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Oct. 6th, 2012 02:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hathycolOkay, so it's looking like Richie and I will be heading down to what I am now apparently refering to as That Thar London at the beginning to December, which in a way is good as it means we can squirrel some money away and not do too panicked a move. GOOD TIMES.
However! I am looking for ADVICE, oh wise internet.
1. Richie and I do not want to do the house share thing. This is because we have Done Our Time. We know what this will mean in terms of places we can realistically afford to live. Does anyone have any advice on areas? Some independent research seems to be pointing towards either Leyton or New Cross. WILL WE DIE IF WE LIVE THERE is basically what I'm asking.
(To put this into context: we have informed our parents that we are moving. They all seem to share the opinion that London is Sodom and Gomorrah without the charming tourism. I feel if we could assure them that statistically we are not going to be mugged on a daily basis they may calm down. I fear for my father's blood pressure.)
2. WORK. I need to get a job in London. Can always start quicker than Richie if I need to - December is the deadline for us to leave, we can always push it forward and if need be he can live for a week or two up here with friends. The last two attempts to find new employment have failed massively and although I reckon I'll find something I know I could do with all the help I can get. Does anyone know of anywhere that's hiring in the Greater London area? Have car WILL TRAVEL. My actual CV points out that I am excellent at administration, P.A. and customer care work, but in a dream world I'd like to move into a press/communications office role or indeed a non-profit organisation. You know, if we're talking dream job time.
3. Anyone know any moving firms? I already feel bereft about leaving my lovely flat (I dislike Southport, but my neighbours have improved exponentially and I do love the flat itself) and the thought of taking the sofa down the stairs myself is an unfathomable one. Thank god for getting married, though, at least we have a well-stocked kitchen.
4. Anyone else have other London tips? I am very excited about this move, because, well, it's LONDON. I've always wanted to live in London - culture! people! really big buildings! - but noe it's actually going to happen I'm also a bit scared that I'm too Northern. When I told Mum she looked properly bereft. "I've got used to you living around here though," she said.
"I used to live in Scotland. London is MUCH NEARER than Scotland. You can get the train to visit! You can drink on the train!"
"There's no way I'm driving down there," she sniffed. (Which is another fear I have, but I'll ignore for now.) "Besides, St Andrews was basically toytown, I knew you were SAFE there."
Now back to the job hunt. There are only so many ways I can write 'good at admin, honest'.
However! I am looking for ADVICE, oh wise internet.
1. Richie and I do not want to do the house share thing. This is because we have Done Our Time. We know what this will mean in terms of places we can realistically afford to live. Does anyone have any advice on areas? Some independent research seems to be pointing towards either Leyton or New Cross. WILL WE DIE IF WE LIVE THERE is basically what I'm asking.
(To put this into context: we have informed our parents that we are moving. They all seem to share the opinion that London is Sodom and Gomorrah without the charming tourism. I feel if we could assure them that statistically we are not going to be mugged on a daily basis they may calm down. I fear for my father's blood pressure.)
2. WORK. I need to get a job in London. Can always start quicker than Richie if I need to - December is the deadline for us to leave, we can always push it forward and if need be he can live for a week or two up here with friends. The last two attempts to find new employment have failed massively and although I reckon I'll find something I know I could do with all the help I can get. Does anyone know of anywhere that's hiring in the Greater London area? Have car WILL TRAVEL. My actual CV points out that I am excellent at administration, P.A. and customer care work, but in a dream world I'd like to move into a press/communications office role or indeed a non-profit organisation. You know, if we're talking dream job time.
3. Anyone know any moving firms? I already feel bereft about leaving my lovely flat (I dislike Southport, but my neighbours have improved exponentially and I do love the flat itself) and the thought of taking the sofa down the stairs myself is an unfathomable one. Thank god for getting married, though, at least we have a well-stocked kitchen.
4. Anyone else have other London tips? I am very excited about this move, because, well, it's LONDON. I've always wanted to live in London - culture! people! really big buildings! - but noe it's actually going to happen I'm also a bit scared that I'm too Northern. When I told Mum she looked properly bereft. "I've got used to you living around here though," she said.
