Financially, it was a big stretch (massive understatement). Not only would there be international tuition to pay (clocking in at a whopping £17,900/$22,600 for the year), but because I had no financial records in the UK, I’d have to pay a full year’s rent up front.
You heard me.
My fantastic American credit score meant next to nothing in the UK – which, fair enough. If you haven’t heard about the Americentrism mindset, look it up. America is actually not considered the centre of the universe in all countries – crazy, right? 😉
A full year’s rent would set me back £6,342 ($8,900). If I’d known someone in the UK to act as guarantor (to pay my rent in the event I didn’t), I could have paid monthly. But I didn’t know anyone. I could’ve also paid for a guarantor service, then paid the year’s rent in three instalments – but this also seemed complicated and costly.
It was February 2018, and I juuuust had the money in savings, so I paid for the full year. It would include all bills and internet as well, which would make the year much simpler. I’d be living in a flat with 5 other flatmates – all with our own tiny bedrooms and tinier en-suite bathrooms. The flat was near the university campus, in the trendy Finnieston neighbourhood of the West End in Glasgow.
The ground floor was a Tesco (grocery shop) and I will always fondly remember the convenience of having a shop attached to your building. God, I miss that.
To make it work, I withdrew from my teaching pension roughly 40 years early (taking a big percentage hit), but without those funds, I wouldn’t have had much of a chance. I also had to take out even more student loans. Student loans part 2, what fun! Lastly, a bit of insurance money had been sent to me after my dad died. Not happy money, but I was determined to make it mean something.
May 2018 – end of my fifth year of teaching. Tearful goodbyes to students and staff, to all the amazing friends I’d made out west. My brother flew in, helped me pack whatever stuff fit into my Subaru and we headed to Red Rocks Amphitheatre (incredible) for a concert. We left the concert around midnight and started the long 21 hour drive back to Michigan.
I lived with my mom for two months that summer, working a part time job at the local college to save money for a new laptop. The university had sent me my CAS document (Confirmation of Acceptance of Studies) which you must have to apply for a student visa. I applied for my Tier 4 (General) Student Visa that June. It cost $487 at that time.
Part of the application is proving you meet the ‘maintenance’ requirements – essentially that you have enough money to live in the UK for the length of your programme. At the time, I had to show I had £9,135 (roughly $11,500) in my account. This was separate from paying a years’ rent up front (£6,342/$8,900) and separate from tuition fees (£17,900/$22,600). Woof.
I had to book a biometrics appointment a week later where my fingerprints and photo were taken, and my supporting documents looked over.
By July, it was done! I had my Student Visa, rent/bills were paid for the year, tuition paid, flights booked. My lovely mother was going to come with me for the first week so we could explore Edinburgh and Glasgow together. A week before we left, I went to my ten-year high school reunion feeling on top of the world.
It had been so hard to be happy since my dad died, and this upcoming adventure was a light at the end of the tunnel to me. One year in Scotland, then back to Michigan to return to teaching and live closer to family – that was the plan.
When we make plans, God laughs, right? I had no idea what was in store for me…
