Last week we looked very broadly at student life and the education system in Scotland. This week we will look at two more specific areas if you are considering studying in Scotland, namely accommodation and finance.

In the good old days students at Universities and Colleges in Scotland received a subsistence grant in addition to having to pay fees. Unfortunately this is no longer the case and students have to rely on parental contribution, part time employment, some other form of grant or trust or an innovative approach (more of this later).

Parental contribution is probably the easiest to establish whether you are eligible or not. Yes you are going to have to ask them!

Self-financing is the second option and there are many part time jobs available in Scotland. Mostly these will involve working in the Tourism trade (Hotels, Bars, Clubs) but there are many companies who will employ part qualified students on a short term or permanent part time contract. You have two options you can either arrange a job before you come through sites such as Just Jobs for Students or you can register with an employment agency when you have settled. Note however, that if you do intend to take a job to help pay for living or education expenses you MUST inform immigration of this.

Grant or trust fund monies is the third option. There are trust funds available in the U.K., which are managed by the universities or colleges themselves. There are also funds, which are local to the area. Finally there are also funds which are nationality, gender or subject specific. It is better to contact the student services section of the college or university to which you are applying for details of what is available. Alternatively you could use the Internet to search for trusts which are specific to you such as those offered by the Carnegie Foundation.

The final option and no this is not a joke is Trivia Competitions. Many students can "earn" a decent sum by entering trivia competitions, which are held in numerous public bars in numerous towns in Scotland. Prizes for these can often reach £100 (190USD) and if two or three of these are entered per week then a fair (untaxed) income can be earned.

Accommodation is in some respects a much simpler area. First you should contact the students services section of the University or College you are applying to and they should be able to provide you with a list of local accommodation providers (they may even have halls of residence). It is then a relatively simple task of viewing and complying with any terms, which the landlord may impose. On the accommodation checklist page, you will find a common selection of do's, don'ts and information.

All that really remains is for me to wish you well in your studies and hope that you have a pleasant time in Scotland.