THIS ENTRY IS STUPIDLY LONG. TAKE A SEAT OR PRINT IT OUT IF YOU WANT TO READ IT
It’s been ages since I updated this – my bad, too busy with work and sorting my life out … I believe I was going to cover Visas and Finance in this update. I would touch on accommodation but I really haven’t got a clue what is going on there at the moment. All I know is there is the offer of a year’s accommodation in the University dorms for £250 (inc gas, elec, etc) – but then you get what you pay for and I don’t have high hopes; even given China’s smaller-scale economy, £250 for a year will not get you that much. I think also that means sharing a room with someone else (could be really annoying for both parties) as well as communal showers, toilets, and curfews at night, etc etc, none of which I can really be bothered with. I would rather spend more on having an apartment and my own space! So, more on accommodation when I get to China. For now, here’s some info and advice on money and visas.
You can only get your visa within the 3 months prior to your departure – any more and it won’t be valid when you arrive (or they simply won’t issue one). Where you go to get your visa depends on your residence within the UK – Scottish (and I think Northern Irish) residents must go to the Edinburgh Consulate, residents of the North East / West, and parts of Lancashire must go to Manchester’s Consulate (see their website for exact details), and other residents must go to the London Embassy – quite a trek for some, and I believe there may be some issue of getting extra documents, (a medical check perhaps?), which don’t apply to the Consulates. Not wanting this fuss, I opted to declare myself as a resident of Tyne and Wear (which I technically am until Saturday) and go to Manchester; visa issuing times are from about 0930 – 1200 which means getting there early, as queues can form very quickly (especially with this being Olympic season). From Newcastle this meant taking the 0525 to Manchester Piccadilly, then finding buses running near to the Consulate … use Google Maps and search Google for local bus routes, stagecoach operate in Manchester and their buses are quite clear, you’ll want to get near to Denison Road (for the Consulate) which means going down Anson Road (I think) and asking the driver where to get off … in short, buses towards Rusholme tend to be going in the right direction – it was quite a lot of groundwork, so China had better be worth this effort! I got to the Consulate around 0930 and there was already a queue backing out of the door, and down the steps – it looks like quite a cottage industry on the surface, just a small room with a couple of windows, and a load of admin going on behind … Their building is quite old, and set in really goodlooking grounds, even on an overcast day, but it’s a shame this consideration for appearance doesn’t extend to their consideration for others. While at the Consulate I got talking to a couple who were trying to get their visas, but one of them was disabled, due to take part in the Paralympic Games following the Olympics. Confined to his wheelchair, his partner had to go and conduct his visa application on his behalf, because the Consulate didn’t have a ramp (even temporary, to put over their steps) to allow disabled access to the building. The staff seemed distant and unsympathetic, not even offering to come out and see him. I don’t suppose it helped that he was black either. Sadly, this seems to be typical of Chinese mentality – I think as a society they really are quite callous and uncaring, and while this treatment in the UK is seen as deplorable and disgusting, unfortunately I couldn’t get too surprised. Still, back to the visa process … They like you to have everything signed and prepared before you reach the window, but it doesn’t actually matter if you haven’t cut your photo out or attached it to the form or made duplicates – they CAN do all this for you. They will take your duplicate documents (University acceptance, etc) and you keep your originals. Processing takes at least a morning, you can get your visa the same day if you are willing to pay £20 extra (bringing the total to £50) – generally speaking your passport will be ready by 1130 or 1200, and that’s it. Sorted. It does look a bit odd though, it says I can enter anytime before October, but my stay is limited to 000 days. Yes, that’s right. Zero days. They do cover this a little by stapling a note to your passport saying the bearer of the visa must register with police within 30 days of arrival to obtain their resident’s permit and avoid illegal stay … ho hum I can see a deportation coming up. So that’s it really, go there with a heap of papers, hand over some cash, wait three hours, and you have a visa. Simple.
