Update from Ratty

PoundsLookAfterThemselves

Hello all -

I will be moving to London soon to take up a full time job, but I am a little concerned about how expensive it will be to live in the city and am considering taking a second job in the evening to help out with debt payments and any unexpected bills I might receive.

Initially I was thinking of a bar job in one of the trendy hotels (because I thought it might be fun and the tips good:j ), but I have never worked in a bar before.

Have any of you DFW found a good second job that might be of interest to me or indeed started working in a bar for the first time. The funnier the story the better, any disaster job stories are welcome here!:eek:

sparkle_monkey

Hey,
My second job is teaching yoga and English as a second language so not quite in same area as bar work. I've done loads of bar work before though and it's really fun, depends on where you work as to how good tips are but it will definitely help you save workin on fri/sat night.We often drank for free after closing
btw I'm moving to London soon too and was worried about the expense so I'd be interested to hear how you get on with finding bargains. It sounds like you have your main job lined up already?:beer:

crawley_girl

My second job is working in a day centre/ drop in centre for people with mental health problems which isn't that different to my main job, except less responsibilty and more time for talking!

For me, my second job is helping me clear those debts a little quicker as well as making sure that I have less time to spend! It also means I sleep better cos I am near-on exhausted most of the time... the only down side is that I have less time for friends/ family but clearing my debts as quickly as possible is very important to me... anyhow I have gone off on a tangent...

I have never done bar work before, so can't offer any advice/ stories on that score but good luck with the move

:heartpuls CG :heartpuls

lynzpower

I did bar work both in Newcastle when at UNi & also I did a bit here in London as well for a short while. I dont know where you will be living, so I cant offer too much advice. I will say this, I went from my day job in social services at 5 to start in the bar at 6, did 6-12 (sometimes later depending on colleagues laziness) and then 45 mins getting home. I did this 3 nights a week & sometimes sats & suns depending whether they needed me or not. not getting in to bed till gone 1 was a killer, I just couldnt get up in the morning, in the end ,I gave it up.

Two ideas
1) if you can get a bar job near to home, Do it. Thing is you might miss out on the tips side of things but at least you have cut out the travelling home at silly o clock
2) many bars in the " city" ( financial district) dont open weekends, and plenty of money spent there, if i was going back to bar work this would be where Id go for, i value my weekends now.

If you want extra money then theres always stuff like stewarding at webley & other events, or telesales type stuff that pays a bit better and finishes that little bit earlier.

the key to living frugally in london is getting somewhere with a cheap rent first & foremost.ONce youve done that, I dont think its THAT expensive, all relative though I guess, but it seems the same as manchester in lots of respects price wise now.

leni

I did ann summers as a second job a few years back! I used to make between £200-400 a month for doing about 5 parties a month. Don't know if your male though so it might not even be an option! I did AVON also but only made £30 a month and the time layout didn't warrent the money!

I'm now hoping to get to target weight with Weightwatchers (15lbs to go!) then I can become a WW Leader! My current leader does 5 1hour classes a week and has about 60 members at each, all paying £5 - so thats £1500 a week of which she'll probably get 30% of - £450 a week - wow - I'm hoping fo just one class of about 30 - that would make me £50 a week extra!

Aidenr

Morning all,

well i have had a second job since i can remember now. Last year i was working at a call centre 7-11 after finishing my main job as an account manager at 6. That was a killer, the amount of stress from customers as it was the water board (Thames water) for you Londoners:eek: :rotfl:

well i relocated last sept to Manchester and yes like London, the prices are high, so a friend recommended ASDA. i love it ( minus the green uniform)
i have such a laugh and no stress **** any cash back??******

would recommend, flexible working hours, aways overtime if you want it

Have a good day
Aiden

isgman

I work for myself at the weekend and the odd night doing "computer support", some weeks I don't earn anything but some weeks I can earn quite a bit, over the month it usually works out at about £300+. at least it keeps the car full of fuel and gives us the odd treat.. like a take away.,,, I know I should pay more off the debts,,, but you have just got to treat yourself now and again or you will go mad...!

ms_london

I'm in London and at the moment only pay £280 a month rent plus bills. When I first moved here I was working part time on a healthclub reception, usually 7-11pm & a couple of shifts at the weekend which meant I could fit it around my full time job. Now I work Saturdays in an Estate Agents - could money & only up the road..

Check out www.thegumtree.com - under "Part time/Evening/Weekend Jobs" - they also have "Bar Work" section etc...

I've been in debt for all of my time in London (and now I am saving) so it could have been more fun, but I have had a fab time and there are SOOOO many free/cheap things to do - definately have a look at Time Out!!

xx

all_hours

years ago I did temp catering work. it wasn't very well paid (minimum wage), but if you did sat or sun you would get time + 1/4 or 1/2, occasionally double time on a sunday plus you got meals included in the shift.

In_Search_Of_Me

Just a thought though...TAX!!! If you earn (I think!) over £40,000 you go up to higher rate tax and that £100 a month extra can really stuff this up! In which case you'd be better off thinking about cash in hand jobs like pet sitting/dog walking./babysitting etc....hope that helps?

nocashkate

Hiya,

I worked in London for 3 years after uni and had 2 jobs. One full time and one in the evening in a bar. They paid me cash at the bar and i got excellent tips at weekend (would double my wages with this)as they did lovely sunday lunches. Would advise a foodie place with a bar as bar tips not always as good I found. It WAS tiring, worked from 9am-1am some days but would do it again as it made my life easier there and wish i had thought of it sooner.

Would REALLY recommend it as save money as not going out/make friends and can try and save.

Gum Tree site mentioned before is excellent and i also asked around all local bars in area i lived Blaham/Clapham/Brixton and got my job by doing that, was offered job on the spot.

Rent is the big killer in London and best to rent cheaply rather than get swayed by location etc ( I made this mistake and am still paying for it now)

Also remember London buses can be great, can be cheaper and you get to see more of London than on the tube!

Enjoy your time there,
Good luck
x