"I used to live in Scotland. London is MUCH NEARER than Scotland. You can get the train to visit! You can drink on the train!"
"There's no way I'm driving down there," she sniffed. (Which is another fear I have, but I'll ignore for now.) "Besides, St Andrews was basically toytown, I knew you were SAFE there."
Now back to the job hunt. There are only so many ways I can write 'good at admin, honest'.
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Date: 2012-10-06 02:36 pm (UTC)When I moved from Bracknell to Sheffield, we used Doree Bonner http://www.doreebonner.co.uk/ who were expensive but worth it -- they looked after all my stuff really well and were friendly with it. They have an online form thingy to estimate your costs -- most of the contents of a terraced three-bedroom house moving 200 miles cost me about a grand.
If you're actually in London, you may wish to consider not driving to and from work because you'll hit awful traffic -- London rushhour is worse than anything elsewhere in the UK will have prepared you for. Get an oystercard and use public transport. Oh, and if you want to use public transport try and find somewhere to live and work that's north of the river. Alternatively, find work from 4am to noon, or something like that.
Other points of view are available, particularly for my third paragraph.
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Date: 2012-10-07 08:03 am (UTC)I'm hoping to use public transport mostly and possibly even get rid of the car, but it does mean I have the ability to travel if need be.
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Date: 2012-10-06 03:10 pm (UTC)I lived in Putney/Roehampton which was a nice area but south of the river so it'd take me an hour give or take to get to Euston from my door.However, because Putney is on the overground it was a fairly quick train to Waterloo.
Plus there was a Cineworld cinema in Wandsworth & I like that they have a monthly price to see as many films as possible.
You could probably get yourself a job in retail to have at least some money coming in whilst you search for others. Other than that I know very little.
Also, depending on where you decide to look at it might not be worth taking the car. For the most part you don't need to drive as public transport is so good. Buses every 8 minutes, tubes every 5 etc. I much prefer the bus to the tube unless I'm in a hurry. Although in central London driving is pointless in rush hour. I remember spending around 30 minutes on a bus going from Euston to just by the British Museum, a distance I could walk in maybe 5/10 minutes.
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Date: 2012-10-07 08:05 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-06 04:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-07 08:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 01:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-06 05:44 pm (UTC)Also I drove in London not that long after I passed my test, and it was fine. :)
Important question: are you going to have time, before you move, to take me to the crazy Victorian teashop?!
(PS Congratulations again and good luck with the job hunt!)
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Date: 2012-10-07 08:08 am (UTC)COME AND VISIT US IN THE VERY IMMEDIATE FUTURE. Then I'll take you to the wacky Victorian teaship!
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Date: 2012-10-08 03:35 pm (UTC)As a Tooting/Mitcham borders resident I second the suggestion.
Streatham and Tooting are gradually being gentrified - at the moment we're in a bit of a change state - slightly scruffy around the edges but slowly being tidied up *G*. Plus I find Tooting a really safe and friendly neighbourhood. It can be loud and brash and grubby but it is full of friendly people and there is a sense of community here. Tooting Bec is expensive (both for rent and purchase) - but around Tooting Broadway or the Tooting/Mitcham borders will be cheaper. (Edging up to Balham puts you in the much more expensive areas but Southfield and Earlsfield might be worth checking. Try these estate agents (http://www.time2move.com/) - they handle the rental of my neighbours flat and they're a really good local estate agent (according to the tenants of the flat downstairs!) and handle a lot of properties in the Tooting/Mitcham/Streatham areas.
In terms of safety - I've spent 20 years in Tooting - often coming back late at night and waking home from the Tube or night bus stops and never felt unsafe. The only time I saw a mugging was on a quite, expensive residential street in Balham!
It would definitely be worth narrowing your search down to maybe a couple of neighbourhoods and trying to come down for a long weekend to do some on the ground research before making a decision too.
