When You Arrive
First practical things to do on arrival at work:
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Return the following forms to the Payroll Office, King’s Meadow Campus:
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Payroll Information for New Employees
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Staff Record form
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P45/P46 tax form
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Apply for your University card – you may need this to access your place of work.
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Apply for your car parking permit.
University Induction
Induction is a process where you will be provided with information to assist you in learning about the University and your role.
You will be invited to a welcome day where you will have the opportunity to:
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Hear about the University’s current and future plans
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Hear how the University makes and spends its money
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Meet other people who are relatively new to the University
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Meet people responsible for providing a wide range of support services at the University and discuss how they can help you in your new role
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Hear about the superb sports facilities, courses and opportunities available for members of staff
International Staff Induction
The Human Resources Department will invite you to an induction event for International Staff which will enable you to:
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Explore some issues about living and working in the UK and Nottingham
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Compare a few of the learning and teaching conventions within UK Higher Education with home culture conventions
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Understand the organisation of research in the UK and at Nottingham
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Examine the International Staff web resource
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Discuss the new International Staff Mentoring Scheme
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Give feedback to the University about experiences of arrival and identify support and information system would have made this easier.
School/Department Induction and Further Information
In addition to the induction you will receive from the University's Professional Development section, your School or Department should provide you with an induction to working in your area.
There are other forms of induction and information about the University, and support is available on the University's induction workspace pages.
International Staff Mentor Scheme
You may also be aware of the Mentor Scheme which you can join. This scheme offers you the opportunity to be mentored by an existing member of staff in your department, who can offer you guidance and support in your new role.
The International Office run an advisory service and welcome events for international staff, which are great for getting to know other people.
The main thing you will need to sort on arrival is getting yourself a national insurance number (the equivalent of an Australian tax file number) as this can take a very long time (and requires an interview at the job centre plus - the equivalent of centrelink) and they will dock a high rate of tax out your pay until you have one. The uni should give you the forms and paperwork for this when you arrive. There is a useful website called "direct gov UK" which has answers and links to a lot of the questions you might have.
For health insurance, you just need to go and register yourself at the local doctors when you arrive. Its not as flexible as Medicare, as you can only go to the Doctor you are registered with or a public hospital for free treatment, but it does work.
Dr Rachael Tarlinton
Lecturer, from Australia