will be equally welcomed.

If I were you, I would consider places like London, Manchester, Birmingham, perhaps Brighton, Hastings, Eastbourne, Reading, Basingstoke and any of the places in the south fairly close to London. Lots of overseas Chinese from HK, Malaysia, Chinese are living and working in the London area, studying and working part time in restaurants etc. They often share accommodation on the outskirts of London, and they live a great life. The Chinese communities in this area are large and you will feel pretty much at home.

As the previous poster mentioned, it's a good idea to further your studies if at all possible. That way you will also meet lots of other foreign students, make friends and more opportunities to be in the know about accommodation and part time jobs etc.

G'Day Riley,

I'm an Aussie who relocated to UK in 2014.  Lived in Cardiff, Wales for first 12 months then relocated this past March to Reading, England.   

CARDIFF, WALES
Cardiff is a wonderful place; ideal for the young and plenty of Hospitality plus Retail work as it's a Tourist City with Cardiff Bay drawing millions of visitors year round; it's a vibrant city with heaps to see and do.  The Beach is nearby too!  People are very welcoming and friendly.  We joint a online social group called Streetlife and met loads of lovely people through their local meet ups.  If you need info please send me a pm to share more!   Let's just say; thanks to my Streetlife I had a lovely social group of friends within 3 months of moving to UK where I knew no one!   Even though I've moved to Reafibg - 2 hours away / 100 miles; I'm still in touch with a few of them I became close to.   You'd definitely love Cardiff, Wales if you are young.  TJ Fridays is a great place to get a job.  Plus there's 2 nice residential neighborhoods within walking distance of there.   Pengam Green where we lived or Penylan.  Nearby SPLOTT has some good and bad neighborhoods so I'd be careful in there.  Pengam Green is part of SPLOTT but it's a real nice area that's very daughter after.  It's a Combo of Houses and Flats.  Penylan is also a desireable area with a mix of houses and flats.  Both areas have a good bus service or you can walk to most convenience stores.  Entertainment is in town - 5-10 minutes away however! 
Do pm me for more info with links to research this area more!  The BBC Studio & Headquarters / Dr Who is here!
Nothing negative to say about Cardiff; except it's 3 - 4 hours out from London and trains from Cardiff into London and back are extremely expensive; even for the daily commuters.  Buses are cheap!
Cardiff is a hip and happening vibrant City where the young can work and play!  With Barry Beach just a quick train ride away up the road 6 miles.   Plenty of green space for walking and Cardiff Bay Waterfront walk - across the Barage!    Cardiff Bay Shops or the St David's Shopping Center plus surrounding boutiques within Catdiff Walking Mall - theres a smorgasbord of Restaurants and eating stablishmemts plus Pubs so there's always a job Vacancy to be filled if you have experience!   Some will even train you!  It's always RAINING in Cardiff.  If it's the Sun you like; then Catdiffs not the place for you.  It's the only place where you get to experience the 4 Seasons all within 1 hour or less!  Walk from 1 frony of your house to back and you'll see 2 entirely different weather patterns.  Too much rain and too far out from London for our likings.  Lovely friendly people there though!   A lot of Retirees too!

READING, ENGLAND
Reading is where we live now!  Very easy access into London by Car, Bus or Train.  Just 1/2 - 1 hour and your in Lobdon. 
Plenty of walking spots with the Thames River in your doorstep!  Oracle Shopping Center offers 88 Shops with many Restaurants too!   Night Clubs and Pubs are spread throughout this Downtiwn area.  Oxford Road is also a busy one for both restaurants and pubs plus shops.  I live just off Oxford Road near a very popular Exotic Super Store; a Friit and Veggie Market filled with International foods too. 
Reading is our preferred place to live; heaps more IT job opportunities and so conveniently located to Lobdon, Oxfird, Windsor and Winchester just to name a few - so job opportunities are plentiful as all these places are commutable for work and Public Teansport is reliable and reasonably priced; especially if you purchase a Monthly, Seasonal or Yearly Pass!  Without a pass: £2.70 gets me a return bus ticket into Reading and back! 
Train Stations are plentiful and it's only a 25 minute ride into Lobdon.  Quicker in 2018 when the new Direct line from Reading to London opens.   Plenty of Retail and Hotel Hospitality jobs here in Reading.  Plus there's a huge Chinese based Company -  HUAWEI - plus manu other Companies even offers Telemarketing opportunities.  We prefer Reading as a place to live and Catdoff as a weekend or Holiday Getaway destination. 
Sunday Assembly (a non religious social group that gives back to their local community - they meet last Subday of each month but have opportunities for their members to get together throughout the month). has a base in Reading so finding a young group of friends to socialize with won't be a issue if you live in Reading.  I can also connect you to many other online social groups for the young and singles living in Reading.  There's plenty to choose from to find friends quickly here in Readibg.   I've got nothing bad to say after living in Reading for 5 months.  We actually plan to make Reading our permanent home - as we have a Ancestral Visa which gives us the opportunity to remain living in UK permanently. 

