Someone said that making the decision to go would be the hardest part of this whole process and to some degree I would agree. I did feel considerably better once I uttered the words.... ’umm....well.....I....think I might move to Canada’. However, then the process of sorting out my life and transporting a considerable part of it 4,414miles westwards began and I realised that perhaps the hard part might only just be beginning?!
Tip to anyone else thinking of heading abroad and having the joys of a student loan to contend with, the Student Loans Repayment are characteristically unhelpful when it comes to going abroad. After a long and frustrating conversation with a chap in the repayments department about me having to fill in a Overseas Income Assessment form and me trying to help him understand that I actually couldn’t, we then moved on to a rather frustrating conversation about me needing enough money in my account to sustain me for a year. Simple enough point, to which I responded ‘What is the minimum you consider an acceptable amount? The answer was ‘We don’t have a minimum requirement’. So, logical next question was ‘So what happens if you decide I don’t have enough money?’ The answer.....’Then you’ll need to pay £250 a month.’
You can imagine my response.
I decided to leave that conversation there, calm down and phone back another time. The case continues.
The Student Loan is just one of the big things to do.... on the 'To Do List' is Health Insurance, Canadian tax code, Canadian Bank, Canadian mobile phone, cancelling British Phone, closing British Bank, Canadian driving licence, shipping of excess baggage, voluntary National Insurance contributions....
Oh, then there is the completion of my Intermediate Wine accreditation in November.
Action Stations....Lots to do.