We have excellent transport links to both central London (via Tube) and to North London and out of London via trains/buses - plus we're close to Wimbledon which is a transport hub. Also, I think it's a nice area - we have lots of open space via the local Commons, it's multicultural (there's a vibrant indian/sri lankan community plus caribbean/african community). We have great curry houses (who needs Brick Lane) lots of fab other places to eat and some really good local markets and farmers markets). The area has also had an influx of eastern europeans in recent years so all the indian run corner shops now also stock Polish delicacies. Shopping in my area is never boring!
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Date: 2012-10-09 10:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-13 02:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-17 09:07 pm (UTC)(...that mental health dip the other week may have kind of led to me going 'omg Colleen & Richie are moving marginally farther away I WILL NEVER SEE THEM AGAIN'. Oops. Sorry. Stupid brain.)
PS I can totally help with Putting Things In Boxes, if you want. Heck, I may even have a few boxes lying around, if you need more!
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Date: 2012-10-18 05:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-23 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-24 06:53 pm (UTC)How about you rock up early afternoon Saturday, we can go to The Weird Shop Where Time Passes Differently, I can make food, and then the next day we head for breakfast/brunch/lunch at the random tea shop place? Then I have officially shown you all of Southport and you can amaze Leeds folk with your knowledge of a Lancashire seaside resort. :-)
(I am saying the afternoon because I desperately need a lie-in to be honest.)
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Date: 2012-10-26 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-06 07:14 pm (UTC)If you can (and I know it's not possible for most) finding somewhere to live that's close to work, that's a major plus. I <3 my 15 minute walk to work, and it's the envy of a lot of Londoners. That's probably more relevant to Richie, since he (presumably) knows whereabouts he'll be working.
London is big and different areas have their own character. Islington's full of hipsters, Brixton's much more culturally diverse than most areas, Hackney seems to have a high proportion of geeks, Enfield (where I live) is relatively quiet and suburban.
I don't know of any jobs going at the moment, but I'll keep my eyes out for anything relevant.
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Date: 2012-10-07 08:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 01:12 pm (UTC)I live close enough to Hampstead Heath to run/swim there every day, which makes up for any of the bad things London can throw at me!
For work, I've always found this agency https://twitter.com/secretariesplus (twitter seems to be updated more often than their website) pretty good. Send them your details.
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Date: 2012-10-08 06:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 08:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 01:30 pm (UTC)I live in Lewisham, about a mile from New Cross, and I rather like it here! It's cheap (for London), and well-connected via public transport (Mainline Suburban and DLR) and very close to Greenwich, which is awesome, and a great place with lots to do that makes a change from going out somewhere very central. I also have friends who live in and around New Cross, Nunhead & Peckham and they're all fine, although New Cross, is stuffed full of students, because of Goldsmith's being there, if that impacts your decision at all? Sure, sometimes people get mugged but it's a rarity if you're averagely sensible -- I never had to persuade my parents of this as they both lived in London for years, but a few of my country-minded friends needed reminding! London, like all big cities, experiences crime & poverty, but having been to Guatemala City, I definitely feel safer in London! Having said this, if you're concerned about the stigma attached to East and South East London, then possibly look at places like Southfields, Wimbledon and Colliers Wood in the South West, which I've heard from friends is a good place to live (although I wouldn't know - I'm too busy enjoying being near Greenwich).
I would definitely consider the travel zone you'd be in when you're moving if you're getting a job in Central London - my monthly travel cost is significantly lower than some of my friends because I live in Zone 2 (Although I work in Central London - if you work further out, obviously this is different).
In terms of having a job, my experience was that I had no luck for six months when I was listing my old non-London address, but as soon as I moved & had a London address I found a reasonable job in a relevant industry to my interests (I work front of house in one of the main London museums) -- You could sign up for a temping agency, though, until you get on your feet? Or take a crappy job on a temporary basis until you're a bit more settled. I moved from a small city in the Midlands, and whilst I'd studied at Royal Holloway, out near the M25, for three years, I definitely felt like a bit of a hillbilly for a while, after I moved and needed a few weeks to feel less wide-eyed about the place.
