Things to do before starting my first job?

IcedCaramelLatte

Hiya,

Joined this forum as I can't find anything specific on the topic - I am finishing university in a couple of weeks and have a full-time job starting mid-July. 

I was wondering if there are any things eg. getting my first credit card, creating a budget etc. that people would recommend sorting out before I start work? 

Any tips/ advice welcome! Thanks!

pramsay13

I'm not sure you need to do anything.
Having a budget is always a good idea. Did you not have one while at uni? Just update is as your income / expenditure changes. 
Having a credit card is a good idea IF you pay it off in full every month. It will help with your credit rating and there can be other benefits. 

Cairnpapple

Will you be moving for the job?

Brie

Check how long it takes to get from home to work at the time of day you'll need to travel.  Is there public transport?  If you're driving, is there parking and how much does it cost?  Is there a staff restaurant? (if you're lucky!!)  If not, is there someplace you can get a sandwich for lunch or will you be a good money saver and take your lunch and coffee? 

Get your work clothes for the first week sorted.  You might find that the interview outfit is great for day one and then you might discover that everyone is in jeans and tshirts.  Maybe aim for a bit better than average for the first week.

Have a little pack of stuff you might need for day one, pen, notepad, phone charger as some places don't supply things like that.  Be prepared to bring in a coffee mug, tea bags if you don't like the ones they have.  Might need a little lunch bag to put all the bits in so you have it ready the night before rather than rushing about in the morning.

Good luck with your new career!!!  And don't forget to join their pension scheme!!!!

IcedCaramelLatte

Cairnpapple said:

Will you be moving for the job?

Nope, I will be living at home and commuting 45mins on public transport

Cairnpapple

IcedCaramelLatte said:

Cairnpapple said:

Will you be moving for the job?

Nope, I will be living at home and commuting 45mins on public transport

Then I think Brie has been pretty comprehensive, I was going to mention relocation expenses which I didn't understand in my first job (and could have claimed if I'd understood them).

If you're going to be getting a season ticket on public transport then maybe don't buy an annual ticket until you know whether your work does a season ticket loan (might be less relevant these days when fewer people work 100% on site).

Take into account in your budgeting that depending on when you join and when the monthly payroll date is, it could be 5-6 weeks till you first get paid. 

Southend_2

When you do start, be sure to join the union and the pension scheme asap. It's easy to put these things off and then forget about them until it's too late 

Savvy_Sue

Southend_2 said:

When you do start, be sure to join the union and the pension scheme asap. It's easy to put these things off and then forget about them until it's too late 

Good advice. The pension scheme should send you details around your first payday: the employer may defer you joining for 3 months but you can ask to join immediately. Just don't opt out ...

I'd also recommend understanding how tax deductions work through PAYE. 

tealady

Travel the route you will be taking to your new job, at the time you will be commuting. Traffic can vary so much at different times of day. You dont want to create a  bad  impression on your 1st day!

kimwp

Figure out a sensible amount to save, then open a regular saver which gets added to a couple of days after you get paid so it's gone before you even think about spending it. You'll have a house deposit before you know it.

Snozzle

Travel before you start if you can afford to. You'll never have so much time off again!