Frequently Asked Questions
Bank Account
Step by step for creating bank account (Lloyds):
Make an appointment online or go directly to the bank nearest branch
Interviewed and the process will be about one hour (please obtain the proove of address from the university - in some university, there will be online services to create a bank reference letter).
If accepted, the ATM card will be posted within a week.
• ATM are spread across the city, usually on the outside wall of grocery stores.
• Make sure to withdraw money from ATM with the sign “Free Cash Withdrawal”. Any bank account (even international banks with VISA or Mastercard logo debit card with chip) can withdraw freely (designated bank charges still apply).
• If your local bank debit card doesn’t have a chip, make sure to replace it before leaving your country.
• When you receive the receipt after a withdraw or deposit in an ATM, there are two terms that you might be unfamiliar with, which are ledger balance and available balance;
• Ledger balance: the amount of money that you have at the start of the day. It will only be updated every 24 hours.
• Available balance: ledger balance “minus” every money withdrawn or “plus” money coming to our account during the day.
• Remember that ledger balance is only updated once every 24 hours, so the most realtime condition of your account is you available balance. It’s important to avoid withdrawing more than you have as banks will impose interest rates if your bank account balance is deficit (local UK bank, especially).
• There are many selections of banks in the UK, but it is advisable to open one that has a branch in the city. Some banks with Liverpool branch are; Santander, Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays, and RBS.
• To see the best deal you can get, please refer to each of the bank’s website.
• I opened at Lloyds, and all you need is your BRP and a proof of permanent address and student status. I gave my enrolment letter from the university (make sure the permanent address stated is the address of your home country, otherwise the bank won’t accept it).
• There is no minimum amount of money to deposit, since the account is the standard one (Lloyds Classic Account).
If you’re not eligible for Lloyds Classic Account, you will be refer to Basic Account. Basic account doesn’t have the facility for overdraft (withdrawing money more from the balance with interest rates) with no near field communication (NFC) debit card, but both has no monthly fee (see more information in their website)
The Indonesian on-line banks like digibank account will also work (check the currency rate). Online financial service like transferwise will be also a good options instead of sending money through WesternUnion.
Accomodation
• Let’s get to the difficult part, finding a place to stay. It’s better to have a short-term stay before you commit to one long-term place. Sort this out before your arrival in the UK.
• Basically, there are two types of accommodation in Liverpool, student accommodation (usually offers short-term stay of the minimum 4 weeks) and private owned flats (managed by various private letting agencies).
• Some popular student accommodations are: Urban Student Life, X1, Student Roost, Hello Student, iQ Student, etc. You can find letting agencies posting their product in various websites such as: Zoopla, Gumtree, Rightmove, etc.
• To breakdown the difference between those typer of accommodations, see table below:
Advantages
Disadvantages
Student
1.
All inclusive cost (monthly cost
1.
Quite expensive
accommodation
includes internet, tax, electricity,
2.
Less flexibility (for example on energy
and water, most with no cap
3.
consumption or people staying over)
2.
usage)
Most require GUARANTOR! (see below)
Most have strategic locations to
3.
city centre and universities
Most have 24/7 securities
Private owned
1.
Price range are various (from high
1.
Location can be far (depending on rent
flats
2.
to low)
2.
price)
More flexibility on energy or water
Have to manage our own electricity,
consumption and people staying
3.
water, and internet bills
3.
over
Need to have knowledge on the
Some doesn’t require guarantor,
4.
environment (safe or not)
although mostly in outer parts of
Most require GUARANTOR! (see below)
the city centre, but if you’re lucky
it’s not impossible to find strategic
flats with no guarantor
• Guarantor is the person that guarantees you will be able to pay the contract of your tenancy. A guarantor should be a UK resident with a healthy financial condition with no excessive debt. If you are able to acquire a guarantor, most landlords will let you pay monthly until the end of the contract. If however you don’t have a guarantor, you will be required to pay the contract fee upfront, which is a bummer.
• There are companies that are willing to become international students guarantor with a specified fee (for example housinghand.co.uk). This however increases the overall cost that you need to pay, although you can pay them monthly. Consider them as interest rates if you will. Be sure to ask the agent on whether or not they accept a third party company as a guarantor first. Make sure you have the guarantor ready and confirmed before signing the tenancy contract.
• Apart from the monthly (or upfront) rent payment, you need to pay a deposit and agency fee. The deposit is refundable at the end of your contract, but deduction will be made if you damage the property in any way, while agency fee is not refundable. Deposit is usually worth a 4 weeks rent, so try to ask for a lower deposit if it’s more than that. Don’t expect for the deposit to be fully refunded as they will find any reason to deduct it.
• If you rent a flat, all the bills can be paid at any stores with the “Paypoint” logo.
• Make sure to ask how to get council tax exemption if you’re a student. Usually you can apply for it from your university account page.
You need to be very lucky to find good accommodation at a very low price. You have to compete with others and the agent or landlord will decide who can rent the property. You have to spare at least a month for this kind of accommodation. The independent sources such as gumtree are also good for this but there are also a lot of frauds in this. So make sure that you check everything before sending payments especially the paperwork. You can use a saver approach to access the agent web site or visiting their offices, using more specific web such as right move, share rooms, Zoopla, open rent, etc. For deposit, there will be a third party who will hold the money for you, for example, DPS (deposit protection service) [1]. For International Students, the interesting places to stay outside the city centre area and baltic triangle are Sefton park and kensington. Bootle, Toxteth, Everton, Vauxhall, and Anfield might be the next alternative.