So, you’ve got your visa, you’re ready to go … Except that niggling issue of money. How to support yourself for a year? How much will you need? You’ve got your flights so you don’t need to worry about those costs, but what about when you are IN China? I took on board the advice offered in one of our pre-departure meetings, and the words of wisdom gleaned from the internet and my contact currently in Urumqi, and made some rough calculations to work out what to take. You will need cash for:
* Food
* Accommodation
* Travelling within (and possibly to the countries surrounding) China
* Supplies – toiletries, paper, pens, books, etc
* Emergencies
What I was keen not to happen was for the cost of a year in China to come to anything more than the cost of a year in England. So first I worked out how much I would need (including emergency money) for a year in England … somewhere in the region of £5000. Then I thought maybe an emergency in China would be more serious, and in any case if I take more money than is necessary, I can always stick it back in the bank when I get home J So I arrived at the figure of £6000, to more than cover me. This is roughly 80 000 RMB … I hope not to get through more than 50 000! Fortunately, through a mix of savings and work money I have this kind of cash – if you don’t, I can only assume you’ll need to find out if there are loans, bursaries, grants, etc available from LEAs, universities, banks, and so on … Once you have decided how much cash to take (almost certainly a four figure sum), there’s the tricky question of HOW to take it. Traveller’s cheques are safe but you don’t want to be walking around with a giant wad of them. Bank transfers are secure but cost a percentage of the transaction and of course you need an account at the other end, which may take time to set up. You need RMB to pay for things as soon as you arrive, but the limit on RMB coming into / going out of China is 6000 (approx £450). I spent a while asking myself all these questions and have come to the following decision – take it or leave it, I think it’s a good plan :P
* £450 in Chinese RMB (approx 5500 – 6000)
* £4500 (approx USD $8500) on a Thomas Cook Cashcard Passport (see below)
* £1000 in standard Traveller’s Cheques (probably converted to USD)
The RMB are for immediate use – taxis, hotels, food, train tickets, key deposits, and so on. As far as I know though, the only denomination available in the UK is 100 RMB notes (approx £7), which are great because you’ll only be carrying 55 of them, which can be hidden quite easily, but the drawbacks are twofold – if they go missing you have lost a lot of money, and secondly nothing actually costs THAT much so you will be forever changing them for smaller notes. £450 can go a long way in China! The £1000 in Traveller’s Cheques are my backup money – I hope not to use them, if they just sit in my suitcase all year and I come home with them I will not complain! They are guaranteed, insured, and never expire, what more could I want? Ah yes, that’s right, the cashcard. This thing has to be the best thing I’ve ever found for travel money … First I thought I would get a Nationwide account because they have 0% commission on withdrawals, no charges at ATMs, etc … but they won’t give me a VISA debit card for at least 6 months (stupid Building Society), and this is actually a better option … With this card you get:
* The ability to put up to US $9000 on a cashcard
* The ability to use the card anywhere you see the VISA logo
* Free transactions in restaurants, hotels, etc with a card reader
* Flat rate charge of $2.50 at an ATM …
* … but you can take out up to $800 at a time
* Insured and guaranteed same as Traveller’s Cheques
* A backup card in case the first is lost or stolen
* You can top it up again
Really, what more could I need? This is mint. Mint I tell you. So here’s the plan – set up a Chinese bank account (free ATM withdrawals in China, see) … and then keep drizzling money into it as and when it needs. It will cost me about £1.30 to withdraw £400 but then that money will probably last about 1.5 months in China, which means I’ll only have to make about 8 withdrawals (approx £10 - £12 charge total) from the cashcard the entire time I’m in China, and all other withdrawals can be made for free off my Chinese card, useful for day-to-day things. Happy Days, think I.
Make sure you get your finances in order early on – withdrawing large amounts from your bank/s means calling them up and arranging to collect the money about a week in advance. Ensure you have photo ID for everything, as well as statements to prove where the money came from. And don’t forget to tell your bank/s you are going abroad!
That’s about it folks, hope this is of some help to someone. I’ll let you all know how the money plan works when I get to China (only 15 days to go). Any questions, just ask.
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