Catch 22 situation with new job

d11wtq

I'm in one of those good news/bad news situations...

I just got offered a new Job -- It's in central London though. They want me to give them a figure for a salary I want and they'll see what they can do. I'm earning 22K now but my living costs are so cheap here in Manchester. The extra money I get from the job will be sufficient if I earn over 30K plus I'll have some pocket money left over but the problem is the whole initial costs of moving. How the heck am I supposed to pay £600 deposit + first month's rent and also have to wait a month for my first pay cheque? Add to that the cost of the tube.

I'm hoping they can maybe offer some help in terms of the initial costs but I won't find out until I speak to them.

Selling my car will probably be a good move.

Does anybody know how easy it would be to get my creditors to take token payments of about £20 rather than the £100 they take now just until I get myself on my feet during the move? They're so demanding and they'll probably see it more like "Oh... so you're earning more money now?" I guess I'll just have to call them tomorrow

CLAPTON

sorry i dont understand your situation

according to your signature your total debt is about 4,500 and you're paying 100 per month towards your debts. but you say you are living cheaply in manchester on a salary of 22,000 so why do you not have any saving?

also presumably you will have your salary cheque from your old job when you leave and your new salary cheque only a month later (i.e. as usual)

but dont underestimate how difficult and expensive it is finding accommodation in london

moxie_2

If you haven't got anywhere to live lined up yet, pm me. I live in a housing cooperative in West London and we have some places coming up. No deposit and cheap rent, in return for some of your time coming to meetings, doing repairs, gardening etc.

angchris

is it just you no other half/kids?if it is i`d look into getting a houseshare or a bedsit in london to begin with untill you get yourself on your feet and know whats what and how much money you have to spare before you go renting out a big place. will give you a bit of breathing space to sort yourself out properly. plenty on here http://flatshareworld.com/index.cfm?ac=ppc1

all_hours

One solution you could consider is a bedsit near central london for the first couple of months. Look for somewhere that you only have to pay one or two weeks deposit rather than a month. If you pick somewhere close enough to your work you might be able to get away with using the bus or walking.

Take a look on loot.com to give you an idea of prices.

Hereward

d11wtq wrote:

I'm in one of those good news/bad news situations...

I just got offered a new Job -- It's in central London though. They want me to give them a figure for a salary I want and they'll see what they can do. I'm earning 22K now but my living costs are so cheap here in Manchester. The extra money I get from the job will be sufficient if I earn over 30K plus I'll have some pocket money left over but the problem is the whole initial costs of moving. How the heck am I supposed to pay £600 deposit + first month's rent and also have to wait a month for my first pay cheque? Add to that the cost of the tube.

I'm hoping they can maybe offer some help in terms of the initial costs but I won't find out until I speak to them.

Selling my car will probably be a good move.

Does anybody know how easy it would be to get my creditors to take token payments of about £20 rather than the £100 they take now just until I get myself on my feet during the move? They're so demanding and they'll probably see it more like "Oh... so you're earning more money now?" I guess I'll just have to call them tomorrow

As they are asking you want you want, why not go for the maximum that you can get, that is if you want £30k, why not ask for £35k: you can always negotiate down, but very rarely up! If they are really desperate to employ you, ask about a relocation package: most employers will fund the cost of a move if they really want an employee. I have heard of companies buy their new employees’ houses in the right location (not forgetting their old house too). You would have to be a director for that to happen though. The best you could hope for is for them to pay your deposit, first month’s rent and possible some moving expenses.

d11wtq

Hey moxie that sounds brilliant I'll keep looking around but I'll remember about that.

~all_hours. I'm looking at houseshares as well but a lot of the ones I'm looking at don't include a photo unless it's a more expensive one which puts me off a little because I can't keep going down to view places over this month or it'll cost me a shed-load in transport between manchester-london. I really wouldn't like to think that I'd move from the nice house that I'm in now (crappy area mind-you) and into a place that isn't very nice. I know it sounds snobby :rolleyes:

I don't know London at all unfortunately having only visited it 3 times for a matter of hours so a lot of the places I'm looking at I know nothing about the area. Have to sort of weigh up if it's financially better to live on an outer zone and pay more for transport or live closer to an inner zone and pay less but more for rent. The job is on Regent St right in zone 1. I could probably do with speaking to a Londoner about where to look and where not to look.

I guess when I speak to them tomorrow I'll just have to bring up these issues and see if they can offer any assistance. I hadn't actually realised just how much more everything is going to cost me.

EDIT | Sorry I took ages writing my reply so I missed some posts in the process. Thanks all. Thanks for the links... I'll have a browse around

bargainbetty

Finding a place in a nice area can be a pain, but I would definitely recommend a houseshare for a while. You will have built-in local info services (your housemates) and it will cost a lot less than £600 per month! Depending on where you work, you might be better off getting a bicycle than on the tube... cheaper too, at least until this good weather breaks.

Definitely ask for a relocation package - even your removals costs can be a substantial help. It's all about negotiation...

Good luck with your decision x

skintchick

If you want ideas on where to live, try posting in Discussion Time. I'd suggest getting a short term room rent to begin with and finding out where you like.

In terms of salary, ask for higher than you'll settle for and take it from there. What job is it? Have you checked what other people earn for it in London?

piglet6

Hi D

I remember how scared I was moving to London 11 years ago (not through choice - OH was a PhD student and his tutor moved to a London University and arranged to "bring" his PhD students with him...!!:o).

I would recommend what others here have already suggested - look for somewhere to rent for the first few months, before looking to buy - it gives you a chance to check out areas before committing to them, and you can't always get an idea of a place in a couple of hours (I found our first place to rent in literally 20 minutes - got off the train at Clapham Junction and while I was looking at it, there were another couple outside on the doorstep waiting for me to leave so that they could view it...:eek: It was halfway OK so I took it on the spot!:rolleyes:). We were then very lucky and bought in the same area 18 months later...:D

Re: salary - I definitely agree with the others above and say ask for more than you think you want...you may be pleasantly surprised and get it - if not its always easier to negotiate downwards to what you think you'll get rather than upwards to what you really need!:p

Good luck with everything - my first job was just off Regent Street as well, so I do know where you are coming from... Personally, for what its worth, I would say if you can afford it, its better to rent nearer to the centre and cut down the commute time/cost - but in reality, places near the centre are pretty pricy, so you may have to trade off proximity to work with reality of living cost. However, you do still get the odd bargain, so keep an eye out and don't dismiss "central" London as a place to live immediately, without exploring all your options!:D

Piglet

lynzpower

Oh Londons FAB , I love it.

Round my way you can get rooms in houseshare for 500 a month, sometimes inclusive. Try moveflat, they sometimes have photos on there

From my area I guess it would take 25mins on the tube to regent street. No biggie.