We visit friends we've made in Bermingham, England frequently.  That's another place you may also enjoy - further away from London.  It's in the Mid-West.  Not for us!   But it's got a lot to offer too!  A lot happens there and it's on a train line!

Torque is a beach town that's very vibrant for the young to go party!    So probably plenty of Waiteessing and Retail jobs as well, Hotel Hospitality, Clibs and Pub jobs too! 

PS; we Rent but we do have a rear Studio Cottage so we could possibly help you out with accommodation until you find a place?
Walking steps to Buses and Train on Oxford Road.   
Pm me for my email address if interested in knowing / learning more about life in UK!

BRIGHT BLESSINGS & GOOD LUCK with you new Life Venture / Life Chapter!

OMG.  Sorry for all the spelling errors; Auto Spell-Check changed a lot for incorrect spelling.  We relocated to Reading in 2015 not 14. 
Do google HUAWEI as a option to work.  They prefer to hire Asians and cater to them with their own Chinese Restaurant in cafeteria.  They often hire Interns and have a huge Call-Center too!  Write to them or check out their online job list offerings.  My post-code here is RG30 1HX and it's just a 20 minute bus ride to HUAWEI.   

Yes I'm sure we could offer you short-term accommodation until you find your feet; as it could initially be overwhelming being in a strange Country, City and knowing no one!   I know but at least I had my hubby beside me! 

Our 500 sq ft Rear Studio Cottage has 1 bedroom / 1 bathroom  and also has it's own outside sitting terrace plus side private entrance gate! 
Bus and train station are both within walking distance; so convenient too! 

Reading would be a great place to find your feet in UK and then your options are open to moving to a different locations at a later point? 

Currently we have a Bank Holiday weekend with Reading Festival being held just up the road where 700, thousand visitors to Reading are enjoying one of UK's top Music Festivals.  Glasbury is bigger.  Leeds and Reading are sane Festival but in different locations.  Artists attend both during this 3 day event. 1980's Festival was hosted last weekend too! 
Whilst living in Cardiff, many Famous Celebrity artists held Concerts.  So it's great to still live conveniently close by road or train trip to Cardiff?   

We've found Brighton is extremely expensive, snobby and mostly the elite live there.  Nice place to do end a weekend getaway though.  Mature aged and Retirees mostly live there too!   

You need to be where it's modern, young and hip!   Cardiff & Reading will fit the lifestyle your seeking.  There's actually a large Asian network of Asians living here in Reading from what I see whilst out shopping!

Hansson wrote:

If I were you, I would consider places like London, .

As the OP said, "I hope to move to a city that's not too expensive", London is a terrible idea, as are many of the places mentioned in that post.
Common sense and intelligence need to be used here (along with a lot of background knowledge), so suggesting a means of finding work with accommodation is far more likely to be of use.

https://www.yell.com/s/chinese+takeaway … shire.html

*That's take away food shops, but look at restaurants as well.
Then change the area to any other town you fancy.
Doncaster is a busy town with a few good places, so probably worth a try.

Since the great purge of easy targets to make the UK government's  immigration numbers look good, Chinese take aways and restaurants have had problems finding legal workers to fill the "counter" and waiter/waitress positions as these jobs require a reasonable standard of English.
Most come with a free room and food, so all the OP has to do is get some skype credit and start to call.
I chose an area I know well, mostly because I know there are plenty of places and a shortage of staff.
There's a better than average chance the OP could have a job waiting as soon as they get off the aircraft.

