Practical Information

Here is some practical information about Brighton and information on what to excpect during your stay.

• Population

  206,648

  

• Time Zone

  GMT

  

• Languages

  English

  

• Climate

  Total Annual Rainfall

  650mm (25 inches)

  Average Winter Temperature

  just below 6°C

  Average Summer Temperature

  20°C- 30°C

  Average Spring and Autumn

  11° - 15°C

  

• What to Pack

  Spring and Autumn

  Light Jackets and Cardigans

  Summer

  Shorts, T-shirts, sun block

  Winter

  Warm clothes including a thick coat or jacket

  Boots and rain-proof gear.

  Umbrella

• Electricity

  240V 50HzHz

  Electric Plug Details

  British-style plug with two flat blades and one flat grounding blade

  

• Religion

  Church of England, Catholic, Methodist, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Hindu.

  

• Money

  Brighton has all of the major high street banks: Barclays, Lloyds TSB, HSBC, NatWest, Bank of Scotland and others. There are no exchange controls in Britain, so you can bring in as much cash as you like and change travellers' cheques up to any amount.

  Currency

  Pound sterling (£)

  Banks

  • 9.30am – 4.30pm from Monday to Friday
  • 9.30am – 3pm on Saturday

  Exchange Bureau

  All the banks have currency exchange facilities.

  Other places where you can change money include travel agents (Thomas Cook), Amex offices and post offices. There are lots of places to choose from and the majority are conveniently located in the town centre.

  Credit Cards

  Credit cards are accepted virtually everywhere, they can be used either in ATMs or over the counter.

  Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Diners Club are accepted in most shops, restaurants and hotels in Brighton, although they're less useful in rural areas, and some smaller shops may accept cash only.

  You may also be able to make withdrawals using your debit card – your bank's international banking department should be able to advise on this.

  When paying by credit card many shops ask you to enter your personal identification number (PIN) when making a payment.

  You'll find ATMs at most large supermarkets, train stations, some petrol stations and even in some pubs and shops.

  

• Cost of Living

  Snacks and Meals

  Big Mac - £3.50

  Cappuccino - from £1.20 EC's own café (Lavazza) to £2.70 Starbucks' own roast (large size)

  Sandwich – from £2.50

  Soft drink – 50p

  Beer - £2.50 per pint

  3 course set meal – from £10

  Newspapers & Stamps

  Local Newspaper £0.20 - £1.20 depending on day of the week.

  First class post with the UK is 30p for letters and small items weighing up to 60g.

  Airmail of postcards and letters weighing up to 10g within Europe = 30p, rest of the world = 42p

  .

  Airmail of letters weighing up to 20g within Europe = 42p, rest of the world = 68p

  Entertainment

  Club Entrance – £7 - £10 at weekends; £4-5 midweek

  Cinema ticket - £6

  Theatre ticket - between £15-£20 depending on day of the week. You can get cheaper with student discounts and stand-by seats on the day.

  These are average UK prices and are intended as an indicator only. Prices may vary across the UK. Based on exchange rate of GBP 1 = Euro 1.48.

  

• Transport

  Bus travel: flat rate fare of £1.40 per journey.

  Weekly Bus Pass: £14.50

  Monthly bus pass: £49.00

  Taxis: between £5 - £10 for an average journey.

  Bicycle Rental - £15 per day; £32 per week; £50 per month

  For more information and advice on what to do on arrival, visit the arrivals page.

  

• Visas

  See our section on visas

  

• Shop Hours

  From Monday to Saturday - 9am – 5.30 pm (However, most shops are open until 8pm on Thursday)(However, most shops are open until 8pm on Thursday)

  Sunday -12pm – 5pm

  

• Health

  We can arrange for students to see a doctor near the school, or if the student is too ill to come in, then a visit would be arranged through the host family/residence.

  There may be a charge especially for non-EU students.

  We strongly recommend that all students take out medical insurance in their country of origin. This should include provision for any dental emergencies as dentists are very expensive in the UK.

  You can book insurance through EC.

  

• Water

  Tap wateris safe to drink

  

• Vaccinations

  Not required

  

• Telephones and Mobile Phones

  Country Dialing Code

  +44

  Useful Numbers

  • 999 – Emergency Services (police, fire, ambulance)
  • 100 – Operator (for help with calls locally, nationally and to the Republic of Ireland)
  • 155 – International Operator (for help with international calls or calls to a ship)
  • 118 500 – Directory Enquiries (can supply phone numbers for individuals and businesses in Britain if given name and location)
  • 118 505 – International Directory Enquiries (as above but for overseas individuals/businesses)
  • Brighton Police Station, 0845 6070999
  • ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY: Royal Sussex County Hospital, Eastern Road, 696955
  • ELECTRICITY: Seeboard, 0800 783 8866, Seeboard Powercare, 0345 222222
  • ROAD: AA Breakdown (24 hour), 0800 887766, RAC Breakdown (24 hour), 0990 707070

  Telephone Cards

  The simplest and cheapest way for students to call home is by telephone card. These cards can be used to make local and international phone calls from various telephone booths.

  Mobile Phones

  The UK is GSM compatible The UK uses a GSM (or 2G) and UMTS (or 3G) mobile phone system.

  The cheapest way to phone home on your mobile is to buy a UK SIM card.

  

• Public Holidays

  Please note that EC does not offer tuition on public holidays should one fall during your booked course dates. There are eight public holidays called bank holidays in the UK. On bank holidays most offices, banks, schools and a lot of shops are closed.

  Public holidays observed in London are:

  1st January - New Year’s Day

  Good Friday: Friday before the UK Easter (March or April date varies)

  Easter Monday: Monday after Easter (March or April date varies)

  May Day bank holiday: first Monday in May

  Spring bank holiday: last Monday in May

  Summer bank holiday: last Monday in August

  25th December - Christmas Day

  26th December - Boxing Day

  Christmas Closing Dates 2008: The last day of school is 19 December 2008. Centres re-open on 5 January 2009.

  

• Safety

  Brighton is not a dangerous city but it is always wise to ensure that you take sensible precautions to ensure your personal safety and that of your belongings.

  DO

  • keep all your personal belongings with you at all times, particularly in public places such as bars, restaurants and public tranport

  Don't

  • take passports, flight tickets and large sums of money with you when you go out, especially in the evening.
  • leave such items unattended.