International

Student Safety

Guide YOUR GUIDE TO

STAYING SAFE AND

ENJOYING YOUR TIME

IN MANCHESTER!

This booklet was made possible thanks to The UK Council for International

Student Affairs, the Manchester Student Safety Tactical Action Partnership and

student volunteers from The University of Manchester and Manchester

Metropolitan University.

WELCOME TO MANCHESTER!

GUIDE HISTORY

This guide is a key part of the

Manchester International Student Safety

Campaign. The campaign was created

following discussions with Greater

Manchester Police (GMP) and

international students. These

discussions highlighted the crimes

which international students were most

likely to be victims of and identified the

best methods of presenting our safety

information. One of the ideas was a

safety guide.

Following this MSH was awarded

funding for the campaign from The UK

Council for International Student Affairs

(UKCISA) and the Manchester Student

Safety Tactical Action Partnership.

Working in collaboration with

University partners and student

volunteers the International Student

Safety guide was completed. This guide

covers:

• Personal and Household Safety

• Fire Safety

• Health and Wellbeing

• Community Involvement

• Finance

• Insurance

This guide has been created, designed

and approved by international students

to help you stay safe whilst you study

and live in Manchester. We hope you

enjoy your time here!

MESSAGE FROM UKCISA

The UK Council for International Student

Affairs is the UK's national advisory

body serving the interests of

international students and those who

work with them. We have almost 500

members including all UK Universities,

many Further Education Colleges and

Students' Unions.

Our aims are:

• To increase support for international

education and raise awareness of its

values and benefits.

• To promote greater student mobility

and reduce obstacles and barriers to

it.

• To encourage best practice,

professional development and the

highest quality of institutional

support for international students

throughout the education sector.

Our website www.ukcisa.org.uk has a

range of valuable information for

international students and for advisers

and staff working in institutions. In

particular, we are the key source of

advice and information on the student

immigration rules. We also initiate and

encourage projects and research to

enhance our understanding of

international student education in the

UK.

2

WHO ARE MSH?

Manchester Student Homes (MSH) offers

a FREE housing service to students. We

are jointly managed by The University

of Manchester and Manchester

Metropolitan University and we also

work in partnership with The University

of Salford, The Manchester College and

The Royal Northern College of Music.

We accredit landlords and private halls

of residence who meet our required

standards.

We promote quality accommodation,

and an advice service to students who

choose to live off campus.

MSH is also a hate crime 3rd party

reporting centre. Individuals who have

been the victim of a hate crime can

come to our office and speak to a

trained member of staff to receive

support and guidance. For more

information about Hate Crime, visit

www.stophateuk.org 0800 138 1625

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY

STANDARD

The International Friendly Standard has

been created by MSH to recognise

landlords and private halls who provide

a fair and transparent service to

international students as well as going

that extra mile.

All our landlords and private halls that

have been awarded

the Standard have

agreed to the

following conditions:

• No requirement

for guarantors to

be UK based.

• No requirement for full rent to be

paid upfront for the year, instead

rent will be paid on either monthly

or termly payment schedules.

• Clear and easy to understand

information on any additional fees or

charges that may be applied is

provided to the Student/s ahead of

the tenancy.

• Orientation to the area and a

welcome pack which includes key

information such as emergency

contacts and what to do in an

emergency, local transport

information, safety information etc.

MANCHESTER STUDENT HOMES

3

Pictured: You can find the MSH offices

opposite Tesco in Fallowfield

PERSONAL AND

HOUSEHOLD SAFETY sponsored by

Greater Manchester is one of the safest

places to live and work. It is highly

unlikely that you, or someone you know

will be a victim of crime, however do not

be complacent. By taking a few simple

precautions, you can reduce the risk of

being targeted by criminals:

• Remember to lock all outside windows

and doors even when you are at

home. 1 in 3 burglaries are a result of

an open or unlocked door or window.

• Don’t leave your valuables on view

and if you’ve got an alarm use it.

• Don’t carry large amounts of cash with

you when you are out.

