University could full well be the best time of your life, but wouldn’t it be better if there was just a little less scrimping and saving involved? If you had a few extra pennies for a bottle of Jagermeister instead of Sainsbury’s Basics Vodka? If you could go to a festival this summer without having to eat nothing but tinned food all year? If you could afford the SPECIAL EDITION Twilight boxset?! Wait. Scrap that last one.

You get the point though. Life as a student really would be a little more awesome with a little extra cash. That’s why I’ve teamed up with a team of fellow graduates all desperately clinging onto just the NOTION of student life, to run a student discount card company called Student Advantage Card.

With over 3500 discounts across the UK including Frankie & Benny’s, BSM and Thorpe Park, our card is proving to be a valuable addition to the purses and wallets of you lucky current students. Our discounts include lots of independent outlets for those who like to get local and are increasing every week- adding further value to the card!

We’ve also just launched our new Student Sales Reps programme which really is ridiculously easy. All that’s required is to sign up and link your friends to our site via Facebook, and for each sale you refer you receive 25% commission! So don’t bother traipsing around campus cold calling every flat, earn money while sat in your pants. Trust me, it feels much more satisfying.

We’d love to help you get that bottle of Jager, sacrifice free festival ticket and some extra pennies in your pocket, so check out www.studentadvantagecard.co.uk!

If you have any further questions, please contact Luke (yours truly) either by email marketing@studentadvantagecard.co.uk or on the phone 0843 523 5523.

The post Have you heard of the Student Advantage Card? appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

Other than transportation, accommodation will have the biggest impact on how much you spend when you’re travelling. So if you’re travelling for a long time, it’s important to find cheap, clean and comfortable accommodation to stay in. Despite what many people think, it’s not actually that difficult to combine all those elements and find budget accommodation which is easy on your wallet. If you’ve never stayed in a Hostel before and imagine filthy, cockroach-ridden rooms with bed bugs, you’ll be surprised to discover that many hostels are actually very clean and comfortable. Hostels provide a great hang out for travellers, where you’ll be able to meet young and old people from all over the world. It’s not only backpackers who use Hostels, depending on what area of the world you’re in, you can meet people from all walks of life.

The cheapest way to stay in a hostel is to get a bunk bed in a dorm room, where you will be sharing with multiple people. At times you might even find the dorm empty and you’ll be able to enjoy the entire room for yourself. On other occasions you might arrive to find 16 people snoring! It really could go either way, however, after the first couple of times sleeping in a dorm, you’ll get used to sharing a room with strangers and it’s really much more amenable and amicable than many people think. If you’re travelling with your girlfriend or boyfriend or you just prefer a bit of privacy, you can always rent a single room for a bit more money and enjoy having your own double bed for a much cheaper price than you would pay in a hotel. You’ll also be required to share showers, and toilets with the other patrons, which is really quite straight forward and will be second nature to you after staying in a hostel a couple of nights.

We recommend booking dorm rooms or private rooms in a hostel for a single night at first, to scope out the quality and hygiene of the place. If you book for any longer and you don’t like it, you might find yourself stuck in a hostel for much longer than you would have liked. Unless, someone you trust has told you that a particular hostel they’ve been to is worth staying at, it’s always best to play it safe and book for a single night.

One of the other great money saving factors which many hostels offer are kitchens. The ability to cook your own food and prepare your own meals can save you a lot of money and also allow you to stick to a healthier diet, because you know exactly what you are eating. You’ll also find bars and shared areas for socializing where you’ll be able to meet fellow travellers and chat to them about travel advice and tips on where to go and stay next. Many hostels also offer WI-Fi and computers with internet access, so you can stay in contact with your friends and family abroad. You’ll also be able to get your laundry done for a fee, so if you’re staying at a hostel for a couple of days, you can get all your dirty clothes washed, pressed and returned to you freshly folded.

If you’re looking for TV’s or room phones, en suite showers or mini bars, then in generally you’re not going to find any of those in your room. However, many hostels do offer TVs in the common areas, along with vending machines and pay phones, so if you’re happy to share them, then you won’t have any problem. In all reality, you probably won’t spend a great deal of time in your hostel as you’ll be out and about checking out the local area and only come back to the hostel in the evenings to hang out and sleep. Some hostels include breakfast in the price of the bed or room which is an added bonus to your stay.

Best Hotel Websites for Students and Gap Year Travellers

Below is a list of websites we recommend for reading reviews of hostels and booking them in advance. It’s always worth reading the reviews of places before you stay there and asking fellow travellers for their advice.

