Bronwyn Sell: The Big OE Companion

Reviewed by JIM EAGLES

The Big OE Companion: a guide for New Zealanders in the UK

I wish I'd had a book like this to take with me on my OE. It would have made it easier to deal with the hassles of settling into a strange country, getting through the complex mess Britain has made of its visa/work permit system, finding a job, and making the most of the country.

But it's not too late. The mass of information Bronwyn Sell has compiled is useful even if you're no longer in your teens and what you're planning is more like the Big RT (retirement trip) than the Big OE.

Sell, a former Herald journalist who lived in London for several years, has drawn on her experiences and those of friends, plus a great deal of research, to produce a useful guide for anyone heading for the old country.

It includes advice on entry rules - I've learned that I'm entitled to an ancestry visa - taxes, using the British banking system, how much money you need to survive, where to stay, how best to find a job, the easiest ways to communicate with home, how to get around Britain, and where to go if you need help.

When you get homesick for Aotearoa - and Sell assures us you will - there are suggestions on how to get your "Kiwi fix", how to hook up with sporting clubs and get tickets for sporting events, where to meet fellow Kiwis, how to stay fit and how to deal with "the Heathrow injection", the extra weight many New Zealanders acquire as a result of the British lifestyle.

And there's all sorts of quirky, but useful tips, on how to survive the Big OE (or RT), such as:

* Take Minties, Jaffas and pineapple lumps with you because you'll miss them and they'll be hugely appreciated by any Kiwis you visit.

* Learn to say "abroad" not "overseas", "cinema" not "movies", "ketchup" not "tomato sauce" and "trekking" not "tramping", which is something else entirely.

* Never confuse the Scots or the Welsh with the English.

* Savour the pleasure of reading the quality papers in a good pub on Sunday mornings.

* Learn to wash dishes in a bucket.

* Buses tend to be far cheaper than trains.

* And, above all, don't moan about how cold it is, how rotten the tube has become or how unfriendly the people are or, quite rightly, you'll be told, "Sod off home then".

There are two minor quibbles. An English-born colleague grizzled that it seemed very focused on London. But the fact is most Kiwis do head for London and the book does have advice on seeing the rest of Britain and even the Continent.

And I was disappointed by the absence of any maps or even a plan of the tube (I well remember when I arrived in London on my OE that I was hugely grateful for a little book of maps donated by a colleague, which helped me find my way around in the first few days). But Sell does advise you to buy a copy of London A-Z on arrival.

Anyway, none of that undermines the fact that this book is jam-packed with useful information and would be hugely helpful to anyone heading to Britain for the first time.

* Travel is giving away 10 copies of The Big OE Companion autographed by author Bronwyn Sell.

To go into the draw for a copy of the book write your name and address on the back of a sealed envelope, jot down the one thing you would most miss about New Zealand while on your OE (or RT), and post it to:

The Big OE, Travel, NZ Herald, PO Box 3290, Auckland.

The draw will close on September 7.

* Random House, $24.95