Local Area Information

4.1 Postal services

Two postal rates exist for letters going anywhere in the UK: 1st Class, which should arrive next day, and 2nd Class, which can take several days longer.  First and second class stamps are widely available in many newsagents and stationery shops as well as from Post Offices.  The cost of postage nowadays depends on size as well as weight.  Post Offices have scales for weighing and gauges for checking size.  Letters can be posted at the Post Office or in the red post boxes on the streets.  The times of collection are shown on the front of each post box.  Aerogramme are useful when corresponding with friends and family in overseas countries and are substantially cheaper than ordinary letters sent by air.  Registered post is relatively expensive, but should still be used for sending money or valuables by post.  Any Post Office can give you proof of posting (if you fill in the right form and take your letter to the counter) which entitles you to modest amount of compensation if the items never arrives.  For proof of arrival you can pay a small fee for Recorded Delivery.  Parcels sent in the post are weighed and stamped by Post Office counter staff.  For parcels going abroad a customs form must be completed and attached to the parcel; Post Office staff will be happy to assist you with this.  If you buy goods within the last few months of your stay, and then send or take them outside the EU, it may be possible to recover the Value Added Tax (VAT).

At Anglian College London, there is no postal facility within the campus, but the main Post Office is just 150 yards away.

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4.2 Telephone services

There are public telephones at all airports, seaports, railway stations, bus stations, and in the streets.  Instructions for using the telephones are usually printed on the inside of the kiosk.  Many students prefer to use their own mobile phones (sometimes known as 'hand phones' or 'cellular phones'), usually buying a new phone or SIM card after arrival in the UK.  Modern pay phones will accept most British coins, with a minimum call fee of 20p.  Some telephones are operated by a phone card, which you can buy from shops displaying the green phone card symbol.  Phone card telephones have the advantage that you do not have to worry about having enough change.  International calling cards can be bought for different values to reduce your cost of phoning abroad.  Most newsagents sell them.  If you expect to make lots of international calls to your relatives you may wish to sign up for one of the voice-over-Internet services available in the UK.

Prices of calls within the UK depend upon length of call and destination.  Telephone charges are a common way in which poor people (which includes most students!) get swindled.  Premium-rate lines, with numbers beginning 09... can make a huge hole in a student budget.  Semi-premium numbers beginning 0870 are increasingly used by rich organisations to make themselves richer.  "Local rate" 0845 numbers are excluded from the free calls bundled with most mobile phones.  And new dirty tricks keep popping up all the time.  So be very careful!

Traditional telephone directories are becoming less useful now that there are so many competing phone suppliers, but you can find local (paper) telephone directories and also the local 'Yellow Pages' (which lists commercial organisations and services such as doctors, clothes shops, plumbers, etc) in most Post Offices.  Libraries also hold directories for the whole of the United Kingdom. Alternatively, if you need to refer to the local telephone directories, you can visit the Student Services Office at the Administration Department.  Telephoning Directory Enquiries is a chargeable service, available from a variety of numbers, among which the most widely advertised are not necessarily the best value for money.

Various telephone information services exist that are normally free.  For help making an international phone call, you can dial 155 for the international operator.  Dial 100 for normal operator assistance.  In an emergency, dial 999 for the Police, Fire or Ambulance Service.  999 calls are always free and usually cannot be blocked or hidden, but misuse of 999 may lead to prosecution.

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4.3 Banks and banking

All the major High Street banks are represented in Woolwich town centre, including five within 200 yards of the Anglian College London campus (Lloyds, HSBC, Barclays, , ).  There are cashpoints or ATM (automatic teller machines) facilities at these banks, most local supermarkets, and some small grocery shops, but please be aware that most make a charge for cash withdrawals.  All these banks have arrangements with English and overseas banks.  If you wish to open an account in advance of your arrival in Woolwich, your bank in your home country may be able to arrange this for you.  If money is to be sent to you from home, please arrange to have this done by Airmail Transfer or Telegraphic Transfer.  You will need to supply the following information:

 (a) Full name and address of bank in the UK

 (b) Your full name and account number

 (c) The bank's sort code.