BUG

What makes the BUG so good is they allow anyone to upload their own reviews to hostels they’ve been to, in a manner similar to Trip Advisor, however the BUG is totally devoted to hostels around the world. They have hundreds of independent reviews from travellers who’ve actually been to these places and can give you a first-hand description of what they’re like. They have handily divided the different hostels by continent and then by country. By far the largest and most comprehensive section is the Europe hostels section, where you can find over 5000 reviews of hostels all over Europe. Other decent sections are Asia and South America. Bug only lists hostels so if you’re looking for hotel or B&B reviews, you’re better off checking Trip Advisor. The lack of images is the one big drawback and we recommend googling images of the hostels you’re interested in before booking there.

Hostel Bookers

Hostel Bookers is a great site which allows you not only to book your hostel but also offers a number of special deals and discount prices especially for students. Take for example their offer to refund double the difference if you find the same deal on other site cheaper. It’s almost worth you just trawling the Internet for better deals so you can make some money back from Hostel Bookers! On top of this Hostel Bookers doesn’t charge a booking fee or other service charges, so you won’t be in for any surprise charges out of the blue! You can also post your own reviews and read what other people have said about the hostel, so you can make sure you don’t make a disastrous decision on where you stay!

HI (Hostelling International)

If you’re not familiar with HI, then its worth you checked them out. HI is the largest not for profit hostelling organization in the world, with over 4000 youth hostels operating worldwide across 80 countries. You don’t need to become a member to stay here, but if you do you can enjoy a number of discounts. It costs about $35 to join which will allow you to get discounts when you pay for your room. HI run a tight ship and all their hostels are subject to regular checks and inspections, ensuring that you will be staying in a clean and comfortable environment.

The post Hotels and Hostels for Students appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

When it comes to student living, there’s one thing that can be harder than anything to budget on but save you the most money in the long run, food shopping. We’ve all been there, anxiously loitering around the cheese aisle wondering whether to splash on a tasty chunk of brie or just place it safe and go for the big block of cheddar. Some questions in life have never been harder and when you’re a student living on a budget, you can rest assured that questions like, what cheese can I afford to buy will be the one most difficult to make. Long gone are those halcyon days of shopping with the parents, dropping anything you fancied into the trolley and gorging yourself when you got home, now it’s baked beans or spaghetti hoops, the choice is all yours.

When living as a student, it’s essential to learn how to survive on a budget, or you’ll end up blowing your student loan on an iPad and endless nights out at the pub and only be able to afford to eat toast of your iPad! It’s one fo the toughtest lessons to learn, but if you get into the habit early on of setting yourself a weekly shopping and drinking budget and sticking to it, you’ll have learnt one of the most important lessons that you could never learn in a classroom.

When it comes to shopping at a supermarket as a student, there are a number of factors that will influence your decision. The major factor will be the proximity of the supermarket to your room, and unless you’re rich enough to afford a car, you’ll either have to walk or settle for the bus. Oh yeah and make sure you don’t go food shopping drunk, you are sure to only end up leaving with a pasty and spending the rest of your weekly budget on booze and fags, take it from one who knows, there’s only so long you can survive on that diet before you end up eating microwave meals for Christmas dinner! Try and plan your meals for the week ahead and that way you’ll know exactly what you need and won’t overspend. It sounds a bit OCD but it will help you’re bank balance out in the long run.

We’ve come up a list of the best supermarkets for students based upon the cheapness of prices and the quality of their food, to help give you a better idea of where you can save the most money.

1. Tesco

The gigantic behemoth that is the Tesco empire not only has the most amount of supermarkets in the UK, but the most amount of money spent in it than any other, which allows them to undercut everyone else and offer the best prices around, bar your local market. It’s always good idea to buy seasonal fruit and veg at your local market and overall it’s much better to support local produce, however there are certain things you’ll need Tesco’s for and they pretty much sweep the floor with their range and quality of goods on offer.

Make sure you pick up a Tesco Club card as you soon as you can so you can start racking up Club card points, which you can use towards savings on gas and food. They’re basically little vouchers that will help you make little savings in the long run.

Alongside your staple groceries, make sure you buy a decent amount of fruit and veg, so you remain healthy. Tescos are always offering deals on oranges and apples, so get into the habit of buying packs each week and eating fruit on a regular basis, preferably in the mornings. Frozen food might appear to be the cheapest food available and frozen pizzas have saved my life on more than one occasion, but try and buy some salad to go with it all.

