#Student living costs in the UK

[rimaakter45]

سیستم آموزشی بریتانیا: مروری جامع

معرفی

بریتانیا دارای یک سیستم آموزشی غنی و متنوع است که به دلیل کیفیت و اهمیت تاریخی خود شناخته شده است. سیستم آموزشی بریتانیا با سنت دیرینه تعالی دانشگاهی و تعهد به تقویت رشد فکری، طی سال‌ها تکامل یافته است تا نیازهای یک جامعه مدرن و جهانی شده را برآورده کند.

ساختار سیستم آموزشی انگلستان

این  سیستم آموزشی انگلستان  به چندین مرحله کلیدی تقسیم می شود که هر کدام اهداف و برنامه درسی خاص خود را دارند. این مراحل به شرح زیر است:

مرحله اولیه سالهای اولیه (EYFS): EYFS برای کودکان 3 تا 5 ساله طراحی شده است و بر ایجاد یک پایه محکم برای یادگیری آینده متمرکز است. این بر یادگیری مبتنی بر بازی، رشد اجتماعی، و مهارت‌های اساسی حساب و سواد تأکید دارد.

آموزش ابتدایی: آموزش ابتدایی در انگلستان معمولاً کودکان 5 تا 11 ساله را پوشش می دهد و شامل مراحل کلیدی 1 و 2 است. در این مرحله دانش آموزان با طیف وسیعی از موضوعات از جمله ریاضیات، انگلیسی، علوم و هنر آشنا می شوند. مرحله کلیدی 2 با آزمون های SAT (آزمون های ارزیابی استاندارد)، که پیشرفت دانش آموز را در این موضوعات اصلی ارزیابی می کند، به اوج خود می رسد.

آموزش متوسطه: آموزش متوسطه شامل مراحل کلیدی 3 و 4 است و برای دانش آموزان 11 تا 16 ساله است. مرحله کلیدی 3 ادامه برنامه درسی ابتدایی با طیف وسیع تری از موضوعات است. در پایان مرحله کلیدی 4، دانش آموزان معمولاً در امتحانات گواهی عمومی آموزش متوسطه (GCSE) شرکت می کنند.

تحصیلات پس از 16 سالگی: پس از تکمیل GCSE، دانش آموزان می توانند با ورود به کالج یا فرم ششم، ادامه تحصیل خود را انتخاب کنند، جایی که به مدت دو سال تحصیل کرده و در آزمون های سطح پیشرفته (A-Level) شرکت خواهند کرد. از طرف دیگر، دانش آموزان می توانند دوره های حرفه ای یا کارآموزی را انتخاب کنند.

آموزش عالی: تحصیلات عالی در بریتانیا در دانشگاه ها و کالج ها ارائه می شود و معمولاً یک برنامه سه ساله در مقطع کارشناسی است که منجر به اخذ مدرک لیسانس می شود. گزینه های تحصیلات تکمیلی شامل برنامه های کارشناسی ارشد و دکترا است. بریتانیا به دلیل دانشگاه های معتبر و ارائه آموزش عالی با کیفیت بالا مشهور است.

ویژگی های کلیدی سیستم آموزشی انگلستان

تست استاندارد: سیستم آموزشی انگلستان برای سنجش پیشرفت و پیشرفت دانش‌آموزان بر آزمون‌های استاندارد متکی است. شناخته شده ترین آزمون های استاندارد شده آزمون های SAT در پایان مرحله کلیدی 2 و آزمون های GCSE در پایان مرحله کلیدی 4 هستند. این آزمون ها نقش بسزایی در ارزیابی توانایی های تحصیلی دانش آموزان و تعیین مسیرهای آموزشی آینده آنها دارند.

لباس فرم مدرسه: لباس فرم یک ویژگی رایج در مدارس انگلستان است. آنها نه تنها احساس تعلق و برابری را در بین دانش آموزان ترویج می کنند، بلکه به یک محیط یادگیری مثبت نیز کمک می کنند. لباس فرم مدرسه اغلب مختص هر موسسه است و ممکن است شامل کتانی، کراوات و تاج مدرسه باشد.

شرایط مدرسه و تعطیلات: سال تحصیلی در انگلستان به طور معمول به سه ترم پاییز، بهار و تابستان تقسیم می شود. مدارس در طول این ترم ها تعطیلات منظم دارند، از جمله تعطیلات نیم ترم و تعطیلات تابستانی طولانی. این استراحت ها امکان استراحت و تفریح را هم برای دانش آموزان و هم برای معلمان فراهم می کند.

مدارس خصوصی و دولتی: سیستم آموزشی انگلستان بین مدارس دولتی و مدارس خصوصی (مستقل) انتخابی را ارائه می دهد. مدارس دولتی توسط دولت تامین مالی می شوند و به برنامه درسی ملی پایبند هستند، در حالی که مدارس خصوصی دارای استقلال بیشتری هستند و اغلب طیف وسیع تری از فعالیت های فوق برنامه را ارائه می دهند.

اهمیت فعالیت های فوق برنامه: فعالیت های فوق برنامه نقش مهمی در سیستم آموزشی انگلستان دارد. مدارس دانش آموزان را به شرکت در فعالیت های ورزشی، باشگاهی و فرهنگی تشویق می کنند. این تجربیات به دانش آموزان کمک می کند تا طیف گسترده ای از مهارت ها و ویژگی ها، از جمله کار تیمی، رهبری و آگاهی فرهنگی را توسعه دهند.

