SECTION 2

Speaker:

Thanks for turning up today, thanks for turning up toddy to this short talk I'm going to give on student banking.

Many of you are unfamiliar with the way banks work in this country and today's talk should just give you a few starting points.

I will of course answer any questions at the end.

Right. Well ,as you probably know, you'll need to open a bank account while you're here—it's the safest place to keep your money and it's best to open an account with one of the major banks.

You should each have a handout with the names and addresses... there's Barclays in Realty Square, National Westminster in Example Preston Park, Lloyds in City Plaza and Midland in Hope Street. OK. All these banks Q13 offer special student accounts.

However, it's important to note that as an international student you'll not necessarily be eligible for all the facilities offered to resident students.

Now, as an international student you will need to provide evidence that you can Q14 fund yourself for however long your course lasts.

Banks have different policies and the services that they'll offer you will depend on your individual circumstances and on the discretion of the bank manager involved.

So it's a matter of going there and finding out about your own particular situation.

Right, erm, when you do go to open a bank account, you should take some documentation with you.

I've already mentioned that you must be able to support yourself.

In addition to this most banks ask you to bring your passport and your Q15 letter or certificate of enrolment. OK?

Now, by far the most useful type of account to open is a current account.

When you do this, you will actually get what is called a "student account" which is a Q16 current account with special concessions for students.

When you open the account, the bank will give you a chequebook and you can use this to draw money out Q17 as you need it.

If you need to write cheques in shops, you'll also need a cheque card.

This is really an identity card which guarantees that correctly written cheques up to the value stated on the card will be honoured by the bank. OK?