You say you have a car, and depending on where you live, it may or may not be a good thing to keep it (if you can afford it) - I own a car, but living & working where I do it's not that useful, and my car insurance skyrocketed for being in London, so I'm not sure whether I'll keep it (also driving in Central London is TERRIFYING and it takes forever to get anywhere) - having said this, as soon as I'm out of London, I feel lost without a car, because public transport is so much better in London than anywhere else. Also my friends who are in Zones 4 and outwards say that a car is still useful to them. But yeah, depending on where you live and work a car can be an absolute ball & chain.
Hopefully some of this helps. Feel free to message me if you want to :)
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Date: 2012-10-08 06:37 pm (UTC)I need to keep the car in order to actually do the move down but I'm slowly being persuaded to get rid of it depending on geography. Thank you again!
Also, that is CUTEST ICON EVER.
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Date: 2012-10-08 08:37 pm (UTC)(Here via
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Date: 2012-10-08 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 06:39 pm (UTC)(I get to go to SO MANY MORE cons next year, because I won't have to pay for accommodation! And neither will our friends! GOOD TIMES.)
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Date: 2012-10-09 03:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-09 05:04 pm (UTC)Also, I love that we are now planning careers around conventions. Perfect!
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Date: 2012-10-08 03:36 pm (UTC)Don't let north Londonder's put you off either - there's plenty of fun to be had south of the river. We're well supplied with local cinemas, lots of live music venues in local pubs, and it's a relatively easy commute into the town centre (I can get from Tooting Broadway to either The City of Soho in about 20-30 mins (maybe 40 mins at peak rush hour). The Northern Lone does get very full at peak times but you soon get used to the commute.
Driving in London is OK. I tend not to because parking is a nightmare (stupidly expensive too) and public transport still relatively cheap and reliable (tubes start running about 5am increasing in numbers from about 7am and run through to about 12:30pm). There's also a really good nightbus service from the centre out to the 'burbs if you want to stay out late or party (though it takes ages to actually get home on the nightbus).
Buses are really good for short hop cummutes - tubes or trains better for distance purely because the roads get gridlocked very quickly during the day. An Oyster card is a must they cost £5 to buy and then you can load up money on a pay as you go basis or buy weekly or monthly tickets to load onto them. If you register them online you're also financially covered if you lose your card. They can be used on buses, tubes and trains and there is a set cap at which they stop charging (depending on how many journey's you've made. A local bus fare is £1.35 with an Oyster card, an off peak train journey from Tooting to the centre of town is £2.20, tubes come in a bit more at peak times. The TFL site will give you all the details).
Job wise if you have admin/PA background you should be OK. Moves into press/comms work also should be possible. As someone who is a comms pro and who has just secured a job I can tell you there's a lot of comms opportunities out there at the moment though many are fixed term contract based - but there are good ops with good money. The sector still seems pretty buoyant.
http://www.charityjob.co.uk/ is a good site for trawling for vacancies - I spent most of September on there and secured a number of interviews and job offers. The Guardian Jobs section is particularly good for admin/PA opportunities. JobsGoPublic also is worth checking regularly, as is The Evening Standard's online jobs section. The recruitment sections of Colleges and Uni's based in the town centre also worth checking regularly, and, once you know where you might be based, check out the local borough's recruitment sites. Lewisham, Lambeth & Wandsworth seem to recruit a lot of staff all the time and as local authorities they have pretty good terms & conditions (particularly with regards to things like annual leave, flexi-time and sick pay).
Direct Mail me and I can send you over the details of one of my contacts at an agency that specialises in placing people into the charity and not for profit sector. I know of a couple of other agencies friends have used with good results too.
Don't worry about being too Northern - London is a city of people from somewhere else! (I'm from Sheffield originally).
On the culture front - lots to do and not all of it has to cost an arm and a leg. Cinema tickets are expensive - but there are cheaper days, and the Prince Charles (just off Leicester Square) is much cheaper than the main chains plus does hilarious themed evenings. Lots of theatre stuff happening - most of which you can obtain tickets for at a fraction of the cost (either as standbys or queue on the day). The National Theatre does the Travelex reduced ticket promotion. And many of the museums and galleries are still free.
