£20000.00 higher pay with new job but may be not worth it?

Savvy_Sue

djcat wrote: »

I had planned to move to Richmond initially, as it seems to be a safe, nice and clean place and be reasonably close to the city. However I know that there are “cheaper” places to live in London, that may not be unsafe. Can you recommend any place to look at within 8 to 10 miles from the City?

getmore4less wrote: »

You need to look at travel times to the specifiv location rather than distance get the right route and you have a chance to sleep on he trains.

why look at west london when you are traveling to east london/city

What they said. I'm from London, Greenwich, and commuted to Central London from there and then from Guildford for years, but I couldn't do it now ...

DS2 has just got a job in Central London and is living in Stepney, commuting on a Boris Bike. He's paying £550 pm for a house share. He prefers that to living with his grandparents in Blackheath, where he thinks it would take him too long to get to work ...

debrag

Bromley - 15 min fast train to London Victoria or go via Lewisham on the DLR to the city.

Savvy Sue I'd take Blackheath and get the train into central London it doesn't take long.

debrag

Miss_Havisham wrote: »

is moving to London the only option, could you commute from further out ?

Personally I worked in the City of London for 35 years and absolutely loved the hustle and bustle of it, wouldn't have worked anywhere else. For 15 years I had a 90 mins to 2 hour each-way daily commute but that's because I like living in a smaller town and afford a nicer property.

Big decision - make one you don't regret. What does your OH say ?

Miss H

how do you find your commute? what if there are no trains? I'm thinking about doing the same thing.

[Deleted User]

Not everything in life is about your income. If you are happy where you are, and there are still good prospects then it may be worth staying.

I say this as someone who just turned down a job interview that would have likely led to a 60k pay rise...

BUT I will say this - I moved jobs from Cardiff to London 7 years ago and it was the best move I ever made

Lokolo

I work in the city and have a commute in. My colleague does the same and she lives in Reading.

The train is expensive (around £4k a year) but she doesn't mind the commute (and neither do I). You just have to find things to keep you occupied; books, the Metro, tablet.

Is there a reason why you'd have to move?

And driving? I seriously do not recommend driving. Its terrible in the mornings and evenings.

Miss_Havisham

debrag wrote: »

how do you find your commute? what if there are no trains? I'm thinking about doing the same thing.

Apols - I've just read this back before hitting the button and it's a bit long and reads like an instruction manual. :eek:

I'm retired now :T but I can still recall vividly my commute !

There never was a time when I failed to get home at all due to no trains. Plenty of times (every 8 to 10 weeks I would guesstimate) waiting at Liverpool St station for an hour or so and then making a mad dash for the first train leaving, but mainline stations and central tube stations have Starbucks, McD's etc - just grab a coffee and evening paper and sit it out.

The trick is to "streamline" your journey. For example don't live too far from the station as it can take time getting from home to the station, parking or waiting for the bus, ticket barrier, rushing up steps over to the correct platform etc - can take 20 / 30 mins before you even get on the train. Ditto at the work end - aim for a straight through train if you can rather than coming into a mainline then having to get the bus/tube or long walk to your work place. You could do one or the other but not both - each step in the journey takes up time.

You need to be disciplined - get clothes, briefcase, handbag etc ready before you go to bed, get up earlier than you think you need to. Leave in good time for the bus - they can be early at that time of day. Cover your car in the winter so you don't have to spend ages scraping the ice off ! If you buy a weekly/monthly ticket don't queue up on a Monday morning - nip out Sunday night and get it.

Discipline too at the end of the day. If you've got a long journey don't stay late at work routinely (except emergencies of course). You can catch up with reading/e mails etc on the train. Go to bed at a reasonable time !!

If you go out with the office crowd after work make sure you know time tables for late evenings so you don't miss the last train ! Leave on time - I've been caught when the last train has been cancelled (luckily I could get a taxi to my parents).

HTH

Miss H

thorsoak

To me, the starting point of where to live would be where in London would you be based? West end/Kensington - mainline station Paddington, East city/docklands - you'd want Liverpool St/Fenchurch St; central city - London Bridge - you get my drift.

The trick is, as Miss H says, not to add to many legs to your journey - office preferably walking distance of mainline station, home preferably no more than 20 mins from station (preferably walking distance - if cycle/bus/car - a route which does not involve too much traffic).

Lisa_B

Life is too short to be somewhere you don't want to be, irrespective of how much you earn. I do a job I like (most of the time), in a place I love (North Wales) and couldn't bear to live in London again. If you can afford to live, and are enjoying your life as it is, is it really worth the extra money for the upheaval?

hieveryone

If you're an ambitious person then go for it. As you said, it will look good on your CV and may open up more doors later on.

I've just accepted a job which gives me a 14k pay rise, but a 100 mile round trip per day. It may not be my 'forever' job, but it's a step up the ladder and increases my final salary pension scheme!

Savvy_Sue

debrag wrote: »

Savvy Sue I'd take Blackheath and get the train into central London it doesn't take long.

Oh, so would I, so DID I - initially I worked at the Angel, Northern line anyone? :eek:

And my BIL lives there and has commuted quite happily for years (currently job-seeking after redundancy). But to be fair, it wouldn't have been a long term solution for DS2, he'd have been on the floor in the box room at his grandparents, and they'd have 'fussed'.

I'd have gone there short term, but he decided to stay in a hostel while he house hunted. And it's worked out very well for him. I know nothing about north of the river - I'm still coming to terms with the fact that he IS north of the river! - but it's working for him.

Miss Havisham's advice is spot on, btw. The fewer steps in your journey, the fewer ways there are for it to go wrong.

And of course, London's not the only place where people commute long or short distances! DH and I share a car, usually go in together then I come home on the bus or train. I'm very glad I have several choices, although as they all leave from different places I have to decide how I'm getting home before I leave the office ...