Access to Music is the leading designer and provider of popular music education in the United Kingdom (UK), a country famed for its rich culture, wonderful diversity, temperate climate, and close proximity to mainland Europe. The UK has long enjoyed a widely envied reputation for providing outstanding further and higher education opportunities not just for its own citizens, but also for the commonwealth and the world community.

For international students wishing to study abroad in the UK, Access to Music is an ideal environment. British music has been vital in the development of popular music, with world-renowned artists ranging from the Beatles to Coldplay. The country’s cutting edge music scene has made the UK a world leader in music.

Within the UK, there are eight centres where international students are able to study at Access to Music: The British Academy of New Music in London Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Lincoln, Norwich, Southend-on-Sea, and York.

Contact your local British Council office about any scholarships that are available to students from your country wishing to study in the UK. British Council offices in the UK are not involved in the scholarship process and therefore do not hold information or scholarship application forms. Please note also that the scholarships administered by The British Council are allocated more than one academic year in advance of the start of the course, so you should start enquiring at least eighteen months in advance.

To check to see if you need a visa to study in the UK, go to www.ukvisas.gov.uk.

UK immigration permission is now granted only for study at institutions listed in the Register of Education and Training Providers, compiled by the UK Government Department for Education and Skills (DfES). Access to Music centres in Birmingham, Brighton, Bristol, Lincoln, London, Norwich, Southend-on-Sea, and York are registered providers. For more information about the Register of Providers, please see the DfES website at www.dfes.gov.uk/providersregister.

In order to obtain a student visa for the UK, you have to prove that you can meet the costs in the UK, including tuition, accommodation, food, clothing, daily travel, etc. You must also provide a letter of acceptance from Access to Music. To apply for entry clearance, contact the British Embassy or High Commission in your country.

If you are a national of a European Economic Area country or of Switzerland, your spouse and/or children can come with you to the UK and work here without any immigration restrictions. If you are not a national of a European Economic area or of Switzerland, your spouse can apply for immigration permission to come to the UK as your dependent. Your children can come to the UK and live with you as dependent(s) if they are under the age of 18 when they first enter the UK.

The cost of living in the UK will vary according to where in the UK you study. London and other big cities will be more expensive than other areas. The British Council estimates that the costs of living for one person including accommodation, living expenses, etc. are around £770 per month if you will be living in London, or £600 per month if you will be living elsewhere in the UK. Please note that these are only estimates that vary greatly, and they do not include the costs of the course itself, transportation to and from the UK, holiday related travel, rental/shipment of an instrument, health insurance, and bringing your spouse and/or children.

You will need to arrange some form of accommodation before you arrive in the UK, even if it is only temporary. Access to Music does not provide accommodation.

To find accommodation, it is helpful to contact an agency and ask them to look for accommodation for you. Many agencies charge fees for administration and preparing tenancy agreements. To find an agency, look in the UK Yellow Pages or check out www.yell.com. In addition, look for advertisements in local newspapers and online (check out www.loot.com). You can also advertise in these places yourself, saying what type of accommodation you are looking for and how much you can afford to pay. You should also ask your country’s Embassy or High Commission in the UK for information.

The following are the most common types of accommodation for students in the UK:

