15k-18k in London. Is it good enough?

cashbackproblems

Finance/Banking/Consultancy grad schemes still do pay 27k and upwards, but iv seen alot of jobs recently in marketing/pr etc for this amount as there are plenty of candidates who will take them.

Firstly id ask what industry this job is in and the company, if its a big one you will have opportunities BUT if the job has no prospects and your pay increases by 1k per year id wait for something better. I moved to london last yr and on 31k and am living in the outskirts as a lodger and comfortable BUT struggling to get on the property ladder and will have to buy with my parents.

But 18k = £1.2k, houseshare in zone 4-6 would be £600pm all in (look on gumtree), £200pm transpart, £200 food and drink, £200 misc e.g. gym/clothes/misc.....so you can live but only just, you will barely be breaking even, personally i would miss.

cazziebo

If you are a recent grad, not working in your chosen field and this job offers an opportunity to gain some experience then grab it with both hands.

Yes it will be difficult, but this is a chance to populate your CV with something that will open the doors for something more lucrative later on. If I was interviewing two grads, one who had continued to remain at home and worked in the local Sainsbury's bakery and the other who had demonstrated the initiative to uproot and get some relevant occupational and life experience then it would be a no brainer which one I'd choose.

It's a tough world, and anything that sets you apart from the competition will be well worth it.

If it's any help, I commute from Scotland and rent a Mon-Fri let for £400 pcm in SW11. My bus fare to work is £1. 30 (? around that, it's recently changed) There's always ways and means.

Sharon87

15k living in London? I'm doing it now. I have a job that's on/off contract work, and last year I earned just about 15k. I use to live in zone 2 and 3, pay £500 a month rent in a house share and around 100 quid on transport, and could easily afford to eat out and socialise. Now I live in zone 3, pay £130 max for transport and £450 rent in another house share, and I go out even more often! House shares can be good for making new friends.

A handy tip for you. Get a young person's rail card, load it onto your oyster and you save a third for off peak journeys.

If the job is 18k, it's easy to live on that when you live in a house share.

pineapple

Kynthia wrote: »

Try to get it. It's what you do for a couple of years to get experience and then leave to for a better paying job.

I don't think one can afford to be sniffy when putting that first foot on the ladder. I stuck a couple of dire jobs for over 3 years and they ended up opening the door to some great opportunities (it doesn't have to be with the same employer). Plus it will be easier to find other work from a position of employment than from the dole queue.

totallybored

It's doable as long as you don't have expectations of living somewhere amazing and going out several nights a week. If you can budget and you don't waste money you should be fine.

Where is the job located? You need to look at the cheapest place to live that is convenient for the commute. For example, if it's near a mainline station the travel card will be cheaper if you can just get a train to work rather than needing the tube and bus too. You could probably find a flat share and get travel for £650 to £700 a month. Take your own lunch to work every day and don't go on numerous trips to Starbucks. You should be able to live ok on the remaining £300.

an9i77

My pal took a pay cut from a 30k job to a 17k job when she changed career and moved to London. But she got valuable experience and two years later got a 30k job and now five years later, fully qualified in her field, can command 50k. So it was definitely worth it for her. I think as others have said you need to look at the bigger picture - what will your earning potential be in five years time. Is this job an investment - ie you get paid naff all in your first couple of years but can then trade on your experience to earn a more substantial salary? If so I'd go for it as it will more than pay for the initial sacrifice in the years to come, but if not then I'd give it a miss.

Elvisia

The bonus of living in London is that there are loads of free things to do, and lots of mini supermarkets so you don't even have to eat in cafes if you want to save money. Make sure you check out online what's available, I am always amazed at how many events there are at weekends where you can do things for free, and it's always possible to get theatre tickets cheaply (National Theatre for £12 comes to mind). It's just the cost of getting there, I always spend a bit of extra time going on the bus to save the tube fare!!

Taadaa

I know plenty of public sector workers in London earning in that bracket. That includes London weighting. It might be pathetic but it's a regular occurence.

JamesK10

Sharon87 wrote: »

15k living in London? I'm doing it now.

I did so, with, 16K, nine years ago, then a year later climbed back to better wages with bonuses, so it was a restarting position rather than a first rung.

To be honest you don't know what you're getting yet, 15K is derisory and had the 2003 job paid this much I wouldn't have taken it, but if you sell yourself well at interview and get more than 15K then still take the job with Sharon87's travel advice. Your level of loyalty should match the eventual salary though if there's nothing going on where you live locally then why not? You'll definitely make enough to leave and live wherever you like after London once you map out your career path.

isaac12345

Thanks for all of your advice. Its a job in video editing for a non-profit. I used to earn 16k in Reading on placement and was taxed too and was able to manage quite well so I think I should be ok in London. For food, I usually shop at farmer's markets. For eating out,entertainment thank god for student beans and tastecard I have always lived in a house share so that wont be a problem. All I really want is to live in a good area with a decent sized room. How's Islington?