آموزش فراگیر: آموزش فراگیر یک اصل اساسی در سیستم آموزشی انگلستان است. هدف مدارس حمایت از دانش‌آموزان دارای نیازهای آموزشی خاص و ناتوانی‌ها برای اطمینان از دریافت آموزش برابر و باکیفیت است. هماهنگ‌کنندگان نیازهای آموزشی ویژه (SENCOs) با دانش‌آموزان، والدین و معلمان همکاری نزدیکی دارند تا حمایت لازم را تسهیل کنند.

برنامه درسی متنوع: برنامه درسی در انگلستان متنوع است و شامل طیف گسترده ای از موضوعات مانند ریاضیات، علوم، انگلیسی، تاریخ، جغرافیا، زبان ها و هنر است. این رویکرد جامع تضمین می کند که دانش آموزان به یک آموزش جامع دسترسی دارند.

چالش ها و اصلاحات

در حالی که سیستم آموزشی بریتانیا بسیار مورد توجه است، با چالش ها و اصلاحات مداوم روبرو است. این چالش ها عبارتند از:

نابرابری آموزشی: شکاف مداومی در نتایج آموزشی بین دانش‌آموزان با زمینه‌های مختلف اجتماعی-اقتصادی وجود دارد. تلاش‌هایی برای رفع این نابرابری از طریق طرح‌هایی مانند حق بیمه دانش‌آموزان صورت گرفته است که بودجه بیشتری را برای مدارس دارای دانش‌آموزان محروم فراهم می‌کند.

کمبود معلم: بریتانیا در سال های اخیر با کمبود معلمان واجد شرایط مواجه بوده است، به ویژه در دروسی مانند ریاضیات، علوم و زبان های خارجی. این موضوع باعث نگرانی هایی در مورد کیفیت آموزش در این مناطق شده است.

بازنگری برنامه درسی: برنامه درسی در انگلستان در سال های اخیر با تغییراتی در محتوا و ساختار GCSEs و A-Levels دستخوش بازنگری های متعددی شده است. این تجدید نظرها با هدف همسویی سیستم آموزشی با نیازهای نیروی کار مدرن و چالش های جهانی انجام می شود.

شهریه دانشگاه: شهریه دانشگاه موضوع بحث و مناقشه بوده است. در سال 2012، هزینه های برنامه های کارشناسی در انگلستان به طور قابل توجهی افزایش یافت، که منجر به نگرانی در مورد دسترسی به آموزش عالی برای دانشجویان با پیشینه های کم درآمد شد.

نتیجه

سیستم آموزشی بریتانیا به دلیل تاریخ غنی، تست استاندارد و تعهد به ارائه آموزش با کیفیت بالا شناخته شده است. از سال های اولیه تا آموزش عالی، این سیستم برای آماده سازی دانشجویان برای آینده ای موفق طراحی شده است. در حالی که بریتانیا با چالش‌های مربوط به نابرابری، کمبود معلم و اصلاحات در برنامه‌های درسی مواجه است، آموزش را به عنوان یک ستون اساسی جامعه خود در اولویت قرار می‌دهد و دانش، مهارت‌ها و رشد شخصی دانش‌آموزان را در سراسر کشور تقویت می‌کند. لطفا به اینجا مراجعه کنیدسیستم آموزشی انگلستان  برای اطلاعات بیشتر.

[octarineblues]

ok so if you live in the uk, you might have heard of the student rent strike at the university of manchester.

(its all pretty badass, actually. theres over 600 people witholding rent for official student accomodation. the main strike group occupied several buildings, including the main administrative offices, for weeks)

here's the bbc northwest report on the strike from a few months ago (showing both the occupations and conditions in student accomodation). and a bbc article about student strikers being forcibly removed from the occupied building.

and the wikipedia entry on the strikes, which i didnt even know existed. it has all the sources you might need, tbh, tho it doesnt cover the most recent stuff from what i see.

a few days ago the news went out that the university will seek disciplinary action against some of the students - something that the uni is, according to their own rules, not allowed to do, but is a stalling tactic that might prevent the students from passing the year or graduating. this is after the uni fined those withholding rent and violently removed strikers from occupied buildings.

please consider supporting the rent strike - here is a letter in support of students undergoing the discicplinary action (you dont have to have to be in the UK or have anything to do with UoM to sign it!) and you can also support the strikers financially!

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[6ebe]

Hate how I can’t even be happy to get into such a good masters program bc I don’t even know if I’ll be able to afford to go :/

[edwisefoundation]

A Comprehensive Guide to the Cost of Studying in the UK for International Students

Studying in the UK offers world-class education, but it comes with significant costs such as tuition fees, accommodation, transportation, and living expenses. Tuition varies by program, with humanities courses being more affordable than engineering or MBA programs. Living costs, especially in cities like London, can be high, but strategic planning—like shared accommodations and taking advantage of student discounts—can help you save money. Learn more about the detailed breakdown of the cost of studying in the UK and find ways to optimize your budget for a more affordable study experience.

[gothhabiba]

hey guys, I could use your help with something! Sue is a Black disabled mother, migrant, and PhD student at Newcastle University who urgently needs solidarity. Newcastle University is reporting her to the Home Office in retaliation for her complaint about her abusive supervisor, in full awareness of her Stage 5 kidney disease. this is a life-and-death situation.

here's how you can help:

retweet Unis Resist Border Control's tweet about Sue's abusive situation at the University of Newcastle

sign the open letter to Newcastle University by 22 May

pass a motion with your UCU branch (template here)

donate to help Sue find a kidney donor, apply to Leave to Remain, pay solicitor fees, and cover living costs

Sue's story from the #WeAreAllSue toolkit:

In 2022, Sue Agazie, high-achieving in her field, was promised financial support for her tuition fees through scholarships and paid opportunities and enrolled into the PhD programme at Newcastle University Business School with this understanding. When Sue arrived in the UK in 2023, however, she learned that all of this financial promise was a lie; the scholarships that she had been promised never materialised. Instead, she has gone into horrific debt and is having trouble surviving.

