COLCHESTER INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS' GUIDE - Essex Students' Union

COLCHESTER
   INTERNATIONAL
   STUDENTS’ GUIDE

CONTACT DETAILS

+44 1206 863211   SU@ESSEX.AC.UK   ESSEX.SU

EVERY ESSEX STUDENT IS
AUTOMATICALLY A MEMBER
OF THE UNIVERISTY OF ESSEX
STUDENTS’ UNION
Essex Students’ Union represents all students at the university.
It’s run by students, for students, and works with the university to
make life the best it can be for students at Essex.
The SU is led by full-time Sabbatical Officers and voluntary part-
time Student Community Officers, who are elected by the
members of the Students’ Union (SU) - YOU!

               VP INTERNATIONAL
               A warm welcome to everyone!
               My name is Alexandru Ilie but you can call me Alex. For the
               following academic year, I will be your VP International and
               will be looking to represent all your needs! I came to UK 4
               years ago and during this time, I finished my bachelor’s
               degree in Sociology, and master’s degree in Organised
               Crime, Terrorism and Security here at Essex University. My
               main role and objectives for this year, will be to represent all
               international students (that means you, of course) across all
               three campuses. I will make good use of all the experience
               accumulated since I came to Essex and will put it to good
               use in order to help you achieve the best of your university
               experience and settle in quickly.
               If you have any question during your time here or just fancy
               a chat about anything (music, games, outdoor activities are
               my fav, but really, anything!), drop me an email to
               vpinterantional@essex.ac.uk or ‘friend’ me on Facebook
               @Alex Ilie (VP International) and Instagram @alexilie_ .
               Don’t be a stranger!

PRESIDENT
Hi! My name is Molly and I’m your Students’ Union
President for this academic year 2020/2021.
My role is to lead the strategic direction of the SU and
the rest of the sabbatical team, to represent students at
the highest involvement within the University and make
sure you all get the most kick-ass experiences possible.
As a student, I was heavily involved across a lot of
things. Last academic year I was the last ever VP
Services and Engagement, but before that I was the
elected SU Women’s Officer. I also worked in our
wonderful campus coffee shop, The Kitchen, for two
years, and was involved in a variety of societies, such
as Politics, Feminist, Theatre Arts and Show Choir (which
I was the President of!). I’m a BA Sociology graduate
and I really enjoyed my degree… even through the
many all-nighters!
As for me… I absolutely love a coffee (mine’s a vanilla
latte), I’m a huge music fan and would describe myself
as a social activist.
Any questions, concerns or if you just fancy a chat,
drop me an email!

ISA TEAM
The International Students’ Association (ISA) executive team
leads the ISA in representing and supporting all international
students at Essex, working closely with Jake the International
Officer.

The ISA brings together all students from across all three
campuses - Colchester, Loughton, and Southend. It is open to
all individuals who wish to celebrate culture and engage with
other students from across the world. The ISA ensures that all
international students feel welcomed at the University of Essex
by organising cultural festivities, events, and trips across the
UK.

Want to represent your community and make change on
campus? ISA Committee elections start soon. Nominate
yourself to be part of the executive team at essex.su/
leadershiprace by 13th October.

From November onwards, you can email the elected chair at
isa@essex.ac.uk for anything about the ISA. In the meantime,
you can contact vpinternational@essex.ac.uk

BLACK OFFICER
Welcome everyone. My name is Andrea Curtis and I’m the
Black Community Officer for Colchester UoE. I aim to
celebrate, encourage and enforce the specific needs of
black students an campus and making sure their voices are
heard. I emphasise the importance of celebrating the
creative and academic abilities of black students, whilst
supporting them in doing so. There is so much light and love
that black culture brings, it’s about time we acknowledge it
and that is what I’m here for.

ASIAN OFFICER
      Hi everyone! My name is Yi Shan, I’m in my final year studying
      Law with Business and I’m your new Asian Officer for the year
      2020/2021. As an Asian Officer, I’m responsible for making
      sure that the Asian communities are well represented and
      that their voices are being heard.

