From oldest Welsh city to London: ‘My journey from an international student to Behavioural Technician’ | Life in a Foreign University

How UK made me skill-ready

I started networking on the social media platform LinkedIn with university alumni and people from the same profession, and this prepared me for a successful job hunt even before going to the UK. I feel there are plenty of jobs and houses to rent. All you need to do is follow the procedure, and remember that tricks don’t work here and have severe consequences. It’s better to start looking for a job/house in advance and keep socialising. Joining WhatsApp and Facebook groups is also a good idea as relevant advertisements show up on these platforms.

The study experience is completely different from India. Here, we have the entire library to make notes from and prepare for the topics in our syllabus. Teachers would only come in for seminars to clear doubts (if any) and provide recorded lectures with presentations to explain the topic. However, if you want to prepare for the exam, then you have to spend time self-studying and developing your knowledge. This helped me answer the application-based questions that we get for assessments.

I finished my dissertation and in the last month started applying for jobs in my professional field, attended the interviews and landed a job towards the end term. I gained experience and then changed my profession from a school to a private clinic setting for children with special needs. This journey has trained me for my profession and I feel much more confident as a behavioural technician.

Getting admissions

I contacted IDP and joined the virtual seminars for all the countries. My counsellor provided a list of universities in the UK that offered the course and connected me for virtual meetings with the university representatives and provided me with a list of documents required for the admission process. After that, I worked on my documents such as the statement of purpose for scholarship, resume and bank statements, etc.

While I did not put in an application for a loan, I applied for scholarships. They were university-based scholarships, all with different eligibility requirements. I bagged the vice chancellor scholarship at Bangor University and was awarded £2000 scholarship each for fees and university accommodation.

All the scholarship results are based on our scores and the personal essay or statement of purpose that we submit explaining why we are the best fit for the scholarship.

Life in a student city versus in London

When I got admission to the UK, the country was still affected by the Covid and we were recommended to attend virtual seminars and join university lectures once a week. I was under quarantine for the first 10 days and then stepped out to explore the beauty of Bangor and its welcoming people.

As it is a student city and a countryside, most of the population were of students and the elderly enjoying their retirements. I would often meet the same people while going for groceries and they would teach me how to greet in Welsh while I taught them in Hindi.

It was easy to have a good social life as the university would have clubs and events to join according to our interests. Moreover, the university accommodation would often organise weekly fun activities for the housemates. It was a lovely opportunity to make friends who are from different parts of the world.

The initial shock for me was the early shutdown of all the stores and restaurants (by 7 pm) over weekdays and by 4 pm over weekends. The bus services would start late over the weekends which created difficulty as I had to get back home from my night shift, and therefore, I would end up walking for an hour on Sundays.

As a scholarship student, I did not have to worry about my rent initially and did not consider part-time jobs. Later, I started night shifts as a healthcare assistant as that was the highest hourly paid job in Bangor compared to working in stores.

I celebrated various festivals organised by the student unions in the university. Many grocery stores cater to the needs of students from not just India but all parts of the world. It was a warm and homely experience at Bangor.

However, on the contrary, when I moved to London, I felt people were so busy with their lives that they couldn’t spare a minute to help anyone. At first, it felt rude that I struggled to find help carrying my baggage while finding the underground tube routes, but now, after adapting to this London life, I realise not everyone is impolite. It’s just that they have commitments to meet, and time is of utmost importance to them.

(This letter is part of a series by The Indian Express where we bring to you the experiences of students at different foreign universities. From scholarships and loans to food and cultural experiences — students tell us how life is different in those countries and things they are learning other than academics)