NewStats: 3,263,871 , 8,181,690 topics. Date: Sunday, 08 June 2025 at 12:51 PM 2y402l

Hello guys, I need your opinion.

I'm about renting my first house since moving to the UK, I've been staying in an accommodation provided by my employer.

Got a two bedroom apartment for #660 but with EPC rating E and electric heating which I'm really concerned about.
I spoke to a friend who pays #40 a month on energy bills for a house with electric heating in the same area, negotiated a fixed rate with his energy provider.
Someone also told me issues they had with mould leaving in a house with epc rating of e and that they paid up to #200 for energy cos of electric heating.

I already spoke with the letting agent who told me they don't have any record stating that the house had any issues with mould and condensation.

Can you guys kindly advise me as I dont know much about the epc rating and its implications and also how to get cheap energy bills on eletric heating.

Thanks.

[b][/b]The Nursing and Midwifery Council UK in order to relieve financial burden on foreign educated nurses seeking places in her last month reduced the cost of her exams with effect from April 1st, 2019. However, the goal of this goodwill looks defeated as applicants from Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon still pay double or in most cases triple of these fees.

Attempts by applicants from the aforementioned countries to pay for the Computer Based Test (CBT) on Pearson Vue website always meet brick walls as they are greeted with the message “ Card payment is not available for the test Chosen, Kindly your test centre for payment assistance”

It seems odd that Pearson Vue accepts credit and debit card payment from the aforementioned countries during registration for NCLEX-RN and other exams it conducts but direct applicants for UK NMC CBT to test centres for payment. This has given room for test centres to almost double or in most cases triple the registration fees from applicants. For instance Bellaz Education Test Centre in Lagos Nigeria charges applicants £139 as against £90 approved by NMC. Applicants who wish to re-schedule the exam are charged £11 against free rescheduling policy on Pearson Vue website. It should be noted however that applicants from these countries are able to make the £140 NMC application fees payment effortlessly on NMC website with their debit and credit cards.

Aside the above problem associated with accepting payments from Test Centres only, Test Centres now see themselves as gods and wield unnecessary power. Bellaz Centre in Lagos for instance is famous for always cancelling scheduled exam for any applicant that tried to move their test away to another centre for any reason whatsoever. Applicants are then refunded £85 as against the £139 collected from them for initial registration. Applicants from other test centres from Ibadan and Abuja Nigeria, Yaounde in Cameroon and Accra Ghana have near similar experience

These excess charges and behaviors from test centres affect the number of applicants sitting for CBT in those countries as it makes the UK Nurse registration more expensive than it should be. We therefore pray that NMC UK should:

1. Mandate Pearson Vue to start accepting credit and debit card payments from Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon like it does for its other Exams

2. Stop test centres from Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon from ing and paying on behalf of applicants as it only breed extortion.

3. Stop test centres from charging applicants different unapproved fees

4. Approve more test centres to ister CBT Exam in order to reduce the stress of traveling long distance for applicants.

Acting on these prayers will in no doubt dramatically increase the number of applicants sitting for CBT Exams and coming to UK which will ease the shortage of Nurses currently being experienced.


Can you help out by g this petition?
http://chng.it/r99fgnpd


*SIGN IT, SHARE IT*

Lexusgs430:



It goes to show that out of all the clutter and chats, sense does exist..............

Not just sense sir, a lot of sense.
May God enrich all of you that held this thread with more knowledge.
You all are doing a great job

Hello house,

I've followed this thread from the beginning and I was earnestly hoping that someday I too will be able to share my experience of living in the UK.
And finally I got the break I was hoping for, got to UK late last year on a tier 2 visa.

I'm in Salisbury  ( Wiltshire ), it's a small but lovely town, there are few blacks here from different African countries cos by their accent you shall know them and some few Nigerians.

My flight down here was amazing, had a stop over at Dubai airport then finally Heathrow the next morning plus i got a window sit.

