Moving to London - is it possible?

andycris3107

I moved to London a year ago and left my wife and kids behind, the idea was to find work, commute back home as much as possible, and see how it goes. Doing it this way meant that we could back-track if things didn't work out. Now after a year I am preparing for my family to move here.

I arrived with no work and stayed with a relative for the first month or so. I was looking for (and eventually got) a salary around double what you are looking at. I would have considered less but looking back I would not be in the same position if I had accepted it. I rented my first flat in the east end (one bedroom shoebox) for £1500 a month, paid around £200 a month in travel expenses to work, and more on top to go back and see my wife and kids. To buy my shoebox would have cost £300k

Thankfully I wised up pretty quickly and found far more opportunities once I was here. I've swapped jobs twice and now earn more than I set out to. Yet we are still renting. Buying is a huge risk - we would need around £40k deposit just to get off the ground. For 30k I wouldn't come unless it were merely to look for something better as I did.

lisyloo

If I was in the OPs position I would not move to London (or surrounds) and I think the family will have better standard of living where they are.

I have recently moved to London for a LOT more money. We actually love it but we don't commute far (DH walks to work) and we don't have kids which is clearly a life changing factor.
I reckon it's costing us about £25K extra, (£18K rent plus travel plus extra bills) so it's clearly only worthwhile for those who can command that sort of uplift in NET salary and that's a minimum.

So my advice would be - DON'T do it.

Commuting at rush hour is no fun whatsoever in London, even if it's looks good on paper.
Make sure you consider door-to-door including both ends.
Those who say it's not a big deal are really putting a brave face on it. There is nothing wrong with having a positive attitude about life, but if they are honest they wouldn't choose to spend at least an hour a day of their life in cramped conditions often standing and often stiffling in summer.
Clearly people will put a gloss on things, but I don't believe people would choose to do this. It's a compromise and I don't see the pros in this particular case.

We chose to pay more to be central rather than commute, but of course you have to have a high salary for that or be prepared to live in a dump.

lisyloo

Thankfully I wised up pretty quickly and found far more opportunities once I was here.

You're story is heartwarming.
However I'm guessing from your upward mobility that you're not a driver.
That's not meant to be in any way judgmental, but I don't believe all skills or professions have the same kind of upward mobility.

Running_Horse

AdrianC wrote: »

Umm, he IS (or will be) "London overspill"

By London overspill I mean people moved out by London councils to get rid of them and because it is cheaper to house them in the Medway Towns. I didn't mean some naive northerner who thinks he is moving his children to the garden of England.

There is a reason these areas are cheaper. If you're going to relocate to the Medway Towns, at least make it Rainham or Rochester, although those areas also have local issues. But at least his children's lives will be more tolerable.

[Deleted User]

So will the OP's wife be able to get a job to make this financial worthwhile? What do you think your household income will be once you've subtracted commuting costs?

I don't think you've done your numbers properly if you think a £30k salary is going to support 3 kids and a wife in the south east. I don't really get why you'd abandon a place "where your kids can play out without worrying" for a grotty commuter town where they won't be able to.

- An ex-northerner living on the far edge of the M25

Running_Horse

Cheapest annual rail season ticket I can find for Gillingham is £3784, more if you want high speed or onward travel. That will be a huge chunk of your after-tax pay. Your wife could find a job locally, but with so many eager immigrants the pay levels tend to be low, and then there would be childcare costs.