Great Britain - Wielka Brytania

	Great Britain;
	Flag
	location
	Information
Capital city	London
System	parliamentary monarchy
Currency	pound sterling (GBP)
Time zone	0 - winter; UTC 1 - summer
Surface	244,820 km²
Population	66 022 273
Official language	English
Dominant religion	Anglicanism, Catholicism
Telephone code	44
Electric voltage	220V
Type of outlet	different plug than in Europe
Car code	GB
Car traffic	left hand
Internet domain	.uk

Map of Great Britain

Great Britain, United Kingdom (eng. United Kingdom), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (eng. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) - country in Western Europe.

Characteristic

Great Britain consists of: England, Wales and Scotland, located on the island Great Britain together with Northern Ireland, lying in the northern part of the island, Ireland form the United Kingdom. United Kingdom). Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man are not part of the United Kingdom, although they are dependent on it.

Geography

The county is the highest administrative division within which the governing bodies operate. Counties are divided into districts and cities organized within them. The districts, in turn, are divided into secular parishes. The basic body in each of these units is a democratically elected council headed by a chairman.

fauna and Flora

There are hardly any forests in Great Britain. This is the result of the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century. The British needed fuel because fire was needed to operate the steam engine.

Climate

The UK has a mild climate, influenced by humid air masses from the Atlantic Ocean, which causes frequent rainfall.

History

Culture and art

Policy

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a parliamentary monarchy with a parliamentary-cabinet system. It is a monarchy based on the principle of the sovereignty of the nation, which has constitutional power, and the role of power is reduced to representative functions. Moreover, this system is characterized by the accountability of the government to parliament and the balance of powers. The current head of government is David Cameron. Great Britain in terms of its territorial structure is a real union, concluded between England and Scotland in 1707 and Great Britain, and Ireland in 1800. The kingdom has never been a centralized state and is divided into several territorial levels (cities, counties, districts, secular parishes). However, there are no government administration bodies such as a prefect or a Polish voivode.

The UK Parliament is divided into the lower House of Commons and the upper House of Lords. The House of Commons has 650 MPs, of which England has 533 seats, Scotland has 59, Wales 40, and Northern Ireland 18, elected in single-member constituencies. The term of office of the House of Commons may be up to five years. The House of Lords is the upper house of the British bicameral Parliament. It is not an elective body, but its composition and structure are conditioned by centuries of tradition. Its plenary sessions take place in the so-called the red room (the House of Commons deliberates in the green room). Currently, the House of Lords consists of 743 clergy and lay pairs, commonly known as lords. Princes, counts, marques, viscounts and barons have the right to sit in the Chamber.

Economy

The United Kingdom, a leading financial and trading center, is one of five Western European countries with a GDP of more than one trillion dollars. In the last twenty years, the government has significantly reduced public property and held back the rise in welfare spending. Intensive, highly mechanized and efficient by European standards, agriculture produces 60% of the necessary food, employing less than 2% of the economically active. Great Britain has large reserves of coal, oil and natural gas; primary energy production accounts for 10% of GDP (one of the highest rates among industrialized countries). By far the most important sector of the economy is services, especially banking, insurance and business services, while industry is losing importance.

Society

Today, British society is a multi-ethnic, ethnic, religious and cultural mix. Most of the inhabitants are English, Welsh, Scots and Irish, but there are a lot of Jews, Hindus, Pakistanis, Hong Kong residents, Africans and more and more Slavic nations, including Poles. Almost 4/5 of the UK population live in cities where they find employment in all kinds of services and industry.

Traditions

Great Britain is a very modern country, but at the same time loving and very attached to tradition. The best proof of this is the great attachment of the British to the royal family, which, despite many scandals, is still highly respected here. The British are also sports enthusiasts. The most popular sport here is undoubtedly football, but also rugby and golf, which originates from the British Isles (very popular in the United States).

Preparations

Visas

Nationals of member states European Union, including Polish visas do not apply. The border is crossed on the basis of a valid passport or ID card.

Customs regulations

There are no restrictions on importing or exporting money into the UK. Having more money at the border must be properly documented, eg with a bank statement, as there may be a suspicion of "money laundering". In Great Britain, goods are considered to be for personal use if they do not exceed the following quantities: 200 cigarettes (there is no limit on other tobacco products if they are intended for personal use), 10 liters of spirits, 20 liters of wine with increased content alcohol (port, sherry), 90 liters of wine, 110 liters of beer.

