Aerial photo of the East Quadrangle, with students grouped in the shape of a heart.

Relocating to Glasgow

Accommodation, life in Glasgow, money advice, relocation, expenses and healthcare

Accommodation

Renting a Property

Consider the types of renting arrangements available, such as:

  • A house or flat with sole tenancy – a person or family are the only tenants in the property.

  • A house share or flat share – a person or couple may rent a room in a property also occupied by other tenants. The property must be approved for this purpose.

  • Lodging – rental of a room from a private property owner who also resides in the property.

Scottish Government – Renting a property from a private landlord

Buying a Property

Buying a home in Scotland involves a slightly different process to that in the rest of the UK, so it is advisable to find out as much as you can about what is involved before you embark on your property search.

If you are considering getting a mortgage, it is worth talking with a few local banks or an independent Mortgage Advisor. Most of them will be unlikely to consider you for a mortgage if you have lived in the UK for less than a year or if you have been living outside the UK for more than 7 years. However, the criterion varies between banks, so it is worth looking around. 

Scottish Government - Buying a home: the legal process

There are many property providers. These are some of the most popular ones:

Life in Glasgow

As Scotland’s largest city, Glasgow is big enough to contain a wide range of attractions, while being small enough to navigate easily. It also has great travel links to other cities in Scotland and the UK. Glasgow’s West End, home to our Gilmorehill campus, is named the 20th coolest neighbourhood in the world (Time Out, 2023).

Music, culture, sport and socialising are all important here. In fact, Glasgow has been named: 

The name Glasgow translates to ‘dear green place’ in Gaelic. The city has more than 90 parks and gardens to explore, and it’s also on the doorstep of many of Scotland’s most visited attractions from castles and beaches, to outdoor activities and spectacular scenery.

Relocating with family and pets

Nursery & Childcare

In Glasgow parents/carers can typically choose from nurseries run by the Council, the private sector or the voluntary sector (known as Funded Providers). They can also choose to access their child’s early learning and childcare entitlement with a Registered Childminder where that childminder is part of the Council’s funded ELC provider scheme.

Getting a place in a council nursery in Glasgow can be competitive, especially in popular areas. Glasgow City Council uses a priority admissions criteria to allocate places. You can find out more information from Early Learning and Childcare - Glasgow City Council

University of Glasgow Nursery

The university offers a nursery facility for staff and students: University of Glasgow Nursery 

For application and placement queries, contact: ecs-nursery@glasgow.ac.uk

Pets

For government guidance on bringing pets into the UK from overseas, including rules and procedures, visit:
Bring Pets to Great Britain - GOV.UK

Your Money

Relocating to another country and navigating financial matters can be tricky, here you can find further information on setting up a UK bank account, registering for an National Insurance, Scottish income tax and more.

Opening a bank account

When you relocate to the UK, one of the first things you will need to set up is a bank account. You will need to make an appointment with the branch where you wish to open an account.

You will need to attend your appointment with your passport and your Biometric Residence Permit if relevant. You will also need to take a letter from the University which can be provided on request to the Onboarding Team, please confirm which bank you are applying for an account with and the following information with your request:

  • full name

  • job title

  • department

  • start date

  • end date (if relevant)

  • UK address

  • salary

Income tax

Whilst living and working in Scotland, you will pay income tax which will be automatically deducted from your monthly salary. Income tax is calculated on the basis of your annual i ncome.

Scottish income tax applies to your salary, pension and most other taxable income.

You’ll pay the same tax as the rest of the UK on dividends and savings interest.

A tax year runs from the 6 April one year to the 5 April the following year. The percentage rates or bands of taxable income may change for each tax year.

National Insurance

National Insurance (NI) will also be deducted from your monthly salary. This is a tax which is used to pay for social security benefits including healthcare sick pay and maternity pay. You need to apply for a National Insurance Number. You must provide us with a National Insurance number as soon as possible after you start work.

You don’t need to apply for a National Insurance number if you already have one, or one is printed on your BRP or eVisa.

If you have a BRP or eVisa, you might have a National Insurance number already.

You can find it:

  • on the back of your BRP 

  • by logging into your UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account to view your eVisa

If you do not have a National Insurance number, you must apply for one if you plan to work.

You can only apply when you’re in the UK.

It can take up to 4 weeks to get your National Insurance number.

You can call the National Insurance number application helpline. If you have an application reference number, have it ready when you call. You’ll find it at the top of the confirmation email you were sent after you applied.

Council Tax

Council tax is a local tax on domestic properties which helps pay for services like rubbish collection, roads, and street lighting. 

Council tax is charged on the household. It's based on the value of the property and not on what the household earns.

The amount of council tax you have to pay depends on which property band your home is in.

Pension

The University administers two pension schemes:

Find more information about pensions at the University.

Relocation Expenses

The University may be able to support you with the expense of relocating to Glasgow and/or visa costs.

Relocation Policy

The purpose of the Relocation Policy is to compensate, in part, the financial loss incurred by new employees who are required to relocate their permanent residence to within daily travelling distance of the University, and where the employee's home address is not within 50 miles of their University workplace.

Financial Support for Visa & Immigration Fees

Due to the increasingly prohibitive costs of UK visa applications, the University has committed to reimbursing fees for initial Skilled Worker visa and Global Talent visa for new employees, visa extensions in these categories, and the cost of Indefinite Leave to Remain applications for all colleagues.

If you are a new employee, please direct all enquires relating to your visa reimbursement to onboarding@glasgow.ac.uk.

Healthcare

The National Health Service is the main healthcare provider in the UK.

Finding a GP/Medical Practice

You should register with a local doctor (within the postcode area of your residential address) who will be responsible for your medical care whilst in Glasgow. Please note: you may have difficulty getting medical attention if you are not registered.

The University also has a Medical Practice on campus:

Dental Care

Find a local Dentist:

Understanding Dental Treatment in Scotland:

Health & wellbeing support for staff

Wellbeing at work is about feeling balanced, respected, trusted, and supported. We want to work together to build a community that is values-led with people at its centre. We aim to create an excellent working experience for all colleagues by embedding wellbeing as an integral part of what we do.

Through our Health & Wellbeing Hub, University staff can access a range of support and resources including our Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health.