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Questions about bangor university

Hi guys! I'm an international student considering bangor university after i graduate a year later in singapore.
I would like to find out about the living expenses in bangor uni or particularly in north wales. Like maybe how much you spend on food and other expenses etc.
And also, how much does a part time job pays per hour and what are the normal/usual working hours like.
Thank you in advance for any replies :wink:

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£20 a week is adequate for food

Average rent is about £65 a week plus bills...

If you don't speak Welsh then you have very little chance of getting a job (not that there are any, anyway), so forget that one.
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Reply 2
£20 is adequate? Wow, didn't expect this. Thank you for replying! :smile:
Reply 3
£20 is good for one person but I'm living in a flat and between the three of us we can split the shopping bill to £7 a week :biggrin: Obviously shopping with friends is cheaper but for £20 a week you can get loads of stuff!
Reply 4
How 'bout if you don't want to cook? :tongue: I presume £7 a week is when you cook? So how much will one meal cost then?
Reply 5
I'd question the "Can't speak welsh, no job" point. Most of the people I work with can't speak welsh and we muddle on fine.

Still, there are no jobs around at the moment, so its pretty much a mute point
Original post by Welshbyrne
I'd question the "Can't speak welsh, no job" point. Most of the people I work with can't speak welsh and we muddle on fine.

Still, there are no jobs around at the moment, so its pretty much a mute point



You did Welsh at school though right? Obviously its not impossible, but the employers will always take a Welsh speaker if they can, the only non-Welsh people I know that have jobs are those who had a job at home and transferred to the Bangor branch of their workplace, e.g. Tesco
Reply 7
Original post by Barden
You did Welsh at school though right? Obviously its not impossible, but the employers will always take a Welsh speaker if they can, the only non-Welsh people I know that have jobs are those who had a job at home and transferred to the Bangor branch of their workplace, e.g. Tesco


Oh I did welsh in school up until 16. However I work with cockneys, scousers and generic northerners. I think they key is to find a job with a national company, i.e. tesco, HMV etc, who don't seem to care as much as local business
Reply 8
What about meals!!
I was in Bangor's Yates's behind the Cathedral a couple of months back and had a 3 course meal for £8. Then a hot chocolate for about £1.50. Any of the pubs do cheap food really as they have to compete against each other for the business, you'll only pay over the odds if you go to some fancy restaurant that has quail/pheasant/posh food on the menu.
Reply 10
Original post by Barden
£20 a week is adequate for food

Average rent is about £65 a week plus bills...

If you don't speak Welsh then you have very little chance of getting a job (not that there are any, anyway), so forget that one.



REALLY? I don't speak Welsh, and neither do a LOAD of my international friends, but many of us managed to find part time jobs (although for most this was during summer)
Reply 11
Original post by jy_9693
Hi guys! I'm an international student considering bangor university after i graduate a year later in singapore.
I would like to find out about the living expenses in bangor uni or particularly in north wales. Like maybe how much you spend on food and other expenses etc.
And also, how much does a part time job pays per hour and what are the normal/usual working hours like.
Thank you in advance for any replies :wink:


Living expenses -

Food - about £20 per week
Partying - I was a broke bastard, so I spent about £10-15 per outing, which is good for about 3 drinks and entry if you sign up for the guest list and come early

Even if you don't party there will be other functions, especially with an international student union, where you will have to pay a few pounds, but nothing major

Other events - Maybe about £20 per month

Shopping/Misc - about 30-40 £ per month, during the winter time you'll probably need to buy a hoody, gloves and maybe a few other winter clothes. Outside of winter, you'll probably need to buy a pair of shoes, clothes etc every now and then
Original post by dgeorge
REALLY? I don't speak Welsh, and neither do a LOAD of my international friends, but many of us managed to find part time jobs (although for most this was during summer)


well there you are then lol

us home students either aren't around in the summer to apply or can't work over the summer if the employer requires it


of course it isn't impossible, but without the advantage of speaking welsh we lose out on a first come, first served basis to people who are in bangor over the summer lol
Original post by The Optimistic Ram
I was in Bangor's Yates's behind the Cathedral a couple of months back and had a 3 course meal for £8. Then a hot chocolate for about £1.50. Any of the pubs do cheap food really as they have to compete against each other for the business, you'll only pay over the odds if you go to some fancy restaurant that has quail/pheasant/posh food on the menu.