For almost a year, Sue sought financial support for herself and her family, including grants and opportunities that would burnish the reputation of her supervisor and university as a whole. However, in that year, her supervisor not only prevented her from applying to scholarships and paid opportunities, but further controlled her research and day-to-day quality of life, with a high-level of surveillance, inappropriate supervisory practices, and escalating harassment of both her and her family.

These practices include this supervisor repeatedly preventing Sue from taking part in important professional development activities, such as research presentations, within the Business School. He also isolated her from her senior colleagues, forbidding her from attending particular activities they were facilitating, or spreading malicious rumours about them. Further, the primary supervisor repeatedly ignored Sue's pleas for support on funding applications and other opportunities that would alleviate the precarious financial situation into which she had been placed, telling her to “stop sending me links to scholarships”.

This behaviour would culminate in the primary supervisor verbally abusing Sue a number of times, and maligning Sue’s husband, alleging that he has been too lazy to financially support her. These inappropriate supervisory practices belie Newcastle University’s commitment to gender equality under the Athena SWAN Charter, for which it holds a Silver award, and for which the Business School holds a Bronze award.

An environment of terror and retaliation

This environment of surveillance, harassment, and terror has grossly impacted the health of Sue as well as that of her spouse and children. In particular, her kidney condition escalated to stage 5 kidney disease, a severe and terminal illness that causes disablement and time-sensitive, highly-delicate medical needs, during this ordeal. The National Kidney Foundation in the United States indicates that “stress and uncontrolled reactions to stress” can “lead to kidney damage.” These compounding issues have also understandably affected Sue's studies, although she has bravely persisted in her research, meeting important deadlines.

Sue raised these issues using relevant avenues of informal complaint, including her supervisory teams and student support services; there are multiple complaints that have been raised in this department. However, she did not receive sufficient support. Further, her severe health issues were not treated with the urgency and importance that they deserved. In October and November 2023, Sue's supervisor accused her of allegedly plagiarising his work in what Sue sees as a malicious act of retaliation and victimisation over her informal complaint, and an attempt to sabotage her reputation not just at Newcastle University, but to prestigious global networks. Following all of this mistreatment, Sue filed a formal complaint against her supervisor in February 2024.

Newcastle University is closing ranks

The university came back to Sue on 5 March 2024 with its response, alleging that she had fabricated the complaint against her supervisor in retaliation for his accusations of research misconduct against her, painting this vulnerable, disabled African student as a malicious liar. The supervisor even denies the relevance of her terminal illness and implicates her young child's behaviour in his response, while maintaining that her terminal illness "has nothing to do with her studies or work pressure here". Sue maintains: “During the time that I was supervised by the primary PhD supervisor, he neither kept in regular communication about my disability nor did he signpost me to relevant services within and outside of Newcastle University that could help me. It is dangerous for the primary supervisor to maintain that my disability would not have affected my studies. His comments show a gross level of disability discrimination that does not befit the reputation that Newcastle University seeks to cultivate as an inclusive place.”

Now, the university is claiming that Sue is not "engaging" sufficiently with the programme, and is threatening to report her to the Home Office, despite a written promise in January 2024 that her status would be unaffected due to the ongoing complaint process, and full knowledge of her terminal stage 5 kidney failure. Adding more insult to injury, Newcastle University Accommodation Service has been hounding Sue for rent arrears, even though they know she is critically ill and in a complaint with the university, surviving with the support of Food & Solidarity. Sue has pleaded with the university’s Accommodation Service for a rent freeze, indicating her urgent health complications and her complaint underway with the university. In all correspondences, the Accommodation Service has ignored Sue’s pleas for clemency. There is real fear that the Accommodation Service will evict Sue, her husband and their child. This will, no doubt, cause real precarity to Sue’s already fragile health condition.

We are appalled that the Newcastle University Business School is utilising obvious misogynoirist tropes to close ranks around a disabled Black migrant student who has been treated horribly, and weaponising her precarious migrant status against her as she attempts to seek justice. We are also aware that Sue is not the only student in this situation and that there have been other complaints in this department. It is a stark illustration of the pernicious institutional racism at Russell Group universities that a disabled Black migrant woman with caring responsibilities has been treated this way not only by a supervisor, but by the institution, as well as the abject way these universities instrumentalise migrant students from the Global South as sources of income that they can afterwards dispose of.

Sue maintains that this ordeal has not diminished her resolve to complete her PhD studies at Newcastle University Business School. She says, “I want to finish my PhD research. But for that to happen, Newcastle University must provide the necessary support for a disabled student in a non-abusive environment. I hope that the university listens to me and we can come to a resolution on this matter soon.”

[thingsthatmakeyouacey]

Urgent help needed today (26 Feb) for migrant student facing removal from his course and the UK

Muhammad is a postgraduate student at University of Stirling (UK). Last year he was detained under horrific conditions in a detention center on bogus charges. His university hasn’t helped at all with his living costs or tuition fees and has used mental health meetings to hound him for his tuition. Now they say they’re removing him from his course tomorrow, Tuesday 27th February, just months before his graduation date. This will also end his visa and force him to leave the country.

Unis Resist Border Controls have given four urgent actions to help Muhammad TODAY (Monday 26th). Please take action and share widely! If you have an university email address and are comfortable, use that when writing to the vice chancellor.

