Banking
Although your travelling expenses may be paid in cash when you arrive at the Client, you will still need a bank account into which you can pay your Client’s/Agency’s cheques and from which you can draw cash.Ideally, before you left home, you will have opened a UK account through a local branch of a UK bank or an offshore account. This will save you the inconvenience of trying to open one when you arrive.
Banks have to adhere to the strict Anti-Money Laundering Regulations required by the Financial Services Authority. The main problem for new Carers is to demonstrate that they have a UK address. If you are planning to stay with friends or relatives who are prepared to let you use their address for statements etc., you should explain the situation to the bank. This may be accepted provided you have a Council Tax or utility bill with your friend’s name and address on and a letter confirming that you are living at that address. You will also need your passport, a letter or validated (stamped by bank) statement from the bank in your home country, less than three months old, confirming that you have an account with them (ideally, it should be sent to you at your friend’s address). A letter to a named individual at the bank from the Agency confirming that you are registered with them may be required. It may also be helpful to take the Police Clearance Certificate from your home country.
Organisations such as 1st Contact offer orientation meetings for people coming to the UK to work. There is a charge for these courses which are based in London and are mainly tailored to 18 to 27 year olds but, as part of their “Kickstart London Package”, they offer to open a bank account for you, provided you have brought the appropriate paperwork and have a “permanent” UK address.
HSBC offer a Passport Account which is designed to assist new arrivals, see www.hsbc.co.uk/passport. If you are successful in getting an account with a UK bank, you may wish to keep it open after you return home so that you can use it again in the future. In this case, you should make a transaction every few months to keep it “active”, otherwise the bank may make it “dormant” or close the account. Note that there are normally no charges for a UK current (cheque) account.
Remember to allow five working days after paying in a cheque before attempting to withdraw the cash. Provided you have sufficient funds in your account, you can withdraw money through an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) using your Debit Card.