• Be alert to your surroundings as well

as people around you and be brief

when using a mobile phone - be

discreet and try to conceal it.

• Using earphones or following a

smartphone’s sat nav could indicate

that you have expensive personal

possessions with you or may make it

difficult for you to notice is someone is

approaching you.

• Don't forget, you can register any

valuable property (eg laptops, mobile

phones, tablets) on

www.immobilise.com free of charge.

This will help the police to return lost

or stolen items to their rightful owners

and also act as a deterrent to

offenders.

• The police and your student union

provide Safe Zones - places for you to

go to if you are at risk or need

assistance when you are out in the

community. All Safe Zones will display

the logo or will have a sticker clearly

visible. To find your nearest one visit

www.gmp.police.uk

4

Greater Manchester Police has teams

that patrol all over campus to help

keep students safe.

They regularly hold talks and events

to share crime prevention advice and

they are always happy to speak to

anyone who needs help, whether it’s

hints and tips or if you are a victim of

crime.

Get more information on GMP’s

student teams at FACEBOOK LOGO/

mcrstudentsafety and TWITTER

LOGO/GMPFallowfield TWITTER

LOGO/GMPLongsight

Remember, you can call police any

time on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

FIRE SAFETY sponsored by

5

Cooking after drinking alcohol is one of

the biggest causes of fires in student

houses. Greater Manchester Fire and

Rescue Service(GMFRS) says people

should NEVER cook when under the

influence of alcohol, as it can put lives at

serious risk.

One such case happened recently in

Withington and was overseen by GMFRS

Watch Manager Jagjit Dhaliwal. He said

“We had to force our way into the building

where the alarms were sounding and it

was very smoke logged.

“We searched the property and found a

22-year-old asleep. He had been drinking

and started cooking oven chips before

falling asleep.

“It was really fortunate he had smoke

alarms, as they alerted his neighbour. The

crew rescued him, quickly extinguished

the fire and cleared the smoke.

TOP 10 COOKING SAFETY TIPS:

1. Keep your oven, hob and grill clean.

A build-up of fat and grease can easily

catch fire.

2. Don't put anything metallic, such as tin

cans, inside the microwave.

3. Keep cooking appliances in the

kitchen. These rooms are designed for

cooking appliances and the plug

sockets are appropriately wired with

the correct voltage. Bedrooms are not

wired for such appliances.

4. Remember any type of pan can catch

fire - this includes a wok and a grill.

5. When deep frying, always dry the food

before you put it in the oil.

6. Never fill a pan more than one-third

full of oil. If the oil starts to smoke, it's

too hot - turn off the heat .

7. Swap your chip pan for an electric

deep fat fryer - thermostatically

controlled electrical deep fat fryers

are much safer to use.

8. Never put water on a hot fat fire.

9. Have an escape plan if a fire does

occur.

10. Finally, remember a working smoke

alarm will give you those precious

seconds to escape – your landlord is

responsible for ensuring your property

has one.

For further information and safety advice,

visit: www.manchesterfire.gov.uk/

fire_safety_advice Pictured: Officers from Withington

Fire Service with MSH staff.

HEALTH AND WELLBEING sponsored by

After the initial excitement of moving

here and beginning your course, some

students may find the changes difficult

and stressful. This “culture shock” is very

common, and there are many things you

can do to help yourself feel more settled.

CONNECT- Make friends with other

students who are away from home, as

they’ll understand what you are feeling.

Clubs and societies are a great way to

make friends and settle in. Keep in

regular contact with home, perhaps

sharing news and photos of your life in

the UK.

LEARN & DISCOVER- Get to know your

new environment. Find things in

Manchester that remind you of home,

such as food shops, restaurants, faith and

cultural centres. Most societies run events

and trips that can help you discover more

about your new surroundings.

BE ACTIVE - Taking regular exercise

can help lift your mood, and can also be a

good way of meeting new people.

TAKE NOTICE - Look up at the world

around you as you walk to campus. Have

familiar things around you that remind

you of home, such as photographs or

ornaments.