Links from the graphics:

Twitter handles: @StirUni, @GerryMcCormac

Instagram handles: @universityofstirling, @gerrymac9753

VC phone: 01786 467012

VC email: PrincipalPA@stir.ac.uk

Doughnation link: https://gofund.me/783415a8

You can find a video summarizing his situation here.

[ana-bananya]

£1,335/£3,700

This campaign was shared by @/sudan.updates on instagram

The last donation to Mohammad's fundraiser was 14 days ago. If you cannot donate, please help by reblogging.

Mohammad Abdullah came to the UK from Darfur, Sudan when he was 15 and has been living there for the past 4 years. He has been trying to complete a family reunification application to bring his mother, sister, and two brothers to live with him. However to complete the application, they need to have their biometrics. Utilizing a biometric center in Sudan is impossible right now, as they have all been closed or destroyed due to the war and genocide.

Mohammad and his solicitor have determined that the best option is for his family to leave Sudan and travel to Uganda where the biometric centres are open. However, as a full time student, Mohammad cannot afford their travel fees on his own.

The funds raised will cover his family's travel costs, living expenses, rent in Kampala while they are waiting for the biometrics to process.

Mohammad has not seen his family since 2018. Being apart from his family from such a young age has been unimaginably difficult for him. Mohammad is constantly worried about their safety, which has started to effect his concentration at college and his ability to sleep at night. It would bring Mohammad much joy and relief to have his family by his side once more.

Please help share and donate if you are able so Mohammad can finally be reunited with his family.

[j2hoes]

Foreign Exchanges. (Anthony Vaughn x Reader.)

Summary: Moving school in the middle of the year is never easy. Let alone from an entirely different country. Despite Y/N trying to garner the least amount of attention possible, she still manages to catch the eye of a certain brunette.

Word Count: 1.5k

Gif Not Mine . Requests are open!

Warnings: Mature language.

A/N: My first Ant fic and I’m debating making this a series but you’ll have to let me know what you think! Anyway just a short one to start us off but there’ll be more soon. Don’t forget requests are open!

“I’d like you all to offer a warm welcome to our new student Y/N Y/L/N, she’s moved here all the way from the UK! So let’s show her some of that Hartley spirit.” The teacher, who introduced herself as Jojo, announces to the class. All of them staring at me with blank stares. “Go ahead and say a few words.”

She nudges my shoulder gently before I can decline the offer. Encouraging smile on her face. There are no smiles from my classmates however, only bored faces who couldn’t be less interested in my arrival. For which I’m grateful. I’d seen this school on the news prior to my enrolment, I know these students are brutal. I mean, a sex map? Dad wasn’t too happy about sending me here though he didn’t really have a choice, no other schools were admitting students this late into the term.

“Um hi, I’m Y/N. It’s good to be here I guess.”

“Does anybody have any questions for Y/N?” Jojo offers, attempting to find a way for the class to get to me.

Numerous hands raise and I let out a groan internally. It’s bad enough that I’m stood at the front of the classroom like a new shiny toy but to now be subject to whatever ridiculous questions these teens can come up with is a new form of torture. One that I am really not looking forward to.

Jojo points to her first student, allowing them to be the first to ask. “Why don’t you have a proper British accent?” The girl seems genuinely curious, eyes focused on me as she combs her fingers through her orange hair. Stickers adorn her face along with colourful eyeshadow to match her bright outfit. She has a gentle aura surrounding her, which makes me relieved as I realise her question wasn’t meant in malice and more so pure interest. Maybe these kids won’t be so bad?

“Um, I think the accent you’re think of is the Queen’s English. There isn’t many people that talk like that really, maybe a few down south but I grew up in the North East. None of us talk posh.” I tell her, watching as she seems to take notes as I speak.

“Thank you Quinni, Spider what about you?” Jojo asks, pointing to the tall blonde that is hunched over at the back of the class.

His eyes flicker up to me, giving me the once over though he doesn’t seem too impressed by my presence.

“Yeah, what is it with you and all the other poms having bad teeth?” The boy pipes up, I notice the two boys next to him laugh. Though the one in the baggy outfit makes eye contact with me and a flash of guilt appears on his face.

“I don’t have bad teeth actually. Nobody I know does and to be perfectly honest, that stereotype is deeply rooted in classism and while the UK faces a major cost of living and wealth gap crisis, I don’t think it’s funny to joke about things like that. Do you?” I retort, causing h the pink haired girl and her friend to applaud my mini speech. Both offering cheers.

“Okay any more questions that aren’t going to cause arguments?” Jojo asks, a few hands lowering as they don’t want to get in trouble. “Yes, Amerie?”

“Do you miss home?”

“Yeah, yeah I really miss it.” I start, thinking of everything that I had to leave behind. I know this was the best decision for my family, but I do hold a slight resentment towards being here. “Don’t get me wrong, Sydney’s great and all, but I miss my friends, my house, my pets, I even miss the shitty pub from down the street.”

“Thank you Y/N, I feel like we’ve got to know you a little bit more now, so feel free to take a seat and we’ll get started.”

The only open seat is next to the girl that Jojo called Amerie. Smiling as I take my place, I open my notebook and begin to doodle swirls and other patterns across the page. Focusing on that rather than the subject being taught. It’s some form of sex education by the sounds of it. However, it seems very outdated and heteronormative. Nothing worth listening to anyway.

Upon hearing the bell ring, I begin to pack away my things and watch as a few students mutter things towards Amerie. “Map bitch.” “Cunt.” and “Crazy bitch.” Just to name a few. I realise that may be the reason she had nobody sat next to her and figure it may be best to avoid her if I want to stay under everybody’s radar.