The salaries paid in London's Chinese places are little different from the northern towns, but London is an expensive place to live, so I'd ignore that suggestion unless you have friends or family there.
Manchester has a lively Chinese area, so that's one of the better suggestions, especially if you like night life, but be aware of the crime in the area, notably the unreported Chinese on Chinese crime that is pretty much unknown outside the Chinese community and those of us with wide experience of it. Those problems still exist outside the major cities, but are far less of a concern.

Once you've got a start, you can branch out to whatever else you fancy, but I suggest the above because it safe, solid work and there's usually a safe room for you to live in.

I'd never recommend you start off living in London; however, living within a easy reach of London provides you with easy access by bus or train to all that London has to offer which is a definite must!    The Mega Bus plus there's another too!   They've just begun a 24 hour train service - currently only Friday & Saturdays; however, they do plan to make it 24/7 at a date yet to be announced. 
London is cheapest if you drive to Hounslow and park there at Train Station £5.00 parking for the day and Sundays it's free; Train from West Hounslow Station is £4.70 each way. Or £3.10 during off peak times into London.  Way cheaper than from Reading Station.
For our Train travel we purchased a Oyster Card and a Smart Card for our Bus travels.  Both These cards can be topped up online!  There's also several online Discount Coupon groups that save you £ on A Huge lot of things including entertainment in London and around the area you designate when you sign up FREE!

I hope these links may assist:

cheap buses from Reading into London
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=cheap … ent=safari

mega bus from Reading to London
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=mega+ … ent=safari
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Flats and house Share in Reading, Berkshire, UK
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Flats … ent=safari
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Cost of Living in United Kingdom. Prices in United Kingdom. Updated Aug 2016
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co … ed+Kingdom

Compare different areas against each other:
Cost Of Living Comparison
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/comparison.jsp
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EMPLOYMENT within Reading area:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jobs+ … ent=safari
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The Sunday Assembly
Sunday Assembly Reading
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Sunda … ent=safari

streetlife group
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=stree … ent=safari

social meetups in reading UK
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=socia … ent=safari

This one is the best fit for any Expats living in the UK
General clubs for internationals in the UK | Out & About | Expatica United Kingdom
http://www.expatica.com/uk/out-and-abou … 03210.html
-------------------------

Hope this helps you some Riley .

The Numbeo website is not always good to lean on. I would rather get more details from members on this website. It's more reliable.

READING AREA INFO.

The Borough of Reading
has a population of 155,698 (2011 census) and the town formed the largest part of the Reading/Wokingham Urban Area which had a population of 318,014 (2011 census). The town is currently represented in the UK parliament by two members, and has been continuously represented there since 1295. For ceremonial purposes the town is in the county of Berkshire and has served as its county town since 1867, previously sharing this status with Abingdon-on-Thames. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway. By the national road network, Reading is located 40 miles (64 km) east from Swindon, 27 miles (43 km) south from Oxford, 41 miles (66 km) west of central London, and 16 miles (26 km) north from Basingstoke.

Reading Festival - Happening Now; Friday - Sunday 90,K folks are gathering just a few streets from where we live here!  We can hear it all outside for free; plus watch it live on our TV inside on comfortable seating! 
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=readi … ent=safari

Fred wrote:

Hansson wrote:

If I were you, I would consider places like London, .

As the OP said, "I hope to move to a city that's not too expensive", London is a terrible idea, as are many of the places mentioned in that post.
Common sense and intelligence need to be used here (along with a lot of background knowledge), so suggesting a means of finding work with accommodation is far more likely to be of use.

Actually you couldn't be further from the truth and your comment is bordering on misinformation and you obviously do not know London very well. Lots of Chinese and young people of other nationalities who live in London and the areas surrounding London get on just fine. Jobs come and go for everyone. Suggesting that someone from Hong Kong lives up to live in Yorkshire is just plain daft and naive unless they have relatives there. I see absolutely no point except to plug the area where you are from which I notice is Yorkshire. London is full of flats and houses that are rented out to students and young people. Just don't expect to live in the posh parts.