GIVE– Student volunteering is a great

way to explore and become part of your

local community, as well as to meet new

people who share similar interests.

BE HEALTHY– Eat a healthy and

balanced diet. Find shops selling familiar

food if you can; perhaps cook and share a

meal with other students, whether from

your own or another culture.

LOOK AFTER YOUR HEALTH

If you need help or advice on anything to

do with your health, try visiting

www.choosewellmanchester.org.uk .

This website translates in to around 100

languages to make sure you can access

the advice you need. Here you can find

lots of information about looking after

yourself, how to register with a GP (who

can give you the free

MMR and Meningitis

ACWY vaccinations

recommended by Public

Health England), and

where and when you

should seek more

urgent help.

You can also call 111 for free from any

phone if you urgently need medical

advice but it's not a life-threatening

situation. Translation services are

available during the call.

6

GET INVOLVED

IN YOUR COMMUNITY

VOLUNTEERING

Volunteering is a fantastic way to

develop skills and talents that

complement and enhance your

education. It is also a fun way to build

your confidence, develop your CV and

make a real difference to people in your

community!

There are a number of ways to get

involved in volunteering.

The University of Manchester, have a

dedicated Volunteering & Community

Engagement Team that works to

support you and your volunteering

needs. The Team:

• Sources volunteering opportunities

locally, which are available to you

online via www.manchester.ac.uk/

volunteers.

• Arranges drop-in sessions to answer

any questions about volunteering.

These are held in The Atrium in

University Place every Monday (12pm-

1pm) and Wednesday (1pm-2pm)

throughout the year.

Manchester Metropolitan

University’s The Union have a

dedicated team to help you find the

right opportunity. What you’ll find on

offer at The Union:

• A whole range of opportunities for you

to choose from on our online

volunteering system.

• Training and development to make

sure that you get the most out of the time

that you invest.

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY

International Society is a not-for-profit

organisation that

aims to provide

international

students with a

warm and

friendly welcome when they arrive in

the city and to make their time in the UK

a wonderful experience. We have 4,000

members from 150 different countries

each year.

Among the things we do are trips

around the UK during the weekend,

language classes, cultural evenings,

social events, cultural awareness

project (Rocketworld) and hospitality

scheme. Our office is located just

opposite the University of Manchester’s

Students Union on Oxford Road. Please

feel free to drop by and have a chat with

us or check out our website at

www.internationalsociety.org.uk for

more information.

7

Pictured: Students at the

International Society

8

FINANCE

MONEY

Upon arriving in the UK, there are

many things you can do to keep you

and your money safe.

Open a bank account as soon as

possible after you arrive in

Manchester.

A savings account is a good idea if

you intend to keep a lot of money in

your account without withdrawing it

regularly.

A current account lets you set up

regular payments (direct debits)

without using cash, for bills such as

your mobile phone. You can have a

current account as well as a savings

account.

A debit card (this normally comes

with a current account) lets you

withdraw money from cash machines

up to a maximum daily limit.

Cash machines can be found on the

walls of banks, and in some shops.

Keep your PIN secret, and don’t

lend your card to anybody. Don’t

write your PIN number down.

Withdraw cash during the day

when it’s busy, or get “cash back”

when making a debit card payment

in a supermarket. Don’t use cash

machines at night.

If anyone speaks to you while

you’re using a cash machine,

complete your transaction and put

your cash away before replying.

Don’t carry large amounts of cash

– most shops and services accept

card payments, so there’s no need to

carry lots of cash.

Don’t leave lots of cash at home –

insurance policies usually only cover

a small amount of cash if it is stolen.

Keep cash out of sight, and keep

your windows shut when you’re not

home. Always lock your bedroom

door.

Developed by Brightside in

collaboration with UKCISA,

this online student lifestyle

calculator http://

international.studentcalculator.org/

helps international students plan

and manage their money for studies

in the UK. Students can use the site

to build a lifestyle budget and see

how it balances by week, month or

over a year.

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