2. Aldi

If you can find one, you’re in luck because Aldi are one of the cheapest supermarkets on the high street. Ok, they might not be the very best when it comes to quality, but damn are they cheap. Aldi offer a great little deal on fruit and veg every week called the Super 6, where you can enjoy 6 items of fruit and veg for just 39p! So there’s no excuse to not eat healthily when you shop at Aldi. They also offer the cheapest toilet roll, milk, sausages (but not necessarily in that order) than tons of other supermarkets, so make sure you cash in on some of Aldi’s discounts and you won’t be disappointed. Oh and remember to never shop on an empty stomach, or you’ll end up buying up everything in the shop

3. Lidl

Lidl come in a close third and offer the student shopper some fantastic discounts, if you can be bothered to search them out. On top of that Lidl have a great habit of reducing stock at the end of the day, so keep your eyes peeled for tasty tidbits on special offer or at a reduced price and take advantage of them. Usually you find Lidl’s are located on the outskirts of towns and it can pay to take out a bus out to one and stock up for the week, so have a search around on the Internet and see if there’s one near your digs.

The post Best Supermarkets for Students appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

Travelling as a student is one of the best experiences you’ll ever enjoy in your life and right now you are in the best position to sample all that life has to offer. Later, after Uni, you might find it much harder to find the time and the money to go travelling. You might find yourself with a steady job, or that all your friends are too busy to come travelling with you. If you don’t take the opportunity to travel now, you’ll never know what you might have missed, so seize it with both hands before life burdens you with all the responsibilities that you’ll have to undertake later on. On top of that, because you’re young and full of energy, you won’t have time to worry about travelling in luxury; rather, you can stretch your money and use it to travel on the cheap as much as possible.

When it comes to deciding what’s the best way of organizing your trip abroad, you’ll soon become aware that there are a number of travel agents online and offline all vying for your money. There’s no reason why you should have to use a travel agent, however it can definitely make life a lot easier in the long run and there are a number of travel agents who provide discounts for students when it comes to booking your flights, accommodation and travel insurance with them, so it can pay to shop around and use a travel agent to help you plan your itinerary. Even if you don’t end up booking your holiday through the travel agent, they are a great source of information and you can mine them for additional knowledge to help you plan your trip.

If you do plan on using a travel agent, we’ve come up with a list of the top three student travel agents out there, to help you on your way.

1. Sta Travel

StaTravel.co.uk

Sta Travel offer some of the best student deals out there where you’ll be able to enjoy great discounts on flights across the world, including cheap accommodation. One of the best things about Sta Travel is that it’s run by likeminded young people who have travelled a lot and are able to give their own personal advice on where to go and what to check out. When it comes to travel there’s nothing more invaluable than the advice from people who’ve actually experienced where you want to go. That way you can get info on the local weather, customs, how much money to take and numerous other factors which will make your life a lot easier in the long run.

Sta Travel offer flights with airlines to hundreds of destinations, and offer packages and trips which have been specially designed for students. Students are their target market and what makes them better than many other online travel agents is that they have shops which you can walk into and actually get peace of mind regarding your travel plans. This is particularly important when it comes to claiming your travel insurance, as many online operators may prove harder to pin down. If you’ve got a problem with Sta Travel, then you can just walk into one of their shops and settle it there and then.

2. Student Universe 

StudentUniverse.com

If you’re interested in seeing what special offers you can get travelling as a student, then Student Universe is a fantastic site which will cover all your needs. One particularly unique element of this site, is you have to prove you are a student to be able to purchase discounted student flights through them. You have to sign up and register with them to use the site, which is all free. Once you’ve signed up with them, Student Universe will verify your eligibility via your Uni or college email.  After you’re verified, you can enjoy airfares unique to students, with most of the prices already including taxes and extra fees!  On top of that you can get insurance, accommodation and there’s a Daily Deal section where you can get even more discounts on your trip!

3. iTravelosophy

iTravelosophy.com

If you’re looking to go away for a long time up to one year, Travelosophy offers special fares for not only students but also youths and faculty members who are thinking of taking long term trips. Where Travelosophy excels is in their commitment to offering students a great degree of flexibility, such as one way fares, open return dates, changes to your dates and many other factors which contribute to a more flexible trip. This allows you to plan a more open ended trip and not feel tied down to having to get to one place at any certain time!

The post Student Travel Agents appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

Life as a student is hard enough, living on a limited budget and having to juggle studying with socializing and everything else. However if you can manage it, getting a part time job at Uni will provide you with an additional source of income that will come in very handy in the long run. For some students, getting a part time job won’t be an option, it will be a necessity. If you’re in that boat then you’ll be able to use the websites we’ve listed below to help you find exactly the kind of job you’re looking for. If you’re still undecided over whether to get a part time job, here are some reasons why it might be a good idea.

Money, of course, is one of the many reasons why you might be interested in working part time, and the extra cash you can make, will put less pressure on your student loan and mean that you won’t have so much money to pay back in the end. This is something really worth considering, as a student loan can take a long time to pay off and the less loans you need to take out, the better you’ll be helping yourself out in the long run. Also a bit of money on the side will allow you to go out more and will definitely help with paying the rent.

