‘ELC’ is located in central Southern England 25 minutes by train from London.
There are 4 main airports around London:
1 – The nearest airport is Heathrow – 45 minutes by Rail/ Air Link coach. This service is good and direct to Reading non-stop every 30 minutes from 4 am until 12 midnight – see: RailAir.com Take the coach from ‘Central Bus Station’ in the airport.
2 – The next is Gatwick – 1.5 hours by train, from under the airport, to Reading, it’s easy – see: gwr.com and nationalrail.co.uk
3 – London City Airport is located to the east of London and is not often used by ‘ELC’ students – see: londoncityairport.com
4 – Luton & Stansted are served by bus and train to London and then on to Reading. The journey from London Paddington Station to Reading takes just 25 minutes! – see: nationalexpress.com or nationalrail.co.uk
‘ELC’ is 7 minutes walk from Reading Station near the centre of the town.
Reading is well served by local bus services and all buses come into the town centre and can be found in: Station Road, Oxford Road, Jacksons corner, Friar Street and Minster Street. There are discounts for students – see:youngpersons-railcard.co.uk
See also https://www.thetrainline.com/ for money off on season tickets.
Registering with the police, local doctor and opening a bank account
‘ELC’ will provide you with a letter confirming your student status and address if you need any o the above services. Non – EU students staying in the UK over 6 months may need to register with the Police. If so UKVI / Immigration will have stamped your passport – ‘bearer is required to register with the Police’.
Insurance & Health:
We recommend that you take out medical and personal property Insurance before coming to the UK. This is normal practice for anyone travelling abroad.
National Health Service (NHS):
If you are studying for longer than 6 months as a student you are entitled to free treatment at the hospital and the doctor. This is for medical conditions that occur in the UK. If you are prescribed medication this will cost about 8.05 per prescription. Pre – existing medical conditions contacted before coming to the UK are not covered freely by the ‘NHS’ and should be covered by private medical Insurance.
Registering with a Doctor:
You should register with the Doctor in your local area.If staying with a host family ask them to help you register.
Working in the UK & National Insurance Number ( N.I.):
Non EEA/EU students will not be able to work in the UK. EU students will need an exclusive N.I. number to legally work in the UK under UKVI regulations. You will have to pay Tax and National Insurance. See useful link: ukcisa.org.uk .
