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

SailorSam

I know the jobs market in London is a lot better than somewhere like here in Liverpool but i can't understand why anyone would want to live there unless they were getting very well paid. I've read threads on here about the long commutes that some do, not just the time but the cost of the trains, and think how do they manage any sort of social life if they're spending that on travel. Or those that opt not to travel end up shareing tiny bedsits.
Ok you may earn more living in London, but here in Liverpool you could get yourself a semi for less than the bedsit is going to cost you and you'll have shorter travel journeys.
Stay were you are in the Midlands, even with a low pay job you'll be better off.

gettingready

You may find it difficult to find any decent accommodation in London if you do not work here already as many agencies will want references from current employer.

So you would be stuck with dodgy landlords, flat shared with several ohers (one bathroom, damp, noisy flatmates, smells etc) with a poxy room and pay for it £500.00 plus per month at minimum and that in Zone 3-4 or further.

Add travel to work (when you find a job), food etc and...

You are 25 - try it if you have any friends here that can direct you/help out at the start.

cadon

You could manage on:

Zone 3 bedsit - £600
Monthly travel (Z1 to 3) - £150
Groceries - £250
Nights out - £200

Total - £1,200

Required gross salary: £16,700

Living in London on a low salary can be done, and it can be fun, but you need to accept you will like a student rather than a grown up. You will be confined to a single room, it will be tiny, you won't have room for much stuff - but you'll get to enjoy all the culture and nightlife London has to offer, so how much time will you need to spend in that room?

There are lots of good cheap restaurants in London, and lots of good expensive restaurants on dining deals like TasteCard, Gourmet Society, Open Table, etc. Plenty of museums and exhibitions are free. Theatres give discounts to local restaurants - support your local, big or fringe.

Personally, I think a salary of around £35k is necessary to comfortably live in London in the longer term - at some point you'll need to start saving and planning for the future. However London can be done for considerably less if you manage your expectations accordingly.

melysion

London isn't the land of milk and honey many people think it is. I live in London and plan to get out as soon as possible in the coming year. My issue is finding work in my field elsewhere but as a Northern lass who moved south, I can tell you it's the most unfriendly place imaginable and costs are ridiculous. Not worth the effort.

SailorSam

After reading this thread most people seem to hate living in London.
Why are so many people there and more keep going ?

Gavin83

SailorSam wrote: »

After reading this thread most people seem to hate living in London.
Why are so many people there and more keep going ?

I guess it's like most things in life, give 2 people the same experience and they'll have differing opinions. You only have to look at websites like tripadvisor to notice this.

London is also a massive place with a lot of variation and it may be the case that people are living in the wrong part for their tastes. However there is something for everyone. If you like it extremely busy with lots of buzz there are places to live. Similarly if you prefer it quiet with a village vibe there are areas for that too.

Also, as I've said along with others in this thread it is a place that gets better the more you earn. I'd imagine earning a low salary in a place like London must be a miserable existance and in this situation I'd rather live somewhere with lower rents.

I've lived in a northern city and London and while I haven't lived in the country I know people who do (Skipton, rural Norfolk and Devon for example) so I have a pretty varied experience. Ignoring the rent/house prices I don't find London anymore expensive than those places. There are more expensive places in London than other locations but if you wish to be paying the same prices as other parts of the country there are plenty of options. Only yesterday I bought a huge bag of veg from the local greengrocer for £4 which I certainly don't consider expensive. That'll do me for the week. I also don't find London any less friendly than other parts of the UK. Some parts are certainly busier but if you want a quieter existance there are options. It's like it's own country with it's own distinct areas offering different things.

Previous to my current home I lived in Stratford. This started to get far too busy for my liking on a daily basis so I moved a few miles up the road to Wanstead. It has a village vibe to it. Lovely local shops, not too many people, everyone knows each other and says hello in the street etc but I'm only 15 mins away from Liverpool Street should I need to go into London. Perfect for me personally, I get the best of both worlds.

Rent and house prices are expensive. However I look at it like this. I'll be buying in a few years. I could buy a nice house in the north for £200k or the same house here for £500k. Obviously my mortgage payments will be higher but my salary will make up for it. If I moved to the north I'd instantly drop a 3rd of my salary at a minimum. When I retire I'll be sitting on an asset worth £500k. I could sell that, move to the country and I'd have £300k cash for my retirement. If I move now I wouldn't have that option. I'd just have the £200k house now and wouldn't be any better off day to day.

My advice to anyone wanting to move to London would be to make sure you'll be earning a decent salary and find the right area for you.

asajj

Weren't you moving North couple of months ago?

Gavin83

asajj wrote: »

Weren't you moving North couple of months ago?

Me? Nope. Quite happy where I am for the moment.

getmore4less

Gavin83 wrote: »

London is also a massive place with a lot of variation and it may be the case that people are living in the wrong part for their tastes. However there is something for everyone. If you like it extremely busy with lots of buzz there are places to live. Similarly if you prefer it quiet with a village vibe there are areas for that too.

This a key question yet to be answered,

You don't move to "London" you move to a bit of london.

Important know what it is you want from your move to London to decide which bit is right.

Gavin83

getmore4less wrote: »

This a key question yet to be answered,

You don't move to "London" you move to a bit of london.

Important know what it is you want from your move to London to decide which bit is right.

Exactly.

Picture this situation. A foreign person moves to London, lives there 6 months and then moves back home saying they hate living in the UK. Most people would answer "You can't say that, you've only experienced London, the UK has so much more to offer. Move to the north, it's so much different!" I feel exactly the same way about London as an entity, it's like a country by itself. You can't really live in a part of London and say you hate London because a mile down the road is another area with a completely different atmosphere.

If you move to London and you don't like the area you live in try another. That's the beauty of renting.