      Don’t be afraid to say hi if you see me around campus. I’m
      usually hanging around Square 4 and Top Bar. Feel free to
      contact me by email at asianofficer@essex.ac.uk, on
      Facebook page “Essex SU Asian Students Network” or on
      Instagram “uoeasiannetwork” to discuss any issues or ideas
      that you have.

WELCOME TO ESSEX –
A GLOBAL FAMILY

HERE’S SOME THINGS OT HELP YOU FEEL LIKE
ESSEX IS YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
CULTURAL SOCIETIES                      INTERNATIONAL GOODS
                                        In The Store and The Extra Store (on
As a member of the Students’
                                        square 4) you can find a great range of
Union, we welcome you to join
                                        international food and if you can’t find
any of the societies on campus!         what you are looking for, you can request
The cultural societies that have        it through the product request wall. There
been set up and run by students on      are also lots of shops in and around
Colchester campus are:                  Colchester.
                                        HALAL POULTRY AND PRODUCTS
  African Caribbean, Arabic,
                                          FoodINC - 66 Barrack Street,
  Bengali, BruEssex, Bulgarian,
                                        Colchester CO1 2LS
  Chinese Student Scholars,
  Cypriot, Essex Hong Kong, Filipino,     Tesco Superstore - Greenstead Road,
  French Connection, Ghanaian,          Colchester CO1 2TE
  Hellenic, Hungarian, Indian,          ORIENTAL PRODUCTS
  Italian, Japan International,            May May Oriental Supermarket -
  Kurdish, Latin American,              30 St Botolph’s Street, Colchester CO2 7EA
  Malaysian, Nepalese, Pakistani,
  Polish, Portuguese Speaking,            Lets Go Market - 143 Caelum Drive,
                                        Colchester CO2 8FP
  Romanian, Tamil and Thai.
                                           Starry Asian Market Ltd (online only) -
                                        https://starrymart.co.uk
  Want to join a society?
                                        AFRO-CARIBBEAN AND AFRICAN
  Head to www.essex.su/societies
                                        PRODUCTS
                                          Yawee Foods – Unit 4 Davey Cl,
                                        Colchester CO1 2XL
THE ESSENTIALS
                                          Choice Foods - 37A St Botolph’s Street,
GROCERIES AND COMMODITIES
                                        Colchester CO2 7EA
The Store and The Extra Store
(on square 4) are your nearest          LAUNDRY
places to get some basic grocery
                                        There are two laundry rooms on main
shopping
                                        campus located at the Hexagon (for
For more options and varieties,         north campus) and Harwich court (for
there are other shops in Colchester:    south campus). For other university
                                        accommodation (Copse, Meadows,
  Tesco Superstore - Greenstead
                                        and Quays), there is one laundry room
Road, Colchester CO1 2TE (closest)
                                        in each place.
 Aldi - Magdalen St, Colchester
                                        Prepare some coins before you go, you
CO1 2FJ
                                        will need to purchase a laundry card.
  Asda - Turner Rise, Mile End,         After that, you can top-up your card
Colchester CO4 5TU                      online.