Working part time is a great way to add some structure to your life as a student by keeping you busy and providing a good way of getting to know local people and the town you’re living in a bit better. If you’re working in bar or a café, you should be also able to enjoy free drinks and free food, so not only will you be paid but you’ll get extra things on the side. The same goes for if you work in a shop, where you’ll enjoy staff discounts on whatever you’re selling.

Getting a part time job is not only a good way of helping fund your life at university, but also means you can get a lot of experience in various fields such as customer service if you are working in the Hospitality or Retail industry. If you fancy something a little more hands on, construction sites and courier companies are always looking for students to work for them and the best thing about many of these jobs is, it’s all cash in hand with flexible hours. Working in a building site can be pretty physically demanding and dangerous, so make sure you know what you are getting involved with and that you are not being exploited. The same goes for every job, you don’t want your employer to take advantage of you just because you are a student. If you feel that this is the case and you are not being treated well or being underpaid, take it up with your boss. You can always quit and find work somewhere else.

If you fancy making a bit of cash on the side from writing, there are numerous websites dedicated to freelance writers. All you have to do it create a profile and try and reply to as many jobs that interest you as possible. Upload the best samples of your writing and be prepared to work for initially lower than you expected, until you have built up a reputable portfolio. There’s a lot of competition out there, especially for articles written on the cheap to create bulk content for websites, and it’s important to distinguish yourself from the masses by offering quality content at a reasonable price.

Top 3 Part-Time Jobs Websites for Students

1. Gumtree

Gumtree.co.uk

Gumtree is a great resource for part time jobs, with offers of work appearing daily in all sorts of possible fields. Thousands of people use Gumtree every day, so if you see a job advertised recently; reply to it immediately, the longer you wait, the lower your chances of being offered an interview. If you know what kind of job you’re looking for, put together a decent cover letter and a CV, so you can send it off immediately, when you come across a good job, that way you won’t waste any time and you can tailor it and alter it slightly to suit the relevant position.

Be aware that there are a lot of fake posts on Gumtree, so if anything sounds too good to be true, it is. No one’s going to give you money for nothing, so don’t get conned into wasting your time with fake job listings.

2. The Big Choice

TheBigChoice.com

The Big Choice excels when it comes to finding student jobs as there is a dedicated tab for part time and temporary jobs which is updated regularly. Here you can find jobs in all different kinds of sectors and search by what industry you are interested in and by your location. It’s a great resource and really helps when it comes to finding part time work on the side to support you as a student.

The Big Choice also offers a great guides section, where you can get all the necessary information on what to expect from a part time job, the benefits of part time work and the peak seasons, such as Christmas and Summer jobs when you can be sure of finding extra work.

3. The Student Job

TheStudentJob.co.uk

The Student Job is great if you’re in need of some quick part time work urgently. You can find the latest jobs easily just by punching in your location, where you can find all the local jobs around you. You can also log in using Facebook to save yourself the hassle of signing up with them. Although we don’t recommend it if you have any compromising pictures on your FB account! The Student Jobs is a basic website with an easy layout , which allows you to search through the latest jobs easily and check which jobs are urgent and which are new. You’re also given the deadline for how long you have to apply for the job, but don’t leave it to the last minute, make sure you apply as soon as you see something which appeals to you.

The post Part-Time Jobs Websites appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

There are a number of ways of cutting the costs when it comes to buying books for Uni, the first being, buy second hand books. Of course on some courses, such as Medicine, they insist that you buy the latest edition of the textbook, unfortunately there’s simply no way around that, other than to shop around for the lowest prices, which you’ll invariably find online. But when it comes to certain Degrees such as History or English, you’ll easily be able to find second hand copies of novels and History textbooks in the second hand books department of your local bookstore on campus or failing that on Amazon or Abe. Buying second hand books is a great way of not only saving money, but saving the planet, as a used book is as good as a new one and means less demand on the trees.

If you don’t mind the idea of e-Readers such as Kindles, you’ll be able to find many books available to download totally free, with the tap of a button; cutting out the cost and even the wait for the book to arrive. Project Gutenberg offers one of the largest selections of full books available online, totally for free, so if you’re a fan of e-Readers then this is a great way to save money and paper!

You may think that buying books is always cheaper online, however when you’re at Uni, you’d be surprised how many books get given to local charity shops and second hand bookshops, and not just any books, but the exact books which are relevant to your course. So make sure to search out those used bookstores in your city or campus.

To help you figure out where you’ll be able to purchase the cheapest books, we’ve divided it up between online and offline bookstores:

Online eBook Stores

1. Abe Books

If you haven’t heard of them, head to Abe Books right now and see for yourself what an incredible plethora of books they have on offer. What makes Abe so much better than Amazon is that a) it’s not a giant organization that sells everything under the sun and wants to take over the world, b) they only specialize in books and c) they allow you to sell your own books!