Finding my locker, I begin to turn the lock with great difficulty. Back home, the numbers simply connect and the door clicks open, that doesn’t seem to be the case here though. Fiddling with the dial, I hear the bell signal the beginning of the next class and I huff, annoyed that I’m having this much trouble with a stupid locker.

As the hallways clears out, I continue to twist and pull at the lock. Bag dumped on the floor as I try with all my strength to pry the door open. With no such luck, I throw a quick kick to the locker beneath mine, leaving a dent in the door slightly. Slumping with my back again the metal, I find myself face to face with the boy in the baggy outfit.

Not previously noticing how cute he was, dark hair hidden beneath a beanie, a couple of curls escaping. Boyish grin plastered across his face and piercing brown eyes staring directly at me. I won’t even try to deny that Australia has one up on the Uk in terms of boys, they’re just so much cuter over here.

“What did the locker do to you?” He jokes, taking the slip of paper with the locker code out of my hand.

“Bloody thing won’t open.” I mumble, stepping out of the way as he demonstrates how to open it with ease. My cheeks tinged pink as I fear my outburst may have been unnecessary.

“I thought you Brits were supposed to be good at containing your emotions anyway.” He leans against the locker beside mine, watching me as I stuff countless books into the small space. Normally this would make me uncomfortable, yet there’s there’s something about him that makes me feel warm and calm.

“Nah we love our fair share of violence.” I tell him, smiling as I do so, remembering the amount of fights that used to take place on my estate daily. Providing free entertainment for all the neighbours. “We’re polite, but piss us off and we’ll knock you into next week.”

He laughs, folding his arms across his chest as I close the locker door. His eyes gaze over me as I turn to face him properly. Noticing the small cross necklace hanging from his neck, I can’t help but imagine what it would look like against his bare skin.

“You religious?” I ask, nodding towards the chain.

“Nah, I’m Ant.” He brushes off my question and tucks the necklace beneath his shirt. Clearly a touchy subject that perhaps I shouldn’t have brought up. So instead I attempt to lighten the mood.

“Ant?” The word escapes my mouth as a slight giggle, unable to hide the amusement his name brings. “And your mate’s called Spider?”

“Yeah, stupid right?” He chuckles, playing with the straps of his bag. Almost as if he’s nervous. “We’ve been best mates our entire lives. My real name’s Anthony but nobody calls me that. Same with Spider, his name’s Spencer. Kids started to call us Ant and Spider when we were like six, guess it just stuck.”

“That’s cute.”

Picking up my bag, I throw it over my shoulder. Figuring I should probably head to my next class despite being extremely late already.

“Hey, about Spider.” Ant reaches for my arm, clearly sensing that I’m about to leave. “I just wanted to apologise, he can be a bit of a dick but he’s a nice guy deep down.”

My arm tingles where he’s touching it, feeling the slightest of move of his fingers. As though my nerves are on fire. Suddenly hypersensitive to any little movement he makes. I know I shouldn’t be feeling things this intensely, hell, I’ve just met the guy. Yet he sparks an excitement in me that I haven’t felt in a while.

“Honestly it’s sound. You don’t need to apologise.” I assure him, offering a smile, I see his shoulders relax. “I can handle a prick like him any day.”

“Yeah you certainly shot him down quick.”

As he removes his hand from my arm, I’m quick to begin walking away. Cheesy grin on my face as I recall the interaction in my head despite it only happening seconds ago. I feel dizzy with excitement, my feet feel like they’re walking on clouds and I almost miss the shout from behind me as I go to turn the corner.

“Hey, do you wanna get high?”

[starrysharks]

these questions are pretty similar so i'll answer both at once.

to buy from a chinese indie brand, you need two things: the brand's taobao link and a proxy site account. taobao is a chinese storefront (?) that most of these stores are hosted on. there are plenty of western stores online that also carry taobao brand clothing - like arcana archive, glitch cupids, and pixie rebels - but i would recommend just getting your stuff from a proxy as those stores often up the prices of the clothes.

note that it can be a bit of a struggle to get the taobao link of a store, especially if you don't have an account (which is notoriously difficult to get these days), but i did find some link lists! (mostly lolita stuff as that's what taobao is most popular for among alt fashionistas ^_^)

some other brands that i recommend -

eyeelike - y2k inspired, though their stock is usually very limited. sizes up to UK 10-12 (L) i believe

link (lemme know if it's broken):

frufru - bright, colorful, sorta harajuku-esque! i heavily recommend their star messenger bags, been wanting to get one of my own for a while ^_^

link

and hbreaker - a more visual kei sort of thing! more edgy than the other two stores, but i'm yet to check it out properly

link

so, now that you have the link, you need a proxy site. this is so that you can send the clothes over from china to your own country. in the past, i would've recommended pandabuy, but it died a few months ago due to illegal replica selling. for that, i'd recommend avoiding proxies that allow replicas, because they might go under while you're trying to get clothes shipped. (that happened to me T_T)

some that are reliable are:

sugargoo

superbuy

spreenow

now all you do is use the search bar (make sure it's on the "shop" mode rather than "product"), and plug in the link to the shop you want to buy from, and it should be the first result. get all your clothes, and now all you have to do is have them shipped out! shipping usually costs a lot (£20+ from my experience) and if you're buying a haul, it can be over £200 for just 4-6 items, so i'd recommend only buying stuff you KNOW you're going to wear often and enjoy. shipping should only take 2-3 weeks (at least in my experience - i live in the UK, it might take more time in the US.) and boom! now you can dress like those cool girls on xiaohongshu!

there are also two western stores i'd like to go over that have similar clothes - sixth dimension and minga london.

