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

absolutereturn

Topcat1982 wrote: »

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.

In the electronic age, all job applications are done online anyway, however, you'll need to travel to interviews and that can cost quite a bit.

CKhalvashi

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? When leaving london where did you relocate to?

I moved to Hertfordshire....2 minutes from Stansted airport and a really nice commuter town. I commute to Park Royal and my OH commutes into Heathrow airport, but even after (as mentioned above) the minimum 10 hours a week in a car, the quality of life is still much better.

It's somewhere I'd pick any day over living within the M25 again.

I_Can_Haz_Job?

For what it's worth, I've lived and worked in London since 2007 and I would happily sell my left kidney to get out.

For a quick and easy simulation of what it's like, simply withdraw everything you have in the bank right now - take 3/4 of it and set fire to it (or flush it down the toilet). Then, to replicate the living conditions on a low salary, find a handy cupboard-under-the-stairs to live in - a la Harry Potter. More realistically, you need to invite two strangers - (preferably one is a drunk and one has chronic BO) to live in there with you too.

Unless you're earning a minimum of £30k, it's a very hard life.

I'm almost 40 and a single lady and on £31.5k only just out of living in Zone 2-3 bedsits (don't get me started on the alcoholic room-mates, robberies, rats and mice and bedbugs over the years. and the damp...don't forget the damp).

I'm in a mate's flat now - very much mates rates - in a pretty rough part of the East End.

Rent is £950pcm
Council Tax is £80pcm
Leccy is £40pcm
Travelcard from flat to work £144pcm

Not to mention everything costs a lot more - the tales of pints costing a fortune are true.

And your bogies go permanently black from the pollution.

And you will see a minimum of three hookers, two crackheads and at least one stabbing at the end of your road....a week

Stay where you are xxx

xapprenticex

I_Can_Haz_Job? wrote: »

For what it's worth, I've lived and worked in London since 2007 and I would happily sell my left kidney to get out.

For a quick and easy simulation of what it's like, simply withdraw everything you have in the bank right now - take 3/4 of it and set fire to it (or flush it down the toilet). Then, to replicate the living conditions on a low salary, find a handy cupboard-under-the-stairs to live in - a la Harry Potter. More realistically, you need to invite two strangers - (preferably one is a drunk and one has chronic BO) to live in there with you too.

Unless you're earning a minimum of £30k, it's a very hard life.

I'm almost 40 and a single lady and on £31.5k only just out of living in Zone 2-3 bedsits (don't get me started on the alcoholic room-mates, robberies, rats and mice and bedbugs over the years. and the damp...don't forget the damp).

I'm in a mate's flat now - very much mates rates - in a pretty rough part of the East End.

Rent is £950pcm
Council Tax is £80pcm
Leccy is £40pcm
Travelcard from flat to work £144pcm

Not to mention everything costs a lot more - the tales of pints costing a fortune are true.

And your bogies go permanently black from the pollution.

And you will see a minimum of three hookers, two crackheads and at least one stabbing at the end of your road....a week

Stay where you are xxx

Hey, in the past I've lived next to someone with something beyond B.O, there is a level above that, I KNOW! Next to drug dealers who im sure has some of of eastern euro prostitution thing going on but i was never sure, music blaring at 1am and i remember when my neighbors door was getting kicked in while i was trying to get some sleep. All in the same building... gotta love HMO's... NEVER AGAIN.

HappyMJ

I_Can_Haz_Job? wrote: »

For what it's worth, I've lived and worked in London since 2007 and I would happily sell my left kidney to get out.

For a quick and easy simulation of what it's like, simply withdraw everything you have in the bank right now - take 3/4 of it and set fire to it (or flush it down the toilet). Then, to replicate the living conditions on a low salary, find a handy cupboard-under-the-stairs to live in - a la Harry Potter. More realistically, you need to invite two strangers - (preferably one is a drunk and one has chronic BO) to live in there with you too.

Unless you're earning a minimum of £30k, it's a very hard life.

I'm almost 40 and a single lady and on £31.5k only just out of living in Zone 2-3 bedsits (don't get me started on the alcoholic room-mates, robberies, rats and mice and bedbugs over the years. and the damp...don't forget the damp).

I'm in a mate's flat now - very much mates rates - in a pretty rough part of the East End.

Rent is £950pcm
Council Tax is £80pcm
Leccy is £40pcm
Travelcard from flat to work £144pcm

Not to mention everything costs a lot more - the tales of pints costing a fortune are true.

And your bogies go permanently black from the pollution.

And you will see a minimum of three hookers, two crackheads and at least one stabbing at the end of your road....a week

Stay where you are xxx

Just wondering....what is keeping you there? It sounds lovely.

I live in Burton-on-Trent 5 minutes walk from town...no transport costs. £475 a month for a spacious 2 bedroom executive apartment... it just means a flat...a nice flat though including fridge, freezer, washing machine and cooker. Council tax is £49 each (shared between 2 a single person would pay £75). Electricity and Gas is £43/month (shared between 2 a single person would probably pay about £38 and that includes heating and hot water as it's an A rated energy efficient flat). No travel costs. Home delivered shopping costs £1 per week at selected times even though I'm across the road from a several large supermarkets (Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda and Iceland) I can't be bothered carrying the shopping over the road. Pints are priced competitively at around £2.30 to £3.40 depending on pub. There's little pollution here a 5 minute walk in the other direction and I'm in huge open spaces near the river Trent.