Abe Books is not only passionate about books, they are head over heels in love with books. From novels to textbooks, cookery books to rare books and everything in between, if Abe doesn’t have it then Amazon will. The fact that you can sell your books once you’ve done with them is an especially nice feature and means that at least you can make some money back once you’ve absorbed all their information!

2. Amazon

Amazon probably has the largest selection of books available online, because they allow a variety of wholesalers to use them as a marketplace for just about every product that you could possibly hope to buy. Amazon is like what Argos wishes it could be but never had the imagination to achieve. What makes Amazon so damn incredible is that you have the opportunity to search for the best price and the best condition for every book you can find. However, it’s always worth taking into account the fact that you’ll have to include postage and packing unless you qualify for Amazon’s Super Saver delivery. Sometimes the postage and packing can actually exceed the price of the book, so don’t say you haven’t be warned.

Top Book Retail Stores

1. Waterstones

Waterstones are the largest high street book retailers in the UK and if you can’t find a book you’re looking for in one of their branches, then chances are you’ll be able to order it from another branch or a warehouse. There’s nothing better than actually going to a Waterstones and thumbing through a copy of the book you’re planning on buying and then buying it for half the price on the Internet. But sometimes, you may find the allure too much and end up buying a book there and then. If this is the case, maybe stick to buying just one book at a time from Waterstones and save the bulk orders for the Internet.

The fact that they don’t have a second hand books section is a big oversight, but this is the place to come if you want to physically see what the books you are looking for are like and to get yourself a shiny new hardback.

Waterstones offer student discounts, so don’t forget to flash your student card. They also offer a lot of 3 for 2 deals on the latest novels; just don’t expect any big savings here.

2. Foyles

Foyles is a great chain of bookshops which provides a welcome alternative to Waterstones monopoly on bookshops. Despite not offering second hand books either (you’ll have to search out your local independent book store for that or a charity shop), they have a wide selection of books from all over the globe and if Waterstones doesn’t have it and you need it so urgently that Abe and Amazon can’t wait, Foyles should have it. Just make sure you head to one of their larger stores and try not to be tempted by one of their many special offers!

The post Best Book Retailers for Students Online & Offline appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

Welcome to StudentMoney.co.uk’s accommodation guide.  On this page, we’ll list a number of useful articles and guides for freshers moving into halls or residents in addition for how to make the move to private residence in your first year.

• How Much Should you Pay?
• Halls of Residence vs. Private Housing in 1st Year
• Choosing Uni Accommodation
• Preparing for University and Moving in
• Buy Student Contents Insurance!

Best Estate Agents Online for Students

There are a number of factors that will influence how you choose where you live as a student, however once you move out of university accommodation, there is one element which you cannot avoid, estate agents. Dealing with estate agents can be a harrowing business. Due to the high demand in property in student towns, many students are at the mercy of unscrupulous estate agents who are willing to pass off any old property as fast as they can, without a care for your comfort or your surroundings. For many of them students can be easily exploited due to their lack of experience and their fear of being left out in the cold after not finding a place to move into fast enough.

In order to not be left in the lurch and allow estate agents to walk all over you, you’ll first need to organize who you want to live with. The sooner you decide who you want to live with the better, as that way you won’t be left hanging around trying to find housemates, when all the properties are flying of the shelves like hot cakes. Our advice is to have found housemates you get along with at the latest by the third term of Uni or you might finder it harder to arrange decent accommodation.

In order to choose the right estate agent for you make sure you shop around and visit a number of estate agents to assess what properties they have available and how the staff treat you. Nothing is more valuable than first-hand experience. It’s all very good to investigate and search for properties online but it helps to pop into the actual estate agents shops to ask for specific information such as the demand and the average rental price of properties.

One of the biggest problems amongst estate agents is that most of them are working on commission, which makes them eager to pass off any old crap as a great student home to live in. Don’t be deceived by glossy pictures and a hard sell, go and see properties for yourself and see how they compare to how the agent has described them.

Remember that most letting agents charge a reference fee between £20 and £100. Do you best to negotiate with the agent for less. Also agents should never charge for showing you properties if they try, you know something shady is up.

It’s best to go for either very local estate agents or big chains, the reason for this is that local estate agents tend to have a much more friendly, personal approach, on top of that they’ll have the local knowledge and be able to advise on the quality of areas. Big chains are also worth checking out because they will have listings of most of the student rental properties available, which will help you out in the long run. The only problem with this is that you can feel like just a number with thousands of students using them. Move fast and get in their early to get the best properties available.

