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Students-Country Selection |
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New Zealand
Currency Value
NZD (New Zealand Dollars) =25.0368 INR(India Rupees)
Minimum Wage Rate
1st April 2008 the adult rate is $12.00 an hour, and applies to all workers 18 years and over.
Auckland
Many of Aucklands activities and attractions are within half an hour of the central city. Organized tours, sightseeing trips and personal guides are stress-free options for visitors. Self-drive and self-guided tours are also an option and a great way to see Auckland.
Accommodation
In many cases, your accommodation will be only minutes from your place of study. Your institution can help you find accommodation before you begin studying.
Halls of residence or student hostels
These are usually located on campus or nearby, with single or twin rooms. Bed linen and cleaning are provided. Meals are eaten in a communal dining hall, with special dietary needs catered for. A warden lives on-site and social and sporting activities are organised for residents. Hostels usually have computer labs and recreation rooms. Some institutions provide self-catering hostels where 6 to 8 students have their own bedrooms and share a kitchen and living room.
Homestay or private board
This gets you a room in a suburban house, usually with a garden and lawns. Your host family provides meals. Interacting with your host family and meeting their neighbours and friends is an excellent way to improve your English. Your host family will help you adjust to life in New Zealand.
Homestay is not like living in a hotel. Some ‘give and take’ is expected, as you become part of the family.
Renting a house or apartment
Renting a house or flat (apartment) on your own or with other people is called ‘flatting’. You choose your own flatmates in single-sex or mixed accommodation, ranging from a two-bedroom apartment to a large house on its own land. Most rental properties are unfurnished, apart from an oven, a laundry, curtains and carpet.
Your landlord doesn’t have to provide heating. You pay for electricity, gas, phone and water, including connection fees. A bond of up to 4 weeks rent is held by Tenancy Services and refunded when you move out, if the flat is still in good condition.
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Finding a rental
The accommodation office at your tertiary institution will probably have a noticeboard with advertisements for flats. Newspaper classifieds list rental properties, especially on Wednesday and Saturdays. There are also several websites that list rental accommodation throughout New Zealand.
Cost of living
You will need approx. NZ$10,000 to NZ $12,000 for general Auckland living costs per year. These living costs include accommodation.
• Textbooks: $50 (approx) each
• MacDonalds Combo $5.95
• Movie Tickets $14.50
• Coca Cola per can $1.20
• Music CD $30.00
• Levis Jeans $150.00
• Coffee (cappuccino, latte) $3.00
• Supermarket per week $50.00
Food
Auckland is a cosmopolitan city with a wide variety of restaurants serving food from all over the world. There are also many Asian supermarkets where ingredients are readily available.
Work
International students are able to work 20 hours per week.
Weather
Mean temperatures (Degrees Celsius)
Auckland: January 19.4 - 23.1, July 10.9 - 14.1
Click here for todays weather in Auckland.
Seasons
Spring: September to November
Summer: December to February
Autumn: March to May
Winter: June to August
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Things you need to know:
Banking and travellers cheques
Trading bank hours are 9am to 4.30pm Monday to Friday. Banks are closed at weekends and public holidays, however travellers cheques can also be cashed at bureau de change, hotels and some shops.
Business and shop hours
Offices and businesses are usually open from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday. Shop hours vary. Most are open 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday with a late night either Thursday or Friday, and 10am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Driving
Reciprocal driving rights exist between New Zealand and most countries. Many rental car companies will ask for an International Drivers Licence and the driver must be over 21 years of age.
Medical facilities
Health insurance for visitors to NZ is strongly recommended, as medical services are not free to them. Pharmacies can give advice on minor medical problems and a range of drugs are available without prescription.
Postal services
Post offices are open during business hours and closed at weekends, however stamps can also be bought at many stationers and dairies and post boxes are easily found.
Telephones
Public telephones use phone cards, which can be bought at many shops, dairies and gas stations. New Zealands international access code is 64.
Tipping and service charges
Tips or gratuities are not routinely expected, however many people tip to show their appreciation for extra service or kindness.
Visitor Information
Information and service is available throughout Auckland at Visitor Information Network offices. Here experienced staff can provide reliable information ranging from transportation and accommodation to local attractions and activities.
USA
Currency Value
1.00 USD = 49.0842 INR
United States Dollars India Rupees
Living Expenses
The approximate annual living expenses are about $10,000, which includes accommodation as well as other daily expenses. However, the expenses are different for different people depending on the lifestyles and this is just a rough idea. The main expenses can be split up as:
Rent $ 400 per month
(you can live alone with that amount in a place like Auburn or share an apartment with 6 people in NY)
Groceries $ 100 per month
Utilities $ 100 per month
Phone $ 100 per month
Sundry $ 200 per month
So, about $1000 per month is a good estimation. Most people can survive with $700-$1000 a month. The key here is to share apartments/houses so that you save on the utilities, fixed charge portion of phone and to some extent on groceries.
Entertainment
Major cities often have one or more guidebooks that list the local attractions. It is worth buying a copy of this book. You should be able to find it at local bookstores. The AAA provides free guidebooks for members. The Sunday newspaper will include a section on arts, music, theater, movies, and other forms of entertainment.
Discounts
Many museums and tourist attractions offer discounted admission to students. You will need to show your student identification card. A college ID works fine. You can also get an International Student Identity Card (ISIC) for $20. Membership includes a booklet listing available discounts and a 24-hour help-line (1-800-626-2427). For more information send email to isicinfo@istc.org.
