One important factor that international students need to get up to speed with when they first arrive in the UK is the method and cost of travel to college and back every day. In London, for example, there are up to 9 different travel zones and types of fares / travelcards plus options on how to pay.
For international students planning to live in a homestay accommodation in London, there are generally three levels of hosted family accommodation offered, which are linked to one or more of the central travel zones. Similar zoning and travel tariffs often operate in other major university towns, such as Liverpool, Manchester or Brighton.
18+ Student Oyster photocard
Both UK students and international students aged 18 or over who will be living and studying in London may be eligible for an 18+ Student Oyster photocard. This gives a 30 per cent reduction on Weekly, Monthly and longer period Travelcards. It’s also possible to obtain a bigger 34 per cent discount on off-peak ‘Pay As You Go’ fares and off-peak daily caps on Tube, DLR, London Overground, TfL Rail and most National Rail services. This can be achieved by adding the discount entitlement of a 16-25 National Railcard to a 18+ Student Oyster photocard.
Apart from being aged 18 and over, to be eligible for obtaining an 18+ Student Oyster photocard a student must also be enrolled with a participating school, college or university that’s registered on the TfL scheme. Another important requirement is for a student to be enrolled on a full-time course, including at least 15 tuition-led and/or structured learning hours a week (Monday to Friday only and not including evening classes) over a minimum of 14 weeks on the same course. Find out more here.
Zones 3 and 4 for affordable homestay accommodation
Many students would prefer to live as near to college as possible but if it’s located in London fare Zone 1 or 2 then it’s likely that only a high-end living space, such as an Executive Accommodation will be available. But cross over into Zones 3 and 4, which can add up to a further 30 minutes to the journey, and you’re into residential suburbia where most of the more affordable Standard Accommodation is located. For students who prefer something in-between, there is a further choice – a Superior Accommodation, usually found between Zone 2 and 3.
As with many types of accommodation close by to public transport links, there can also be significant differences in the level of facilities and whether or not they are shared or for private use. For example,
a standard accommodation means a student will, of course, have a private bedroom, but they will still share the facilities of the rest of house as a family member. It’s often the ideal solution for English Learning students keen to practise their spoken conversation with the host family!
Private bathroom and lounge, and even private a kitchen too
On the other hand, some international students may be in a position to go for an executive accommodation, which can provide a private bathroom and lounge, and even private a kitchen too, similar to a self-contained flat! Options can get complicated. While one type of superior accommodation may offer a private bathroom, another type of higher standard accommodation may require sharing the bathroom with one other student of the same sex or even with the family.
International students studying in other cities around the UK are likely to find similar circumstances relating to accommodation tied-in to public transport links. However, this can be offset by the student reductions available on the various annual travel card schemes.
International students studying in Liverpool, Manchester, Brighton
For international students studying in Liverpool, there are the Trio, Solo or Rail-Pass options when purchasing a season ticket for travel, which can be used on any bus or train in a chosen area within Merseyside. Find out more here.
In Manchester, the cheapest way to get around by bus is to purchase an annual ‘Unirider’ bus pass, which enables free travel on any Stagecoach or Magicbus at any time. However, if a homestay accommodation is located further afield or a student is keen to explore around the local region, then a System One Travel Card offers cheap travel on any bus in the Greater Manchester area at any time – and also great for travelling home after a night out! Find out more here.
A student can get great savings on a bus fare in Brighton with a valid Student ID card. Simply download the free mobile phone app (m-ticket) from either the Android Play Store or iPhone App Store. A valid student registration or ISIC card only (not a NUS card!) must always be used in order to get the student fare. Find out more here.