BRP (Biometric Residence Permit)
• This BRP is your identification card in the UK, so don’t lose it.
• As soon as you arrive, collect this BRP from the local post office as stated in your Visa letter when you receive your Visa.
• Be sure to bring the letter and show it to the post office and they will give you an envelope containing your BRP.
• When you leave and want to re-enter the UK, always bring BRP to get checked during immigration (along with your passport).
Link about BRP Collection [1]
BRP collection in the post office Mon-Fri closed at 16:00, even when the post offices are still open.
Your children's BRP should be collected simultaneously with your BRP. If you already claimed your BRP, you should get a third party collection letter to collect your children's BRP. You have to fill in this form [2]
Sena: Losing your BRP during your stay in the UK may prove to be fatal, so keep this document well placed in your place of stay. Unless travelling to a distance places, It is highly advised not to bring BRP or any other important documents (such as passport or visa) during any of your daily activities around Liverpool. Your student card is relevant and adequate for proof of your stay.
Doctor / GP / NHS (National Health Service)
• As you’ll be staying in the UK for more than 6 months, you’re eligible (and have paid during your visa registration) for a national insurance. Therefore, you are required to choose your general practitioner (GP) in case you fall ill.
• Ask your local university administrator (in my case as a PhD student, I met my administrator personally, so please adjust accordingly) on where you should apply. My GP is within the university complex.
• This GP has a partnership with the university that enables students for walk-in service with no appointment, online consultations, or appointments booking.
• Make sure to have your passport, BRP, and proof of address (letter from the university that has your UK and permanent or local address) ready.
• There are several options to register your GP online rather than coming there directly, so be sure to check your student handbook for further detailed information.
• You will be asked to fill a form and then, you will be registered there (in that GP) starting from the next day.
• Check with you GP on how you can make appointments or where to go if it’s on closed hours. There’s a program called “Care at the Chemist” where pharmacists are able to give you drugs for certain mild conditions; although I haven’t try it.
You can change your GP location by registering to other GP.
Be advised of how different the general society view illness and sickness that are not as critical as in Indonesia; since under this climate condition, there are no major and quick development of tropical diseases. Most of the illness such as regular flu will only get a very simple treatment and suggestion to rest. In the case of pregnancy for those who live in the UK with their family, expect that treatment to the mother during pregnancy, in labor, or to the newborn is very much different.
Church
For those of you who are Christian, there are at least 4 most general churchs in Liverpool. They are Roman Caholic, Anglican / Church of England, Orthodox and Unitarian. Most of these churchs have their own websites that also listed into the google map, which allow convinient time and effort to reach during time of the prayer.
For those of you who are Catholic, you can find the Roman Catholic (R.C.), while the biggest church in Liverpool is Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral or Christ The King Cathedral. The address is at Cathedral House, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5TQ with its webpage on: https://www.liverpoolmetrocathedral.org.uk/ this webpage is also the web of Keuskupan Agung Katolik Roma in Liverpool. The church is relatively new, but there is a quite ancient basement inside (Lutyens Crypt) that opens for public whenever no mass is conducted.
The second church is Anglikan Curch/Church of England. This church is centered in Liverpool Cathedral with an address of St James Mt, Liverpool L1 7AZ. Its webpage can be found in http://www.liverpoolcathedral.org.uk/. This church is also open for public and amongst the tower that can be visited. Through this tower, we can see the city view of Liverpool. This church liturgy is similar to Catholic church, but its organisation structure is different. Those of you who are Christian Protestant, it will be fitting to look for a church that use the Church of England logo (an E letter and a cross logo) with a webpage at https://www.churchofengland.org/. This church has a similar liturgy arrangement to the Christian Protestant church.
Every church has a clear sign board of its denomination along with each of the church's liturgy.
Grocery Shopping
• There are various grocery shops across the city, either local or national brand. They are described below and you can just google map the name to find its location;
• MARMARIS - all food products here are halal, even for the fresh beef, chicken, lamb, and choices of seafood. Instant spices are mostly of middle eastern origin. The second floor also supplies everyday utensils (spoons, plates, glass, tissues, etc.). The price here are relatively standard.
• SIDA - food choices are more varied than Marmaris, although not all the foods are halal. The place is specialised in Asian instant spices, originating from Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and China. The price here are quite expensive though.
• TESCO SUPERSTORE - the biggest supermarket you can find in the city centre, housing various products from cereals to video games. Most products are not labelled halal. Prices are standard, although you can find reduced price products if the products are nearing its expiry date.
• TESCO EXPRESS - similar to Indomaret, it’s the mini version of Tesco Superstore and is located near housing areas rather than city centre. The price here, as expected, is more expensive than Superstore.
• LIDL - a German grocery store, you can find fresh vegetables, fruits, and meats here. Select carefully, since most are not labelled halal here. Some products are cheaper than Tesco Superstore or Marmaris, like rice for example.
• HOME BARGAIN- similar but not as big as Tesco Superstore with less food choices, you can find high quality kitchen utensils that is quite cheap and will surely last during your period of staying here. Generally, stuffs here are less expensive (generally cheaper for home appliances and utilities).
• ALDI - similar to Lidl, but located in the city centre. People say that it’s cheaper here than Tesco Superstore or Home Bargain, but for our needs, we feel it’s not as cheap as what others think. Then again, it all depends on your needs (generally cheaper for foods).