I had just one luggage which weighed 22kg plus one hand luggage, no food stuffs cos I like travelling light. Just my clothes plus winter kit .Was really prepared for that and was disappointed when I got to London and there was no snow ( don't yab me please )

My employer arranged an airport pick up for me plus accommodation so it was easy getting to my accomodation and they already got me a giffgaff sim card which only gave me unlimited phone calls and sms to UK numbers plus 3g data.

I've been able to get around town, got my BRP, opened an with HSBC, ed with a gp and all

Found an asian store, the only one in Salisbury. They have basically everything from indomie to garri to yam, palm oil, egusi, semo even wooden mortar.

I generally do my shopping at tesco and pounland for groceries and charity shops for shoes and clothes in the mean time. I hope to upgrade when my gets bigger . Plus I found the brioche bread at tesco , I finally felt like I was eating bread after a long time, not all those tasteless oyinbo bread.

I've really learnt a lot from this thread and I'm happy to be here finally.
Just want to say thank you to all the people that added useful information to this thread and kept it going

P.S
I made my own UK survival guide from all the information I got here.

@Nomsy2 and Neyoalao

There's already a thread on nairaland for nurses with dreams of travelling abroad and that's the UK NMC's link for overseas nurses registration.

https://nairaland.macsoftware.info/2863557/nigerian-nurses-midwives-dream-working

The process is not that hard but if you're in Nigeria, its better you get an agency to guide you through the process and help you get an employer and note that you're not paying any agency any fee. But if you're already in UK, you can do it on your own.
Some of those agencies also add you to their CBT and IELTS prep groups on WhatsApp free of charge. So there's no harm in trying.

Nomsy2:
Hello everyone happ Sunday to you all..
Have followed this thread from the beginning, it's fresh and still gets current responses than other UK threads..

Please I will really appreciate a response..
I'm a nurse and would want to do my BNsc in a UK university (1yr or not more than 2yrs)
Would want Nurses in here to please help give me all relevant information on how best to proceed..
Thank you all.
God bless

Why not get a job in UK then do your BNSc when you get there. UK is recruiting lots of overseas nurses these days and the process is not as hard as you may think. Just write Ielts and ensure you get mimimum of 7 in reading, listening, speaking and 6.5 in writing. Then write CBT test then continue from there.
All the best.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles U.S

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is one of the favourite hospital among the celebrities. The 8 floor boasts 32 Super Deluxe Suites with views of the Hollywood Hills and cost US$912 each. Patients can ire original paintings by Picasso and have food prepared by a gourmet chef. There are around four luxurious OB suites of the hospital which are reserved by celebrity moms as soon as they conceive. These facilities made Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, world most luxurious hospital in the world.


Source: https://nursingcrib.com/news-blog/top-10-hospitals-in-the-world-2018/

9. Bumrungrad International Hospital located in Bangkok Thailand

Thailand is popular place for medical tourism because of Bumrungrad International Hospital. It gives medical treatment to more than 400000 medical tourism patients each year.W ith an internal atmosphere and luxury of a Five Star Hotel, the hospital has been internationally acclaimed and recognized in providing high standards for medical treatment. Bumrungrad also has an in-house travel agency to manage Visa extensions and interpreters to serve the international patients.

8. Priory located in United Kingdom

The A-List clients of the hospital is the main source of its popularity. The Priory is Europe’s Number one Rehabilitation Centre. With over 60 outlets across the UK, hospital offers first class treatment for addiction, mental health conditions and psychological and psychiatric services. According to the report, 96 percent of patients said they were very much satisfied or satisfied with the treatment they received form the hospital.

7. Karolinska Hospital located in Stockholm Swedennew_karolinska_solna_b270711_wtt

Karolinska Hospital is the most environmentally friendly hospital. It has one of the biggest construction projects in Europe. The renovations at 70 year old Karolinska Hospital spent €1.8 billion. Hospital started operation in year 2016. Karolinska Hospital fulfills half of its electricity needs from wind turbines and solar s. Due to this speciality, the hospital is ranked at Number 7 in top ten hospitals in the world.

6. Harvard Medical School located in Boston USA
Aside from being included in the top hospitals in the world, the Harvard Medical School Boston is one of the best medical schools in the world.