As the poster says she does not mind to share accommodation, and in the outer areas of London there are both expensive and cheap accommodation. This means going west to areas beyond Ealing or north beyond Islington, or down in Wandsworth or Clapton or any other of the many areas in outer London, even to places like Croydon. We are not talking about living in Mayfair.

Now aside from London I also think Birmingham and Manchester are worth looking into. Bristol too is not bad. But if the poster wants to live in a smaller or quieter place then towns like Eastbourne, Brighton and Hastings are not bad because they do have a population of Chinese people and they are quite close to London as well as being on the coast. Brighton is a fantastic place actually and pretty trendy and cool. Eastbourne and Hastings are smaller and a little quieter but still only an hours train ride to London.

Hansson wrote:

Actually you couldn't be further from the truth and your comment is bordering on misinformation and you obviously do not know London very well. .

You really are spouting utter rubbish.

You're suggesting someone who has asked for a cheaper area to live in, and is asking about low paid service industry jobs, move to the most expensive city in the UK, not to mention one of the most expensive cities in the world.
It should also be noted, the Pound you earn buys far less in London that any of the northern towns, but the North has major night life and everything else the OP wants.

You suggested cheaper areas of London, but did you include the crime statistics for those areas in your thinking? Those areas are some of the worst in the UK as far as crime goes, something the OP needs to consider when deciding where to live.

Of course there's shared lodgings in London, but they still cost far more than other places that offer everything the OP is looking for.

As for my information regarding Chinese communities in the UK, it comes from over 10 years of close work with Chinese community groups, Chinese businesses and Chinese individuals from every area in mainland China, HK and Taiwan.
You can add working with local government and Chinese community groups to the above list, along with assisting trafficked Chinese people get status in the UK and assisting with things when the odd problem with police turned up.

Silly unsupported suggestions I'm unfamiliar with things are pointless, especially when you're as wrong as you are on this issue.

You have to google what I was deeply involved in for over 10 years, so don't bother suggesting I don't know what I'm talking about.

The OP wants a cheaper place to live. What you fail to understand is that not everyone who lives in the south of England or in the London area is wealthy. There are poor people, students, lots of people from foreign countries all living in London and the south of England.

In fact, every single city and town in the UK has wealthy and more affordable areas.

As for crime, Yorkshire is no safer than the rest of England. I'm not talking about the pedophile rings and all that stuff that we read every day going on in Yorkshire, but general crime. But if the OP wishes to go and live in Yorkshire then that is up to her. You can tell her all about Yorkshire as that is where you are from.

I think that suggesting that a person should not live in London because of the crime is actually an insult to Londoners. London is a fantastic and exciting place.

I do think that some of her other suggestions like Newcastle, Southampton, Cambridge and Manchester are also fine. I'd actually like to suggest that she chooses a place where she has a connection, friends or relatives, whether it is in Yorkshire or anywhere else.

I'm 18 years old and I hope to move to a city that's not too expensive.

London, all of London, is expensive. The cheaper parts, and they aren't that much cheaper and are riddled with drug related crime, especially at night, excluding evening activities. I've been to a few of those cheap areas, and I would not want to live there. That comments excludes the massively expensive areas as no one has as yet suggested a flat near Harrods, but I wait for that event as some of the other information provided has been wildly misleading.

I don't have any GCSE or other educational certificates so I reckon I'll get a job as a waitress or sales ( I need job opportunities!).

That's why I suggest a specific job area where the OP's skills will be valuable, but away from expensive areas. A low paid worker in London will have a tough time finding a room that doesn't take most of their wages, but I'm suggesting jobs that I know through long experience offer a room, free food, and better wages. Wages that will go far further away from the capital.
It isn't just the place that costs more in London, the whole cost of living is greater.
Any job hunter should work on they strengths, never milling around in a job market with hundreds of other people who are better qualified.

Since I'm the "younger generation", I want to live in a place where there is good wifi and television service, not some remote areas.

Most of the UK has reasonable internet, at least in the larger towns and cities. Only very remote places don't have reasonable internet.
Mainstream TV is broadcast all over the nation, both as terrestrial services available to the vast majority, and as satellite services from the Astra satellites.