I earn so little I don't pay income tax or national insurance contributions and still have money left over each month.

I_Can_Haz_Job?

HappyMJ wrote: »

Just wondering....what is keeping you there? It sounds lovely.

My mission for 2016 is to get the hell out of Dodge!

The stinker with here is it's very easy to get trapped. All your money goes on daily cost of living so there's nothing left over to save for a life somewhere else. I'm going on a Lidl 18p Noodle diet all next year and saving everything I can into a 'running away fund'. I have visions of getting a quiet little job and living in a cottage somewhere in Dyfed with an army of cats :j

xapprenticex

Careful with the sodium

Baby_Angel

Tiddlywinks wrote: »

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

Like Tiddlywinks points out, you have been contemplating to work in London for a very long time. At that time there wasn't any mention of your driving tests. Are you trying to run away from your job or the driving tests? Don't just think of coming to London as an escape from whatever you are finding it difficult where you live.

I live in outer London (Zone 5 - North West London). There are plenty of jobs around where I live (unsociable hours), but you will need a car. My DH does 2 jobs, all night shifts. He struggled to reduce it to 5 days a week as we don't need any more as I have a good job. They do need people, but the fact that the hours are unsociable and pays only minimum wage, no one is interested. There is competition for all kinds of jobs. Living costs are going up like crazy.

If it is your dream and you are ready to put up with it anything then come along. I lived in a rural countryside in Germany before coming to London. I have family and friends. I have a good job, but it wasn't without it's struggle, especially for my DH.

GwylimT

My son lives in Kingston, he and his partner own a small ex-council house thats a complete wreck and needs a lot of work, it was too expensive to buy something in better condition as renevating works out cheaper.

He is a junior doctor, his partner is an actuary with three years experience. So they both have good jobs, but at the moment their earnings do make things a struggle.

Gavin83

I_Can_Haz_Job? wrote: »

For what it's worth, I've lived and worked in London since 2007 and I would happily sell my left kidney to get out.

For a quick and easy simulation of what it's like, simply withdraw everything you have in the bank right now - take 3/4 of it and set fire to it (or flush it down the toilet). Then, to replicate the living conditions on a low salary, find a handy cupboard-under-the-stairs to live in - a la Harry Potter. More realistically, you need to invite two strangers - (preferably one is a drunk and one has chronic BO) to live in there with you too.

Unless you're earning a minimum of £30k, it's a very hard life.

I'm almost 40 and a single lady and on £31.5k only just out of living in Zone 2-3 bedsits (don't get me started on the alcoholic room-mates, robberies, rats and mice and bedbugs over the years. and the damp...don't forget the damp).

I'm in a mate's flat now - very much mates rates - in a pretty rough part of the East End.

Rent is £950pcm
Council Tax is £80pcm
Leccy is £40pcm
Travelcard from flat to work £144pcm

Not to mention everything costs a lot more - the tales of pints costing a fortune are true.

And your bogies go permanently black from the pollution.

And you will see a minimum of three hookers, two crackheads and at least one stabbing at the end of your road....a week

Stay where you are xxx

I agree with one part of your post, I wouldn't want to be living in London on a £30k salary. I'd imagine it would make things extremely challenging.

I've lived in the east end. I currently live in what would be considered the 'posh' east end in Wanstead and it's a lovely place to live. I wouldn't go as far as to say I wouldn't lock my doors but I'd happily walk the streets with my phone, etc out and wouldn't worry about my girlfriend walking home at night. Crime is low and even my car insurance massively dropped when I moved. Very much a family oriented area and a pleasure to be in. Also no more expensive than the surrounding areas and cheaper than some.

Before that I lived in Stratford. While this is considered a high crime area and it definitely more rough around the edges I never felt unsafe there either. You do however have to put up with a lot of begging and drug use. Where in the east end do you live?

Everything else doesn't cost a lot more. Obviously things like utilities and groceries cost the same so I'd imagine your referring to pubs and restaurants? I don't find it anymore expensive than anywhere else in the country to be honest. I can get a pint for the same prices as my friend does in Yorkshire. I can also get a full curry including starters, rice and sides for well under a tenner and a 3 course high quality French meal for under £10. I don't consider that particularly expensive.

And I've never had black bogies.

I've been to most part of the country and lived in several (Essex, Manchester) and London is my favourite. It's not for everyone but if you've got the itch I'd recommend giving it a go. I won't be here forever but I'm loving it for the moment.

Places like Yorkshire are nice but really not for me, it just doesn't have the same buzz. It just depends entirely on what sort of person you are.

However a lot will depend on earnings. Both me and my girlfriend have well paid jobs that mean we can afford a lovely flat in a nice area. I'd imagine if you struggle financially London isn't so great.