A Guide to Working and living in Cambridge Microsoft Research

A guide to working and living in Cambridge

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Welcome About Cambridge “Cambridge is one of Britain’s Britain’s smaller cities but it is also one of the fastest growing.” Only a hundred years ago, its population was just 36,000, and its main sources of employment were agriculture and the world famous Cambridge University. Today, the University is still a major employer but so is the hi-tech industry, the so c alled Cambridge Phenomenon. As Cambridge’s reputation has risen to rival that of Silicon Valley in the US, and new businesses have started up, people have poured in f rom all over the country. This has triggered a boom in property prices, and a major debate about housing, with suggestions that part of the city’s Green Belt may have to be built on to accommodate the growing population, now well over 100,000 and spreading into surrounding villages. Cambridge’s Cambridge’s position at the heart of East Anglia has also prompted many to dub it the regional capital.

But despite its ultra modern image, the city has retained the picturesque charm that has delighted visitors from all over the world. Its narrow streets and historic colleges are famed everywhere, as are its legions of cycling students, and there can be few people who have not seen pictures of punts gliding down the willow lined River Cam. “Between three and four million visitors come to enjoy the city’s delights every year.” – Cambridge Tourist Information. This guide provides information for individuals and familes moving to Cambridge, particularly f rom overseas, who may never have lived in the UK before. For more information visit: www.justuk.org/uk/cambridge





























Contents 6

Shipping and Importing A basic guide to importing and ex porting goods and personal belongings using post, couriers, shipping and haulage rms.

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Accommodation

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Household Services

16

There is considerable demand for property in Cambridge, here are some tips for renting and buying property in and around the area.

Listings and information for common household suppliers and services.

Transport General information for travelling around Cambridge, the UK and abroad.

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Medical

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Education

General information for healthcare in the UK.

Information regarding school term times and different levels of education.















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Employment Employment information regarding the Cambridge area and contact listings.

Finance Things you may need to know about banking and nance in the UK.

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Shopping

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Dining Out

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Sports and leisure

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Events and festivals

Cambridge provides many small independent stores and specialist shops as well as large supermarkets and department stores. Find them here.

Cafés, fast food outlets pubs and restaurants are in abundance. Here is a basic guide.

Cambridge provides many interesting, cultural and historical and fun things to do. Here we list a few.

Cambridge has a number of lively festivals and events which take place throughout the year. See this section for















Shipping and importing Post ofces ofces and couriers courier s

Restricted goods

Post Ofces and most recognised International Couriers, International Haulage rms and shippers will help with documentation and legal information. The following is a basic guide.

Prohibitions and restrictions exist to protect health and the environment. Some goods are banned completely, others are restricted and may be imported only with prior authority (such as a licence).

Customs clearance and import duties

The following items are restricted or banned: Narcotic drugs Firearms and ammunition including stun guns and gas canisters Explosives of any kind including reworks Obscene material including books, magazines, lms, videotapes, DVD’s, etc Animals of any kind whether live or dead, unless a British import licence has already been issued (PETS) Goods made form endangered species such as furs, ivory or reptile skins Meat, poultry and anything made from them Plants including vegetables, fruits and seeds Counterfeit currency and other counterfeit goods such as “fake” watches and clothing. These may contravene UK copyright Radio transmitters that are not approved for use in the UK Angler’s lead weights

Household goods can be shipped into the UK without paying duty provided that you have owned and used them overseas for a period in excess of 6 months before leaving for the UK.

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As many shipments as you like are allowed provided that you complete a customs clearance (C3) for each shipment and that they all arrive within one year of your own entry. Duty will be payable after the one year limit has elapsed.

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Duty will also be applied to alcoholic drinks, tobacco and perfume. Cars and motorcycles maybe imported into the UK duty-free provided they have been owned and used overseas for at least 6 months.

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Goods imported contrary to a prohibition or restriction will be conscated. Evasion of the controls may lead to legal proceedings.

