I'm a football fanatic, I guess that will help me blend in with the community.

The best ticket to an Arsenal football match will cost you 97 quid
The same in Barnsley costs 38 quid.

The latter might well not be up to the former in quality of football, but the same spirit amongst the fans is there, so the OP will get to watch matches and get to meet people.

I'm gonna need a roommate when I get there but I don't know how to find one and I'm scared of ending up with some creeps living with me.


Not if you start your time working in the Chinese food industry. Of course there are Chinese creeps as there are creeps in every demographic, but the close group working relationship tends to exclude unreasonable behaviour.
I'm not suggesting you spend your whole time in the UK working in that trade, but it could well be a good idea to get you started as it solves all your problems at once, allowing you the chance to spread out later, and meaning you don't have to rely on your parents' money at all.
Most of the younger Chinese (Malaysians and others) I know in that trade do the opposite, sending money back home as well as having easily enough to enjoy themselves.
Check out my earlier post regarding contacting places, and I think you'll have a pleasant surprise, very likely finding a job with a room easily.

As I said, my suggestion comes from a lot of direct contact, not a quick google and a wild guess.

So Riley, it's been over a month. I guess there is some progress with your plans to move here. Have you found something? What's going on. Give us an update...

OK I can tell you now Riley will not have the ability to be earning £55,K - £60,K without a solid educatin.and career with years of experience behind her!  Even then try £35,K - £50,K with £50,K - £70,+ in London for Senior IT Managers.

For Waitressing and Retail Expect to earn £7.25 per hour up to £9.00 Max if your really very lucky!  £15,K annually. 

Cost of living is so much higher in London than the outer areas. 
I listed a link in a precious post for Riley to do her own Cost comparisons between different areas.   

I'm
Sure she's thoroughly already done her own research online and already has her own idea of where she'd like to live; only wanting reassurance / confirmation from Expat that what's she's thinking is realistic and current information.   
Reality;
One things for sure; unless she's working as a 'Lady of the Night' (yes there's plenty of them in Reading too)
She should plan her budget around expecting to be earning a Minimum Wage of £7.25 per hour (slightly higher £7.75ph in London I think)?  Anything above and beyond is a Bonus for her!   

Must dash; as I'm heading into London myself today to enjoy a nice Lunch followed by a 2:30pm Maitnee at the Theatre and be home in time for Dinner.   

See you can live in the South-East where it's more affordable living whilst still able to enjoy all that London has to offer!    Hope Riley hasn't been too confused by some of the previous posts! 

It's daughnting enough already trying to plan to relocate overseas where you've not lived B4 and will most likely be overwhelming for some time until she finds her feet and some friends.  I know I've done the overseas move twice to places I've never steped B4 or knew anyone; and I had a husband by my side there as my best friend and to help guide me as well, yet I still found it tough yet exciting and at times very challenging.  Being a Immigrant has it's own set of challenges; depending where you live as to what these will be for you.  USA was terrible for some Immigrants whilst not so much for myself as a Aussie!   But I still came across a few things; don't matter that we held a Green Card Visa whilst living in USA and a Ancestral Visa here in UK.   They are also known to often look at the color of your skin rather than your Visa rights! 

These are Exciting days ahead for a 18 year old; so to start off in the right area will definitely assist in her settling in alot quicker.  Wishing you all the best with it all.....!   Yell out if you need a place to begin this adventure in or just wanting any further advice.... Don't hesitate - just ask??
Pm me or I'm also happy to share my email address with you via a pm should you wish to communicate via email instead!

The take away and restaurant trade will pay minimum wage, sometimes less, but no food or room to worry about.
It also puts her in touch with people immediately, giving her a start with a circle of friends.
That and she has the skills the places want, and there are far too few people in the market, leaving the OP with a massive advantage putting her ahead of possible competition for the job.

There goes reality.

Hey guys! Thanks for all your information you've given to me! I think I've already given up on the idea of living in London as I won't be able to make a living there. So not a lot of things have moved on since I first posted. I'm closing in on places like Manchester, Birmingham or Reading like some of you have suggested! Once I've chosen a city, I will have to go into the details like getting a place to live, a job and the something like an NI number. I will definitely see this forum as a springboard for my journey as it's really nice to talk to REAL people instead of surfing the Internet purposelessly.