• Flats and Houses: Average cost varies greatly depending on size and location. You may rent a flat or a house by yourself or with others.
• Lodgings: Average cost is £40 to £75 per week, depending on the location and the arrangement. Living in lodgings means that you rent a room in someone’s home, where you will probably have to share the bathroom and kitchen. Check out HOST at www.hostuk.org.uk for more information on lodgings.
• Bedsits: Average cost is £40 to £75 per week, depending on the location and the arrangement. A bedsit is a single room, which is both a bedroom and a sitting room. There may be several bedsits in one building, which might be occupied by people who are not students. There may not be any cooking facilities in the bedsit, but rather a shared kitchen elsewhere in the building. Bathroom facilities are also shared.
• Student Hostels: Average cost is £45 per week. Student hostels are normally owned by charitable organizations, and can be used for temporary accommodation or longer-term accommodation. Some hostels provide rooms for both single and married students. They usually provide some meals or have cooking facilities and allow students to prepare their own food. Many student hostels have long waiting lists, and you should apply for a place in advance.
• Youth Hostels: Average cost is £8 to £20 per night. Tourists who are on a tight budget mainly use youth hostels, but the youth hostels could provide you with temporary accommodation. You will get fairly basic accommodation, and might have to share a room and bathroom with several other people. Some youth hostels provide meals, and others provide simple cooking facilities. To find youth hostels, check out Youth Hostels Association (YHA) at www.yha.org.uk.
• Hotels and Guest Houses: Guest houses are similar to hotels, but instead of having a restaurant, they may have a dining room where you have no choice about the meals served. Living in a hotel or a guest house for a long period of time will be expensive, but can provide useful temporary accommodation which you can reserve while still in your own country.

The National Health Service (NHS) is the UK’s state health service that provides free and subsidized treatment for UK residents through a wide range of health care services. If you are on a course lasting 6 months or more, you can get treatment from the National Health Service (NHS) from the beginning of your stay. Dependents have access to the same NHS service provided they are resident in the UK with the family member who qualifies.

If you qualify for treatment from the NHS, you can register with a General Practitioner (GP), who will be trained and experienced in diagnosing a wide range of health programs. The GP will be based in a local office (called a surgery) or in a Health Centre. We recommend that you register with a GP shortly after your arrival in the UK. To register, you will need your passport, evidence that you are a student, and proof of your UK address.

If you enter the UK as an international student and if you are not a national of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland, it is a condition of your stay that you must be able to accommodate and support yourself (and any dependents) without recourse to public funds. This will be stamped in your passport. If you try to claim any benefits, it is unlikely that you will be successful.

Most students on courses of more than 6 months will be given a passport sticker that allows them to work part-time during the term (up to 20 hours a week) and full-time during the vacations. For immigration, however, you must be able to show that you can afford to study and live in the UK without needing to work.

If you are given 12 months or more on your student visa, then your spouse and/or children arriving in the UK with you should be given a passport sticker that allows them to work.

If you work in the UK, you will have to pay National Insurance (NI) contributions in the same way as UK residents. It is your responsibility to apply for an NI number before you take up employment. You should apply for this to your local Department of Social Security Office - the address of this Office depends on where you live and may be obtained from a local Business Telephone directory under 'Benefits Agency'. You will need to present your passport and give details of your proposed employment. You might have to wait up to ten weeks before you are allocated an NI number, but you may start work at any time after you have applied for one.

You can find information about how the tax system in the UK applies to international students on the website of the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group at www.litrg.org.uk. You can also find further information about tax matters on the website of the Inland Revenue at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/students.

Train: The network of train services in the UK is extensive and well used, ranging from local lines to fast intercity routes. Fares depend on when you travel, where you go, and how far in advance you book your ticket. For more information about rail services, including fares, routes, and schedules, go to www.nationalrail.co.uk, or telephone +44 (0) 8457 484950.

Coach: The network of coach services is even more extensive than the rail network, reaching many small and remote places. Fares tend to be much cheaper than for rail services, but travel times are longer. For more information on National Express fares and schedules, go to www.nationalexpress.com, or telephone +44 (0) 970 580 8080.

The London Underground: There are 12 different underground lines within London, which makes traveling around London relatively fast and easy. For more information on the London Underground and about other transport options in London, go to www.tfl.gov.uk/tube.

Taxis: Taxis can be expensive, but are good when you want door-to-door service. In London, 'black cabs' are regulated by a government body.

Cars and Motorcycles: If you have a full license issued by a European Economic Area country, you may use your national license the whole time you are in the UK, as long as it remains valid. If you do not have a full license issued by a European Economic Area country, you might be able to drive in the UK using your current license for up to 12 months, and then take a test, depending upon where your license was issued. Alternatively, you might be able to exchange your license for a British license or apply for a provisional license and then take the test. You must not drive without valid insurance. For more information, go to www.dvla.gov.uk.