:: When I start a placement do I have to register with any government department?

If you are doing a Vanilla Placement you do not have to register with any government department.

If you are a Leisure participant, you will have to register with the Workers' Registration Scheme if you are from one of the following new European Union countries - Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Malta. - This means that you have to fill in a form and send it to a government department with your passport and a £50 fee.

Anyone starting a paid job in the UK for the first time also needs to register with:

National Insurance

National Insurance is not really insurance - it is really a type of tax. You must go to the nearest National Insurance office in person and get a National Insurance number - this number is compulsory for all workers in the UK. This will take some time to come but if you have started the process it is legal to work.

Inland Revenue

Inland Revenue is the name of the government department that collects Income Tax.. You must register with the Inland Revenue in order to get a tax coding - which tells your employer how much tax you should pay. Until you get a tax coding you will pay too much tax but you can claim this extra tax back after you get your code.

:: What sort of visa do I need in order to do a Work Placement?

Non-EU Citizens planning to do a Sandwich Programme must obtain a student visa or entry clearance in order to do one of these programmes.

EU Citizens do not need a visa.

:: Can I get paid when I am doing a Vanilla Placement?

Some Host Companies will pay their Participants a little. Perhaps travel expenses or an allowance.

But the basic idea of a Placement is that it is not paid. If you are planning to do a Vanilla Placement you must budget for not being paid. When you are doing an interview for a Vanilla Placement you must not try to negotiate a payment!

In fact - if you do try, and the interview fails because you have mentioned money we shall not do anything more for you.

:: Can I get free health care for myself whilst in the UK?

The National Health Service (NHS) provides free and subsidised treatment for people who live in the UK. You might be entitled to NHS treatment if you are:

 - Enrolled on a course lasting for 06 months or more;
 - Enrolled on a full-time course in Scotland, no matter how long it lasts;
 - National of an EEA (European Economic Area) Country. You can only be covered for pre-existing medical conditions if you filled out a form E128 (available from your National Health Authority) in your own country before coming to the UK;
 - From a Country that has a reciprocal health agreement with the UK. Please check with the British Embassy, High Commission or Consulate in your own country to confirm if you are entitled on this list.

Please note: If you are not entitled to NHS Treatment you will have to pay the full cost of any treatment you receive in UK. This can be very expensive, so make sure you take out a medical insurance policy, either before you leave your home country or as soon as possible after your arrival in UK.

:: Where do I get information about transport in the UK?

Public transport in the United Kingdom is not first class! Here are the options:

Railways - These are surprisingly expensive. You may well pay more for a rail fair within the UK than you did for your airfare to the UK! Also, in many parts of the United Kingdom away from the large towns there are quite large areas without stations. You might be better off going by

Coach - Coaches between towns are much cheaper than railways but they are usually slower. Also, coaches stop in many more locations than trains.

Buses - Local bus services in the UK are very poor outside the cities. Do not count upon being able to get around your local area by local bus. It may be feasible, but it may not!

Internal flights - If your journey in the UK is a long one - for example from London to Scotland - a flight may well be better than either rail or coach. There are some very cheap deals available if you book well in advance.

Useful websites and further information
 - Advice for International Students
 - Coach Information
 - Railway Information
 - International Airports Information
 - Leeds Bradford Airport
 - Birmingham Airport
 - Manchester Airport
 - Cardiff Airport
 - London Underground
 - London Transport
 - Scotland Transport

:: I'm feeling home sick, is it normal?

Culture shock is completely normal and most people suffer from it at one time or another. It can be defined as feelings of emotional or perhaps physical discomfort after arriving in a different culture.
The condition can be caused by simple things - such as not knowing how to use telephones or buy tickets. Or it can go deeper - if you feel that no one understands who you are or where you come from!

Culture shock can have many symptoms. Such as - depression, insomnia, headaches and stomach problems, irritability, feelings of hostility to your Host Country, loss of concentration, alienation, and inability to communicate in English.
Culture shock usually goes through a number of phases - at first you feel excited and positive and you find your new environment stimulating. Then suddenly the honeymoon stage stops and you begin to feel bad.

Some people ever get through this stage. But in many cases the culture shock fades away and one starts to feel new respect for and enjoyment of the new culture. Any new culture has both positive and negative things on offer and it is a very positive experience to understand and learn from this.

There is a final stage of culture shock often called re-entry shock. When some people return to their home culture they feel culture shock again! They did not realize how much they had changed since they left for the UK

There is no simple solution to culture shock. But the following can help:

 - Do not be too judgmental - all societies have both good and bad aspects
 - Try to communicate with people around you
 - Stay in touch with people from your own country, but do not mix with them all the time
 - Try to understand the society around you
 - Take up a hobby and keep practicing sports
 - Give yourself some goals

The United Kingdom certainly is not a paradise, but it does have some good things to offer.

Society in most parts of the world is getting more and more multicultural. Learning to deal with different cultures is an important skill!

:: How many interviews can I have?

LAF will do its best to get you a good placement. But in the end it is the responsibility of each Participant to pass an interview. So you must understand and accept these principles.
 - We shall organize one interview for you before the agreed start date of your Placement
 - If you fail it we shall organize a second interview and if you fail this we will organize one more interview for you but it is important to understand that if we have to organize two or three interviews, your placement may start late.
 - If you have an interview that is successful then you must accept that Placement provided that what the company are offering you fits in with what has been previously agreed with LAF.
 - If a Participant fails three interviews we shall not arrange any more
 - Sometimes an interview fails because a company changes its plans and decides they do not want a Work Placement Participant in the company. We do not consider this to be "failing an interview".

:: What should I do if I am not happy with my work placement?

If you are not happy with your work placement you must follow a number of steps:

 - If you do not feel happy in the first week you should wait - as it takes some time to settle into a placement
 - If you really do not think the company is treating you fairly you should discuss the problem with your manager. You should listen to what the manager has to say!
 - If your are still unhappy after this you should contact LAF. We shall try to resolve the problem if we agree that it is a valid problem
 - YOU MUST NOT JUST WALK OUT OF YOUR PLACEMENT IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY. IF A PARTICIPANT DOES THIS WE SHALL HAVE NO MORE RRESPONSIBILITY FOR HIM OR HER!