I'm both excited and worried about moving to the UK but I know it's always hard to take the first step. It's really nice to know that there's someone out there who pays attention to my problems and questions! I will definitely PM you  and I hope you'll still be around!

Birmingham and Manchester are both great places to live. They are the other biggest cities in England aside from London. Reading also is nice and actually I consider that as just outside of London too. In fact I personally think anywhere southwest or south of London is nice. However, you will need to check out the rents in Birmingham and Manchester. All these places have lots of students and usually there are many less expensive places to stay or share too.

By the way, which part of Hong Kong do you live? I used to live initially in Heng Fa Chuen when I first moved there and later in Discovery Bay on Lantau Island. I was there for seven years.

IamRiley wrote:

I'm closing in on places like Manchester, Birmingham or Reading like some of you have suggested!

Once I've chosen a city, I will have to go into the details like getting a place to live, a job and the something like an NI number. I will definitely see this forum as a springboard for my journey as it's really nice to talk to REAL people instead of surfing the Internet purposelessly.

I'd still suggest avoiding the big cities at first, especially if you take my advice and look at Chinese small business as a springboard job to get you going.
As I said, they're short of English/Chinese language speakers, especially if you speak Mandarin as well as Cantonese. The vast majority of Malaysians who did those jobs were deported or went home because of the danger of arrest, leaving a big shortage of people with the right language skills.
It would make a good start and get you initial contacts, as well as a free roof over your head.

I don't know how much your parents can provide, but you're likely to need at least 120 quid or more per week to live, and that won't get you much of a lifestyle, so instant work will be very helpful.

Your lack of qualifications and experience will leave you just one more fish in a job market full of people with better reasons for employers to take them.

The NI number will be issued by your first employer, a temp one first, then you will be issued with a real one.
Once you have that, you also have legal standing as far as work and tax goes in the UK. I should note, much of the food industry works cash in hand, so no NI number as you would be considered an informal day employee. The legalities are unclear, but it happens a lot.

I still know a few people, so feel free to PM me if you want me to try job fishing for you.

I'm also living in Heng Fa Chuen in Hong Kong! A great place and convenient transport so definitely want to find somewhere in UK like here.

Reference to £55,K - £60,K was posted on this topic on August 23rd post:
Hansson wrote:
A salary of £55-60K is pretty OK but you will still need to carefully choose the place where you live since it isn't a high salary.

Actually here in UK - £55,K - £60,K is pretty normal for Managers and those a with a few years work experience under their belt post graduating University!!   £15,K - £50,K for most other workers. 
£30,K-£40,K for Store / Team Managers!

No where in any part of the world is totally ( or guaranteed to be) safe and you'd need to check what type of crime it was; this 1st link helped us choose where we'd feel safest living and walking alone (during daylight hours of course) B4 we moved to UK:

Compare different areas within UK. 
Crime in UK Post-code Areas | Crime Statistics
http://www.crime-statistics.co.uk/postcode

crime reports in different areas of UK
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=crime … gAbe27GYCA

Guys, I don't want to sound long-winded but anyone can help me to solve this dilemma? I figure that a proof of address is really crucial for anyone living in UK as you'll need one to apply for an NI number, bank account and find a GP. I'm quite stuck here as I don't know which one I should get first but it seems I won't be able to get anyoone of them since I don't have a permanent address. I've thought about looking for a job first but I'm afraid they won't hire me as I don't even have a bank account( basically I have nothing excepy my passport and money)! Does employment facilitate me to apply for all these or provide me with any proof of address? Or are there other ways to solve this?

To be employed you must show proof of a
Passport with a valid Visa in it.
National Insurance Number
Proof of Address - something like a current Lease Agreement a Utility Bill or something addressed in your name and UK address. 

To get a Bank Account you need to show your Passport with a valid Visa plus Proof of Address in your name.   NI proof I'd not required to acquire! 

To get yourself a Dr you need to 1st Register with a Dr's Clinic.
Passport and Visa Plus proof of Address in your Name Required.
Then you need to book your 1st appointment - to register as a New Client 1st B4 able to seek medical help!

