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An Edinburgh A-Z is an essential purchase.

"Wild in Edinburgh" brochures are available from most hostels and they have heaps of useful information about the best (and cheapest) places to eat and drink, etc.

EasyEverything Internet Cafe is situated on Rose Street and costs £1 per hour. You can buy a monthly pass for £10, which entitles you to unlimited internet access for a month.

That Internet Cafe is situated on Brougham Place, Tollcross, and is one of the cheapest internet cafes around.

To make international phone calls, calling cards are your best option. These are available from most corner stores and start at a cost of £5. The EasyEverything Internet Cafe also allows you to make international phone calls. You just have to purchase a phone card from the counter and then follow the instructions on your computer. Privacy is pretty much non-existent here though.

Edinburgh and Scotland Information Centre, adjacent to Waverley Station (follow the TIC signs in the station and throughout the city) offers an accommodations service (Book-A-Bed-Ahead) in addition to the more typical services.
3 Princes Street. Tel: 0845 225 5121 www.visitscotland.com
May, June, Sept: Mon - Sat 9-7pm, Sun 10-7pm
July-Aug: Mon - Sat 9-8pm, Sun 10-8pm
Oct-Apr: Mon - Sat 9-6pm, Sun 10-6pm.

Health Care in Edinburgh

Emergency Number: 999

NHS 24 (08454 24 24 24) - A confidential telephone health advice and information service available across Scotland.

• Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
• Speak to a health care advisor who can give you medical advice over the phone.
• If medical treatment is needed, NHS will refer you to your local Primary Care Emergency Centre (PCEC), Community Pharmacist or Accident & Emergency Department. Where clinically appropriate a GP home visit or an ambulance may be arranged for you.

Buses

Travel Line: 0871 200 22 33

Phone to get information on what buses to catch, routes, departure times, journey duration etc

Lothian Buses:  0131 555 6363

Travelshops located on Waverley Bridge, Hanover Street, and Shandwick Place   

·         Lothian Buses is the main operator within Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Day Ticket (£3), allows unlimited one-day travel on the city's buses, can be purchased in advance.

·         Also available are the one-week bus pass (£15) or the four-week bus pass (£45) which gives unlimited access to buses.

·         Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 8.15 am - 6.00 pm

First Bus: 0870 872 7271

Provide much of the service between Edinburgh and the Lothians.

You will also see other bus companies, including Eastern Scottish, Lowland Scottish and Midland Scottish - all part of First Bus Company, along with S.M.T. - and Fife Scottish, all part of Stagecoach, which operate routes into and out of Edinburgh to other parts of Scotland

Taxis

Central Taxis                 0131 229 2468

Looking for Long-Term Accommodation?
 
A Flat in Town offers an extensive range of quality Short Term Accommodation, Long Term Let and Edinburgh Festival Accommodation to rent in Edinburgh for professionals and students alike. All our properties are thoroughly vetted and professionally managed by a team of dedicated staff.  They can be contacted on 0131 652 7393or info@aflatintown.com.

The Scotsman Newspaper (every Thursday morning)

The List Magazine (published fortnightly on a Thursday)

The Evening News

ESPC Listings (available from Letting Offices etc)

Also check out Real Foods, one on Broughton Street and one on Brougham Street; both have large notice boards at their entrance with hand written ads from like minded young people in the area looking for flatmates.

www.edinburgh.gumtree.com has a variety of houses/flats for rent as well as other links to items for sale/wanted

Click-Let is an Edinburgh based property management company with a portfolio of quality rental accommodation in a range of areas in and around Edinburgh. Please contact Stewart Pitt on 0131 552 4045 or 07876 127235 if you are interested in renting property in Edinburgh.

Abbotsford Scot are a well established Edinburgh based property management company with a wide selection of rental property in Edinburgh. They can be found at 11 Grove Street, EH3 8HF and contacted on 0131 538 7114 or info@abscot.co.uk

Other good contacts include Byram Tavadia at Zone Letting, 25 Comely Bank Road EH4 1DS Tel:(0131) 315 4811.

Letters and postcards to Europe between 10-100 grams cost 56p - £1.52

Within the UK first-class letters between 0-100 grams cost 39p, second-class letters and postcards 30p.

Post offices and many newsagents sell stamps.

In Edinburgh, a convenient central office is the St. James Centre - St. Andrew Square Tel: (0131) 556 0478.
Open:
Mon: 9.00 am - 5:30pm;
Tues - Fri: 8:30 am - 5:30pm;
Sat: 8:30 am - 6.00 pm.

The other main post office in the city centre is 40 Frederick Street.

Opening a Bank Account in Edinburgh

There are several High Street banks to choose from including:

Royal Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland

Abbey National

NatWest

HSBC

HSBC have recently informed us that all they require in order for you to open a new bank account with them is a valid passport (or national ID card/photo driving licence), and a letter from your agency/employer.  For more details please contact either Mandy or Rhiannon at Time Recruitment.

National Insurance

FEBRUARY 2009 UPDATE:  It is no longer required for EEA nationals or visa holders with the right to work in the UK to provide evidence showing they are looking for work to get a National Insurance number.

You will require a National Insurance number to work in the UK.  To obtain one of these you will need to follow the following steps:

Call the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) - they issue NI numbers and you will need to call in order to make an appointment

Tel: 0845 6000 643

The times for phoning to make an appointment are Monday to Friday 8.00 am - 6.00 pm (recommend to call early am).  Make sure you have your full address (including postcode) available when you make the call.

When attending your meeting to obtain your National Insurance number where appropriate you must bring the following with you:

• Addresses of places you have lived in the UK (More than 30 days)
• Passport (both if dual citizenship)
• Letter or contract from Agency
• One or two payslips
• Rental agreement
• Drivers Licence
• Medicare Card (Australian Healthcare system ID)
• Birth Certificate

For any other information relating to tax, please contact Inland Revenue at the details below or look on the website:

Inland Revenue Centre 1
East Kilbride
Glasgow
Lanarkshire
G79 1AA

Tel no: 0845 070 3703

The following forms are to be completed if you are leaving the UK or are entering the UK for the first time:

·               P85 _ If you are a UK citizen and are leaving the UK

·               P85(s) _ If you are not a UK citizen and are the leaving the UK after completing a work assignment

·               P86 _ If you have arrived in the UK for the first time or after a period of absence

All of the above forms can be downloaded at the following web address http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/nonresidents/ and must be returned directly to your local tax office.