• Heron Foods: Can only be found at specific places, smaller than other stores, but specialised in selling cheap and wide variety of frozen foods for quick cooking.
• There are two ways to pay at most national brand stores, cashier and self check out. Self check out means you scan your items barcode individually at a machine, then pay by using either credit, debit, or cash (inserted through a slot and the maximum amount is 20 pound). Be sure to leave the product scanned on the weighting scale besides the machine before finishing payment, otherwise you won’t be able to pay.
• Bring your own plastic bag as they charge around £0.10 per plastic bag you take. In Marmaris, you can buy a wheeled basket so you won’t have to carry the grocery around.
• Generally, I feel that chicken and beef prices here are similar to that in Indonesia. Some vegetables and fruits, such as grapes and strawberries are also relatively cheaper. Other than that, they are mostly more expensive.
Housing
• Let’s get to the difficult part, finding a place to stay. It’s better to have a short-term stay before you commit to one long-term place. Sort this out before your arrival in the UK.
• Basically, there are two types of accommodation in Liverpool, student accommodation (usually offers short-term stay of the minimum 4 weeks) and private owned flats (managed by various private letting agencies).
• Some popular student accommodations are: Urban Student Life, X1, Student Roost, Hello Student, iQ Student, etc. You can find letting agencies posting their product in various websites such as: Zoopla, Gumtree, Rightmove, etc.
• Guarantor is the person that guarantees you will be able to pay the contract of your tenancy. A guarantor should be a UK resident with a healthy financial condition with no excessive debt. If you are able to acquire a guarantor, most landlords will let you pay monthly until the end of the contract. If however you don’t have a guarantor, you will be required to pay the contract fee upfront, which is a bummer.
• There are companies that are willing to become international students guarantor with a specified fee (for example housinghand.co.uk). This however increases the overall cost that you need to pay, although you can pay them monthly. Consider them as interest rates if you will. Be sure to ask the agent on whether or not they accept a third party company as a guarantor first. Make sure you have the guarantor ready and confirmed before signing the tenancy contract.
• Apart from the monthly (or upfront) rent payment, you need to pay a deposit and agency fee. The deposit is refundable at the end of your contract, but deduction will be made if you damage the property in any way, while agency fee is not refundable. Deposit is usually worth a 4 weeks rent, so try to ask for a lower deposit if it’s more than that. Don’t expect for the deposit to be fully refunded as they will find any reason to deduct it.
• If you rent a flat, all the bills can be paid at any stores with the “Paypoint” logo.
• Make sure to ask how to get council tax exemption if you’re a student. Usually you can apply for it from your university account page.
You need to be very lucky to find good accommodation at a very low price. You have to compete with others and the agent or landlord will decide who can rent the property. You have to spare at least a month for this kind of accommodation. The independent sources such as gumtree are also good for this but there are also a lot of frauds in this. So make sure that you check everything before sending payments especially the paperwork. You can use a saver approach to access the agent web site or visiting their offices, using more specific web such as right move, share rooms, Zoopla, open rent, etc. For deposit, there will be a third party who will hold the money for you, for example, DPS (deposit protection service) [1]. For International Students, the interesting places to stay outside the city centre area and baltic triangle are Sefton park and kensington. Bootle, Toxteth, Everton, Vauxhall, and Anfield might be the next alternative.
Health Booklet from PPI UK
Booklet Kesehatan dari PPI UK
House rent, Students Accomodation. or "ngekos"?
1. Student accommodation: can be from campus, can also be another company that manages it, like UniteStudent for example.
The benefit of student accommodation:
- All bills included (eletric, hot water, wifi)
- No extra effort of taking care council tax
Room types in student accommodation:
- Ensuite that has an indoor bathroom, though still a shared kitchen.
- Room only (outside bathroom)
- Studio (indoor bathroom and kitchen)
Ranges of price for accommodation around UOL campus £99-£125 weekly.
2. Apartment or housing may vary, you can check it at zoopla.com or rightmove.com. Zoopla and Rightmove is a sort of marketplace for the Property Agent to advertise their client's property (the Landlord). Further communication regarding the property will have to go through this property agent first.
There are furnished and unfurnished property. The nearest location available to UoL campus is usually in L7 (this is the postcode).
The usual ranges of price is £500-£650 monthly.
Bills are not included. You also have to take care the council tax yourself, though you're practically exempted from it, since you are a student.
3. If you want to "ngekos" at a house and live together with a native, you can do so through Spare Room application. You can then negotiate with the landlord directly afterwards.
General thoughts on survivability (rations)
This article provide a slight information on the cheapest food and drink available in Liverpool during the time of financial crisis, to easily manage your fund for your survivability.
I also hope this article can ease parents worries for food (lunchbox) when they took their children to school in Liverpool.
The cheapest drink is a tap water. You can drink it straight away, but it is highly advised to use a filter (commonly available in a plastic kettle with around 2 liters capacity). Soft drink is recommended to buy in its supermarket brand (Tesco or ASDA smart price or stockwell) as they can come relatively cheaper. 2 liters of soft drink or lemon lime may take around 20p (4000 in rupiah). 2 liters of Cola comes around 50p (10.000 in rupiah).
Some sort of liquor or wine may also be cheaper compared to in Indonesia. You can easily find wine with £3-£4 range of price (60-80 thousand in rupiah).
