I hate you Northerners.

melancholly

i always said i'd never go back to london - but then my contract was up over the summer and that was the only place where i got offered a job....

but saying that, i'm in a part of london that's not on the tube which has a totally different feel. it's no-where near as bad as i was expecting and i quite like some aspects of it (although what i think i miss most is the water - it just feels horrible down here and my hair/skin look worse for it!).

it would be silly to buy in my position anyway, since i don't know how long i'll be here, but the rent prices are scary after being upin the north.... the newspapers keep saying that they're dropping but obviously not where i'm looking!!!

shell1000

I used to live in London and decided to move up north because i couldn't even afford to rent my own flat alone!

Moved up north expecting to take a pay cut and got a pay rise... saying that the north isn't as cheap as you'd think, my house is worth £180k in Manchester and its not huge either!! But its perfectly formed and situated

All your boys can do is keep saving, i have friends down there in the same boat x

drc

meester wrote: »

True.

But as a previous poster pointed out, the opportunities are much better at the top end. As a computer programmer, I can make >£100k in London fairly easily, but half of that elsewhere. So despite an extra £750/month on my rent, I can afford five foreign holidays a year, whereas otherwise I couldn't.

If you're on a middling income, like teaching, it's not worth it, especially as the London kids are more likely to attack you.

That's the thing. Even if my family was not in London, my OH (the breadwinner) is an IT contractor and can make a lot more in London than elsewhere. In fact I think he rarely gets calls about relocating oop North, its normally London or home counties jobs. Since I'm a SAHM, we have to depend on his salary, so London it is.

We were going to relocate to Berlin as OH was offered a good permanent job there and it's a fantastic city and great for families but in the end we didn't have enough time to organise the move.

Gorgeous_George

Mr_Matey wrote: »

... why go North, why not go to say, Spain? The land/houses are much cheaper and you could commute to London in an hour or two. Plus the weather's a lot nicer. :j

I like this idea but can you really commute in an hour or two?

The flight alone must be two hours and you need to be at the airport an hour or two before the flight. Add on travel to/from the airport and clearing customs. There's also the risk of the flight being delayed or cancelled. You may as well live in Cumbria or Newcastle.

I don't like going to work when it is hot and sunny.

GG

phil_b_2

There is no way I would live down south due to prices. I wouldnt want to work my butt off just to exist.

My wage up north is probably the equivalent of being on about £100k in London.

pickledpink

Mr_Matey wrote: »

For my line of work the place to be is in London, and It'd be harder to find a job up north & would probably pay less.

Relocating consultancies etc... why go North, why not go to say, Spain? The land/houses are much cheaper and you could commute to London in an hour or two. Plus the weather's a lot nicer. :j

People need to live close to their jobs, most of the jobs are in London so that's why property's expensive.

Jobs that have London allowances and don't pay much more are another matter, but isn't this why the government introduced the key-worker thing for buying property? Perhaps it's not working too well...?

A lot of people do that these days (live in Spain/France and commute once a week into London)

Few people would live up north and commute into London - it's more expensive than flying in from Spain.

And the weather is awful up north!!:eek:

Generali

pickledpink wrote: »

And the weather is awful up north!!:eek:

As opposed to sub-tropical Purley!!!

RickyTOM

I left the North West in the mid 80's when Norman Tebbit (bless him!) told us to get on our bikes (Thatcher's Britain:rolleyes:) - which I duly did, as there was no work 'tup North. Loved London from the start - despite what people say, I've always found it a very friendly place. There is no way I could live anywhere else now. I adore Oxford St, The West End, The Museums, Kew Gdns, Richmond Park and the bustle and rush when I come out of work . I love it's international feel and yest sometimes it feels like a village. On 7/7 it felt like a village.

Furthermore, having watched families get split up as they went to find work elsewhere in the 80's, I don't want that for my family. Hopefully, my kids will settle in London and my grandchildren too.

LONDON ROCKS

meester

Davesnave wrote: »

I'd rather have £50k and an environment where I didn't feel the need to get away so much, but that's just personal preference.

Actually I'm not working at all at the moment. Doesn't stop me going away on holiday next month. :beer:

needahome_2

i have been umemployed for a year since finishing my masters, i had no end of job offers from london, but quite simply the maths didnt work out, not only would i have never been able to buy a place, i wouldnt have been able to rent anywhere. the only option would have been to spend my life in a bedsit or a rented room.

i eventually found a job in birmingham which is paying £5k more than the jobs i was offered in london.

the amount of times i had recruitment agency trying to convince me to take a job in london and when i pointed out the maths didnt work out they would say "but its london, blah, blah " in the end i would just tell them them to shove their job offer and not to insult my intelligence.