yeah but yates' smells like piss :wink:
Reply 14
Original post by Barden
well there you are then lol

us home students either aren't around in the summer to apply or can't work over the summer if the employer requires it


of course it isn't impossible, but without the advantage of speaking welsh we lose out on a first come, first served basis to people who are in bangor over the summer lol


I also had a number of odd jobs during term time. All I did was sign up with bangor Jobzone which often advertises short term jobs with the university and surrounding areas

I also know a number of people who worked in clubs who know no welsh at all DURING TERM TIME. Most people who spent a good amount of time looking for a job got one, unless it was something that they didn't like and turned it down or were picky

There were a few jobs where it specifically said that Welsh speakers were preferred, but let me stress that I know MANY people who didn't speak Welsh but got jobs
Reply 15
Original post by Barden
yeah but yates' smells like piss :wink:


Yellow smells worse.
Original post by dgeorge
I also had a number of odd jobs during term time. All I did was sign up with bangor Jobzone which often advertises short term jobs with the university and surrounding areas


Yeah that's fair enough, but its not steady work. The only work I've had through JobZone was car park marshaling at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2010. I.e. two days work at minimum wage.

I also know a number of people who worked in clubs who know no welsh at all DURING TERM TIME. Most people who spent a good amount of time looking for a job got one, unless it was something that they didn't like and turned it down or were picky


Club work is low hours though, and generally requires one to know the person who's hiring.

There were a few jobs where it specifically said that Welsh speakers were preferred, but let me stress that I know MANY people who didn't speak Welsh but got jobs



That's because its illegal to discriminate where Welsh speaking isn't essential to the business, but it still happens though because many locals will prefer to be able to speak Welsh when shopping etc. If a local employer has two identical candidates, yet one speaks Welsh, the Welsh-speaker will almost always get the job.

Most people I know who have jobs in Bangor either transferred from their home branch of a highstreet chain/supermarket, or are Welsh-speakers.
Reply 17
Original post by Barden
Yeah that's fair enough, but its not steady work. The only work I've had through JobZone was car park marshaling at Radio 1's Big Weekend 2010. I.e. two days work at minimum wage.



Club work is low hours though, and generally requires one to know the person who's hiring.




That's because its illegal to discriminate where Welsh speaking isn't essential to the business, but it still happens though because many locals will prefer to be able to speak Welsh when shopping etc. If a local employer has two identical candidates, yet one speaks Welsh, the Welsh-speaker will almost always get the job.

Most people I know who have jobs in Bangor either transferred from their home branch of a highstreet chain/supermarket, or are Welsh-speakers.


I guess we have different experiences. I had a 2.5 week gig doing telephone interviews, a 3 day job stuffing envelopes, 2 other jobs for a few days, and I actually turned down one or two jobs because I was travelling or was busy. I won't disagree that having connections DEFINITELY helps, but I wouldn't say its critical. My flatmate and a few other people I know got jobs in various places in Deinol Centre - e.g. Clinton cards and they were from Nigeria
Well, im sightly worried now about not being able to get a job because i dont speak welsh. I am considering bangor and it was my first choice too and i got a conditional offer. But if i cant get a part time job over the summer or winter then i cant go.

Im going to be living in private rented accommodation so its important that i have that chance to get a job. Well im really going to have to think about it now and weigh up my options.
Original post by Frecklesgirl
Well, im sightly worried now about not being able to get a job because i dont speak welsh. I am considering bangor and it was my first choice too and i got a conditional offer. But if i cant get a part time job over the summer or winter then i cant go.

Im going to be living in private rented accommodation so its important that i have that chance to get a job. Well im really going to have to think about it now and weigh up my options.


Best bet it to get a job in your local town in one of the big stores in Bangor and transfer down.

Places like Morrisons, Tesco's etc

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