Ice cream also relatively cheaper and tastier. A well known brand is available, but the cheap ones are not that bad as well. A 2 liters vanilla ice cream can cost just £1 (20 thousand in rupiah). You can also find a cheap cheese cake, starting from just 70p for one small full plate. A small black forest cake is also available from just £2 (40 thousand in rupiah).
Let's start on the food. Pringles cost around £1.2 here (24 thousand in rupiah) but the condition inside is still well packaged (usually all you get are small crunches and debris). Chocolate and wafer are also nice, with a range of price starting from 50p. A small toblerone would cost £1 (20 thousand in rupiah).
The cheapest fruit is usually apple. You can get £1 (20 thousand in rupiah) for a 1 kg package of a pack of 6 apples. A grape also cost just £1 for 500 gr.
Nevertheless, cooking at home will always comes cheaper than buying cooked food outside, even compared to buying cooked in the campus canteen that usually comes a lot cheaper than any other places. If you keep trying, you can save a lot. For example, a ready to bake pizza is available for only 59 p (around 12 thousand in rupiah) for a medium size. You only need to bake it at home. For cheap groceries:
Frozen vegetables (bean, carrot, corn, peas), broccoli, sprout can be bought for just 80p (16 thousand in rupiah) on a 1 kg. A 2 kg potato is just £1 (20 thousand in rupiah). There is also frozen spinach, which per kg would come at £1.5. You can also find distinctive vegetables, but they would come at a relatively expensive price (available in asian supermarket). For example cassava leaves in a pack of 500 gr can take as much as £3.5.
Potatoes here are relatively cheap, and already has a good taste. In a form of ready to cook french fries, each kg price starts from just £1 (usually comes in a pack of 2 kg). They come in so many variant of shapes (straight, crinkle, roll, hash brown, crouette, wedges, etc).
The most common vegetable protein is from beans. The cheapest canned beans with tomato sauce can come at 25p or just 5 thousand rupiah.
Bread is also quite cheap, 1 big loaf of bread can take just 50p (10 thousand in rupiah).
The strawberry jam is just 25 p, while the chocolate spread is £1 for every piece of glass jar package.
Cheese usually took £2 for 300 gr. Mayonnaise and tomato sauce are also relatively cheap. You may not easily found 'sambal' as frequent as in Indonesia though.
The cheapest animal protein can be found in eggs (a cheap one has 10 big eggs for just £1, or 15 rather small eggs for around £1.2). Butter is also quite cheap, but for those of you who are muslim, you may have to be careful that some package may consist of lard (haram).
Fish is quite expensive, the cheap one can be found inside a sardines can.
The cheapest part of a chicken is on its thighs or is upper thighs. A frozen one, for 1kg starts from £1.5. If you want a halal one, you can find it in an Asian or Middle eastern supermarket.
There are plenty choices of rice. Back then, a long grain of 1 kg rice only took 45p (10 thousand in rupiah), but recently the cheapest one can cost 85p per kg. The smartest buy recently would be a broken basmati rice. A 10 kg pack cost £7, which means that it's only 14 thousand in rupiah for each kg.
The cheapest alternative for rice is spaghetti. a dry one in 500 gr package cost just 20p. Though usually for maccaroni, lasagna sheet, fussili, and other similar cheap brand may cost around 55p for every 500 gr.
Dry noodle and vermicelli, the cheapest one comes at 55p. A fresh yellow noodle may be a bit more expensive. For £1, you can only get a small amount of it.
You can find an instant noodle with Indomie brand, but it's usually made from Africa. If you want a cheap instant noodle, you can get one for just 14p (3 thousand in rupiah) but you will have to add other additional spices on your own to raise the flavor a bit.
For those of you non muslim, animal protein are available in a lot of different varieties of cheap food. Up to the date this article written, the cheapest one would be a frozen sausage in a pack of 20 or around 1 kg that comes at a price of just £1 (20 thousand in rupiah). Bacon miss shapes or cooking bacon are also cheap. 1 kg is just around £1.5. Furthermore, there is also black pudding ("saren") that comes at £2 for 1.4 kg. A grinded meat may come at £ 3per kg, depending on the amount of fat contained, the less it is, the more expensive it will be.
Cow milk each liter took around 60p (usually skimmed, semi skimmed and whole milk).
If you have a very limited financial source, you can still arrange the perfect menu combination yourself. As a comparison, whenever you want to eat in a fast food restaurant, one meal can took you £5, whereas that same £5 can be used for one day meal for the whole family (small family) if you keep tabs on those cheaps ingredients.
You can further suppress your food expend by buying 'near expired' items. There will usually be a large discounts by supermarkets to sell these items. These items are still relatively good to consume.
Mobile Phones
• Tons of sim card provider in the UK, make sure to check which one fits your needs best. Some major provider that has retail store in Liverpool are: EE, 3, Vodafone, and O2.
• There are two types of sim card that you need to know: pay as you go (PAYG) and contract
• PAYG - a prepaid sim card, you buy a package for either a week or a month that already includes mobile data along with certain amount of calls and texts. If you run out of your package before the end of the plan, then you’re out of luck as you can’t top-up another package until the one you have run out.
• Contract - being in a contract means you pay a proposed amount each month for at least one year. It can be cheaper than PAYG, but you need a UK bank account to have this. Some offers a phone that comes with the package.
• You can buy the sim card either in the retail store or local supermarket. If you’re not sure which deal you should take, just go to the retail store to ask more and buy there or check their respective website.
• Be sure to download the app of your chosen sim card provider to regularly check on your quota or even add extra credit (if you have a bank account).
