Blogs > A snapshot of UK Cities

A Snapshot into.. Leicester

• February 15, 2021

Leicester is situated in the East Midlands and it is a city that has plenty to offer. Leicester is home to a diverse population, plenty of heritage and it is Britain’s first European Sustainable City with plenty of green space to offer.

The city is a popular place to relocate as it has been ranked highly in the ‘Totally Money’s Best Places in the UK to Make a Living’ survey.

The NHS in Leicester

The University Hospitals of Leicester is one of the biggest and busiest Acute NHS Trusts in the country, serving the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland – and increasingly specialist services over a much wider area.  

Spread over the General, Glenfield and Royal Infirmary hospitals, the Trust also have their own Children’s Hospital and work closely with partners at the University of Leicester and De Montfort University providing world-class teaching to nurture and develop the next generation of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

The Trust has a workforce of approximately 14,500 employees including clinicians, non clinical support workers, clinical and non clinical leaders and staff.

Facts about Leicester

1. Outside of India, Leicester holds the world’s biggest celebration of the Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali
2. Leicester Market is the biggest outdoor covered market in the whole of Europe
3. The city was the birthplace of Modern Standard English. The language was originally developed as a way of allowing the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings to communicate and now 1.5 billion people across the world speak English
4. The city has the largest number of traffic lights in the UK
5. It has a population of 547,352

What areas of Leicester should I live in?

Leicester city centre is characterised by its office buildings, modern plats and loft apartments. This area is particularly popular for first-time buyers or city professionals. If you would prefer to live somewhere more suburban, Aylestone, Little Stretton, Knighton Fields and Evington are popular choices offering both period and modern homes to semis and detached properties.

Average Living Costs

Accommodation

One-bedroom apartment in the City Centre	£573.21
One-bedroom apartment outside of the City Centre	£464.29
Three-bedroom apartment in the City Centre	£809.09
Three-bedroom apartment outside of the City Centre	£663.64

Transportation

One-way ticket	£2.60
Monthly bus pass	£56
Taxi ride, 3 miles	£12.15
1L of Petrol	£1.26

Entertainment

Basic dinner out for two in a neighbourhood pub	£23
Two tickets to the movies	£16
Two tickets to the theatre	£63
Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant with starters, mains, wine and dessert	£50
Cappuccino	£3.23
A pint of beer	£4.13
One month of gym membership in a business district	£25

The time it takes to travel to other UK cities

London – 1 hour 5 minutes

Birmingham – 50 minutes

Manchester – 1 hour 57 minutes

Bristol – 2 hours 16 minutes

Cardiff – 2 hours 59 minutes

Leeds – 1 hour 55 minutes

Edinburgh – 5 hours

Education in Leicester

There ae 212 schools and colleges within five miles of the city centre. 31 of which have earned Ofsted’s ‘Outstanding’ rating.

The best things to do in Leicester

1. Visit the Space Centre

The National Space Centre is a museum and educational centre full of rockets, exhibitions, galleries and a planetarium. It is the only place in the world to house upright space rockets indoors.

2. Visit the Golden Mile

Leicester is famous for its Indian restaurants and shops where you can buy authentic food, spices and clothing. The Golden Mile is just a ten-minute walk from the centre, located on Belgrave Road.

3. Visit the Grand Union Canal

Leicester is completely landlocked and it is home to a number of green spaces and waterways. The Grand Union Canal runs from London to Birmingham, cutting straight through Leicester and offers a nice and quiet walkway minutes from the city centre.

4. The University of Leicester’s Botanical Gardens

The botanical gardens sit just outside of the city centre. The gardens is full of different plants, water fountains and sculptures. It contains the Attenborough Arboretum, however, its main goal is to underpin scientific research and provides a place for students to learn.

Relocation to Leicester

If you are an international doctor who wants to relocate to Leicester, email your CV to [email protected] and we can support you in securing an NHS post and on your journey to the UK today.

Join our Facebook Group

Are you a member of our Facebook Group? When you join IMG Advisor, you will join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of blogs and vlogs into the group every single day. We will also always be on hand to answer all your relocation queries.

YouTube

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 35 videos on everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS!
 

References

Expatistan, cost of living comparisons. (2019). Cost of Living in Leicester, United Kingdom. Oct 2019 prices in Leicester.. [online] Available at: https://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/leicester 

Numbeo.com. (2019). Cost of Living in Leicester. [online] Available at: https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/in/Leicester 

Leicestershospitals.nhs.uk. 2021. Work for Us. [online] Available at: <https://www.leicestershospitals.nhs.uk/aboutus/work-for-us/> [Accessed 15 February 2021].