Workplacement
International Student Advisors 4U Inc. does not follow through their promise of NHS placement.
For those who are planning to go through the process, you will most definitely become a Healthcare assistant in a care home.
I know you'd like a real view of what you will be earning here so I will share to you how much income and costs of living are.
Depending where you are going to be assigned, the basic rate is somewhere from £5.60/hour - £6.60/hour
I have no idea when it comes to those NVQ's as I am taking up BSc (Hons) but I am able to work 37.5 hours/week and I get the rate of £6.60
Thereby, £6.60 x 37.5 = £247.5 x 52weeks (tax year) = £12,870 Per Annum
Cost of Living
Tax
We get taxed, however we all have a personal allowance of £6,475 Per Annum and this is the amount we get tax free. So how much will you be taxed per month?
Simply,
£12,870 - £6,475 = £6,395 x 20% (tax rate)= £1,279 per annum / 12 months = £106.58/month
Of course this is only an estimate and this may increase or decrease depending on your rate and if you do any overtime etc, let me note that students CANNOT do overtime unless its off-term or a bank holiday. But based from experience, I'd rather not because days off are rare and its best to use them for yourself than overwork yourself.
Rent
I've had a bad experience with this agency regarding housing accomodations. Let me make it clear that if you pay more than £250/month for a room then it is very expensive. If you are sharing the fair amount you should be paying is about £300-325 for the room (note: its not per individual) and that may or may not be inclusive of bills.
To have an idea of how much Lettings (british term for rent) cost, check out Gumtree.com
This agency is incompetent in arranging accomodations and will let you know at the VERY LAST MOMENT when you "have no choice" (hmm.. sounds like coercion to me)
When they give you the address of where you will be staying, do the following to see if the house is acceptable.
Direct.gov.uk Journey Planner - Use this tool to see what mode of transport are available to you to and from work. If it takes 2 buses and a train to get to work, do me a favor.. SHOUT AT THEIR FACES for thinking of putting you so far away from your workplace.
Google Maps - We are truly blessed with Google Maps. Use the postcode to see the distance from home and work. I've saved myself from getting lost just by having my laptop, mobile internet and Google maps.
Transport
Travelling around can be very expensive. So if you're in the london, get an Oyster Card. That is london's very own smart travelcard that makes it cheaper to travel around. You can load it with a travelcard so you can travel unlimited within certain "Zones".
If you're in other areas try asking the station for bus passes and rail cards and these will help you in the long run.
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