• You can top up your data allowance at various stores with the logo “Paypoint”.
(I use Vectone. AFAIK it is the cheapest. Cons. no support agent/store in Liverpool. Everything has to be done online)
House Rent
Moving from student accomodation to a house rent and decide to live together with a lot of other people can be a decission that saves your money, or it may also be the other way around.
What are the things to consider when living in a student accomodation?
Rent fee
Insurance fee
Council tax
Electric & Gas
Water
Internet
TV tax
1. Paying the rent fee is almost identical to the student accommodation, though usually the term may be longer (at least from 6 months up to a year), whereas student accommodation can be monthly, weekly, or even daily.
Be very careful and thorough when deciding to rent. A landlord has to give you a clear and explicit contract. Visit the place and do a viewing. If you are still in Indonesia, you should ask for a help of viewing from PPI Liverpool friends here. We'll be glad to help you. Often there are cases where the rent price is very good, but eventually things gotten hazy and the guy finally ran with your booking fee.
Is it better to rent a full-furnished or unfurnished one?
I, myself, choose an unfurnished one that comes with cheaper price. This goes with the fact that I only rent it not more than 1 year. With a difference of just £50 monthly, in a year I can get £600 to turn it into a furnished one myself. Used furnitures can be bought at Bulky Bob and British Heart Foundation Furniture for a cheap price. Used bed that already washed is also available there. You should buy those furnitures at once to save your delivery fee. Used furnitures are usually donated for free in Freecycle Group, but we have to arrange the delivery ourselves.
If you don't want to go the extra length, just rent a furnished one, which usually comes at a more expensive price.
2. Insurance fee, usually the amount is similar to a month rent and has to be kept by the third party (more like a saving) that eventually can be withdrawn by the time you quit renting, so long as there's no claim of damaged property. So it's better to keep this insurance to a third party - don't give it directly to the landlord, since you'll find it quite difficult to take it back from them.
3. Council tax for students and their family exempted. We can ask for this letter from the campus that stated we are students and exempted from the council tax. If you are a student that lives with a non student, you will get a discount tax system which will be brought upon clearly and can also com case by case. You can prove this by showing documents, so any amount of money that has already paid, will be refunded by the council.
4. Normally, the use of gas during winter will be lower than that of the electric. So for those of you that own a house with a heater or electric stove, you have to be smart on using it especially during winter times, so your bills wll keep in check. For electric, you can use a prepaid one or a smart meter, to save your expenses on it. There is a standard rate of electric (flat rate) or the one that has economy 7 meter. With this meter, electric rate will vary depending on the time you use it - during the weekend or weekdays. This electric providers are quite similar to communication providers in Indonesia. They come with plenty different options.The option of this provider will also change the rate it comes. Price will be different depending on the package you subscribe. There will be a flat rate (the price does not fluctuate) and there is also a rate that changes according to the raise of general electric rate (electric rate may change).
5. Water provider is only united utilities. The subscription is attached to the person who vacant the place. Whenever you move, that bills can still follow. There are two different types of services, they are flat rate (water rate is decided from how many people lives, the number of rooms, and the occupants habit), and with a meter. You can ask to place a meter for free. This provider is responsible to provide a clean water supply and the management of its waste. You can compare the rate of usage with its flat rate. Usually, for 1 cubic meter of water (1000 liter) that we use, the charge comes at around £3. The more you save your water, the more beneficial to use a meter one. In united utilities webpage, there is a system that will do a rough calculation, whether it's beneficial to use a meter or not.
6. There are a lot of choices for internet provider. Up to this moment, one of us who've used it is using Sky provider that took around £30 monthly with a reliable speed. Usually every internet usage is unlimited, the limit only comes with its speed, not its quota.
7. Owning a TV here has its own tax. It usually comes for around £170 annually. The assumption is that the TV owner would access contents such as BBC for terestrial TV or any other BBC content.
May this post reduce your financial cost whilst living in Liverpool.
University Registration
• This process will of course depends on the university, but as soon as you arrive, make sure to confirm your arrival with the university.
• In my case, all I need to do is use the campus wifi and login to my account to confirm my arrival through the website.
• Make sure to follow the instruction until you receive your student card to access every campus facilities.
The Legal Way for Fishing in Liverpool Parks
The legal way to fish in Liverpool Parks
Please refer to https://liverpool.gov.uk/leisure-parks-and-wellbeing/angling/ for more detailed resources.
1. obtain a permit from the council. Can be obtained from: https://liverpool.gov.uk/media/2755/anglers_registration_form.pdf
2. purchase a rod licence from the Environment Agency (obtained at the post office). Please refer to: https://www.gov.uk/fishing-licences
Licence typeTrout and coarse 2-rodTrout and coarse 3-rodSalmon and sea trout
1-day£6Not available£12
8-day£12Not available£27
12-month£30£45£82
12-month - over 65 or disabled£20£30£54
12-month - junior (13 to 16)FreeFreeFree
3. Lakes for fishing:
Calderstones Park
Greenbank Park
Larkhill Park
Newsham Park
Princes Park
Sefton Park
Stanley Park
Walton Hall Park
4. Fishing at night is prohibited.
5. Per person it is limited to the use of 1 x Rod or 1 x Pole per person.
6. Tents and bivouacs are prohibited within the park and lake area.
Park and Forest
Liverpool has many parks all around the city.