Sterling bankers' drafts and sterling travellers' cheques are easily cashed.  When you arrive at Anglian you should establish banking arrangements as soon as possible.  Banks offer special facilities for students and all will be happy to advise you which type of account is best suited to your needs.  Most banks near the campus are open between 9.30 am and 5 pm daily.  If you have difficulties or worries about your financial arrangements, please talk to your bank, but be aware that banks' priorities (e.g. to sell financial services) may diverge from yours.

In the UK there other financial institutions, known as Building Societies,  which were originally established to provide loans for house purchase and way for people to invested their savings. Nowadays, most building societies have become very like banks (or have been taken over by banks), so they offer current account services and savings account services much like traditional banks.  If you want to earn some interest on your savings, it is worth investigating what the various building societies in Woolwich town centre are currently offering.

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4.4 Food and drink

There are many shops in Woolwich which sell food to meet the requirements of the area's multi-cultural and multi-racial community.  If you are in self-catering accommodation and cooking for yourself you will find it cheaper to buy food from one of the larger supermarkets all of which supply a wider selection of food stuffs.  Woolwich Market operates frequently in the town centre and is a good place to buy fresh fruit and vegetables, meat and fish.

Drinking alcohol is perfectly acceptable in Britain, although over-indulgence is normally frowned upon.  Meeting for a drink in a bar is a very common form of socialising, especially among students.  People will usually offer you a drink when you visit them at home or go to a party.  In any of these situations it is perfectly acceptable to request a non-alcoholic drink.  Because of the strict law in the UK on drinking and driving it is understood that some people will not be drinking alcohol so you will not be alone in choosing a 'soft' (non-alcoholic) drink.

All cold tap water in the UK is safe drinking water, unless otherwise indicated (e.g. on trains).  It is also safe to drink from the cold water taps in the College premises.  The College also provides alternative drinking water in a large bottle dispenser, especially suitable for the summer.

4.5 Information on shopping and working hours in the UK

There is a large range of shops in the UK, many of which close on Sundays.  In Woolwich however, some of the shops in the city centre and most supermarkets are open on Sundays.  Shops are usually open from 9.00 am until 6.00 pm on weekdays and Saturdays. Some of the local shops may have their own more specific opening hours.  On Sundays, shops in the city centre are usually open from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm.  There may be one or two customs that may differ from your practice at home; bargaining is not customary - you are expected to pay the price marked on the goods except in the ad-hoc market like Woolwich Market where it is perfectly acceptable to try and reduce the price of an item with your negotiation skills.  Additionally, you are also expected to queue patiently for services or payment if a shop is busy.

Generally, office hours in the UK are from 9.00 am to 5 pm or 6 pm. Usually, most people work from Mondays through to Fridays.  At Anglian College London, staff are generally in Mondays to Fridays, 9.00 am to 5 pm.

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4.6 Buses, trains and trams

London is the home of the world famous double-decker red buses that operate almost round the clock and have many stopping places around the Woolwich area.  A season travel card is often the cheapest and most convenient way of paying for bus journeys within London.  Season travel cards can either be weekly or monthly and may be purchased at certain newsagents or Post Offices.

Paying in cash for bus journeys is not a good idea, since London now has some of the highest cash bus fares in the world.  If you have no alternative, have the correct fare ready in coins when you board the bus, since usually no change is given.  Place the correct fare in the hopper at the side of the driver. If you are unsure as to the correct fare tell the driver your destination and he/she will tell you the price. 

Cheaper than cash is an Oyster card, which you can buy in advance from many local shops and charge up with money, then flash in front of the card reader by the bus driver.  If you pay for the Oyster card with a credit card, be aware that all your travel around London will be logged by a central computer, which you may regard as a plus point for your safety or a minus point for your privacy.

Local bus maps are available in the Admissions/Admin Office

Another popular form of travel in London is the London Underground.  You may purchase a travel card, which may be equally acceptable both in trains and buses, thus saving you money. Oyster Cards also work on the Underground (where they are also cheaper than paying cash), but be aware that it is vital to pass the card in front of the reader at the end of your journey as well as at the beginning.  Familiarise yourself with the timetables for both trains and buses around the local area.

Part of the Underground network, called the Docklands Light Railways (DLR), is being extended to Woolwich Arsenal station, and is due to open in 2009.