would it be a bad idea to relocate to London without a plan?

I_Can_Haz_Job?

@Wozzie - I'd forgotten to even mention the crime! You get so desensitised to it after a while that police tape near home or the office is almost invisible! If you're in any way nervy or anxious you probably don't want to live in a city where you are guaranteed to see crime. They should bring out an I Spy Book of London - I think I've ticked everything off including being asked if I want to buy crack, seeing an actual dead body taped off en route to work after a stabbing round the corner, a fully blown girl gang fight right outside my flat and several prowlers. You need to be streetwise to come here - and I lived in Barons Court when I first moved to London (quite a cutesy, posh area).

kingslayer

Thanks for the replies, everyone. After reading through it all and doing my own research online, it does seem like a decision that isn't viable for me at the moment due to my situation in regards to employment.

I definitely want to move somewhere else and experience something more. I have lived in the same place for 26 years and now it's quite tedious. I need to find employment first and save up enough money, then decide what to do.

Which other areas of the country would you suggest? I was also considering big cities like Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle and Bristol. The problem is, opportunities would be nowhere near as vast as in London.

[Deleted User]

The opportunities are available without having to live there first. I job hunted for a 'London Job' by phone/the internet 9 years ago; only moving there ONCE I had a job.

Don't go there to get on a training course. It's far more effective to get trained outside of London, then find a job within London.

If you want to get a job in a coffee shop, flat share with 12 people to 'live the London poverty experience' then go for it

BTW - I quite enjoyed living in Cardiff (I have lived in Liverpool, Manchester, Cardiff, London and Nottingham so far). It's a compact little city that you can walk from the suburbs to the centre.

I_Can_Haz_Job?

kingslayer wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, everyone. After reading through it all and doing my own research online, it does seem like a decision that isn't viable for me at the moment due to my situation in regards to employment.

I definitely want to move somewhere else and experience something more. I have lived in the same place for 26 years and now it's quite tedious. I need to find employment first and save up enough money, then decide what to do.

Which other areas of the country would you suggest? I was also considering big cities like Edinburgh, Manchester, Leeds, Nottingham, Newcastle and Bristol. The problem is, opportunities would be nowhere near as vast as in London.

There are not as many opportunities as you think there are, believe me. I have an MA, a teaching qualification and 15+ years experience in fraud prevention/IT/retail and couldn't even get an interview at McDonalds when I was jobseeking for 7 months last year. It's better to be a big fish in a little pond than one of thousands in a huge expensive one like London

duchy

If you really want to explore the possibility of living elsewhere - seriously and not just as a pie in the sky idea why don't you go to study ?

It's nearly September if you don't have the qualifications for uni then you could enroll on an Access course (some are in the evening so don't mess with job seeking) This time next year you could be posting that you are off to uni !!

You'd meet new people - with ambition to better themselves on the Access course and open doors to go and study almost anywhere in the country. Rather than setting yourself adrift alone in a big city you'd be a bit more sheltered as unis have accommodation for first years and offer support emotionally if it gets a bit tough.

My local uni has a very focused attitude to employability -and encourages all kinds of things to make sure students don't just leave with a degree but also a job. Volunteering is diverse-and gets you extra credit as well as internships and work experience -and most courses have the option for a placement in work mid course or even a year studying abroad.

Frankly for now you have got stuck and don't know where you are going.
You obviously aren't stupid even if emotionally you need a bit more maturity and education might just be what you need to bloosom. It will require effort and commitment - and yes you'll end up with a student loan (an easy excuse if you don't have the commitment) but if you are really serious about changing your life and getting out of your rut- it's one solution.

(Oh and at 26 you certainly won't be the only mature student plenty of people "restart" on some courses the mature students make up 50% of the students.)

Ader1

Where are you located now?

You need to try and get some money saved up wherever you end up be it London, Cardiff or Edinbrugh?

I would only move to London if I were you if can find those old friends of yours and they allow you to stay with them. My belief are that the accommodations costs are the biggest barrier for you to overcome. Having said that.....the last two times I went to London, I met loads of Eastern Europeans. But I do think that when foreigners come to the UK for example, they create networks to help each other out. In fact, I see it around here too in south Wales. They share accommodation and share information about jobs.

Do you have any qualifications at all? GCSE's or A Levels?

gettingready

Easter Europeans live several to a house/flat and work for minimum wage - at least the new arrivals do. I do not think OP could put up with that and I do not thing sharing a bathroom and fridge with 76480456 others is his life goal.

Ader1

gettingready wrote: »

Easter Europeans live several to a house/flat and work for minimum wage - at least the new arrivals do. I do not think OP could put up with that and I do not thing sharing a bathroom and fridge with 76480456 others is his life goal.

I spent a few years there in the late 80's and lived in real dives. It's what most people do. I was also earning a pretty low salary and working in a pub at night-time in the Soho area. Initially, it was quite difficult. And finding accommodation was quite difficult even then. I think it's probably a lot worse now.

gettingready

Late 80's was way pre EU times

SailorSam

Kingslayer did you notice someone else has started a thread 'cos she's just moved to London and feels lost despite having a decent job and enough money behind her to afford a decent flat.