Documentation

Pets

Imports must be accompanied by: An inventory of all the goods in English A copy of your passport including blank pages

The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) allows the importation of dogs or cats into the UK from selected countries. The animal is required to be micro chipped, vaccinated against rabies and blood tested before a “pet passport” is issued. The animal must usually have to wait 6 months from the date of the blood test before e ntering the UK with the passport or spend the rest of the 6 months in UK quarantine. This is reduced to 1 days for EU countries. Animals from non listed countries are required to undergo a period of 6 months quarantine. Further information can be found at www.defra.gov.uk www.defra.gov.uk

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Other documents will be nalised after you arrive in the UK It is not essential to be in the UK when the goods arrive, but you must arrive no later than 6 months af ter your belongings. You You may have to t o pay a deposit of duty and tax, this will be repaid when you arrive and can prove that you qualify for relief. You You do not have to be present during the customs c learance process.

Professional equipment Machinery, equipment and other items used as part of your business can be brought into the UK duty-free provided they are imported as part of your household goods shipment.

















Accommodation Property in Cambridge

Glossary

There is considerable demand for property in Cambridge and due to lack of space in the city, the stock is not increasing fast enough to suppress the demand. As a result sales prices and rents are high and not far off rates in many areas of London.

“Vendor” The person or couple selling a property.

Property size and types are not commonly measured in square feet or metres, but more usually in numbers of bedrooms and reception rooms. Air conditioning is ver y rare in residential UK property. Much of Cambridge’s housing stock is made up of relatively small houses built 100-10 years ago and known as Victorian houses. It should be noted that parking is rare, cars, driveways and garages were not a major consideration 10 years ago! Most people have to park their car on the street outside their home, or do without a car altogether. Prices for Victorian terraced houses vary vastly, but expect to pay around £0,000 for a -3 bedroom (approximately 11m /103 sqft) terraced house or from £900 to rent. Although Victorian -3 bedroom terraced houses are the most prevalent in Cambridge, there are other property types available and recently there have been several large

“EstateAgent” Company appointed by vendor to market and sell their property. “LettingAgent” Company that manages and markets properties to rent on behalf of landlords. “Flat” An apartment. “Semi-detached” A house that is built right next door to another, sharing the same dividing wall. “Terrace” A block of several houses that all share dividing walls on each side except for the “end terraces” that are effectively “semi-detached”. “semi-detached”. “Townhouse” A terraced house, often with 3 or more oors.

















Buying a house “Conveyancing” Legal work and “local searches” carried out by solicitor for sale and purchase of property. Legal work includes drawing up the contracts and deeds of ownership, registering with, and paying fees for the Land Registr y Agency, transferring the funds from the buyer and mortgage lender to the vendor and paying the Government the Stamp Duty. ”Searches” Shows up Local Authority obligations such as road widening schemes, tree preservation orders, breaches of planning law etc. A Water Search may sometimes be carried out to check the drainage in the local area. It is specic to the property you plan to buy and will not tell you about neighbours’ properties and planning orders.

Discuss loan requirements with an independent mortgage broker (e.g. Charcol Direct at mortgages. charcolonline.co.uk) charcolonline.co.uk) and get a mortgage agreed in principal before beginning the house buying process Register with all Estate Agents in the area (e.g. high end – Bidwells at www.bidwells.co.uk, www.bidwells.co.uk, Carter Jonas at www.carterjonas.co.uk, Savills at www. savills.co.uk; others – Redmayne Arnold & Harris at www.rah.co.uk, JSM Hockeys at www.hockeys.co.uk, Bush at www.bush.uk.net, Pocock & Shaw at www. pocock.co.uk and www.rightmo www.rightmove.co.uk) ve.co.uk) Other sources of information on available properties are the local newspapers (Cambridge Evening News has a property supplement on Thursdays and there are other publications available locally on Thursdays). View lots properties before making your decision Choose one you like and place an offer If the offer is accepted then instruct a solicitor to begin conveyancing. Any ongoing issues with planning, complaints, the environment should be found and declared by the solicitor when they carry out the “Local Searches”. Searches”. The buyer can withdraw from the sale at any time up to the Exchange of Contracts It is strongly advised to instruct a surveyor to check the property for structural faults, particularly particularly those