There are different estate agents in every student town however the one thing that you can rely on is the Internet. In order to help you find exactly the property you’re looking for, we’ve come up with the top websites which should cover all student properties available in your city.

Zoopla

Zoopla is one of the largest property websites online and will provide you with a vast, comprehensive list of most of the student rental accommodation available in your area. What makes Zoopla good is that they also give you an idea of the average rental price for property in a particular area, so you can make sure you’re not getting ripped off. You can also check the average houses in each street, so you can even check how affluent the area you are thinking of moving into is.

Alongside the price of properties, you can also check general statistics regarding the area you are thinking of moving into. These can range from information on local crime rates to distance to the local tube and bus stops to info about the amount of parks in the area and other general information. This can really help when it comes to giving you a good idea of what the area you want to move into is like.

Gumtree/Craigslist

Gumtree and Craigslist are undoubtedly some of your best bets when it comes to finding a student house to move into. The fact that you can rent directly through the landlord, means you can cut out the agent and not have to deal with all their smooth talking, manipulation techniques. As a rule you should always make sure you have a written contract which is signed by both landlord and tenants, confirming that you are living there and that they can’t just throw you out. It also pays off big time to insist on an Inventory, so you can document all the items inside the house in case of breakages and damage. The last thing you want is a corrupt landlord trying to fleece you for something that was broken before you moved in. Also get the landlord to provide full certificates regarding that the Gas and Electricity is up to standard and can provide the necessary documentation to prove that they have been checked recently.

Prime Location

Prime Location is another huge online resource which provides listings of pretty much all the estate agents renting properties across the whole UK. You can obviously specify where and how much you want to spend in order to narrow down the parameters and help find the perfect student house for you and your friends. Form their website you’ll be able to see images of the property and call or email the estate agent who’s letting the property.

Another handy feature that you can sign up to is by submitting your email alongside a description of the accommodation you’re looking for, to all the local estate agents in your area. This means that you can just sit back and wait to be bombarded by estate agents. Be careful of offering your mobile number, unless you are prepared to receive endless phone calls from estate agents for the rest of your life! (I went to Uni 5 years ago and they’re still calling me!)

The post Student Accommodation appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

Deciding where to live anywhere can be one of the hardest things to figure out, but when you’re a student and you’re new to a town, it can be even more difficult. We’ve put together a guide to help you think about the important factors that might influence your decision when it comes to choosing where you want to live.

More often than not, your first year of Uni will be in student halls, this can be in town or on campus depending on the layout of the Uni. If it’s on campus, you can be guaranteed that by the end of your first year you’ll be itching to get off campus and find you and your friends a comfortable flat or house to move into. However, before you leap at the first house you’ve seen, have a think about some of the factors we’ve listed below which will affect your decision.

Location

The first thing you need to think about when moving into any property as a student or a professional is location. The location you live in will affect the quality of your time there and can make the difference between enjoying where you live and never wanting to leave your house. One of the most important things to consider as a student when looking at an area, is it’s proximity to your university. Many Uni’s are spread about, especially in the larger cities and it might not be possible to find a place which is close to all the buildings you’ll need to visit. If that is the case, think about which buildings you’ll need to frequent the most and narrow it down according to that. Of course, if all your lectures and seminars are in one location or your Uni is based on a campus this makes life a little easier. In general it’s a good idea to be within 30mins bus or tube ride from your Uni, any more and you might find the daily commute means you don’t end up going at all!

Amenities

The location of your new student home will also benefit from its proximity to supermarkets, takeaway joints, pubs and other places to get your food and do some socializing. Ideally you want to be within walking distance of a corner shop or a supermarket, where you can buy a pint of milk for a cup of tea or a loaf of bread, if you run out of food. You won’t want to have to take a bus just to get the basic essentials to survive, so take this into account. Have a walk around the area you’re thinking of moving into and see what the amenities are like, this way you can ensure that you’re not just moving into the middle of nowhere and you’ll be able to nip out to the shop if you need some last minute ingredients.

Transport

The next major factor to think about is how you plan on getting around. Many students opt for using a bicycle, which is certainly one of the most efficient ways of getting from A to B, however it’s not always possible to use a bike, especially if you’re heading for a big night out! On top of that, if the weather’s bad, as it inevitably is in England, you don’t want to be cycling round in the rain or snow. This is why it’s worth checking out what the transport links are like in the area you intend to live in. The last thing you want is to wait for an hour for the bus to come every morning. Check the local bus and tube time table and ask people who already live in the area how easy it is to get around using the public transport. In some cities, the public transport is shockingly bad, which can make the difference between you having to get up really early and commuting into Uni or just rolling out of bed and grabbing the bus which runs every ten minutes.

