The first 30 days: a settling-in checklist for international families

The move is not the hard part. These are the thirty days after — and how to make them calm.

Every arriving family gets the same surprise: the container arrives, the school place is secured, the boxes are unpacked — and only then does the real London begin. Here is the sequence we hand clients, in the order that causes least friction.

Week one: make the flat work

Utilities and council tax transferred in your name, the meter readings photographed, broadband booked — the install slot is the scarcest resource in the house, so reserve it before you arrive. Open the bank account conversation early; bring every document you own, then some. Register with a GP practice within your postcode — you do not need an NHS number to do it, only proof of address.

Week two: make the family work

School logistics settle into reality: the walking route, the uniform shop, the lunch system, the clubs with waiting lists. Join one thing per person — a class, a club, a congregation, a choir. London rewards the joiner within weeks and ignores the observer for years.

Week three: make the money work

NI numbers process themselves once you have the right to work; appointments are shorter than forums suggest. Review the currency plan with your bank or broker rather than at the airport rate, and if the employer is paying, diarise the first payroll check that tax codes are right.

Week four: make the city yours

One museum, one market, one park you have no reason to visit — travel like a tourist once with the cameras down. Families who fall for the city in month one stay; the ones who treat it as an assignment count the months. Thirty days, done in order, is the difference.