Harvard Med is known for the best in research and in primary care. In year 2012, Hospital enhanced its annual budget of US$600 million. It’s mission is to “create & nurture a diverse community of the best people committed to leadership in alleviating human suffering caused by disease.

5. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre locates in Houston USAuniversity texas

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Centre has been ranked number 1 for cancer care int the US for the past 9 years. This hospital is known to have the best cancer research and diagnoses. It has spent more than $547 million US Dollars in cancer research.

4.

4. Great Ormond Street Hospital located in London United Kingdom

Making it to number 4 is the Great Ormond Street Hospital. Founded in 1852, it is the first hospital in UK which provides services specifically for children. It is now one of the world’s No. 01 children’s hospital. The hospital is famous worldwide after receiving the copyright to J.M Barrie’s play Peter Pan.

3. Stanford Hospitals and Clinics located in the United States of America

Stanford Hospitals and Clinics are known for medical advances and pioneering treatment. This hospital is famous for incorporating medical breakthroughs in the patient care. They made the first successful heart-lung transplant in the world and the first successful adult heart transplant in the USA.

2. Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Johannesburg located in South Africa

Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital Johannesburg is the largest hospital in the world. It has 172 buildings and has a ground area of more than 173 acres with 2964 beds. It can serve 3.5(m) people in the area Soweto South Africa. The hospital employs 5000 staff .

1. Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore – United States of America

Johns Hopkins Hospital Baltimore hospital is number one in the World hospitals ranking, because of its best services in patient care, teaching and research.
This is the first hospital in the world to perform the first male-female sex reassignment surgery. Its specialties are the best in the following field, gynaecology, neurology and neurosurgery, urology, and rheumatology.

Oh my God , I hope she's not who I think she is. She's married with a baby and she lives in Ondo State.
What is Nigeria turning into.[color=#000099][/color]

10. Avoiding meeting online friends in person

Warn your child that, in today’s world, criminals can find their prey via the Internet and that if someone online says he’s "Mike from next door," this person might not necessarily be the 10-year-old boy he claims to be. Innocuous online chat can make us vulnerable to dangerous individuals. Your child must never to tell strangers, not even children, his/her phone number, address, or name. Nor should your little one send personal photos to online pals or tell them when and where he or she likes to hang out. And your child should always decline invitations to meet in person.

9. Not letting strangers know that their parents are away

Explain to your child that if there’s a call at the door yet no one can be seen through the peephole and no answer comes to the question "Who’s there?" he or she mustn’t open the door even the tiniest little bit to see what’s going on. Also, a child mustn’t let a stranger know that his/her parents are away — not even if the stranger claims to be their friend or says that he/she is a municipal worker. If a stranger is very persistent and starts trying to break in, the child must phone their parents or neighbors at once.

8. Avoid sharing the elevator with strangers

Teach your child to wait for the elevator with his/her back to the wall so as to be able to see anyone approach. And, if it’s a stranger or someone barely familiar, your little one should invent any excuse not to enter the elevator with this person. The best options are to pretend to have forgotten something or to go and check the mailbox. If the person persists in his/her invitations to step into the elevator, your child must politely reply, "My parents say that I should only ride the elevator alone or with our neighbors." Tell your child that if a stranger tries to drag him/her inside the cabin by force or to gag his/her mouth, it is crucially important to fight, scream, and bite until adults come to the rescue.

7. Breaking off conversations and keeping a distance

Your child should know that he/she is not obliged to talk to strangers, so, if the conversation lasts longer than 5-7 seconds, it’s best to leave and head for a safe location. While the conversation lasts, a child should always stand at a distance of 6.5-8 feet away from a stranger; if a stranger tries to come closer, it is important to take a step back. Practice this situation with your child, show him/her what a distance of 6.5 feet looks like, and stress that it should be maintained no matter what.

6. Shouting "I don’t know him/her!"

Tell your child that, when grabbed by a stranger, it is more than ok to behave “badly“: to bite, kick, claw, and try to attract attention at any cost, even if the situation is very scary. Also, your child should keep shouting loudly, ”I don’t know him/her! He/she wants to take me away!"

