WELCOME HANDBOOK FOR INCOMING RESEARCH ASSOCIATES AT ASTON UNIVERSITY 1 Table of Contents Welcome to Birmingham ....................................................................................................................... 3 About Aston University .......................................................................................................................... 5 Before you arrive in Birmingham ........................................................................................................... 6 First Steps upon arrival .......................................................................................................................... 7 Accommodation ..................................................................................................................................... 8 Council Tax ............................................................................................................................................ 10 Career Planning and Professional Development................................................................................. 10 University Facilities .............................................................................................................................. 13 Health and Safety ................................................................................................................................. 15 Directory ............................................................................................................................................... 15 Opening a Bank Account ...................................................................................................................... 16 Health ................................................................................................................................................... 17 Travelling to the University .................................................................................................................. 19 TV Licence ............................................................................................................................................. 20 UK Life and Culture ............................................................................................................................... 21 More about Entertainment in Birmingham ......................................................................................... 22 Interesting facts about Birmingham .................................................................................................... 24 2 Welcome to Birmingham Welcome to Aston University. We are delighted to have you here as one of our Research Associates. We hope you enjoy your time at Aston and get as much out of it as possible. We truly value our researchers here at Aston. We recognise the great contribution that you make to our University, and there is a range of support on offer to you which is outlined in this handbook. This handbook gives you some useful tips and information that are essential when moving to a new country and settling in. It is always useful to know what you can expect and how things work in different countries so we hope this booklet answers most of your queries. We understand it can be quite daunting to arrive in a new city, and our team is always here to help. If you have any questions or concerns contact our Professional Development Advisor, Dr Jeanette Lilley: [email protected] / +44 (0)121 204 4609. Alternatively you can contact the international students helpline on +44 (0)121 204 4888 / [email protected]. We will do our best to help you out as much as we can. We are certain you will enjoy your time as part of Aston’s academic community and in Birmingham. While your research career may well mean you move on from us to another institution around the world, we hope that you will stay in touch with us; you are now part of our global Aston family. We wish you all the best. Professor Alec Cameron Vice Chancellor Aston University 3 Some extra help: There are some useful websites out there that could provide further help during your stay: The British Council have set up a guide for international researchers moving to the UK. This can be found at: https://www.britishcouncil.org/new/euraxess/Guide-for-international- researchers/ ‘Internations’ has a number of different articles which address different topics about moving to, living in and working in Birmingham. Many newcomers have found these articles extremely useful as they go through many different aspects of living in the UK. This can be found at: https://www.internations.org/birmingham-expats/guide Birmingham City Council offer a guide for moving to the city: https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/welcometobirmingham A very useful cost of living tool is ‘Numbeo’, which includes a comparison to the cost of living in various cities around the world. It has the average prices of housing, meals, transport, etc. in Birmingham. https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Birmingham You may need to open up a bank account during your stay in Birmingham. Here are some more details on how to choose and open an account: https://www.findaphd.com/study- abroad/uk/opening-uk-bank-account.aspx Questions about taxes? The HM Revenue and Customs provides some information on how working and paying taxes in the UK works: https://www.gov.uk/tax-come-to-uk 4 About Aston University Founded in 1895 and a university since 1966, Aston is a long established research-led university known for its world-class teaching quality and strong links to industry, government and commerce. The outline objectives of the university are appropriate to a technological university: “To advance, disseminate and apply learning and knowledge by teaching and research, for the benefit of industry and commerce and of the community generally: and to enable students to obtain the advantage of a university education, and such teaching and research may include periods outside the university in industry or commerce or wherever the university considers proper for the best advancement of its objects.” Over the last 20 years we have consistently been ranked as a top university for graduate employability (80th in the World and 12th in the UK according to DS Graduate Employability Rankings). Our research has a direct impact on society and 78% of it is rated: world leading internationally excellent (REF 2014). We were recently ranked the 33rd Most International University in the world and 10th in the UK (The Most International Universities table), as well as 11th in the UK for Student Experience (2016 Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide). Aston University has strong league table positions across a range of different criteria. Our employability rankings are recognised internationally, and we are marked within the top 35 universities in all university ranking tables. Professor Alec Cameron is our Vice Chancellor, the principal academic and executive officer of the university. He sets the strategic direction for the university and is supported by an Executive Team. The Executive Team is made up of the Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, three Pro-Vice- Chancellors, four Executive Deans (also PVCs) and four Executive Directors. We are governed by the University Council; The Senate is the supreme academic authority. Administratively we are comprised of five Academic Schools, each managed by a Pro-Vice- Chancellor. 5 Before you arrive in Birmingham International Non-EU Post-doctoral researcher. To take up an appointment at Aston University, applicants who are nationals of countries outside the EU/EEA and who do not have existing permission to work in the UK need to get permission from the UK Visa and immigration (UKVI). Unless you can demonstrate that you already have a right to reside and work in the UK, it is likely that you will need to apply for a visa through the points-based immigration system which grants you permission to work. You will have to apply for a Tier 2 General Visa. In order to do that you need: 1) Certificate of Sponsorship (CoS). This is issued by the university. It is a number which you will put into the visa application form. It will enable you to seek permission from the UKVI to take up our offer of employment. 2) Prove your knowledge of the English language. You will NOT need to prove your English language skills if you are a national or have a degree from a majority English speaking country. (You can find the list here with more information on Tier 2 Visa). In order to prove your English language skills you need to pass an IELTS exam. The exam should be “IELTS for UKVI”. This is the UKVI Approved IELTS test that displays the UKVI Unique Reference Number (URN). 3) Maintenance. Have sufficient money for maintenance to cover your living costs here in the UK. You must have £945 in your bank account for 90 days before you apply unless you are exempt and obtain financial sponsorship from Aston University. 4) Tuberculosis (TB) test. You need to take this test if you reside in one of these countries. It should be done in an approved clinic. However, if you have lived for at least 6 months in a country where TB screening is not required by the UK, then a TB test is not required. 5) Apply online 6) Pay Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) - £200 per year. You pay this online as a part of the visa application. 7) Visa fee. You will have to pay £575 (plus £575 for each family member you are going to bring with you). 8) Have an appointment at UK visa application centre and