It is forbidden to bring, among others drugs (up to 24 years imprisonment), pornographic materials, counterfeit brand products, pirated recordings. It is strictly forbidden to bring dangerous tools (folding knives, swords, brass knuckles, equipment for martial arts, etc.), the possession of which is not allowed in a public place.

Currency exchange

It is worth exchanging the currency in Poland before departure to Great Britain, because local exchange offices use much less attractive exchange rates than Polish ones.

Insurance

Drive

By plane

You can fly away in every direction of the world. Good intercity network.

By train

Expensive trains are comfortable and fast.

By car

You can rent a car.

By bus

National Express and Megabus both serve high-speed long distance connections. The sooner you book, the cheaper you will pay. Local buses are expensive compared to intercity buses.

By ship

Dover – Calais in France

Swansea – Cork in Republic of Ireland

Newcastle in different directions

Harwich down Hoek van Holland, Hamburg

Border crossings

Dover the largest border port

Regions

Great Britain is divided into two countries: England and Scotland; one principality: Wales; one province: Northern Ireland. The detailed administrative division is not decided by the central government, but independently in each of the parts, so there are big differences between the parts in the organization of local government administration:

England - in England there is no duality of territorial administration, i.e. the presence of government and local government administration side by side. The government deals with the affairs of the entire country. There are regions, counties, districts and parishes (see England).
Northern Ireland - Northern Ireland has been divided into districts since 1973 - initially 26, and eleven since 2015 (see the administrative division of Northern Ireland).
Scotland - Scotland has been divided into 32 counties since 1996 (see the Administrative Division of Scotland).
Wales - Wales was also divided into 22 administrative units in 1996: 9 counties, 10 urban counties and 3 cities, all of equal status (see the administrative division of Wales).

Dependent territories and colonies

Islands Pitcairn

Cities

According to official data from 2008, Great Britain had 196 cities with a population of over 50,000. residents. The nation's capital London and the city of Birmingham had over a million inhabitants; 1 city with a population of 500,000 up to a million; 65 cities with a population of 100,000 ÷ 500,000; 126 cities with a population of 50,000 ÷ 100,000 and the rest of the cities below 50,000 residents.

In Great Britain, cities have the status of city or town. The status of a city city in Great Britain is granted by the British monarch to a specific group of cities. Cities that do not have this status are called town. The right to use the city name together with the city name is a matter of prestige only and does not give you any additional privileges. Nevertheless, the city title is valuable for cities, hence many of them are trying to win it. This status is not obtained automatically when certain criteria are met. In England and Wales, this title has traditionally been awarded to cities with a cathedral and diocese. This rule was broken only in 1888 when Belfast was granted status for non-religious reasons. Currently, the status of a city is determined primarily by geographical and historical factors, including the size of the population.

Interesting places

Big Ben
Cerne Abbas - a big giant
Harrods
London Zoo
London eye
Wembley

Objects from the UNESCO World Heritage List

Henderson Island deserted included Pitcairn
Borders of the Roman Empire - Hadrian's Wall and the Roman Limes in Germany (together with Germany)
Giants Causeway (Giant's Causeway) and the basalt coast of Northern Ireland
Cathedral, St. Augustine and the Romanesque-Gothic Church of St. Martin in Canterbury
Blaenavon's industrial landscape Wales
Mining landscape Cornwall and western Devon
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Liverpool - commercial coast
Neolithic archaeological sites in the Orkney Islands - Skara Brae, Maes Howe and others
New Lanark w Scotland, a settlement related to the activities of Robert Owen
19th century industrial settlement in Saltaire (West Yorkshire)
The Palace and Abbey of Westminster and the Church of St. Margaret in London
Palace of St. Blenheim
Studley Royal Park and the Ruins of St. Fountains
Gough Island Nature Reserve, Saint Helena
Old and New Town in Edinburgh
Stonehenge, Avebury, and nearby landmarks
Tower Fortress in London
Fortified castles and ramparts of King Edward I in the former Duchy of Gwynedd
Ironbridge Gorge - the first cast iron bridge in England over the River Severn in the village Coalbrookdale
County East Cliffs Devon and counties Dorset
Saint Kilda (Hebrides) in the Atlantic Ocean, with a bird sanctuary
Historical monuments Greenwich, including the Royal Observatory
The historic city Bath
The historic city St. George's and its fortifications on Bermuda
Industrial plants in the middle Derwent valley England
The castle and the monastery with the cathedral of St. Durham from the 11th-12th centuries

Transport

Good, there aren't always buses between English villages on Sundays.