Entertainment

Let’s face it, as students we all like to go out and enjoy ourselves after studying endlessly in the library day in day out. This is why it’s worth living in an area where there is stuff going on. By stuff I don’t necessarily mean just pubs and clubs, but also cinemas, café’s, theatres, museums and a whole host of other elements that will make living where you live all that more enjoyable. The best locations for students to live, manage to strike a delicate balance between being culturally engaging as well as not too expensive. You’ll inevitably want to go out with your friends and enjoy exploring the city so it’s important to add that to the mix.

Some of you might want to be near art galleries and cafes, others might prefer to be close to the clubs or the football stadium. Whatever you’re after, make sure you think about what you’re most passionate about spending your free time doing and see if you can find a place which manages to cover as many bases as possible.

The post Best Areas to Live in Student Towns appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

Before you leave Uni, you’ll generally be obliged to find yourself an internship or work placement where you’ll be required to work for free in order to gain experience. This can be a great way of getting your foot in the door and discovering first-hand experience of what the working environment is really like. It’s really worthwhile investigating where you can work so you can get the most out of your internship. It helps if you have a good idea of what you want to do, but that can be the hardest thing to figure out. If you’re still undecided of what you’d like to do, it’s worth visiting a careers advisor at your University who will be able to guide you in the right direction and help you understand what kind of job you might enjoy and what would be beneficial to your future.

Where you get your internship is also dependent on the degree you doing. Obviously if you are doing a degree in journalism it would make most sense for you to get work experience working for a local newspaper or an online publication. These kinds of internships can be hard to get, so make sure you start early, otherwise if you leave it too late, you might find all the work placements have dried up. By acting fast at Uni you can ensure you get the best internship available, which will put you in good stead for your future.

Once you have decided on where you would like to get work experience, there are a number of websites dedicated to providing you with information on work placements and internships.  Many of these sites provide daily, up to date listings on the opportunities available in the town you are at university. In general the larger the town the more opportunities there are for you, but don’t lose heart if you can’t find the internship you are looking for. It’s good to get as much work experience in as many different companies as possible as you can add all of them to your CV, which will give you an advantage over your peers when it comes to applying for an actual, paid job.

Unfortunately, companies hardly ever pay their interns and many companies simply use it as free labour. In some cases they may pay for your transport costs, but don’t expect anything other than experience and you might be mildly surprised. What you will get is a good idea of the role and responsibilities you would have to undertake in a working environment, experience dealing with people professionally and whether the job in particular appeals to you.

Internships can last from anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of months. Before you start you will be given a rough idea of the duration of your time there and also how many hours per week you will be expected to work. Remember you want to leave as good impression on your employers as possible in case you need them as references in the future for other jobs, or in the event that you want to work for them.

Below we’ve listed some of the best work placement and internship websites, where you will be able to find listings of various companies around the UK in a variety of industries looking for Interns. Don’t wait around till you see an exciting opportunity, but apply for it immediately and you will already be in a better position for your future.

Top 3 Internship and Work Placement Websites:

1. Rate My Placement

RateMyPlacement.co.uk

Rate My Placement provides a unique insight into the Internship and Work Placement market by encouraging users to upload their own reviews of what it was like working as an Intern for various companies in various roles. The reviews can be sparse and just feature a rating out of 10, while others provide a little more depth. It’s definitely worth you checking out their website if you’re interested in any jobs or companies in particular, so you can check if they’ve been reviewed before.

You can choose which location you want to find a job and specify how long you’d like to work for. These vary from 1-4 weeks to in excess of 10 months, so it’s perfect for narrowing down your criteria, so you can find internships and placements that span the length of time you are looking for. They also provide Employer Profiles where you’ll be able to gain an even greater insight into the kind of employer you could be working for.

2. Milkround

Milkround.co.uk

Milkround is a great site which houses thousands of jobs for students and a great section on Internships and Placements. Simply search by location and you’ll be able to narrow down your criteria by Industry and critically, Deadline, so you don’t have to worry about applying for jobs which don’t exist anymore. There Internships range from working all around the world and for some UK companies. So if you’re looking for something a little more international, then this is your best bet.

Milkround also feature info on the Times Top 100 Employers and gives prospective graduates the lowdown on the best places to work in the UK. Register with them to get offers straight to your inbox and upload your profile, so you can apply for placements directly through the website.

3. Internwise

Internwise.co.uk

Internwise is a great website which helps you find jobs as an intern for companies in the UK. It’s totally free and easy to browse the Internships they offer and there are a multitude to choose from. If you find something that catches your eye, you’ll just have to register as a member, which is completely free. You’ll have to upload your CV and fill in some details about yourself so once you’ve done that you’ll be able to start applying for new Internships along with a Cover Letter. You can search for Internships by Location and Sector as with most other sites and you should be able to find a great array of opportunities through them.