YOU’VE GOT THE QUESTIONS?
WE HAVE THE ANSWERS.
WELL SOME OF THEM, ANYWAY…

HOW TO I ACCESS                        WHERE CAN I FIND FOOD
CURRENCY SERVICES?                     WHICH MEETS MY DIETARY
For currency conversions, we’d         REQUIREMENTS OR PREFERENCES?
recommend you to refer to OANDA        There is a wide range of food on
Rates™, which are daily filtered       campus including halal, vegetarian,
foreign exchange rates accessible      vegan and gluten-free foods. There
online. For currency exchanges, we     is a mix of international and British
recommended that you transfer          selections in Canteen, Fusion, The
currency through local post offices    Store and during special events in the
and banks. The SU runs a Post Office   SU Bar.
on campus, located in Square 4
and offers a conversion service of     There are also stalls on campus
over 72 currencies. Bank branches      offering Afro-Caribbean and Asian
available in Colchester town           food, you can check them out during
including Barclays, Santander, HSBC,   the SU Thursday market on square 3,
and Lloyds. You can also use private   which as you can guess takes place
currency exchange services such        every Thursday during term time.
as Transferwise and Azimo, both of
which have mobile apps for easier
                                       DO I HAVE TO REGISTER
exchange.
                                       WITH THE POLICE?
                                       Some students will have to register
HOW CAN I OPEN A                       with the Police when they arrive.
                                       If you have this condition it should
BANK ACCOUNT?
                                       be on your entry clearance sticker.
To open a bank account, you            Essex Police will be coming onto your
will need a bank letter from the       campus at the start of the autumn
university, which you can get at       term. You'll have the opportunity to
registration. For information on       make an appointment when you
everything to do with getting your     enrol on your course. You may have
finances sorted, see www.essex.        to go to your local Police station to
ac.uk/welcome/international-           register if there are no appointments
students/banking                       left. More information: https://
                                       www1.essex.ac.uk/immigration/
                                       living/police_registration

number printed on the back of your
DO I HAVE THE RIGHT TO WORK
                                          biometric residence permit (BRP).
IN THE UNITED KINGDOM?                    If you don’t, the Students’ Union
EEA students can currently work in        arranges National Insurance Number
the UK without restriction. If you’re     interviews on campus (sign up to ISA
from outside the EEA and entered as       at www.essex.su/isa to receive more
a short-term student, unfortunately,      information). Alternatively, you may
you won’t be able to work in the UK.      apply on your own as guided on
For Tier 4 students the hours you can     https://www.gov.uk/apply-national-
work per week in term time will be        insurance-number
restricted and shown on your visa/        You can keep an eye out for jobs
BRP. You can work more hours in your      on the SU job page essex.su/jobs,
official University vacations which       there are roles available within
vary depending on your course. The        services, such as marketing, finance,
type of work you can do as a Tier 4       and admin or retail, or in the SU
student is also restricted. It’s really   venues such as The Kitchen, SU Bar,
important that you don’t break your       MOA and more. The Employability
working conditions so, make sure you      and Careers Centre has lots of
check what you can do before you          information about working and
start work. Your employer will have       planning your career and is the
to carry out right to work checks and     place to go to find out more about
should ask you for confirmation of        work placements and internships:
your term/vacation dates in writing -     www.essex.ac.uk/careers/
the University’s International Services
team can provide you with this.
More information is available on the
University’s immigration web pages:
www1.essex.ac.uk/immigration/
living/work_int.aspx
To be eligible to carry out paid work
in the UK, you must have a National
Insurance number. You may already
have a National Insurance (NI)

HOW CAN I COLLECT MY BRP                      CAN I USE MY PHONE
(BIOMETRIC RESIDENCE PERMIT)?                 IN THE UK?
If you entered the UK with Tier 4 entry   The good news is that your current
clearance that was valid for 30 days      international phone is very likely to
you will need to collect your BRP as      function perfectly in the UK, but you
soon as possible.                         will need a UK sim card to avoid high
                                          charges.
For Colchester students, if your UKVI
outcome letter shows the University       The best thing you can do is to have
as your BRP collection location you’ll    a look at different mobile phone
be able to collect it from your           companies and the deals they offer.
Student Services Hub on-campus            Some of the best companies include
during office opening hours.              Three, GiffGaff, and EE.