sixth dimension has many good qualities - they have more inclusive sizing (up to UK XL), reasonable prices based on their quality, and they restock and do sales often. i heavily recommend them if you can't afford the high shipping prices or if the sizing is too limited for you!

unfortunately, i have less nice things to say about minga london. they're highly extortionate in terms of pricing - i've seen shein quality cardigans sold for upwards of £70, for example. they do drops often, and have been accused of fast fashion but i'm not sure if that's legit or not. they've also stolen designs in the past. however, they do have inclusive sizing, up to XXXL. i'd recommend only buying from them if they're doing a sale, or if you literally have no other choice.

now regarding fruits mag - unfortunately, you can't buy from them. fruits mag is a japanese magazine that went over a variety of different street styles, so if you want to buy from fruits, you'd have to buy from the brands that the people in the magazines are wearing. as fruits was most popular in the 2000s, most of those brands are defunct...however, i do have some recommendations for japanese alternative brands!

alice and the pirates - popular lolita fashion. pretty good sizing i think, and they do worldwide shipping too iirc.

baby the stars shine bright - same as aatp, but more "cutesy".

acdc rag - yami kawaii type clothes with inclusive sizing.

dearmylove - jirai kei/dark girly clothing and beautiful shoes. inclusive sizing, i'm pretty sure they have a full plus size range! also collabed with needy streamer overdose lol

liz lisa - lolita/mori kei/girly styles and pretty coats. quite expensive tho...

moi-meme-moitie - the brand of malice mizer's guitarist mana-sama! gothic lolita. i'm not sure about sizing or prices.

6%dokidoki - yume kawaii and decora style. very colorful! i'm not sure about sizing.

angel blue - japanese kids clothing, usually worn in general kawaii and jojifuku styles. as it's for kids, the sizing is NOT inclusive at all, UK size S-M at the most from what i've seen. usually you can only find resellers on depop, but the pricing usually isn't horrible.

other than brands, i'd recommend looking for clothes thrifting on and offline (hit big city thrift stores for better chances of alt clothing), buying accessories from verified etsy sellers, and just looking around the house for anything you can turn into an accessory or part of an outfit! i hope this post helps you though!

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...

[kanchelsis]

⚠️ ATTENTION UK COMRADES ⚠️

never in my life did i think i would be making a post like this but here goes.

what's happening in the university of brighton?

during the past week, the university of brighton has announced 110 staff redundancies in a bid to save almost £18m.

meanwhile, senior management have recently shelled out an almost identical sum of money to buy out the lease of a sports facility on campus - a decision which nobody asked for or wanted.

these redundancies will be finalised at the end of june and will have a catastrophic impact on learning conditions, which rely on the expertise of our lecturers. though the ripples of this decision will be felt throughout the university, it explicitly and disproportionately targets 'non-profitable' degrees such as humanities, arts, social sciences, etc.

for the staff made redundant, it could mean the end of their academic career due to a surplus of unemployed academics as a result of sector-wide lack of funding for teaching and research. this is also happening during a cost of living crisis.

lecturers on work visas could be forced to leave the country and may not be able to support their families. those who aren't made redundant will suffer from increased workload, larger class sizes, inability to conduct research and more students per member of staff.

the university of brighton offers a fantastic range of unique, interdisciplinary courses in the heart of the uk's queer capital, allowing our vibrant student community to benefit from intimate seminars that immensely benefit our learning. with some of our departments being cut by more than half, the loss of these will be absolutely devastating.

in the e-mail the student body were sent, we were told the redundancies 'wouldn't affect us', with zero acknowledgement of the relationship students build with their lecturers.

this is an attack on the job security and dignity of our valued body of educational staff. the vice chancellor, who takes home around £250,000 a year, said she 'needs to pay the gas bill'. we say human beings over buildings.

the student body cannot allow this. this sets a dangerous precedent for workers all over the country.

so what can we do to help?

let them know that this not okay. voice your concerns to the vice chancellor debra humphris, who can be contacted at d.humphris@brighton.ac.uk

spread information. tell your friends. kick up a fuss. stand in solidarity with staff and students. contact your local representatives and encourage them to offer support. jeremy corbyn has already given his!!

consider following @ uobsolidarity on instagram to stay updated.

here is a petition you can sign and some relevant news articles. here's how to find your mp.

SOLIDARITY FOREVER. FUCK GREED. PLEASE BOOST!!!

[robotpussy]

hi everyone i hate to have to do this again but there is still a cost of living crisis in the UK and we officially pay the highest energy bills in the world right now and it is very evident with my bill this month 💔

so i really do need some help rn i have a empty bank account once again and won't be getting my student loan payment until the end of the month (January 30th) so could I please have some support

(my bank account balance and student finance payment date as proof)

Paypal: paypal.me/cottoncandystarship

Cashapp: £hamyp22

£0/463 (9/01)

[abroadeducation]

How much does it cost to Study in UK?

The cost of studying in the UK is a concern for many students and their parents. But the good news is that there are many scholarship opportunities and financial aid programs that make it possible for you to study in the UK without spending too much money.

UK Study Costs

It is important to understand the cost of study in the UK. The following are the various expenses that you will face during your stay:

Tuition Fees: These are the fees charged by universities for courses and training programs. The tuition fee varies from university to university and can be paid either in a lump sum or in installments over a period of time (usually two years).

Living Costs: Living costs include accommodation, food, clothing and transportation expenses while studying abroad on a student visa or work permit.

How much are the tuition fees in UK?

Tuition fees in the UK are a bit different from what you might be used to. They're not set by the government and there's no single fee for every student. Instead, tuition fees vary depending on where you study and what course you choose to take.