The location of the park and the facilities can be check at this link: https://liverpool.gov.uk/leisure-parks-and-wellbeing/parks-and-greenspaces/
It gives the information for all of the interesting areas and maps to be explored in each park.
The Mersey forest web page (https://www.merseyforest.org.uk/) will guide you to explore nature across Mersey Side and Chesire.
No matter if you are walking, cycling, and even horseriding you can benefit by searching the information here on the website.
Health Booklet from PPI UK + COVID-19 services (updated)
Booklet Kesehatan dari PPI UK
Mosque and Muslim
Muslim in Liverpool
A. Mosque in Liverpool
Liverpool is a multi-cultural and multi-ethnic city in UK, which is not come by surprise, since the city has the most crowded port in the world – ever since the 18th century, religious and cultural acculturation was driven to its community. In this city, there are several big Mosques, they are Al-Rahma Mosque, Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, and Al-Taiseer Mosque. Several other Mosque, such as Penny Lane Mosque and other community Mosques can be explored further in the city.
1. Al-Rahma Mosque
Al-Rahma Mosque is located at 29-31 Hatherley St, Liverpool L8 2TJ. This Mosque is the third Mosque that was built in 1965 and opened for public from 1974. When visiting or staying in the city, you can participate in Friday Prayers and listen to the Friday Sermon that is spoken English or sometimes Arabic language. Apart from the custom in Indonesia, women Muslim pilgrims here are also come in numbers to the Friday Prayers. They can enter the Mosque from a special entrance for the pilgrims that is located in Hatherley St. Meanwhile, the male counterpart can enter Mosque from the main entrance that is located in Mulgrave St. Children can also join Madrasa school that conducted every Saturday on reading Qur’an, Islam religious analysis, and Arabic language from 10.00-14.00 with a monthly fee that relatively affordable around £10-£20. Other services provided by AL-Rahma Mosque are as follow:
1. Counsel and guidance on Islam issues
2. Children class
3. Annual Islam awareness week
4. Wedding ceremony
5. Sports event
6. Study circles
7. Woman group study
8. Mother and toddler group
9. Morning coffee
10. Fund rasing for UK Aid & Relief Charities
11. Schedule and organization of Funeral
For an update to Prayer schedule, please check on the following link https://www.liverpoolmuslimsociety.org.uk/prayer-timetable. In that same link, you can also found the WhatsApp group and Facebook link to adhere on the latest Mosque caretaker policy during these pandemic times. During COVID 19 pandemic, Friday Prayer is separated into two groups, so pilgrims can still pray in reasonable distance following the health protocol stated by the government of UK. The first sermon is started at 12:00 pm with the latest attendance on 12.15 pm. The second sermon is started at 1:00 pm with the latest attendance on 01:15 pm. The collective Five Times Prayer are also conducted on the usual time, though the Mosque is closed temporarily during local lockdown time. The same goes for children Madrasa school that will reopened when local lockdown is over. For further update on the latest policy from Al-Rahma Mosque, do join the WhatsApp group link above or follow its social media.
2. Abdullah Quilliam Mosque
Abdullah Quilliam Mosque is the first Mosque built in UK. This Mosque is located on 8-10 Brougham Terrace, Liverpool, L6 1AE. In 1887, William Henry Quilliam, a British native built this Mosque and the Muslim institute after he decided to convert to Islam.
This Mosque was reopened at the 27th of June 2014 after being closed for 106 years. Unlike Al Rahma Mosque or other common Mosques, Abdullah Quilliam Mosque does not has any dome. It also does not has its own tower. The outer appearance looks similar to an office building with white wall paint. Obviously, this happens due to the fact that prior to the reopened time, the building was used for Liverpool city council office for births, deaths and marriages. Prayer and Wudu chamber for men and women are separated. Usually, the entrance for men and women pilgrims are also separated.
Up to this day, through Abdullah Quilliam Society, Abdullah Quilliam Mosque keep on doing restoration and development. Abdullah Quilliam Mosque is planned to expand the Mosque building by buying the building besides it, which is 1-7 Brougham Terrace. Fund raising are still conducted. Aside from its purpose as a worship place and Islam Da’wah, Abdullah Quilliam Mosques also serves as a heritage centre and open up a men only students accommodation.
Prior to the lockdown, Five Times Prayer and Friday Prayer were held as usual. Islam education activities, for children and adults were also available, though not as crowded as in Al Rahma Mosque. The Mosque is open for public to anyone who would like to have a discussion on Islam. Seminars on Islam were also often held in this Mosque. Especially during Ramadan month.
During lockdown, on March 2020, Abdullah Quilliam was closed. It was reopened at the 10th of July, but only for Friday Prayer, the number of pilgrims are limited and you have to book it first. This was obviously done through a strict health protocol. 5th of November 2020, Abdullah Quilliam Mosque was closed again for a second lockdown. The good news is at the 4th of December 2020, Abdullah Quilliam Mosque was reopened for Five Times Prayer and Friday Prayer with no booking required. During the pandemic time, Da’wah activity in Abdullah Quilliam Mosque is often done through social media. Among those, are “Muslim’s Got Talent” and “Ask the Happy Sheikh”. Friday sermon and Ied are also broadcasted in Facebook and YouTube.