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“Stamp Duty” A property purchase tax (1% of sales value for properties £1,000-£0,000, 3% for properties £0,001£00,000, % for properties above £00,000). “Exchange of Contracts” Legally binding moment in which neither buyer nor vendor can back out of the deal. Of ten the buyer will

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Renting The Cambridge Evening News (property.cambridgenews.co.uk/search/results.aspx) news.co.uk/search/results.aspx) and www.rightmove. www.rightmove. co.uk are good starting places to look at some of the local rental properties Pets are not usually allowed in rented accommodation, but there are some ex ceptions Leases are not usually less than 6 months. You can ask to be released from the contract earlier, but if the agent cannot nd a replacement tenant then you would be liable for the rent. Standard Tenancy Tenancy Contracts are for 6 months then “rolling on” month by month at the end of the minimum period until tenant or landlord gives notice Unfurnished means empty except for carpets, curtains, and kitchen equipment (oven, fridge, washing machine). Occasionally washing machines are also not included Furnished properties can include tables, chairs, sofas, book shelves, beds. Some often, but do not always, also include kitchen utensils, pots, pans, cutlery or crockery, toasters, kettles. Bed linen and televisions are not normally provided Dishwashers, microwave microwave ovens and tumble dr dryers yers are not normally available in small to medium sized rented properties. Some larger family sized homes

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In Cambridge very few letting agents are open on Saturdays to show properties and they are required by law to give outgoing tenants several days notice of each viewing. Do not expect to turn up on a Friday hoping to see houses that weekend References required by landlord or letting agent are usually employer, bank and previous landlord (if applicable) A holding deposit/application fee (up to £0) is payable on choosing a property to reserve it whilst references are taken and then to pay for reference search and general administrative paperwork Dilapidation deposit held during the tenancy period is equal to about 6 weeks rent One month’s rent in advance must also be paid in cleared funds by the start date of the lease Some letting agents insist on the tenant taking out a Contents insurance (about £80 annually to insure items for around £,000)

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Short term serviced rental apartments It is possible to rent an apartment for a shorter period than the minimum 6 months. Temporary Temporary short term serviced apartments do exist in Cambridge. These executive or holiday apartments are well furnished and come fully inclusive of bills and equipment. They normally have broadband connection, TV, bed linen and are cleaned regularly. However they cost on average around the same price as an hotel room (£80-£10 per night) or - times as much as a normal rental and so are more comfortable and exible than a hotel for periods longer than a few nights (e.g. C larence House at www.clarencehouse.org.u www.clarencehouse.org.uk, k, Cambridge Apartments at www.cambridgeapartments.co.uk, Your Your Space Apartments at www.yourspaceapartments.com, Alexandra Apartments at www.alexandraapartments. www.alexandraapartments. co.uk).



















Household services Cambridgeshire County Council

Refuse and recycling

Based at Shire Hall on Castle Hill, the County Council is the local government that runs education, transport, health and social services, waste disposal and environment, trading standards, and libraries and heritage in both the city and the county. www. www. cambridgeshire.gov.uk cambridgeshire.gov.uk is loaded with information. Politically, Politically, Cambridge city is led by the Liberal Democrats, but in the county outside of the city of Cambridge, the Conservative Party enjoys the most popularity. popularity.

Cambridge citizens are encouraged to be “green” and recycle their waste. Households generally have a black wheelie bin for placing bags of general rubbish that cannot be recycled and is destined for the landll site; a green wheelie bin or brown sack for placing items like food and garden waste that can easily be biodegraded and made into garden compost (available free from the council to all really good gardeners and environmentalists!); black boxes for newspapers, cans and glass; blue box for plastic bottles.

