Salary requirement conundrum

19lottie82

lkmc01 wrote: »

I don't know about London but we are a family of 4 living on an income of 20k a year.

Before or after tax?

[Deleted User]

19lottie82 wrote: »

Before or after tax?

and child tax credits, child benefit, housing benefit ect.

A single person gets a lot less 'stuff' out of the state than a family on a low income (and I believe they should really)

But that's something for the disccusion time forum.

persa

lkmc01 wrote: »

I don't know about London but we are a family of 4 living on an income of 20k a year.

20k gross works out as roughly 16.4k net, say 1,370 per month.

A monthly travelcard for zones 1 to 4 is 170, which leaves 1,200 for rent, all bills and some kind of life. Let's say 800 for a flatshare, so 400 for food, social costs, clothes, savings, etc. It's doable.

But the OP won't be able to rent a 'proper' flat, and looking in zone 1 on that kind of salary is madness.

A family of 4 in London wouldn't survive on a 20k wage, unless they had some form of topup. London is a very different world to the rest of the country!

[Deleted User]

You can flatshare for a lot less than £800 a month - i did a quick search on http://www.spareroom.co.uk/ and found a studio flat for £700pm. I guess you'd then have council tax, bills.

nodiscount

bargainbetty wrote: »

Have you spoken to recruitment consultants in the industry that are based in London? They often have jobs that are not advertised (not as publicly anyway). Take a day off and set up meetings with three or four agencies. Go over your CV and folio with them, and they will give you a far better idea of the salary you could expect to receive.

Best of luck

This ^^^^.

Speak to a good recruitment agency that specialises in that industry.

C22DTJ

I've asked them if the salary is negotiable. I figured there's no point in wasting my time or theirs, or a trip to London, if they're not willing to move at all.

Given some comments here, I'm warming to the idea of sharing a place, especially since the cost saving is likely to be significant. To those who've done it, though, and I apologise that this is slightly OT, is it not a little weird? I really can't imagine moving in with a stranger at 29 and sharing a bathroom/kitchen with them.

BitterAndTwisted

Lots and lots of people older than you flat or house-share. That is the economic reality when rents are so very, very high and good, approaching-affordable places rarer than hen's teeth. It's just a mater of finding sharers who are closer in age and outlook to you rather than a load of foreign labourers, just-left-home teenagers or students.

C22DTJ

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Lots and lots of people older than you flat or house-share. That is the economic reality when rents are so very, very high and good, approaching-affordable places rarer than hen's teeth. It's just a mater of finding sharers who are closer in age and outlook to you rather than a load of foreign labourers, just-left-home teenagers or students.

That's kinda what worries me. Call me small minded but sharing with a guy or girl of 25-35 who's into similar things sounds lovely, sharing with 4 lager louts working construction with 5AM starts, less so.

I guess I could try and find a girlfriend, that'd make life a little easier!

shop-to-drop

You will likely find lodgings with a colleague when you start out. Will help you to find your way around and meet your colleagues socially much more easily and quickly than if you live alone. Then when you know your way around and have a few payrises you could get your own place. Or maybe you will have met someone you'd like to share with.

How much do you earn in your current job?

C22DTJ

shop-to-drop wrote: »

How much do you earn in your current job?

I'd rather not disclose that, but let's just say there wouldn't be much of a London weighting if I did go for the £19K.

I just heard back from HR on the position mentioned in the OP. They can't move at all on their original budget, so it's a no.

However, I've already got wheels moving with a creative agency who seem great, so fingers crossed.