3. Al-Taiseer Mosque
Al-Taiseer Mosque is the second biggest Mosque in Liverpool after Al-Rahma Mosque. This Mosque is located on 65A Aspen Grove, Toxteth, Liverpool L8 0SR. This Mosque was built in 2008 at the heart of multi-cultural area in Liverpool, which is Lodge Lane. This Mosque can fit in 1500 pilgrims with a special chamber for women pilgrims and children activities. The services this Mosque provides are similar to other Mosques, such as community events and Arabic language class, as well as Halaqat. In this area, you can also easily found Halal shops and restaurants that yang lined up along Lodge Lane.
Important link
https://www.liverpoolmuslimsociety.org.uk
http://www.lrmnet.org.uk/statements/
Liverpool Muslims App or install Liverpool Muslims App'
B. Fasting in Liverpool and Ramadan activities in Mosque
Fasting in four seasons country such as UK is surely different to in Indonesia. When in Indonesia, fasting duration went from 13-14 hours, then in UK, the duration depends on what season the Ramadan occurred. If it falls on winter, the duration will be shorter up to 9-10 hours. On the other way around, this duration will be longer up to 18-19 hours when it falls in the summer season. This duration length will also be different when it falls exactly during the spring or fall season.
Better time management are required for fasting with a longer duration of time. A short evening will make a closer gap of time between breaking the fast, Isha Prayer, Tarawih, Suhoor and Dawn. Having a schedule of Salat and Imsakiah is a necessity. You can get this via online or the nearest Mosque.
Even in the country with a Muslim minority, the solemn and beautiful worship during Ramadan month can still be enjoyed. Activities to brighten this noble month can be participated in various Mosques in Liverpool. One of them is in Abdullah Quilliam Mosque. The programs are as follow:
1. Tarawih Salat with an Imam – Qari and Hafizh. Usually Khatam 30 juz during Ramadan month.
2. Provide daily breaking the fast and Suhoor dish. For students, this is very beneficial, since you don’t have to cook, all you need to do is come to the Mosque. But try not to forget to donate some.
3. Analysis on Tajweed and Tafsir
4. Dawn lecture
5. Islam seminar and analysis with interesting subjects
6. Analysis on Women Muslim
7. Big Ifthar. Breaking the fast with various communities, including the non Muslim. In 2018, Abdullah Quilliam Mosque in collaboration with LFC also had a chance to conduct breaking the fast inside Anfield stadium.
8. Itikaf
9. Zakat al-Fitr
10. Charity and Fund raising
11. Ied Salat. Due to the limited space, Ied Salat usually separated into three groups, at 07.30, 08.30 and 09.30.
12. Ied party. Usually in form of feast and event.
By participating in Mosque’s programs, we will gain knowledge, deed, and friendship. The various activities during fasting in COVID pandemic times are not as it usually was, since the Mosque is closed to adhere on the government regulation. Even so, Mosque still accommodate charity and fund raising for the community, not just Muslim, but for all communities in general.
C. 'Prayer Room/ Other Prayer places aside from Mosque in Liverpool
There are several alternatives to Prayer places in the city of Liverpool aside from Mosque. There may not be many options available, but there is also a possibility that we just don’t know it yet. Due to the limited Prayer rooms available in Liverpool, it’s better to estimate where you will do Prayer prior to your travel, especially during winter season, since the day gets dark a lot quicker – this means that the time gap between Prayers are also shorter. You have to carefully estimate your outdoor activities so you won’t miss any of the Prayer time.
1. Prayer Room in Sydney Jones library
For Muslim students in the University of Liverpool (UoL), there is a Prayer room facility in campus that is located the basement of Sydney Jones Library. This is the only official Prayer place provided by UoL campus. For students in the northern part of the campus, this might take a while to reach, around 10-15 minutes.
Since it’s located inside the library, you can only access it through security gate, so a student card is required to enter the library. For a student other than UoL or families/dependant who wants to use this Prayer room facility, it is advised to register for a Visitor Card with an annual fee of £5. Though the library is not open all year for visitors, but it’s worth the penny when used daily. During specific times, this security gate will be open for anyone, so you won’t need student/visitor card to enter it – sometimes we can even gain direct permission from the employee if your purpose is only to do Prayer. On other times though, the restriction is quite hard (like during semester exam period, the library will be packed with visitors, so only those with student card may access the library – not even alumni are allowed)
The exact location of this Prayer room may be a bit confusing for first timers, since there are so many halls and doors in this basement. To reach it, just follow the sign on the door/wall, which has "prayer room" written on it. You can also reach it through using the elevator near the library entrance and push B button to reach Basement floor. Exiting the elevator, turn left and enter the door just once. The prayer room located exactly on your right after this first door.
When you come exactly during the Prayer time, usually there are a lot of Muslim students doing collective Prayer. We can also join the collective Prayer by looking at the schedule placed on the door of the room. This Prayer room is quite crowded during Prayer times, even up to Maghrib and Isha, or even during the weekend, there will be several students who would prefer spending their time in the library.
This Prayer room is also used to conduct Friday Prayer, where its schedule is shared in WhatsApp group of "Liverpool Uni Muslims". This WhatsApp group also share Friday Prayer schedule for Abdullah Quilliam Mosque and Rumi Bakhara Restaurant. This Prayer room also has its specific area designated for Wudu, there is also a specific area to place shoes and jackets (though it’s recommended not to leave any belongings there). Men and women has their own entrance separated from each other to do Wudu, which makes it quite pleasant. After entering the main entrance to this Prayer room, there are separated doors – men through the left, while women through the right door.
