Is it pointless to move to london without a highly skilled job?

absolutereturn

It all depends on what you want and what you are willing to sacrifice. When I was 25 I was living in Central London, sharing a room. At that time I thought it was fun to live with other young people and many others felt the same way. You do get tired of sharing, tired of London, etc. and that's when you move out of town. It's an experience though, especially if you are living with your parents at the moment. If you want to rent a flat by yourself then forget it!

boliston

absolutereturn wrote: »

It all depends on what you want and what you are willing to sacrifice. When I was 25 I was living in Central London, sharing a room. At that time I thought it was fun to live with other young people and many others felt the same way. You do get tired of sharing, tired of London, etc. and that's when you move out of town. It's an experience though, especially if you are living with your parents at the moment. If you want to rent a flat by yourself then forget it!

I can imagine that sharing would have more appeal to a 25 year old than say a 40 year old but when you say "tired of london" is this because you (for example) wanted to start a family? When leaving london where did you relocate to?

absolutereturn

boliston wrote: »

I can imagine that sharing would have more appeal to a 25 year old than say a 40 year old but when you say "tired of london" is this because you (for example) wanted to start a family?

Not quite in my case but that's very often the reason.

boliston wrote: »

When leaving london where did you relocate to?

Not far to start with, first to Esher (Surrey) then Kent. Still within commuter belt.

boliston

absolutereturn wrote: »

Not quite in my case but that's very often the reason.
Not far to start with, first to Esher (Surrey) then Kent. Still within commuter belt.

Just been looking at commuting times from kent
http://www.commuterguide.co.uk/counties/kent
and a lot of these towns are over an hour EACH WAY - that means at least 10 hours per week just getting to work excluding the time taken to get from and to the station at each end! I reckon some people must be working the equivalent of 7 day weeks just to be able to own a nice big house in some leafy suburb while they work in london.

[Deleted User]

I picked up Zone 6 'house share' at a 'reduced' price of £400 pcm - poor souls of a family with children decided they just couldn't afford the area and so resorted to trying to let quarter of the house!

Going back couple of years ago - I was almost really tempted at the time to save on the alledged commute I wasn't really allowed to forget
The 16.5k sales based job only lasted 3 months so was kind of glad I didn't go through with it, in the end. If I had to be honest, In a very saturated job seeking area.

Would say get the job first and make sure it's secure. I've no idea how you go about explaining your idea to or convincing an employer.

Tiddlywinks

OP - you need to think about what exactly you want to achieve.

Why do you think London will be the answer? Higher wages? The metropolitan lifestyle? London wages are higher but so too are the accommodation and socialising costs. The net result may mean you are no better off - plus you'll be miles away from your family and in a new job with less security (for the first two years anyway).

London's a big place and has affluent and impoverished areas - the bad areas can be REALLY bad.... the same can be said for any major cities around the world. The highs and lows can be less than a quarter of a mile apart.

You can't expect to just pitch up in London with a rucksack and get a job and a place to stay all in the same day. You'll need to have a financial cushion to pay for accommodation and food whilst you find work.

Have you any savings? Have you done any research of areas where you'd like to live? Researched the job market? Compared accommodation rates etc?

Planning will be key if you are really serious about moving and making a new start.

Edited to add: I wish I hadn't bothered to answer now as this isn't the first time you've asked....

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5274127

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5207316

worried_jim

Op. You are a long time dead. Give it a go, follow your dreams have some fun along the way and enjoy your self. Why stop at London, what about Berlin.....

Good luck!

UrbanDanceSquad

Cubanista wrote: »

I have wanted to move to London for a long time, but I haven't had the finances. I have an "okay" amount of savings and was thinking about moving to London next year.




The problem is i am not skilled in anything particular and i am unsure what the job market is like there. It is my ambition to move to London, but for someone who is not highly skilled or highly qualified in a specific job what are my chances?


I currently work in sales, though it's only call centre office sales work selling travel insurance. it is not something i want to do for the rest of my life, but i am not qualified in anything else.


I am 25 and i live with my parents. I also don't drive. I wanted to drive and have taken 2 tests, but failed them both. The last time i took a test i had spent a lot of money so i have been thinking that maybe if i do move to London i won't have to worry about driving and can just take public transport which doesn't bother me at all.


I don't know what to do, but i also don't want to hang around and stay in this area for much longer. I want to move out of the area and experience London, work in the city and meet new people where there is a lot more opportunity.


I would really appreciate any advice,


Thanks,


Cubanista.

Not sure why you're talking yourself down because you're obviously skilled in 'something' which has enabled you to hold down your current job.

Based on your info, my advice to you would be give IT recruitment agent a punt in London. Plenty of agencies are advertising for 'trainee' people. If you can talk and have a degree of social intelligence then you're more than half way there.

Just do it.

Topcat1982

Apply for jobs in London with a decent salary, if you get one great! If not stay put

It would be crazy to move there, then apply for jobs.

absolutereturn

boliston wrote: »

Just been looking at commuting times from kent
http://www.commuterguide.co.uk/counties/kent
and a lot of these towns are over an hour EACH WAY - that means at least 10 hours per week just getting to work excluding the time taken to get from and to the station at each end! I reckon some people must be working the equivalent of 7 day weeks just to be able to own a nice big house in some leafy suburb while they work in london.

It's not as bad as it sounds. You get on the train and always find a seat, where you remain for the next hour. You can catch up on your sleep, read, study, shop online, play games, watch movies, chat online, post on FB/Twitter, etc. or on these forums, do some work, etc. Even better in the gadget age where you have such a big choice of activities (or none). Get off the train at a the most suitable station (there's a choice) and walk to work.

People who live in town often take as long to get to work and it's much less comfortable: walk to bus stop, wait for bus that never arrives, spend half an hour stuck in traffic, get off, take the tube for two stations, change, another two stations if you manage to get on... you get the picture! :rotfl: