Some questions regarding Glasgow/Scotland.

matyas

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Well, this is it. I am going to Glasgow, Scotland, for 3 months this Summer to complete a short internship at a local airline. The trip is supported by my university, so I should expect around 700e/month income...Obviously I am really excited, however a little worried as well.

I know virtually nothing about Glasgow, or Scotland for that matter...except that there are a lot of golf courses around the city :blink:, so I would need a little help. First question, do you think I will be OK with the allocated amount of cash? How much are living expenses/foodstuffs (eg. 1 pint in a pub, and a pizza)?

I have been looking around various sites that show "rooms to let" around the airport, do you know any I should definately have a look at? And last, but not least, are there any things I should really...really know about Glasgow/Scotland. Doesn't matter if it's culture, or just the weather, all input is apriciated :)

Top things I know I want to see/visit/try while in the UK:
1. Deep fried mars bar...yeah, weird but oh so tempting...weird foods....*check*
2. Bovington Tank Museum: Tank Days....okay, not Scotland, but want to go anyway
3. Irn? Bru?....weird drinks...*check*
4. Play a bagpipe. I have been playing the bassoon for over 10 years, in various orchestras...so....weird instrument..*check*
 
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1. Deep fried mars bar...yeah, weird but oh so tempting...weird foods....*check*
Not so common as people think - I have not been up home since 1987 so I may be out of date a bit

2. Bovington Tank Museum: Tank Days....okay, not Scotland, but want to go anyway
Well you could find something further away from Scotland if you try very very hard! It is in Dorset on the very South Coast of Britain so a trip that would need a week end me thinks.

3. Irn? Bru?....weird drinks...*check*
Nice - not weird at all. IrnBru btw.

4. Play a bagpipe. I have been playing the bassoon for over 10 years, in various orchestras...so....weird instrument..*check*
Blimey! Go for it I hope that you have a lot of puff.

700e may be OK, are you taking the rent out of it? If you are then you may be a bit short of money. Glaswegians can (not all mind you) have quite strong accents so just say you are from Finland and could they speak more slowly - they will be fine with that.

Pizzas - good, there but for the authentic flavour of Scotland get a "Fish Supper" from a Fish and chip shop, yummy. 80/- (aka 80 bob) beer for the win btw.
 
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I really liked The Captain's Rest when i visited on holidays. Nice place to have a beer. And if you're into the indie/art-school type, there are some good-looking girls there.
 
Most good (ie non scummy looking) Fish and Chip shops will deepfry a Marsbar for you if you bring one, only a few have them on the actual menu.

http://www.visitscotland.com/ really covers just about everything to see and do around Scotland.
 
Thanks for all the quick advice! I will check out visitscotland now.

2. I know it's far, but flybe has flights quite cheap...and I have a friend in Southampton from whom I can bum a ride. (Don't worry Cobol, I don't mean you ;) )

I am not worried about the accents. I have had all my lower- and upper-secondary school education in English. 700e is the worrying thing, as I do plan to pay the rent from that. I am however looking for a room...not a flat. I have seen some adverts for rooms near the airport between 200-300 pounds/month. I don't know if that is expensive though...

1 euro/pint seems nice :) *edit* damn...I realised thats actually 4 quid? I will try to visit The Captain's Rest if I can.
 
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Thanks for all the quick advice! I will check out visitscotland now.

2. I know it's far, but flybe has flights quite cheap...and I have a friend in Southampton from whom I can bum a ride. (Don't worry Cobol, I don't mean you ;) )

I am not worried about the accents. I have had all my lower- and upper-secondary school education in English. 700e is the worrying thing, as I do plan to pay the rent from that. I am however looking for a room...not a flat. I have seen some adverts for rooms near the airport between 200-300 pounds/month. I don't know if that is expensive though...

1 euro/pint seems nice :) *edit* damn...I realised thats actually 4 quid? I will try to visit The Captain's Rest if I can.

?250-?300 rent seems about right for a month, I reckon you could get a small flat for that in some areas, I've not looked at the renting in Glasgow for ages though so my figures may be way off. I don't go there often but the prices aren't bad at all compared to most large cities, its actually quite cheap!
As for accents I speak English and grew up in Dumfriesshire and rural Aberdeenshire and the Glasgow accent is still a bugger to understand! :lol:

(Irn Bru is awesome, my favourite drink. Apparently its banned in some US states!)
 
Phone or write to your future boss or HR department of the airline and ask if you can put a ?Room Wanted for three months? notice on their staff notice board. You could share with other employees, reduce your commute costs if they have a car, get to know the company culture quicker and maybe make a few friends as well.