Cambridge City Council Based in the Guildhall on the Market Square, the City Council (www.cambridge.gov (www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/portal) .uk/ccm/portal) looks after Housing, Leisure and Recreation, Waste Collection, Local Planning, Council Tax Collection and

In many cases the black wheelie bin is collected weekly (sometimes only fortnightly depending on street) and the recyclable bins fortnightly on alternate weeks. There are recycling sites (see www.cambridge.gov.uk/ccm/ navigation/environment/rubbish-waste-and-recycling)



















Council tax

Post Ofce and Royal Mail

The County and City Councils’ services are funded by tax and notably by Council Tax, a tax levied on property. This tax also funds the local Police and Fire services. The amount of Council Tax paid is dependant on the size and location of each home. In 006 the average Cambridge home fell into Tax Tax Band D and paid £1,9 spread out across the year (there are discounts for people living alone and exemptions for students and people on benets, but the range of standard Council Tax paid in 006 was £81-£,6).

Post Ofces do not just provide a mailing service or sell stamps and stationery. The Post Ofce also provides government forms (e.g. passports and driving licences), foreign currency, currency, insurance and other nancial services such as banking and investments, phone cards and domestic telephone services. There are many Post Ofces located around Cambridge.

Water services Tap water in and around Cambridge is perfectly safe to drink and is provided by Cambridge Water or Anglian Water. Water. These companies look after af ter all sewerage, supply

Royal Mail provides the mail services. First Class (£0.3 for small letter) is the standard service that aims for next day delivery and Second Class (£0.3 for small letter) usually takes a day or so longer.

Telephones and broadband internet British Telecom (BT) owns most landline infrastructure



















Mobile telephones Mobile (cellular) phones run on a slightly different frequency to that of North America and some other continents. Tri-Band Tri-Band phones are said to be universal. It is advisable to check with your handset’s manufacturer to nd out if it can be used in the U.K and Europe. Vodafone, Vodafone, Orange, O, T-Mobile, “3” and Virgin are the main networks and all have shops in Cambridge city centre or Grafton Centre. It is possible to buy packages of SIM cards only, “pay as you go”, pay monthly contracts (minimum contract length is usually 1 months). It is preferable to seek advice on the best package for your needs at a shop that sells products from all networks (e.g. The Link, Car Phone Warehouse) as opposed to a shop owned by a specic network. Reception coverage is fairly good throughout the UK for all networks, but there are still black spots where

Video tapes recorded on any PAL system are compatible, so tapes will work on UK equipment even if they were originally recorded on PAL BG equipment. DVD’s DVD’s and players are often “region” compatible so it is advisable to hire or purchase a “multi-region” DVD player in order to be able to play any DVD from any region. The UK’s region is . Satellite (Sky), digital and cable digital TV are popular and available in most areas.

Radio Before taking radios to the UK make sure that they can receive signals on the following frequencies: LW 13 – 9 Khz 



















Newspapers

Storage

Local newspaper is The Cambridge Evening News. Published from Monday to Saturday, it offers coverage of national and local news, sport, business and events across the region. There are six supplements given away free with the paper: Sport on Monday, The Business on Tuesday, Jobnder on Wednesday and Friday, Property Extra and Scene on Thursday, Drive on Friday and The Magazine on Saturday.

If you require extra long term storage outside of your own home, service is provided by these local companies: Cambridge Storage Ltd 1-16, Mercers Row, Cambridge CB 8HY Tel: 013 36 Web: www.cambridgeselfstorage.co.uk www.cambridgeselfstorage.co.uk Peak’s Storehouse The Old Maltings, 13, Ditton Walk, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB 8PY Tel: 013 10691 Web: www.peaks-storehouse.co.uk www.peaks-storehouse.co.uk TheBigGreenBoxCo 0, Mariners Way, Way, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB 1BN Tel: 013 303 Web: www.biggreenbox.co.uk www.biggreenbox.co.uk Pickfords Self Store

National Newspapers are split between the more serious papers known as “broadsheets” (e.g. The Times, Independent, Guardian, Telegraph, Financial Times) and the more sensationalist, even frivolous papers known as “tabloids” (e.g. The Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Daily Express, Star and Sport).