5. Wearing an emergency button watch

Gadgets with an inbuilt emergency button come in the form of watches, key chains, bracelets, or medallions. By means of a special mobile application, parents can constantly keep an eye on their child’s location. And if the child presses the button, the signal is received by the parents or the police.
• BuddyTag
Major-GSM Panic

4. Installing tracking apps

Thanks to their GPS function, such apps allow you to monitor your child’s precise whereabouts and the battery level of his or her phone.
• Life360 Locator iOS | Android
• GPS Phone Tracker iOS | Android

3. Inventing a family

If someone says to your child, “Come with me. I’ll take you to your mom and dad!“ the first thing your little one should do is ask this stranger, ”What are my parents’ names? And what’s our family ?" We advise you to invent with your child a code phrase for emergency situations (for instance, in case you need to ask an acquaintance to collect your child from daycare or school). Use something unexpected (and, therefore, impossible to guess), like “Fluffy Orange.”

2. Running away from cars in the opposite direction

We teach our children not to get into cars with strangers, and that’s important. But your child should learn one more rule: if a car pulls up near you or starts to follow you with people inside the car attempting to draw your attention, you should run quickly in the direction opposite to the movement of the vehicle. This will help you buy time to call for help.

Before allowing your child independence, you should take steps to ensure his or her safety.
Today Bright Side will tell you how to teach your child correct behavior around strangers. You should show these illustrations to your little one and discuss all the dangerous situations together.

https://brightside.me/inspiration-family-and-kids/10-essential-pieces-of-advice-for-how-to-protect-your-child-331810/
Illustrated by Natalia Popova for BrightSide.me

1. Not revealing your child’s name.
Do not write your child’s name on his or her personal belongings; do not attach a name fob to their backpack; do not put your little one’s name on his or her lunch box or thermos. Your child’s things shouldn’t give strangers access to private information. When addressing a child by their name, an unfamiliar person immediately wins his or her trust, which can lead to all kinds of dangerous manipulation.
A much better idea is to write your phone number instead — this will prove helpful if anything gets lost or stolen.

Howoheye:


Most TAFE programs are in progression, try and check if this very school have a course you can further in after your diploma. It's very likely they have Advanced Diploma in early childhood education and care - combining that will add up to 2years plus, hence ur staying back should not be an issue.

Do you have a Uni degree already?

Thanks Howoheye
I actually have a Bsc in Nursing, i initially wanted to go for a masters programme but the fees were way to high and i don't want to get stranded halfway considering also the high cost of living.

Good day house.
I just got ission for a diploma in early childhood education and care in TAFE QLD for 1.5 years although I tried to package it to make it two years or more but I was only offered the 1.5 years diploma. (I considered tafe because of the cheap fees)
Please what are my chances and options of staying back after my course, should I accept the offer and pay my fees?
Note : they were the only school that gave a positive response among all the schools I ed.

Thanks @ santity100 and mjlbabajide
I have gone through their masters programmes, they are a bit expensive.
I found a diploma in early childhood education and care for 18,000AUD for 1.5 years, and I can write a very strong SOP to my reasons for wanting to study this course in Australia.
But the problem is that you guys adviced me to go for a 2 year course, so is it possible to add some other courses to this or I should just go for a 2 years course straight up.
Thanks.

Hello house, please I need you advice.
I'm a ed nurse in Nigeria (Bsc degree), I have read through the Australia skilled migration and I'm really confused on what decision to make.
For nurses, I read that you have to apply to the nursing and midwifery board of Australia. After assessing your qualification, if it's not up to their standard then they refer you to take a bridoing course which I about 12 weeks and cost about AUD14,000 (note that you'll only be given a 3months visa to go do that and if you don't get a job after your bridging you'll have to go back to your come country and apply for a job from there).
So my question is: can I apply for a diploma course (let's say in community services ) and also do my bridging course at the end of my diploma and get the nursing registration before apply for my PR because I cannot afford a masters programme for now?
How many years visa will I get for a diploma that is for 1.5years?
Can I stay back and work after the diploma?
What are my chances of getting a PR after a 1.5 years diploma in community services?