Customs in England

8/10/2019 Customs in England

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Gusti Ngurah Agung PrabawaFrontrunner 6

Customs in England

Greetings

Man greeting Man - Men shake hands when greeting one another and usually throw in a "How do

you do." Handshakes are usually on the lighter side and don't linger that much

Woman greeting Woman- At a first meeting, women generally shake hands.

Man greeting Woman- At a first meeting a regular handshake will do. Women tend to extend their

hand first.

Communication Style

Being polite is highly valued. Expect a lot of "please" and "thank you" and "sorry".

The English tend to be more indirect than overly direct. Being too blunt may be considered impolite

in many situations.

Pay attention to tone of voice and facial expression as it may be an indication of what is really being

conveyed.

Personal Space & Touching

The English tend to keep about an 2-3 feet between them while speaking.

Touching is usually kept to a minimum.

Family members are more relaxed and familiar with each other, so touching of the arms, elbows, or

hands is acceptable. However in a business environment, touching is very minimal and personal

space is respected much more than in a family setting.

Gift Giving

Gifts are not usually exchanged at a first meeting.

If invited to an English household, it is appropriate to bring flowers (avoid white lilies as they are

reserved for funerals), good wine, liquor, or chocolates.

Make sure that gifts are nicely wrapped.

Eye Contact

Direct eye contact is generally maintained during conversations, but not to the point of staring.

Looking away when an elder is speaking is usually viewed as disrespectful.

Views of Time

Although the British value punctuality, you may arrive 10-15 minutes later than invited to dinner.

However, if going to a restaurant be on time.


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Gender Issues

Work opportunities for women are varied and available yet earnings maybe lower.

Its usually acceptable for women to dine alone and to go to local pubs and clubs.

Women usually cross their legs at the knee or ankle.

Gestures

An inverted two-finger "peace sign" or "V for victory sign is an obscenity.

People tend to walk on the left and pass on the right.

Tapping the side of the forehead in the UK means you are stupid, not smart.

Taboos

Cutting in line or breaking the "queue" is not accepted.

Loud talking and shouting in public is considered bad form.

Law & Order

The legal drinking age to purchase alcohol at a bar or liquor store is 18. Sixteen- and seventeen-

year-olds may consume beer, wine, porter, cider, or sherry with a meal in an eating area on licensed

premises if they are in the company of an adult and the adult purchases the alcohol.

Penalties for possession, acquisition, and trafficking of drugs are severe and include mandatory

lengthy imprisonment in local jails.

It is illegal to be drunk and disorderly or drunk and incapable, both can be dealt with by a fine or

court appearance.

Class Rules

The school year usually begins in September and ends in July. However private schools sometimes

develop their own schedules.

University dress codes are casual, personal, individual to all, men & women. Certain schools like

Oxford, require students to wear formal garments (suit, robe) when meeting certain staff members,

taking examinations etc.

Grades are usually given on an A-F scale. A is the highest and F is a failure.

Most universities have lecture rooms to accommodate the hundreds of students enrolled. A

combination of learning forms are also applied depending on the subject such as group work and

discussions.

Most universities use a percentage mark grading system, which can be interpreted as a 'class': 1st

Class, Upper Second Class, normally called 2:1 (two-one), Lower Second Class (2:2), Third Class or fail

The A-F grading system is less common. Schools as GCSEs are A*-G and A-Levels are A*-E.

British students have fewer contact hours than in most countries, especially on arts courses.


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Socializing

University students socialize by going out to the local pub for a beer and to watch soccer and make

lots of noise while supporting their teams. Men watch soccer or rugby. Some women enjoy the

sport as well.

Some students enjoy just relaxing at the local restaurants while eating sandwiches, drinking tea and

other beverages and just chatting with friends.

Discos are a popular hangout on Fridays and Saturdays and now and then different students will

throw a party at their home.

Generally all universities have a union (led by students, for the students) where there is somewhere

to eat, chill, play pool, a bar etc. All unions have societies/clubs for students to get involved with that

range from football clubs to chocolate societies. Its up to you how much you want to get involved.

Drinking is a part of the culture and there is usually a pub on almost every street corner. Excessive

public intoxication is not acceptable and the police are strict about that, and just recently in the pastfew months the British government has banned smoking in pubs and restaurants.

It is generally acceptable and even expected for a man to ask a woman on a date, but times are

changing and there are instances where women have felt that the men are too slow and end up

asking the men on a date.

A first date is usually a typical outing of dinner and then a movie, the man pays the bill usually.

An unacceptable first date involves being too late to pick up the date or meeting, overly consuming

alcohol, and public intoxication.

Foreign students studying in England should make an effort to get involved with the university clubsbecause that is the best way to get to know the locals and learn about the culture quicker.

Documents

Customs in England