For example, if you want to study medicine at Oxford University then expect to pay between £9000-11000 per year (around $13000). On the other hand, if your heart is set on studying geography at Exeter University then expect a much lower price tag of less than £6000 ($9000) annually!

What are the student living costs in UK?

The lifestyle in the UK is quite expensive. You can save money while studying in the UK by maintaining a balanced lifestyle. The cost of living in the UK is as follows: 

Food and drink

You can expect to spend around £5-7 per day on food, including snacks. This will vary depending on where you live and what kind of diet you have. If you're a vegetarian or vegan, then it's important to note that many restaurants do not offer vegetarian options unless they are requested in advance. Vegetarian dishes tend to be more expensive than non-vegetarian ones anyway!

Accommodation

Accommodation costs will vary depending on whether your university provides an accommodation or if it's up to the student themselves (some universities allow both). The average cost for a single room in halls is anywhere between £150-200 per week during term time (this includes bills) but this may be cheaper if shared with friends or family members who live nearby - although this isn't always possible due to availability issues at times when demand gets high during peak periods such as exam time!

Study in UK can be expensive, but there are a lot of scholarships and financial aid.

Studying in the UK can be expensive, but there are a lot of scholarships available. Scholarships are awarded based on merit and they can be awarded by the university or by the government. Some universities have their scholarship programs while others rely on national ones like those offered by Student Finance England (SFE).

Understanding the cost of study in UK is important.

It is important to understand the cost of studying in UK. The cost of living in UK is higher than in many other countries, and this can be a great challenge for students who are unfamiliar with the area and don't know where to look for financial aid.

What other charges will I have to pay while studying in the UK?

While tuition fees may be the biggest expense you have to pay, there are other expenses that you should keep in mind.

Living costs: You will need money for accommodation, food, and other daily necessities while studying in the UK. These costs vary depending on where your school is located and how much time you spend outside of class each day. You should budget between £800 - £1,000 per month if you want to live alone or share an apartment with another student;

Travel expenses: Transporting yourself around Europe can be expensive--and it's even more costly when traveling by plane! Depending on which part of Europe you're visiting during holidays, flights could cost upwards of USD$300+.

(Read More: How to study in the UK after 12th for Indian Students?)

Is there any way to avoid some of these costs?

The good news is that there are scholarships and financial aid available for international students who want to study in the UK. You can apply for these before you start your course, or even after starting it if you don't have enough money.

If you are applying based on your profile:

You may get a scholarship if your grades are excellent (a minimum grade point average of 3), or if there is something exceptional about your academic record (you were the top student at school). If this applies to you then apply now!

Conclusion

UK Study Costs can be a little overwhelming. There are many different costs involved in studying abroad in the UK, and it's important to understand what each one means for your budget. However, there are also ways to reduce these expenses by getting scholarships or financial aid in the UK for your studies!

[finnlongman]

About Me, My Books, and My Research (2024 Edition)

Hi, I'm Finn, a writer, medievalist, and all-round nerd. You may know me as the author of The Butterfly Assassin, "that person who wrote the trans Cú Chulainn article", the weird nerd in the Tumblr corner writing excessively long and incomprehensibly niche posts about their research, or something else entirely. I am all of those things! (Well, depending on what the 'something else' is, anyway...)

Currently, I'm a PhD student at the University of Cambridge researching friendship in the late Ulster Cycle (c. 12th-17th centuries). I have an MA in Early and Medieval Irish from University College Cork, and wrote my thesis about Láeg mac Ríangabra, my best beloved. I also have an undergrad degree in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic from Cambridge, and wrote my dissertation about queer readings of Táin Bó Cúailnge, including transmasculine readings of Cú Chulainn.

You can find out more about my research on my website, which also includes info about all of my academic publications. This includes the aforementioned "trans Cú Chulainn article", an article about Láeg in the Death of Cú Chulainn, an article about the seven Maines, and a discussion of a conference on Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire from the perspective of my own work on lament and grief. Whenever possible, I try to make my research available Open Access. If you're ever having trouble finding one of my articles, please contact me!

If you want recommendations for books about medieval Irish (or Welsh) literature, this list on my Bookshop page has all my go-to recommendations. If you buy via this link, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, so this is a great way to support me.

I am also an author, and I write both YA and adult novels. Again, my website is the place to go for all the info and links, but a quick summary:

The Butterfly Assassin trilogy (The Butterfly Assassin, 2022; The Hummingbird Killer, 2023; Moth to a Flame, 2024): YA thrillers about a traumatised teenage assassin who is trying (and failing) to live a normal life in a fictional closed city in Yorkshire. Featuring friendship, street art, Esperanto, zero romance, and a whole lot of murder, as well as increasingly unsubtle commentary on the UK arms industry and the military recruitment of vulnerable teenagers.

The Wolf and His King (coming Spring 2025 from Gollancz): a queer retelling of 'Bisclavret' by Marie de France which uses werewolfism as a metaphor to explore chronic pain and illness. Also very much about yearning, exile, and the mortifying ordeal of being known.

The Animals We Became (coming 2026 from Gollancz): a queertrans retelling of the Fourth Branch of the Mabinogi looking at gender, compulsory heterosexuality, and trauma, through the medium of nonconsensual animal transformations.

To Run With The Hound (coming 2027 from Gollancz): my take on the Ulster Cycle, looking at why Táin Bó Cúailnge is a tragedy and what it means to be doomed by the narrative, but not in the way you thought you were. Featuring a lot of feelings about Cú Chulainn, Fer Diad, and Láeg.

You can find out more about my recently-announced medieval retellings in this blog post.

I generally tag personal posts and selfies as “#about the author”; other than that, I think I’m pretty straightforward with my tagging system.