Working In USA
Employment
Do not count on being able to scrape up the funding after you arrive in the US. Getting a job is not an effective means of financing an education in the US. There are many restrictions on employment by foreign nationals, and some types of visas prohibit it totally. Most international students are limited to on-campus employment
Even if you are able to find work, you will not be able to get a job that pays well enough to cover all your expenses. The typical on-campus job will pay no more than $1,000 to $2,000 during the school year, and a similar amount during the summer vacation.
If you are studying on an F-1 visa, you may not accept off-campus employment during the first year of study. You may, however, take an on-campus job to fund the bills. You are limited to 20 hours a week while school is in session, provided that you do not displace a US resident. (The test for displacement is whether the position is normally filled by students.) Full time employment is allowed during vacations if you will be returning to school at the end of the vacation period. Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) permission is not required to accept on-campus employment, but you must first apply for a Social Security Number and complete a Form I-9 (Employment Eligibility). You may also need to get authorization from the foreign student advisor.
Graduate students who are participating in a cooperative education program are sometimes permitted to work for an off-campus employer who has an educational connection or research contract with the school. The employment must be required for the degree.
After the first year of study, a student on an F-1 visa may ask the INS for permission to accept off-campus employment. Permission is often granted if the student is experiencing severe economic hardship through no fault of their own, such as major currency fluctuations, loss of financial aid, loss or lack of availability of on-campus employment, unusual increases in tuition or living expenses, unexpected financial changes in the students source of support, and unexpected medical expenses. The student must be in good academic standing and enrolled as a full-time student, and the foreign student advisor must certify the students Form I-538 (Certification by Designated School Official). The student must submit Form I-765 (Application for Temporary Employment Authorization) and filing fee, together with the certified Form I-538 and the student copy of Form I-20, to the INS for work authorization. The employment authorization will be valid for one year.
Students on M-1 visas may not accept any form of employment, except for a temporary internship for practical training purposes.
Working while on a B-2 (Tourist) visa is reason for immediate deportation.
Spouses and dependents of students admitted to the US on M-1, F-1, and J-1 visas may apply for M-2, F-2, and J-2 visas, respectively, in order to accompany the student during their stay in the US. Spouses and dependents of M-1 and F-1 students are not allowed to accept employment or engage in business while in the US. Spouses and dependents of students admitted on a J-1 visa may seek permission to work as a J-2 visitor. Individuals on a M-2, F-2, or J-2 visa will study on a full time or part time basis, but may not receive financial aid.
After you graduate, you might wish to work temporarily in the US. To do so, you will need to obtain H-1B status. Your degree must be in the area of expertise required for the position. You must have an offer of employment from a US employer. The employer must file paperwork to petition for H-1B status for you.Top
UK
Currency Value
United Kingdom Pounds (GBP) =69.0259 India Rupees (INR)
VISA Application Fee Rs 7425
Minimum wage
There is a national minimum wage to make sure that employees receive fair pay for their time, even if they are students for most of the year.
Currently, the minimum wage is:
• £5.73 an hour for people aged 22 and over
£4.77 an hour for people aged 18 to 21
Travel:
You can get reduction of 30% on London transport. Ask at reception for details. You can buy tickets which cover you for bus journeys only, which are cheaper than tickets for the underground. However, an underground ticket is more useful because it can also be used on buses and overground rail trains (within the zones you have paid for).
Be careful to pay for travel in all of the zones you want to travel through. If you do not and an inspector gets on, you will be fined £10. Maps and details of prices for underground tickets are available from underground stations.
Living in London:
You should budget for following as minimum amounts. The costs are based weekly basis. Your main costs as a student will be living expenses, including accommodation, travel, entertainment, books, food and clothing.
1. Rent (short term accommodation on arrival expect to pay £85+) — £65
2. Bills (gas, electricity, etc) — £10
3. Travel — £10
4. Food — £30
5. Other spending — £30
A total of £150 is estimated for a basic standard of living in a single room in a shared house
Working While Studying
The Rules state that applicants must be able to support themselves and any dependants without working. This means that while there is provision for students to take employment during vacations or spare time, no account may be taken of any prospective earnings from that employment in assessing the ability of a student to meet the maintenance requirement, except where the educational establishment at which the student has a place:
• is a publicly funded institution of further or higher education which is itself providing and guaranteeing the employment, and has provided details of how much the applicant will earn
• is able to guarantee that there are jobs available and how much if anything the applicant will earn.
Student Working Regulation
Students studying at UK institutions may take part-time or vacation work without needing to obtain permission from the local job centre. Similarly, they are able to do work placements which are part of a course or to undertake internship placements without the need to obtain permission from Work Permits (UK) .
The conditions covering the hours and type of work they may do are:
• The student should not work more than 20 hours per week during term time except where the placement meets the definition of a course or internship
• The student should not engage in business, self-employment or the provision of services as a professional sports person or entertainer
• The student should not pursue a career by filling a permanent, full-time vacancy.
Following the rules
As you can see, there are many employment opportunities for international students in the UK. But there are a few conditions you should keep in mind:
• You cannot run your own business, be self-employed, provide services as a professional sports person or entertainer, or pursue a career by taking a permanent full-time position.
• With the exception of work organized by your university or college, money that you hope to make while doing part-time or vacation work cannot form part of your visa application. You must show that you can meet the cost of studying and living in the UK without employment or financial assistance from the state.
• Note: Employment regulations for international students can change at any time, so check the current situation on the Immigration and Nationality Directorate web site www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk
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