Canadian Postgrad Help

Hi! I'm a Canadian who will be heading off to start a PhD at Nottingham this October. Unfortunately the city is a bit of a swim from here, so I can't easily compare apartments.

I have very little concept of what Nottingham looks like or where might be a convenient place to live. That's where you come in: any tips about good neighbourhoods; how house-hunting is done in the UK; scams and pitfalls to look out for, etc, would be much appreciated.

Ideally I would find a bachelor or one-bedroom apartment within cycling range (it never really gets all that cold, does it? I guess it rains a lot though...) of both the city and the school, with proximity to the school being of higher priority. I want a separate unit because a) grad school requires long periods of quiet and b) my girlfriend will move from Switzerland to live with me after Christmas. I'm not totally against the idea of sharing a house with other postgraduates who don't mind my girlfriend's presence.

Any other Canadian (or American) expats reading this: we should make friends.

Any general information about how not to inspire murderous rage in random passers-by would also be useful (I have never been to the UK). Think of me as an American, who is a little less arrogant and not quite so overbearingly friendly, and who has had to deal with much less bizarre politics of late. (Added later: This last bit is a joke. I like Americans.)

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1

scbond

Try looking on these websites to search for rental properties:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk

http://www.findaproperty.co.uk

I'd look at either the city centre itself or the area of Beeston and settle for either close proximity to one and not a compromise of both. The areas sort of half-way between the city centre and UP, such as Radford, aren't brilliant and I would only suggest living there if you intend on secure student accommodation.

Original post by Dr_Colossus

Any general information about how not to inspire murderous rage in random passers-by would also be useful (I have never been to the UK). Think of me as an American, who is a little less arrogant and not quite so overbearingly friendly, and who has had to deal with much less bizarre politics of late.

Why would you inspire murderous rage for being foreign or anything like that?!

You're assuming all Americans are arrogant, which is a stereotype and, while stereotyping does often work, it is probably best not to label people in such a way that may be seen as offensive.

Speaking of stereotypes, if you have the typical view of the UK (which I got the hint of from reading this) then when you get here you'll have a massive shock to the system.

(edited 12 years ago)

University of Nottingham

Nottingham

Visit website

Reply 2

Dr_Colossus

I'm just joking about the Americans. I hadn't thought I was expressing any view of the UK at all, but in general being in a new country requires some new behaviour, and Canadians probably make certain mistakes in common. Blanket anti-Americanism is apparently one of them, so that's useful.

P.S. What is the "typical view of the UK" (this is a serious question)? It would be good to know what people in the UK believe foreigners to think of them. Are you supposed to be xenophobic (I have never heard of this, but ok)? In that case I could see why the 'murderous rage' bit might have sounded offensive.