The post Internship Websites appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.

It’s easy as a student to forget about small matters such as contents insurance, in favour of going down to the local student union and getting very, very drunk, but in the long run you’ll thank yourself that you’ve taken it out.

Student houses and halls of residence, unfortunately, are prime targets for thieves looking to make a quick buck. Your relaxed, laissez faire attitude and aversion to the police makes you the perfect victims for thieves, who will happily exploit your good nature to their advantage. Don’t believe me? Well recent statistics show that students are 3 times more likely than everyone else to get burgled! On top of that, recent research shows most students own possessions in excess of $4000!

Let’s face it, how many times have you forgotten to close that window or lock that door and suddenly panicked once you’ve left your house that someone could get in. Well now that you’re renting your place, you’ll need to think about just how you’re getting to insure no one breaks in and takes all your stuff! Make sure your cover includes Walk-In theft, as many plans don’t cover you, if there’s no sign of forced entry. Some plans don’t cover certain items, such as bikes or musical instruments, so if you’ve got one, make sure that it will be included. Most plans will cover you for theft, flood, fire and many other criteria, but it’s always worth reading the fine print to make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. It’s also worth getting Accidental Damage added to your cover, so you’re not paranoid every time you put a cup of tea down next to your laptop!

There are a variety of contents insurance plans on the market but many of them are aimed at an older audience of home owners. Oh and make sure you don’t get conned into taking out home insurance, as that will cover the physical property and not your stuff! Remember you’re renting; the only thing you need to insure is the contents of your room, house or flat.

It might sound obvious but it also pays to look after your belongings, literally.  Make sure your landlord has installed fire and burglar alarms. If you manage not to make any claims for a while, you’ll be able to enjoy an NCD (No Claims Discount), which basically reduces your premium and means you pay less overall. Other ways of reducing your premium are by offering to pay more in excess if you do have to make a claim. The excess is the money you front when you make your claim.

We’ve taken a look at a variety of student contents insurance plans to give you a rundown of the very top 3 plans available to suit your budget. Have a read of each and see which one you like the look of best before you make up your mind. Oh and make sure your housemates know that your contents insurance only applies to your stuff, so they don’t just assume that they’re covered too. They’re not. You’ll each have to take out contents insurance.

Top 3 Student Content Insurance Providers:

1. Endsleigh

Endsleigh, is the only Insurance company to be recommended by the National Union of Students and with over 50 years of experience in the business, you’re guaranteed to get great contents insurance cover with them. Endsleigh offer specialist student room insurance where you can indicate exactly what you want your insurance to cover. Their plan covers your belongings inside and outside your room, with up to $2,000 cover for individual items like Desktop PCs and speakers, (laptop cover has to be purchased additionally). They’ll also replace your old PC with a new one should it be stolen. The policy covers Walk in Theft and stuff left in your room during student holidays for up to 35 days. You’ll also enjoy a $600 cover on CDs/DVS’s and cameras but only if their left in your room. You can easily add extra cover for your laptop, mobile phone, musical instrument and bike amongst a variety of other factors. Having all your insurance cover with one provider makes life a hell of a lot easier and Endsleigh are undoubtedly one of the best providers of student contents insurance around.

2. Barclays

Barclays offer a decent student contents cover for possessions between £2,000 and £8,000. With them you’ll be protected from loss or damage, in the event of a flood, fire, storm, theft or vandalism. The neat thing about this plan is that they cover you not only in term time but also when you’re on your way to or from Uni (they don’t cover holidays unless you add it). You’ll also enjoy cover on your TV, PC, games consoles and sound system of up to £250.  The most they’ll pay for single item is $500, so bear this in mind. If you own an expensive laptop, bike or smart phone, you’ll need to take out additional insurance. You’re also covered up to £1,000 should you damage any of the furniture or goods in the house you are renting.

3. HSBC

HSBC offer students,  4 levels of cover for up to £2,000, £3,000, £4,000 and £5,000 depending on how expensive your stuff is worth. The maximum an individual item is covered for is $500 and that includes loss and damage. The HSBC student contents insurance also includes a useful 30 day cover for when you are away from your accommodation. So if you go on holiday or home when term times over, you can be sure your stuff will be covered for 30 days. HSBC also cover your cash, so you can get up to £100 if your money is stolen or £500 if your credit card is lost or stolen. You can also enjoy accidental damage protection of up to £250 which covers your TV, Hi-Fi etc. This plan does not cover your computer, so if you think you need additional cover for your PC, laptop, bike or any other precious item, make sure to include it in your plan.

The post Student Contents Insurance appeared first on StudentMoney.co.uk | Student Comparison Site, Money Guide and Deals.