If you unsure where you should            Even though it might feel like you don’t
collect it from check your UKVI           need a UK phone number during your
outcome letter and seek advice            first months or year at University, keep
from your Student Services Hub if you     in mind that you will really need one
need to.                                  when:
: www.essex. ac.uk/student/advice-        •     Applying for jobs, placement
and-support                                     years or internships (both on and
                                                off campus). Most employers will
                                                ask you for your phone number
                                                to get in touch regarding your
                                                application.
                                          •     Keeping in touch with friends.
                                                Having a working phone number
IS THERE A MULTIFAITH                           means less problems when trying
CHAPLAINCY IN COLCHESTER?                       to schedule your group’s next trip
                                                abroad or night out in town
There’s one on campus itself! The
Faith Centre, located underneath          •     There is a lot of free Wi-Fi but it
Square 2, represents a range of                 might not exist everywhere you go
different faiths, including pastoral
care and prayer spaces for people
of faiths and none. The Chaplaincy
team supports all students and staff
and can provide guidance about
local places of worship. On
request, the team will put you in
touch with other faith leaders,
where available, within the local
community.

ENGLISH ISN’T MY FIRST LANGUAGE,
WHO CAN HELP ME?
Getting to grips with English as a second language has never been
easier because we offer a bunch of online and on-campus support
services that you are entitled to whilst you are a student at Essex.

SKILLS FOR SUCCESS                            To improve speaking skills it is crucial
   ‘Skills for Success’ offer a wide        to surround yourself with native English
range of services and opportunities for     speakers. Learning by listening to other
you to work on your language, writing,      people will make different accents
grammar, speaking and employability         and pronunciations a bit more familiar
skills. If you want to know more about      and boost your confidence.
what the Talent Development Centre,            You can attend some of our
why not drop by their Helpdesk in the       society’s weekly/monthly events
Silberrad and have a chat with staff        that promote language learning
or send them an email at skills@essex.      experiences. You can also ask for 121
ac.uk                                       sessions with society exec members
   During the first weeks of the autumn     or group activities. Watch movies in
term, everyone whose first language         English (a.k.a. binge watch Netflix)
is not English has to take the English        If you want to learn the
Language Assessment – don’t worry,          conversational side of a language,
this is not a fail or pass test and it      movies can be super helpful.
will have no impact on your studies.        Watching movies forces you to learn
Depending on the results you will be        English and gain skills whilst doing
allocated in English support classes        something you actually enjoy – this
and there will be academic advisers         ranges from your all-time favorite
ready to help at all times.                 movies, series or documentaries.
                                            WHAT IF I WANT TO LEARN ANOTHER
ECDIS                                       LANGUAGE?

  ECDIS stands for English Classes for      Language for All
Dependants of International Students        The university runs this scheme
and is run by the Department of             to provide Essex students with a
Language and Linguistics, these             chance to learn a foreign language
classes are available for adult             completely free (at a basic level).
dependants. What that means is that if      Choices include Arabic, French,
you are coming to Essex with your           German, Japanese, Mandarin
family, they can take these free            (Chinese), Russian or Spanish.
classes to develop their language skills.
                                            For more information and to apply:
www.essex.ac.uk/departments/                www.essex.ac.uk/departments/
language-and-linguistics/english-           language-and-linguistics/languages-
classes-for-dependants                      for-all
Try and meet people from different
places and join societies

WELL-BEING AND
MENTAL HEALTH

Most University of Essex students will have access to free healthcare
via the NHS whilst they are in the UK. If you live on campus you will be
given an appointment to register at the health center, but if you live off
campus, you will need to register with your local doctor (called a “GP”,
or General Practitioner). If you are coming from Europe, you’ll need an
EHIC card. For complete information on everything, you need to know
to stay healthy physically, mentally and emotionally, see essex.ac.uk/
students/health-and-wellbeing/

