HOW MUCH MONEY DO YOU NEED TO MOVE TO ENGLAND?

How much money do you need to move to England?

There are numerous costs associated with moving to another country and careful planning on finances must be considered in advance before committing to teaching in England.

Let’s take a look at the more significant costs involved in travelling to England. Please note that these figures are accurate as of Feb 2024.

Visa costs

Whether you are arriving in England through a YMS, Ancestry or Sponsorship visa, there will be varying costs involved. If you’re lucky enough to hold a British passport then no visa fees will apply!  Please click here  for more information on which visa you are likely to enter the UK on.

Skilled Worker Visa (up to 3 year visa) www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

How much it costs (per person)

When you apply for a Skilled Worker visa, you’ll need to have enough money to:

• pay the application fee – £719 (up to a 3 year visa)
• pay the healthcare surcharge – £1035 per year
• Any dependent under the age of 18 would be liable for the same application fee (£719) plus £776 for the healthcare surcharge

Example

You’re applying to come to the UK from South Africa/Jamaica/USA for 1 year on a Skilled Worker visa. This is recommended length of visa we advise on when first entering the UK.

Your application fee will cost £719, plus £1035 for the healthcare surcharge. This means you’ll pay a total of £1,754

Please note: You have the option to have a shorter visa and therefore less costs in Healthcare Surcharge.

We strongly recommend a 1 year visa to limit the initial cost of moving.

Tier 5 – Youth Mobility Scheme Visa (2 year visa, extra year available for NZ citizens) www.gov.uk/tier-5-youth-mobility

Youth Mobility Scheme visa – a 2 year visa eligible to 18-30 year old passport holders from Canada, Australia or New Zealand who haven’t already used this visa previously.

How long it takes

The earliest you can apply for a visa is 6 months before you travel.

How much is costs:

• Application fee of £298
• Healthcare Surcharge of £776 per year
• Total of £1,850

Ancestry Visa (up to a 5 year visa) www.gov.uk/ancestry-visa

Up to £5,812 – this includes £637 for the visa and up to £5175 for the Healthcare Surcharge for 5 years (£1035 per year) 

Flights

The cost of your flight to England could vary greatly dependent on where you are flying from. 

Quantum Scholars now offer a flight reimbursement of up to £350 to any international teacher coming to England on a Skilled Worker Visa!

Luggage Costs and Travel Insurance

Travel insurance can be purchased at a very reasonable price these days. We recommend that you get it as part of your flight.

With long haul flights increasingly now charging baggage costs on top of the flight, it’s important to pack as modestly as you can. 2 large bags (23kg max) plus your cabin bag should be more than enough for the trip. Pack smartly and sensibly thinking about what you really need to take with you!

Accommodation costs

You’ll need to budget for the first 4-6 weeks potentially, especially if you are working on a permanent contract through the school and are paid at the end of every month.

As a long term supply teacher you are paid weekly so you are more likely to see an earlier pay check.

Accommodation costs can of course vary dependent on where you are living and whether you are living alone or as part of a house/flat share. Some areas such as central London are much more expensive, however the salary is generally higher so this is offset.

Monthly rental costs could be £600 – £900 a month (bills included). This is based on a house share. If you decide to live alone, it could be somewhere between £750 – £1350 a month and even more in London!

You may then need to pay a deposit up front which is usually the same as the month’s rent and is paid back upon vacating the property.

There are however some very good options for house-sharing on www.spareroom.co.uk that don’t always require a deposit.

You will also need to consider costs for initial accommodation like an AirBnB / Bed & Breakfast / Hotel upon your arrival to England. This temporary accommodation serves as a base in which to go out and view longer term accommodation allowing you to see it in person before you decide if you want to live there. We ideally recommend teachers adopt this method so they can get a real feel for the area they are moving to when considering transport connections, amenities and commute to school.

Food costs

Grocery/supermarket shopping is reasonably priced in England compared to other western countries. Look out for well-known supermarket chains such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, ASDA, Morrison’s, Aldi and Lidl. For more up-market supermarket chains, Waitrose and M&S are considered the highest in quality but more expensive.

TOTAL COSTS

Dependent on all the factors such as visa, flight and accommodation, we’d recommend you set aside anywhere from £3500 – £5000 in total. The more the better of course!

This total amount should factor in all of the following; Flight, visa, luggage, initial travel in England, short term accommodation, first month’s rent, deposit and food