Trip

People from outside the European Union can apply for a tax refund.

Tongue

Generally speaking, it's English, but everywhere you can meet people from all over the world speaking the vernacular they were born in. Chinese, Punjabi and others can be found in the UK.

Shopping

Sometimes you can find a good discount on designer clothes. Virtual auctions, similar to the Polish Allegro, like eBay, are very popular.

Gastronomy

Traditional British food such as eggs, bacon and beans is still cultivated by some, although the impact of exotic foods on British gastronomy is enormous. It is hard to tell if kari is no less British than fish and chips.

Food in Great Britain is divided into 3 meals. The first is breakfast (Breakfast). These days it's mostly cereal and juice, but a traditional British meal consists of eggs, bacon, tomatoes, sausage and toasted bread. The second meal is lunch, which is usually served as sandwiches by Brits. Dinner in Great Britain is quite late, around 18-19. They are usually fish (fish) or roast beef (roast beef) with chips (fries). It is a tradition to eat on Sunday so-called Roast dinner with roast meat, roast potatoes, Yorkshire Pudding and vegetables. The British are fans of the beer they call "Pints". Tradition says that Tea Time takes place at 5 p.m. British time. drinking tea. The average person in this country drinks around 8 cups of tea a day.

Science

British education is a good way to learn about British culture. Many people from all over the world study at universities and gain knowledge.

In some kindergartens and schools in Scotland, Scottish Gaelic is the second language of communication.

English

There is English language training available in every city, it is best to choose schools accredited by British Council.

work

From the moment Poland joined the European Union, Poles can work in the United Kingdom without any restrictions. However, in order to move freely in the local labor market, several basic conditions must be met:

Before we start work or just after finding it, you should obtain an insurance number (National Insurance number) - to get it, call 0845 600 0643 (8-18 from Monday to Friday) - depending on whether we already have a job or are looking for it, the operator will arrange a meeting at one of the points JobCentre Plus[1] (the equivalent of the Polish Labor Office) and will provide a list of necessary documents that must be brought to the meeting. You can go to the meeting with a friend as a helper / interpreter, you can also ask for a meeting with a Polish-speaking consultant, the meeting can be arranged by your employer or friend. Important: many companies and institutions will not employ an employee who does not have a number NIN, we also warn against using your date of birth as a temporary number NIN - for the employer, a letter confirming the appointment at JobCentre Plus is enough.

When you start working, you must register with Worker Registration Scheme (Register of employees) [2] - Currently the fee is £ 90, it is usually paid by the employee (in some cases the employer). After sending the application by post, a certificate will be sent back, a copy of which must be given to the employer. Within the next 12 months, each change of job must be reported (free of charge), and after 12 months of uninterrupted work, you can apply for residence permit (free). After five years of resident status, you can apply for naturalization, and you can obtain British citizenship upon passing the UK customs and history test. From April 2011, registration in the WRS is no longer compulsory for citizens of the following countries: Czech Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary; however, not every employer is aware of this.

It is good to have copies of diplomas (master's degree, bachelor's degree) or certificates translated into English (a sworn translation is not necessary) - this may help you find a job in some professions. However, it should be remembered that experience is the key element for a British employer - it is good to have several reference letters with contact details for clerks.

After 6 months of work, Poles acquire the same rights to benefits, etc., as the British. The exception is child benefits (child benefit) and tax assistance (tax credit) for which you can apply immediately after receiving your insurance number.

Poles returning to Poland and looking for a job in Poland cannot apply for unemployment benefits in Poland. According to European Union law, they are entitled to unemployment benefits from the country where they last worked - that is from Great Britain. Polish Employment Offices are prepared and know how to help people returning to the country to receive benefits.

Minimum hourly wage

It is worth knowing that the so-called National Minimum Wage[3] - currently (January 2013) it amounts to £ 6.19 gross per hour worked for people aged 21 and over. It is generally against UK law to hire anyone for less than NMW, however, some employers have found a way around this - restaurants often offer workers less than NMW and explain that discretionary tips received from customers complement the amounts missing to NMW. A legislative change is underway to prevent this type of practice.

Holidays and days off

Unless the contract provides otherwise, the employee is entitled to 28 days of paid leave per calendar year - some companies settle the year from April to March (according to the tax year), others settle the holiday "traditionally" from January to December.