For students in the northern part of campus, it is quite tricky to be able to do Prayer in this Sydney Jones when they have a busy schedule of lecturers, considering the amount of time and distance required to reach this library. Sometimes, you can utilize empty classroom or basement of a building that you know not that much people went through, so you can keep doing your Prayer even with a busy schedule of lecturers.
During the pandemic in 2020, library visitors is heavily limited, only active students may enter, and they even have to book it online through the library website (which is confirmed via the University email) to enter the library. Furthermore, access to the basement (Prayer room) is also closed – library only opened the lobby floor. This is why, Muslim students who want to spend the whole day in the library will find it difficult to secure a place to do Prayer.
2. Prayer room in Museum of Liverpool
Prayer Room and Wash Room in Museum of Liverpool
This Prayer room is especially provided at the Museum of Liverpool. This museum is located next to Albert Dock, on Pier Head, Liverpool Waterfront, Liverpool L3 1DG, United Kingdom. This Prayer room is in the first floor of the museum. A proper Wudu room is also provided inside the Prayer room. There is also a toilet (free of charge) available that is not that far located from this Prayer room. This Prayer room is open for the museum visitor who will conduct a Prayer. You can even go in there with ease just to use the Prayer room. Though during this pandemic time, you will have to book first before entering it. This can be done fairly easy, you can even do it right in front of the museum entrance, where the security there will guide you through.
3. Prayer Room in Rumi by Bukhara
Rumi by Bukhara is one of the Halal restaurant in Liverpool, where it serves various Indian cuisine. This Rumi is located in 46-48 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5SD, United Kingdom. Aside from offering Halal food, this restaurant also provides a prayer room – and they even usually conduct Friday Prayer. The schedule is obviously differ to that in Abdullah Quilliam Mosque, Al Rahma Mosque and Sydney Jones, usually an hour after. This prayer room is located in the basement of the restaurant. Actually, the entrance is located outside the restaurant, but the access requires a password, so it’s better to go inside the restaurant then ask the restaurant employee to help you open that entrance. You don’t have to hesitate to do so, since they are very friendly and happy to do it for you.
4. Prayer in the park
If we can predict when the Prayer time occur, and coincidently there are no prayer room available near you, you can utilize the closest parks to do Prayer, such as Sefton Park, Princess Park, Everton Park or any other, which are quite spacious in the city of Liverpool. Prepare a travel and waterproof prayer mat to ensure your comfort. You should also prepare a water spray for Wudu so you can still purify using water – don’t forget to do Wudu first before going out. We hope some of these limited information will help you in doing Prayer.
Cooking Hack
Tips and trick to cook Indonesian / Asian meals in the UK with items available in a regular supermarket
If you have other tips, please contact us :-)
To make Sweet soybean sauce: preheat the dark soy sauce which can be easily found in the regular supermarket, mix with brown sugar or granulated sugar.
To make peanut sauce for satay or Gado-Gado: Mix smooth or crunchy peanut butter, sweet soybean sauce, and hot water. Additional ingredients such as chicken stock or gravy sauce can be added to boost the taste.
To cook easy Hainan rice: add chicken stock, salt, and a pinch of sugar when cooking rice
To cook easy Nasi Liwet/nasi lemak: add coconut milk/coconut cream or coconut oil, chicken stock, salt, and a pinch of sugar when cooking rice
Hobby
Some hobbies can be done easier when you are in the UK.
If you have another hobby, please contact us
- Brompton, Moulton, and Rayleigh bike collection. Some rare editions of bikes can be found on eBay, Shpock, Gumtree, or Facebook marketplace.
- Liliput Lane collection. A handmade miniature of buildings and cottages with a scale of about 1:76. The model with the original box and certificate will become an interesting souvenir from the UK.
- Model train collection. The UK especially Liverpool is very famous for Hornby electric model train. The scale of this model train is about 1:76 (known as OO gauge or equal track with HO). Another scale like 0 gauge is also common. Other train model makers such as Dapol, Peco, Liliput, Marklin, Graham Farish, and Bachmann are also easy to find. Other scales available are Z (1:220), N (1:150), 1 (1:32), G (1:24), and a bigger garden scale.
- Meccano and Lego collection. Various models are available for collection as well as loose bricks.
- Model kit collection. Airfix is the most famous and easy to find a model kit in the UK. Sometimes you can find these model kits in the supermarket. Other brands such as Revell Monogram, Hasegawa, Tamiya, Trumpeteer are available in the model shop.
- Die-Cast collection. Corghi is the most famous and easy to find diecast model beside matchbox, Hotwheels, and Herpa.
- Knitting. Easy to find wool and knitting equipment makes this hobby easy to follow. A lot of books, magazines, and patterns are available in the supermarket.
- Drawing and painting. Canvas and drawing apparatus are available in the supermarket. If you want the professional material, the art and craft shops are your next destination.
- Military collection. You can find used military uniforms, military oversupply, medals, and even deactivated guns or antique firearms here in the UK. Military events, expo, air show, and armed forces day (end of June) is also a good place to visit.
- Automotive. Car or motorcycle accessories and used parts especially British-made like BSA, Norton, Triumph, Jaguar, Mini, Jaguar, Land Rover, etc. can be found at reasonable prices. Scrap cars or cars dismantlers are also a good place to visit.
- Stamps and Coins collection. Stamps and coins collection are among the common collectibles. New coins and stamps are also still available to be collected besides the vintage ones.
- Vintage apparels. Liverpool Antique Centre at Great Howard St, Liverpool is one of the sources for vintage apparels.
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