Re: Accents
I?m sure Cobol74 is right if you ask them. However, the other thing the Scots on here could help you with is the local dialect for Glaswegian-English pronunciations, which I find can be difficult to follow sometimes.

For example:
Home is hame ? OK that is quite an easy one but some are not.
:)
 
Well, this is it. I am going to Glasgow, Scotland, for 3 months this Summer to complete a short internship at a local airline. The trip is supported by my university, so I should expect around 700e/month income...Obviously I am really excited, however a little worried as well.

I know virtually nothing about Glasgow, or Scotland for that matter...except that there are a lot of golf courses around the city :blink:, so I would need a little help. First question, do you think I will be OK with the allocated amount of cash? How much are living expenses/foodstuffs (eg. 1 pint in a pub, and a pizza)?

Credentials : I live there and have for 20-odd years.

You should be okay, but you won't be living like a king. Rent will vary. As you're staying for the summer, I'll suggest something : a lot of university students, both in Paisley and Glasgow itself, sublet their flats out during the summer, usually for less than the going rate. You might get lucky with a dirt-cheap room or entire flat this way. I'll keep my ear to the ground for you.

A pint will vary in price from ?1 during offers at cheap nights to ?3 for your standard beers (Tennents, Stella, Fosters etc). Something more exotic or interesting might be slightly more - I've paid ?4.50 for Hoegaarten on tap before, for example.

I have been looking around various sites that show "rooms to let" around the airport, do you know any I should definately have a look at? And last, but not least, are there any things I should really...really know about Glasgow/Scotland. Doesn't matter if it's culture, or just the weather, all input is apriciated :)

Next, Glasgow has two airports - Glasgow Airport (formerly Renfrew Airport) and Glasgow Prestwick Airport (technically, there's a seaplane port as well!). The first is much larger and nearer Glasgow itself. It's definately this one, yes?

I'd be careful with rooms to let around the airport. Most of the land around the airport is industrial estates related to the aeroplane industry. The nearest big town is Paisley, and Glasgow's not far. You might have more luck if you lived in one of the two and commuted. You could easily cycle from Paisley or get public transport (!probably expensive!) from Glasgow.

Top things I know I want to see/visit/try while in the UK:
1. Deep fried mars bar...yeah, weird but oh so tempting...weird foods....*check*

According to a recent survey, 2/3 of Glasgow chip shops will do you one. The last time I had one, it was at University Caf? on Byres Road, West End, Glasgow. It made me ill, but that's not the fault of the Uni Caf?!

2. Bovington Tank Museum: Tank Days....okay, not Scotland, but want to go anyway

Can't help you there.

3. Irn? Bru?....weird drinks...*check*

Irn Bru is fantastic. Comes in cans (330ml), bottles (500ml), glass bottles (750ml) and 2 litre bottles. There's a well-known legend that it tastes nicest out of a glass bottle. You also get 20p back from shops when you return the glass bottle to them for recycling.

4. Play a bagpipe. I have been playing the bassoon for over 10 years, in various orchestras...so....weird instrument..*check*

Off the top of my head, I'd suggest the Glasgow Piping Centre, in the West End, off Great Western Road. It seems like the most suitable place. There's also the Scottish Music centre somewhere in town. The World Piping Championships are held in Glasgow during the summer and last a week - I don't know if you can try there, but they make one heck of a racket!

2. I know it's far, but flybe has flights quite cheap...and I have a friend in Southampton from whom I can bum a ride. (Don't worry Cobol, I don't mean you )

If you keep your ear to the ground, and fly cabin baggage only with Ryanair or EasyJet, you could get to the South of England for ?10 or so.

I am not worried about the accents. I have had all my lower- and upper-secondary school education in English. 700e is the worrying thing, as I do plan to pay the rent from that. I am however looking for a room...not a flat. I have seen some adverts for rooms near the airport between 200-300 pounds/month. I don't know if that is expensive though...

The accents vary enormously. Most of the time it's not particularly hard to understand. Here's a clip from comedy show Still Game that gives a fairly decent representation.

I'm happy to help with any more questions you might have :)
 
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Wow, thank you guys :)

Thanks teeb for the offer of accomodation search. I will let you know when I get the plane tickets, and the exact dates. I will probably be working in the old Renfrew Airport, nearer the city.

I can understand every word of that video. I guess all that happy clan gaming has paid off ;)
 
Hopefully I can spend the entire weekend there. I hope they have a presentation on the Tiger tank :)
 
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