Wild Wild West: An insight of Pakistani students living abroad– Part 2
Sunday, October 23rd, 2011 8:51:03 by Ahmed Babar
Part 2:
Most of the people leave their homeland with only one ultimate dream, to become rich. There are only few whose dream becomes the reality. Majority of our people even today believes that the day they land on a foreign soil all their problems will be solved automatically. Earning money will be the easiest thing to do and system will make them rich in days literally.
If you share the same thought, you might be right but the probability is pretty low. Especially after the recession that has hit the west so hard that they do not have sufficient jobs for their own self. For instance the unemployment rate in the United States reported on September 2011 was 9.1 percent. This is way too high as since 1948 the average unemployment for America is 5.70 percent.
The situation is not any better in the UK which has the largest number of Pakistani’s struggling to balance their lives. United Kingdom currently has the unemployment rate of 8.1 % which is way towards the high side.
Pakistani students landing in the United Kingdom has to face a number of challenges and the first one is to catch up with the pace of fast moving world of the outside. There are a few lucky ones who already have a family settled in the UK but majority are starting from scratch.
Most of us are attracted to the renowned universities in London and prefer the Capital for the same reason. There is a lot of charm and attraction even in just the name of Great Britain’s capital
Students are allowed to work 20 hours per week which makes it almost three days a week. The idea is right because if you are going to study you shall be spending more time studying.
Cost of living is pretty high in London and working 3 days a week does not cover it. Working 20 hours a week means you earn some thing around £ 600 per month. Assuming that one earns £ 7.5 an hour as the minimum current wage is £ 6:08 per hour.
Top three expenses in London include high cost of living, cost of travel and expensive food. The most preferred and effective way to roam around the capital is through underground. Transport for London (TFL) ensures that passengers do not have to wait for more than 2 minutes on average in order to catch their ride.
Local transport in London is effective but expensive too as it costs £ 5 to travel across the city for unlimited journeys per day. Weekly pass can be obtained for £ 47.00 which adds up to a total of £ 180.50 per month.
It is pretty easy to find a house on rent; in fact it is the most common business in that region. Pakistani’s are not the only ones who go to London to try their luck; it is full of people from all parts of the world. All the different races, cultures and colours make a perfect rainbow spreading over the economic head of the world.
—Continued to Part 3
Short URL: https://www.newspakistan.pk/?p=1265
Posted by Ahmed Babar
on Oct 23 2011. Filed under Pakistan, Society.
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