Mental wellbeing describes your          Tower at the North side of campus.
mental state - how you are feeling and   You can also can call them at 01206
how well you can cope with day-to-       87 2020/2022 and talk about any issue
day life. Our mental wellbeing can       you might have. If you do not want to
change from moment to moment,            talk to someone directly, you can send
day to day, month to month or year to    an email to nlhelp@essex.ac.uk. They
year.                                    are open from 10pm to 8am every
                                         night during term time.
If you are struggling with your well-
being, the university and the SU offer   The Students Union also offers support
plenty of support for you. You can       through SU Advice. SU Advice located
contact Student Wellbeing, Inclusivity   on square 3 is open 10am to 4pm
and Support team (SWIS) with any         Monday – Friday during term time, and
concerns about your own wellbeing        1pm to 4pm during the breaks. You
you might have. They will be able        can book an appointment through
to help you or guide you towards         suadvice@essex.ac.uk and they
someone who can. They can also be        can help you with any problem you
accessed through the Student Services    might have. It is a great place to start
Hub, at askthehub@essex.ac.uk, or on     if you are unsure what to do with the
01206 874000.                            problem you have.
There’s also Nightline on campus,        If you have a mental health
which is a service run by students for   emergency, you can contact the on
students. You can come in to see         campus emergency service on 2222 or
them on the ground floor in the Keynes   01206 872222.

THE STUDENT SERVICES HUB                  IMMIGRATION INFORMATION,
If you have questions to do with          ADVICE AND GUIDANCE
anything about the university, the        The University has specialist
Student Services Hub is the place         immigration advisers, as does SU
to go for the information you need.       Advice. In the UK, immigration
It is located on the first floor of the   advice and services are regulated
Silberrad Student Centre and is open      by the Office of the Immigration
from 9am to 5pm every day.                Services Commissioner (OISC) and
The Information desk is the place         only our authorised advisers are able
to go with general questions and          to offer information and guidance to
can help you with issues such             our students about the UK’s student
as accommodation, course                  immigration laws. If you’re a Tier 4
administration, exams, coursework,        student you will receive additional
money matters, funding queries,           information when you register about
official documentation, and getting       your obligations to both the University
a replacement registration card.          and the Home Office. The University’s
There is also a cash desk where you       website is a good place to start if
can go to pay your rent or tuition        you have a query, and if you can’t
fees.                                     find what you’re looking for or need
                                          further information you can find out
You can also email askthehub@             who to contact and how in the ‘Ask
essex.ac.uk.                              us a question’ section: www.essex.
                                          ac.uk/immigration

EMERGENCY CONTACTS

ON CAMPUS
If there is an emergency whilst you are on campus, do not call 999. You
will need to phone campus patrol or security officers by dialling telephone
extension 2222 or from your phone use 01206 872222. Security on campus is
24 hour.

OFF CAMPUS
If you are in an emergency off campus that requires urgent attention from the
emergency services, call 999. You will be asked if you need an ambulance, the
police or the fire services.

        POLICE
        The police in the UK are helpful and can be approached by anyone,
        and can be reached on the phone number 101. However, if it is an
        emergency, you should contact 999 and ask for the police
        department.
        The number to the Essex Police station is 01245 491491
        If you text 112 - Register. They will send you an automated message
        that tells you to text: 999 - YES. This will then send another automated
        text telling you that you are registered. You will then be registered for
        SMS, this means that you can text HELP to 999 and they will instantly
        send someone to your location.

        FIRE
        If there is a fire emergency, you should call 999 as quickly as possible
        and ask for the fire department.

        MEDICAL
        If there is a medical emergency, you should call 999 and ask for an
        ambulance.
        If you do not need an ambulance but feel you need medical
        attention and you are unable to get to a local doctors surgery or it is
        out of hours, you can call 111. This is the NHS helpline and they will put
        you in contact with a doctor who will assess over the phone if you
        need to go to hospital, have an out of hour’s doctor visit you or if you
        are safe to wait till you can get to your local doctor.

