Selecting right institution, higher education funding council, working in UK

Choosing right institute is as important as choosing course of study. But when choosing and institution, you have to consider several other criterion also. Particularly when you are going to as an international student you need to consider:

•        The academic quality of the institution
•        Society and culture of the country
•        Personal factors
•        Resources and support from institution
•        Options for accommodation
•        Employment track record for the institution
•        Also consider little less known institutions

Make sure to go through the official website of the institution. Also search student blogs etc to find more about the institution.

Academic quality of an institution in UK is based on audit by the Quality Assurance Agency. Institutions may have rank from one (Low quality) to four (High quality education provider).These reports only audit the basic requirements of a higher education institution.

UK Higher Education Funding Councils access quality of PG research programs offered by institutions. If you are going for research based PG course, you may find 2001 report of audits from site 'www.hero.ac.uk/rae'.

Personal factors like if you have friends in that institution, if the geographic location is suitable for you can also affect your choice of an institution. But when you are going for higher education, these should be least point of concerns.

But you should definitely consider the financial impact of the location you are choosing. Metropolitan areas such as London and the south east of England are much more expensive than elsewhere. Check if campus accommodation is available for PG courses?

Resources and support like well stocked library, Internet access, computer centers etc. also have very profound impact on quality of your education. So make sue to explore about it.

Facts about working during studies in UK:

Students from European Economic Area (EEA) countries do not need visa / work permit to work in UK.

For students from other countries also, there are many opportunities of working during studies. That way you can meet some of your expenses. There are some rules that you need to follow when you are working during your studies.

Most students on courses of more than 6 months will be given a passport sticker that allows them to work part-time during the term (up to 20 hours a week) and full-time during the vacations. However, for immigration, you must be able to show that you can afford to study and live in the UK without needing to work. You must be able to show other sources of funding apart from your part-time work.

To get updated and complete information about working in UK during studies go to UKCOSA site
http://www.ukcosa.org.uk/pages/guidenote.htm#workduring .

In UKCOSA website you will find other useful information like requirements for driving license, tax
information and many other topics are also covered.