I’m very happy to answer questions about medieval Irish lit, my research, or my books, or just generally to chat. Send questions via asks, chat via DMs, and if you're looking for my articles, you can email me at finn [at] finnlongman [dot] com, which is also the best way to contact me for professional enquiries, whether academic or fiction related.

You can also find me on Bluesky, on Instagram, and on YouTube, where I (infrequently) retell medieval Irish stories for a general audience with lots of sarcasm and hand gestures. Technically I'm still on Twitter, but I'm trying to leave.

And finally, if you’ve found my research interesting or just generally want to support me, I have a tip jar and am always immensely grateful when somebody helps me to fund my book-buying habits: http://ko-fi.com/fianaigecht. You can also tip me directly on Tumblr if you like. I’m also a Bookshop affiliate, and you can buy books from my recommendation lists to support me and get some great reads at the same time.

[mariacallous]

Oulu is five hours north from Helsinki by train and a good deal colder and darker each winter than the Finnish capital. From November to March its 220,000 residents are lucky to see daylight for a couple of hours a day and temperatures can reach the minus 30s. However, this is not the reason I sense a darkening of the Finnish dream that brought me here six years ago.

In 2018, moving to Finland seemed like a no-brainer. One year earlier I had met my Finnish partner while working away in Oulu. My adopted home of Italy, where I had lived for 10 years, had recently elected a coalition government with the far-right Matteo Salvini as interior minister, while my native UK had voted for Brexit. Given Finland’s status as a beacon of progressive values, I boarded a plane, leaving my lecturing job and friends behind.

Things have gone well. My partner and I both have stable teaching contracts, me at a university where my mostly Finnish colleagues are on the whole friendlier than the taciturn cliche that persists of Finns (and which stands in puzzling contradiction to their status as the world’s happiest people).

Notwithstanding this, I feel a sense of unease as Finland’s prime minister Petteri Orpo’s rightwing coalition government has set about slashing welfare and capping public sector pay. Even on two teachers’ salaries my partner and I have felt the sting of inflation as goods have increased by 20% in three years. With beer now costing €8 or more in a city centre pub, going out becomes an ever rarer expense.

Those worse off than us face food scarcity. A survey conducted by the National Institute for Health and Welfare found 25% of students struggling to afford food, while reductions in housing benefit mean tenants are being forced to move or absorb the shortfall in rent payments. There are concerns that many unemployed young people could become homeless.

Healthcare is faring little better. Finland’s two-tier system means that while civil servants and local government employees (including teachers) paradoxically enjoy private health cover, many other people face long waiting lists. Not having dental cover on my university’s plan, I called for a public dental appointment in April. I was put on callback and received a text message stating I’d be contacted when the waiting list reopened. Six months later, I am still waiting. A few years ago I could expect to wait two months at most.

The current government, formed by Orpo’s National Coalition party (NCP) last year in coalition with the far-right Finns party, the Swedish People’s party of Finland and the Christian Democrats, has been described as “the most rightwing” Finland has ever seen – a position it appears to relish.

Deputy prime minister and finance minister Riikka Purra – the Finns’ party leader – has been linked to racist and sometimes violent comments made online back in 2008. The party’s xenophobia is clearly influencing policymaking and affecting migrants. As a foreigner, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to feeling a certain chill as anti-immigrant rhetoric ramps up.

A survey by the organisation Specialists in Finland last year found that most highly qualified workers would consider leaving Finland if the government’s planned tightening of visa requirements went ahead (that proposal, which extended residence time required for Finnish citizenship from four to as many as eight years has now become law). Luckily, I am a permanent resident under the Brexit agreement.

With the coalition intent on ending Finland’s long history of welfarism in just one term, there is a risk (and hope among progressives) that it may go too far, inviting a backlash. We arguably saw signs of this in the European election in the summer, when Li Andersson won the highest number of votes for an EU election candidate in Finland. Andersson, who was education minister in Sanna Marin’s former centre-left coalition government (which lost to the NCP in April 2023), ran on a progressive red-green ticket of increased wealth equality and measures to tackle the climate crisis. She has also been critical of emergency laws blocking asylum seekers from crossing Finland’s eastern border, arguing that it contravenes human rights obligations.

Andersson’s party, the Left Alliance, chose a new leader this month, the charismatic feminist author Minja Koskela, who was elected to Helsinki’s council in 2021 after a period as secretary of the Feminist party, and as a member of parliament in 2023. Koskela argues: “People are widely frustrated with the government’s discriminatory policy and cuts to culture, social and health services, education and people’s livelihood. It is possible to turn this frustration into action.” (Full disclosure: I’m a member of the party and have helped coordinate its local approach to immigrants.)

It remains to be seen if she can build on Andersson’s EU success. Although the popular media-savvy figure appears to relish the challenge of turning the party into an election winner, Koskela faces a huge challenge. The party struggles to poll at more than 10% nationally, aside from a brief high of 11% in July. A place in government is nonetheless possible. But Marin’s Social Democratic party (SDP) of Finland (now led by Antti Lindtman), has topped the national opinion polls 12 out of 14 times since April 2023.

Meanwhile, the Finns party is polling at 16%, down from the 20.1% vote they gained in the election. These figures point to one thing: another possible SDP-led coalition government in the next parliament by the summer of 2027. This would probably include the Left Alliance and the Green League, among others. And such a coalition would aim to undo a lot of the damage done by the right.

But until then, there will be more damage to come. So while there is clearly hope for an end in sight to the country’s political darkness three years hence, this will bring little solace now to poor people, migrants, and the squeezed middle class as the long Finnish winter closes in.