When you transfer your money abroad you could lose out owing to differences in exchange rates and charges imposed by banks on any money transfers. If you have a large amount to transfer it might be worth using a foreign currency broker, who may be able to give better exchange rates and negotiate deals with foreign banks to waive charges.

• Tax office. When you leave the UK you must tell HM Revenue and Customs. You can fill in form P85 to get any tax refund that you’re owed and to work out if you will be classified as a non-resident. If you want to leave money in a savings account in the UK you may be able to claim tax exemption on the interest.
• Social Security Office and Department of Work and Pensions You should tell these departments that you are leaving the UK and give them your new address abroad. If you are an EU citizen and have been claiming unemployment benefit in the UK for a month or more you may be able to continue to claim UK benefit while you are looking for work in another EU country. To find out more visit your local JobCentre Plus You can also ask for a State Pension Forecast to find out your pension status.
• Health service. You should notify your doctor, dentist etc that you will be moving abroad. Unless you will still be covered by UK social security, you must return your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card). If you are moving to another EU country you should get an EHIC card issued from that country. Find out more here
• Local Council Inform the local council of your moving date and give them a forwarding address.
• Utility companies/banks/pension providers etc. Notify these organisations of your new address. In some cases it may be useful to get the Post Office to re-direct your mail for a period Organise this in advance as it could take some weeks.
• School/childcare. Give your children’s school or childcare provider plenty of notice that you will be moving abroad. Some private childcare providers have a notice period and if you tell them after this time you may have to pay extra fees.

For more information about leaving the UK, visit DirectGov

Visit the EURAXESS website to find out everything you need to know about working as a researcher in Europe. You can also access the national portals of over 30 European countries (including Israel, Iceland, Turkey, and other non-EU member states).

If you are not a national from an EU member state you may be interested in the new Scientific Visa which is being implemented in many European countries. This is designed to give a ‘fast-track’ procedure for the admission of researchers, and you can find out more on the EURAXESS national portals.

If you would like to know more about funding from the EC’s 7th Framework Programme you can visit the European Commission website, which provides clear and useful information for individuals and groups who wish to apply for funding.

Visit the EURAXESS Links website to find out more about research outside the EU, including links to researcher’s mobility portals in Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan and South Africa.

Another useful website for funding opportunities is Access4EU This has information about funding opportunities for European researchers in 11 countries around the world; Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, USA.