Drivers License - if you currently hold a drivers license in HK; then FYI, you can drive for 1 year on any International License.  B4 that years up you'd need to take a Theory and a Hazardous Test then your on "L" plates until you undertake and pass a Driving Test - to which you have 2 years to obtain!

Just remember to get anything here in UK.
1st you need to show them
Valid Passport & Visa
Proof of Address in your Name
NI # if you have it - some things require this whilst others don't!

I checked and currently Reading has 3 Football matches on weekly. 
Cardiff 100 miles away also hosts many football matches as does London.
SOCCER
READING FC | Official Website of the Royals - Reading FC latest news, photos and videos
http://www.readingfc.co.uk/
Official Website of the Bluebirds - Cardiff City FC latest news, photos and videos
http://www.cardiffcityfc.co.uk/

She's already a British citizen. She doesn't require a visa.

In order to get any job in UK; EVERY new employee is required to prove who they are with the same documentation; even if you are a UK Citizen!   If they don't hold a Passport; then they need to show a valid UK Drivers License - this must be a Full UK License too!  A temporary / permit license is not able to be used as proof.  They all require 3 firms of ID - they offer a list of validation forms of ID which you can choose 3 of.

My point is she just has to show her British passport. She doesn't need a valid visa.

Riley would still be required to show 2 other forms of ID proof in addition to her passport! 
We own and operate a UK registered business and understand the rules and regulations required by law for hiring anyone within UK.

3 Forms of ID proof are required by every new employee within UK. 
There's a list to which the employee can select any 3 ID options from.

I didn't say it's the only required document. That's beside the point. Which is she doesn't need a visa. That's all.

I gather the UK got strict because of public uneasiness with illegal workers, and I value Aussie's input as a professional, especially as her posts have been helpful and informative.
Perhaps it's better not to get bogged down on one minor point.

As was said, the first formal job will see the NI number issued quickly and easily, but informal 'day paid' jobs probably won't.

This link will a uniform of information which may assist Riley legally;

list-of-acceptable-right-to-work-documents
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/jobs/docs/ … -documents

proof of ID for employment in uk
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=proof … ent=safari

IamRiley wrote:

I'm also living in Heng Fa Chuen in Hong Kong! A great place and convenient transport so definitely want to find somewhere in UK like here.

Wow same place, what a coincidence. When I lived there the airport was still near Kowloon Bay so the planes would always fly low over Heng Fa Chuen, so noisy sometimes. But the location is good because it's a fast and direct line to Central, so even when I worked in Star House in TST it was simple to get to work.

Hmmm....I honestly still think that you could live in any city in the UK. My ex-girlfriend was form Hong Kong and she studied IT part time and worked part time in a restaurant in the centre of London. She shared a place just outside of London with some friends, mostly girls from HK or Malaysia.

But really I think anywhere should be OK. Every city has cheaper accommodation, houses converted into flats and so on where people share with other flatmates. I like the idea of being not too far away from a big city, perhaps living in the outskirts so that on weekends you can head into the city. My own choice is in the south, mainly because I have spent a lot of my life in that area so know it really well. When I was a kid I lived in Brighton which is a pretty cosmopolitan city now and by the sea. It's only about an hour to get to Victoria Station in London by train. And it's big enough to not be boring. They have places like The Lanes which I've always liked because it's full of trendy shops and eating places.

Ah well. each one of us prefers a different part of the UK possibly as a result of where we all used to live, be it in the north, or Reading, which I think is a nice place, or wherever.

The important thing is that you are a UK citizen so no complications to move there.

Anyway, good luck and hope you find a job quickly and nice place to live.

Hi everyone,

I have removed some inappropriate comments from this thread. Please respect each other's posts and opinions on the forum.

@iamRiley>  if you have more questions, please do not hesitate to ask here

Thank you.
Christine
Expat.com

The best places to live in Britain and London isn't one of them | Daily Mail Online
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article … iness.html

best places for single ladies to live and work in UK
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=best+ … ent=safari

There is another option, you could look at working at a hotel, many have live-in accommodation.

http://www.caterer.com/https://www.thecaterer.com/

This might help you settle in the country and give you time to look around for somewhere to live and work else where.