Phone, money and documents
Arrange a working phone connection and access to money. Keep your passport, permission to stay, accommodation details and essential records accessible. Check what your bank needs before applying.
Banking guide →Move. Settle. Connect.
Finding your feet
Your first 30 days in London.
A few useful steps, room to find your own rhythm, and people to share it with. Start where you are and adapt the sequence to your household.
First few days · First fortnight · Month one · My next steps
01 / Get the essentials working
Your first few days
Get to know your journey
Try your commute at the time you will actually travel, including the walk at both ends. Find an alternative route. Use the same payment card or device consistently when travelling.
Transport and everyday London →Check your accommodation
Record its condition, locate the meters and find out which bills and furnishings are included. Keep the landlord or managing agent’s contact details somewhere easy to find.
Renting and buying guide →02 / Establish a routine
Your first fortnight
Keep healthcare moving
Arrange GP registration and ask how ongoing prescriptions or specialist care will be managed. Have your medical summary and medication details ready for those conversations.
Healthcare and registration →Join up the household tasks
Follow up work, school and childcare arrangements. Confirm household accounts and responsibilities. Walk to the shops, library and green spaces you could use regularly.
Schools guide →Put one social plan in the diary
Choose a gig, a club, a volunteer role or a community gathering. A regular activity gives people a chance to recognise you next time.
Find a CIL gathering →03 / Make it your London
By the end of month one
Compare actual spending with your budget, review how your commute feels and resolve any gaps in your setup. Follow up someone you have met. Return to an activity you enjoyed.
Pick one activity. Put a date in the diary. Go back.
Find your music · Find your sport · Explore the cultural guides
Your first London job can be a bridge
A temp, contract or adjacent role can provide income, local experience and references while you work towards the role you want. Look for work that uses your skills and leaves you a realistic next step.
Make your Canadian experience easy to understand
Explain the scale of your responsibilities and what you achieved. Translate unfamiliar job titles or employer names into useful context. Tailor your CV to the vacancy and keep every claim accurate.
Build a useful relationship with recruiters
Be clear about your availability, work permission, preferred roles and expectations. Keep them updated, follow through on commitments and ask what would strengthen your application. When a placement ends, request feedback and a reference where appropriate.
CIL Job Hunting → · Employment guidance → · Read the Room at work →
From builder speak to getting the job done
A new home may need furniture, a better layout or professional work. Local interior design and a clear contracting structure belong in the same plan.
Agree the brief
Set out the result you want, your budget, timescale and any property restrictions. Decide who designs, chooses materials and makes purchases. Confirm any permission needed before work starts.
Compare like for like
Ask for written, itemised quotes against the same scope. Clarify materials, disposal, finishing, taxes where applicable, payment stages and how changes will be agreed.
Know who delivers
Check references, insurance and relevant qualifications. Confirm who coordinates the trades, how defects are resolved and which completion records and warranties you will receive.
CIL property guide → · Decode Builder Speak → · Ask CIL about local introductions →
Your next step
My London move plan
Keep it manageable: three priorities, a next action and someone who can help. Your entries stay in this browser on this device; they are not sent to CIL.
Keep the useful links close
Moving to the UK · Read the Room · Understand Britain · Events and community