hi there! i'm an italian 23 years old pokerstrategy member and in october/november i'd like to moving to england for 1 year. i've just received the bachelor's degree (is it right?) in business and i'd like to improve my english.
i'd have some advices from you about:
-wich city should i move to?
-general costs of life
-english schools maybe business related
-any general advice about laws/healthcare/things do to or not to do
ty all for your time
have a good day!
Well I live in Scotland but it's basically the same.
- Which city depends entirely on what you like. Most big cities are the same, however many UK cities are highly populated and industrial and should be avoided such as Glasgow and Newcastle. Some are cultural centers like Bristol, Oxford, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Stirling and they are very clean and easy to live in. There are many cities close together in the South of England which are non-industrial and most of the content of the country is focused here, and it is warmer and greener. Avoid North East England.
- The prices are terrible on everything. You will be paying a lot more for food that is a lot worse than in Italy. In the Mediterranean you can buy fresh high quality food for 2€. The same thing would cost 10€+ in the UK. Avoid all British supermarkets and shop at places with foreign roots such as Lidl or Aldi, and also various Chinese or Indian shops - the quality is higher and the price is lower. Taxes are high, and renting your own flat is not cheap because of council tax.
- All cities have "English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)" courses, but I don't know what they're like. Just search "Adult Education <City>" to find these courses. I don't know if it's too basic for you or not, perhaps you just need to socialize more than study.
- Britons are cold and institutional, unlike Mediterranean people. People are quite bland and simple, and they like rules, and are scared of new things. Just act Italian and they will fall in love with you, they love Mediterranean people. Pretty much everyone uses Gumtree.com in order to find things, buy and sell, and to advertise flats. You can even get free stuff on there. Britons say "Please", "Thank You", "Sorry" and "Excuse Me" A LOT and it can be a bit annoying. It's annoying for me and I've never even left this country.
hey susinfinito,
It's my second year in England now. Moved here to do the phd in Manchester.
To tell you the truth, so far, I've been busy looking for opportunities to get out of here again somewhere I can see the sun.
Compared to Italy, you won't be seeing much sun over here.
Manchester has a bit of a grey side to it as it's an industrial city.
Apart from London, all other cities in England are fairly small but can be quite cozy if that's your thing.
In regards to living cost, I spend surprisingly little here. Apart from 'fixed cost' (for me: rent, internet, electricity+water, gym membership), you can keep the cost down by shopping in Aldi or Lidl ♦, but then again it's pretty much up to your lifestyle. I you're not a big fan of British pubs there is not really much else to spend money on here. (apart from the airplane ticket to go somewhere else)
Food here is not as nice as in Italy so personally I prefer cooking at home (or having food that's being cooked for me at home 
)
If you're a student, there is the possibility to get exempt from Council Tax, which normally cost you a bit more than 1kGBP per year, but not sure how it works with English Language Schools.
If your budget is limited, I wouldn't try going to London. Although there is a lot to see (museums, musicals, or simply people watching) and has a nice flair to the city, you're gonna spend most of your budget on rent. There are other areas in the South which are known to be very nice and get a bit more sun than in the north. Try Cornwall or Brighton.