Important: definition days off it also includes public holidays, of which there are 8 in the UK per year; 1st of January, Good Friday (Good Friday), Easter Monday (Easter Monday), Early Spring Bank Holiday (first Monday of May), Late Spring Bank Holiday (last Monday of May), Summer Bank Holiday (last Monday in August), Christmas (Christmas, December 25) and Boxing Day (December 26). This rule does not apply to people working in a continuous shift system (i.e. some factories, restaurants, pubs, etc.) - in this case, the employee may use all days off at any time.

Sickness

The British have a fairly liberal approach to "sickness" - the rule is - if you are sick, don't infect others. The illness should be reported to your manager / supervisor as soon as possible - not being at work for up to 3 days does not have to be justified by a sick leave, but in most cases it will also not be paid (i.e. you get sick, you do not earn). If the disease lasts longer than 3 days or we anticipate that it will last longer than 3 days - make an appointment at the GP (general practitioner) - the doctor will assess the disease and, if necessary, write a certificate (letter). The sick leave is payable, approx. £ 80 per week (unless we have another agreement with the employer). Important: do not abuse one or two days' sick days, as the employer may request a medical consultation (if, for example, we explain ourselves with chronic flu or constant stomach problems).

summer job

Great Britain has become a favorite destination for holiday earnings - even despite the crisis, it still allows you to earn some money in a short time or at least allow you to live for a few months.

When coming to Great Britain with the intention of a summer job, you should take into account:

the employer will require at least an intermediate level of English,
finding a job may take 3 days or 3 weeks,
the first salary will be credited to the account 2-4 weeks after starting work,
vacation work should be sought in June, before the holiday season (the employer must have time to train the employee),
as a goal of looking for a job, it is worth choosing places attractive for tourists - airports (Heathrow, Gatwick), seaside resorts (Brighton, Portsmouth, Blackpool) or large cities (London, Edinburgh),
do not be discouraged by the first failures, use the help of JobCentre Plus, an employment agency (e.g. BlueArrow [4]) – Important: in accordance with UK law, the employee does not bear any costs of job placement - if someone expects any money, he is a trickster,
you need to get an insurance number NIN immediately upon arrival (free of charge, help you find a job) and register in WRS (only if we plan to work for more than a month, £ 90). From April 2011, WRS is not required from citizens coming from Poland, among others,
before arrival, it is worth arranging an overnight stay at least for the first few days - hostels or directly through advertising portals are a good idea (it is especially recommended here gumtree[5], free, and at the same time offering both housing and job offers).

Facts and Myths

Without offending anyone, many of the so-called young emigration, returning to Poland, presents Great Britain as a place of easy and quick earnings. While, with a bit of luck, you can actually move quickly from assistant waiter to assistant manager in a restaurant, or earn £ 100 tips a day, the reality is unfortunately not that rosy. Working 30 hours a week at the lowest wage without tips, you can earn less than £ 800 a month - minus the cost of housing, travel and food, you may not have much left in your pocket.

Security

Britain is relatively safe, big cities are more dangerous than rural areas. There is a ban on the wearing of pocket knives.

Health

State citizens European Union are treated on the basis of reciprocity. This means that visitors and even tourists have the same rights and obligations as a UK citizen. The basis for obtaining help is the card EHIC.

Access to doctors, dentists and state health care facilities is difficult. Except for really emergencies, deadlines can be months.

Medical advice: partially paid, dentist - the fee is 80% of treatment costs.

Anxieties: free for young people and seniors over 60 years of age.

Emergency: cost - no data, phone no. 999 or 112.

Hospital: no data.

In the case of Great Britain, the use of private health care is recommended. In this case, it is necessary to have a separate, private insurance of treatment costs, including transport to Poland. When concluding insurance, you should choose a company that does not require us to provide cash and return it after returning to the country, because we may not have such an amount. It is also necessary to make sure that the non-cash form of settlements will be honored in the UK.

contact

Telephone

In some places, there are still old versions of coin-operated round telephone boxes. Newer ones, often red ones, are equipped with the possibility of checking the internet.

The area code for the United Kingdom is 0044.

Internet

Internet cafes can be found in every city. In rural areas where there is no internet cafe, the library can be a good place to check information quickly. Prices fluctuate relative to the place.

post

There is a post office all over the place, even in the far reaches of Scotland. Measuring the price of a letter is not only by weight, but also by the size of the envelope or package.

Tourist information

Tourist information is available in every major tourist center. Offering a wide range of services, starting from booking seats, ending with pointing to the street on the map.