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Transport Travel

Air

Cambridge is located about 60 miles to the nor th of London and about 100 miles to the east of Birmingham. Road links are excellent to the M11 Motorway for easy access to London to the south, A1 major road for access east towards the coast and west towards the Midlands and the North. Stansted Airport (0 minutes away) and Luton Airport (60 minutes) are the nearest airports particularly for low cost European ights with Ryan Air and EasyJet.

Cambridge has its own small private airport where you can hire helicopters, learn to y or charter a private ight.

The main bus and coach station at Drummer Street, between the Market Square and Grafton Centre, provides transport to the local region and National Express (see www.nationalexpress.com www.nationalexpress.com)) coaches around the country as well as to the main London airports (Stansted, Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton).

Stansted is 30 miles to the south of Cambridge and is the nearest major airport accessible via train, coach or car in about 3- minutes. Luton Airport is about 1 hour away and accessible by car or coach from Cambridge. Heathrow, west of London, is 89 miles away from Cambridge and takes -3 hours in car, . hours by airport coach and about -3 hours by train (Cambridge to London Kings Cross then Piccadilly tube to Heathrow).

Gatwick , to the south of London, is 9 miles away and





















Cycling You can purchase train tickets at Cambridge Station just before you leave, but it is advisable to purchase tickets in advance as long queues form at peak hours. Tickets can be purchased online at www.thetrainline.com, from the cashier or from the automated machines. London Travel Cards (for unlimited train, tube and bus travel in the

Trafc in Cambridge is ver y congested. The city centre has been pedestrianised (except for buses and taxis), making shopping and visiting much more pleasant, but this only makes trafc on the main routes through Cambridge even heavier. Given that Cambridge is only around 3 miles across, walking to the city centre



















Cars and driving General Information (January 00) Cambridge Rush Hours: 8am-9.30am and .30pm-6.30pm National speed limits: 30 MPH (0 KPH) in built-up areas (Other limits apply in some urban areas) 

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south east, south west, east and west at Cowley Road (off Milton Road), Babraham Road, Trumpington, Newmarket Road and Madingley Road (No. buses). Parking is free and return bus tickets are £ (00) with buses ccirculating irculating between sites and city centre every 10-1 minutes. For more information on Park and Ride see



















Buying a car

Motor insurance

The major motor dealerships all have coverage in and around Cambridge, but the easiest one-stop shop would be the Marshall Motor Group’s huge multi-dealership site, at the end of Newmarket Road, selling both new and used cars. The local newspaper, newspaper, Cambridge Evening News, is a useful local source when

It is compulsory to hold motor insurance for at least third party risks in the UK The cost of motor insurance will differ depending on age, driving record, occupation and type of vehicle insured. As a ver y rough guide, a middle age man with a good driving record could expect to fully comprehensively insure himself for a



















Medical Hospitals

Private medical care

The Cambridge region is fortunate enough to have  of the country’s leading hospitals in Addenbrooke’s, the University of Cambridge’s teaching hospital, and The Papworth (about 10 miles west of Cambridge), an internationally recognised heart centre. There are also many smaller specialised hospitals, clinics

Although all UK residents enjoy free NHS care, the main disadvantage of the system is that there can occasionally be long waits for certain treatments. Some people opt for Private Medical Insurance in order to pay for private care. This enables them to the same treatment as provided by the NHS, but on more



















Pharmacies, chemists and medicines Pharmacists and chemists are different names for the same facility and they provide many medicines, creams and ointments to treat different ailments as well as prescriptions for drugs written by your own doctor. Prescription drugs cost a at rate of £6.40 (2007 rate),

Opticians Although sight tests and eye health examinations are not compulsory, for legal driving you are required to be able to read a car registration plate from a cer tain distance. It is sensible to visit an optician for a te st at least every  years.





















Education





































Employment





































Finance































































































































































































































































A Guide to Working and living in Cambridge Microsoft Research

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