WAYS TO TRAVEL IN COLCHESTER – JUST
REMEMBER TO RETURN TO UNI!
There are so many different options for          Colchester town centre to and from
travelling in Colchester and beyond! You         London Heathrow and Stanstead.
can purchase a Unicard yearly bus pass           Alternatively, you can get the train
around Colchester at £170, or pay as you         to London then use the Heathrow or
go.                                              Stanstead express, a train that takes
You could also download the Panther              you directly from central London to the
Taxis or All the 8s Taxi Colchester mobile       airport.
application or call a taxi service - this        GUIDE TO BUS TAKING IN THE UK
is more convenient for late nights or
                                                 Download First bus app for the bus
Sundays when the buses don’t run as
                                                 timetable, live tracking and online ticket
often. Just let them know whether to
drop you off at the North or South side          When the bus approaching, give a hand
of campus. Alternatively, you could              signal to the bus driver to indicate that
purchase a bicycle and cycle to town.            you would like to board (insert image*)

Local Taxi Services                              Payment:

  Five eights: 01206 588888                      •   Card payment: Contactless only

  Panther Cabs: 01206 525525                     •   Cash: On board

  Roman Cars: 01206 521521                       Avoid large banknotes (e.g. £50 £20), only
                                                 use £10 note if you have no other option
  Five sevens: 01206 577777
                                                 Common ticket types:
Trains are usually the most convenient
way to travel to other parts of Britain – it’s   •   Return to Tesco: £1.50
an hour to London direct from Colchester         •   Return to town: £3.10
North, and you can get there from the            •   Return to North station: £3.50
Hythe (15 minute walk from campus) or
                                                 •   Day ticket (unlimited bus travel in
Colchester Town stations.
                                                     inner Colchester): £4.20 (via app) or
Book tickets in advance to get the best              £4.30 (on board)
possible price. Tickets are generally
                                                 When it’s near the bus stop you want to
available 12 weeks before the date of
                                                 get off, press the ‘Stop’ button on the
travel from train booking sites such as
                                                 handles of the bus (*insert image)
National Rail, Greater Anglia, and Virgin
Trains.                                          Always say thank you (e.g. when
                                                 purchasing tickets or getting off the bus)
You can also download a digital ticket
app such as Greater Anglia, Trainpal,            Make sure you arrive at least 5 minutes
Trainline                                        before your bus scheduled time

If you’re aged 16-25, or a full-time student     Note: some buses may not arrive or very
aged 26 or older, you’re eligible to apply       late to their scheduled time
for a discount railcard! This costs £30          Common bus stops (to go from campus):
yearly and can save you £s off most rail         •   Quays – 61
fares across Britain. You may apply online
                                                 •   Tesco – 62, 97, 98, 74, 76
at www.16-25railcard.co.uk
                                                 •   Osborne street (town)
If you are travelling back to an airport,
National Express coaches are the                          Fast: 62, 97, 98
cheapest and most convenient way                          Slower: 61,75B
to get there. Buses go directly from             •   Colchester train station (main) - 61, 62

Bus stops on campus:                             To go back to campus from town, catch
                                                 your bus from:
•    South Court (south campus),
                                                 •    High street – 62 (via Tesco), 61(via
•    Valley road (main campus),
                                                      Quays), 75B (via Greenstead)
•    Subway (north campus)
                                                 For other stops, check the route map at
•    Knowledge Gateway (for Meadow)              bus stops
•    University Quays                            Please note bus 87 can get you to Tesco,
                                                 town and Colchester station too, but is not
                                                 operated by First so tickets are different.

FIND YOUR WAY AROUND CAMPUS
The university’s online campus map and navigation guide is called “Find Your Way”, and
will help you get around campus. You can either get it by downloading the Pocket Essex
app for your phone, or via the internet – www.findyourway.essex.ac.uk

LAST MINUTE TIPS FOR THE ROAD:
1.   Don’t leave your cash in your room! Do deposit it in your bank account as soon as
     possible.

2.   Bring a jacket with you when you first arrive - the weather in Britain changes often, it’s
     best to be prepared.

3.   If your country’s chargers don’t fit UK electrical sockets, remember to bring an
     international adapter! But if you forget, don’t fret - they’re also available on campus
     at Everything Essex located in Square 4.

NOW YOU’RE TRULY READY TO ENTER UNI. WE CAN’T
WAIT TO SEE YOU AROUND! #ESSEXINTERNATIONALS

CONTACT DETAILS

+44 1206 863211   SU@ESSEX.AC.UK   ESSEX.SU