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Date: 2012-10-08 06:40 pm (UTC)Thank you again!
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Date: 2012-10-08 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 06:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-08 04:57 pm (UTC)I've lived in London for 8 years now, in North, West and South London and have never yet been murdered. I once had my bag nicked from under a table in a pub and some people I know have also had purses nicked but that's it. Oh and my boyfriend had his bikes stolen but that is because London is home to ALL the bike thieves. My mum was similarly worried when I moved down here, but once I explained to her that I'd caught the last train home at 1am in the morning and it was rammed full of people, she calmed down a bit. Honestly, as long as you're sensible you'll be fine. And I've been very not sensible on numerous occasions (ie staggeringly drunk) and have still been fine.
It's often best to choose a place to live once you know where you'll both be working as its much easier to work out transport then, so you might want to just rent somewhere where you know people or that's got good transport links, make sure there's a 6 month break clause in your contract them move when you've got a job you want to stick with. Being on the underground is best as there's more trains, but overground trains and bus links are also very useful (as are night buses!) the TFL website is invaluable for planning journeys and travel times: TFL.gov.uk . I currently live in zone 6 but can be in the centre in just over half an hour due to good train links, so don't rule something out just because it seems far out, check out the travel times.
As for jobs, I'd recommend looking at jobs.ac.uk for University admin jobs of which there's usually a lot around.
Good luck!
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Date: 2012-10-08 06:46 pm (UTC)Thanks particularly for the tip on the university jobs, too. And for taking the time to type all this up! Much appreciated. :-)
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Date: 2012-10-08 08:41 pm (UTC)I meant to say, regarding the culture thing, make sure you take the time in your first few months to actually go to the museums and things; once you're down here it's really easy to forget that that's part of what made you want to come here and you can slip into boring patterns of sitting around at weekends before you know it. The free museums are a good place to start, you can't beat a day in South Ken visiting the V&A.
Oh, also, get a Taste card! Tastecard.co.uk It's a discount dining card that gets you either 2for1 or 50% off in masses of restaurants and means a meal out is much cheaper. It's allegedly £80, but if you get on the mailing list they do regular promotions (like every 2 months) when you can get one for just £30, I've never paid full price for one and it's saved me loads of money.
I will shut up now, but if you have any questions feel free to email me ( sianeblake (at) gmail (dot) com) I'm a librarian, you see, and am completely incapable of not helping :p
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Date: 2012-10-08 11:03 pm (UTC)I am a northerner who has been living in the South for Quite Some Time and I've not been murdered though there has been the odd random unpleasantness. I once got my purse nicked and then all the credit cards mailed back to me almost exactly a year later but that's the creepiest so far
If you're looking for cheap places to live, particularly if you're not sharing, look at south of the river and look at east London. For example, I live in this neck of the woods: hereish (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Dames+Road,+London&hl=en&ll=51.555195,0.021286&spn=0.023321,0.027595&sll=51.548192,0.028316&sspn=0.046649,0.055189&oq=dames+r&hnear=Dames+Rd,+London,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=15)
which is very inexpensive and a little rough around the edges, but has wonderful parklands for walking/running in, a really great place for pub lunches/cafes 10 minutes away on the bus, and is two minutes on the train from the biggest urban shopping centre in Europe. Huge cinema and rail links to everywhere. (caveat -- you can only really enjoy living in about half of this area, the other half, on the other side of the Romford Road, is bandit country, but the thing with London is that *everywhere* is like that. Nice pockets cheek by jowl with horrible rough bits and it can be very hard to work out which is which until you've lived there a while).
I also moved to where I am because there are two different train stations within walking distance and because it is piss-easy to get back up north from here, and that's not true of lots of London, where an hour of your four-hour journey is getting *out* of London. However most of us live somewhere convenient for our jobs, at least at first. Look at the tube map online and work out your travel costs to the centre and then plan from there.
Here are a few places I know well: Stratford is better than its reputation would suggest, though try Maryland way rather than Romford Road. Stoke Newington is very nice, and there's still the odd bargain because it's not on the tube. It is full of resting actors though.
South London has its own vibe, which I enjoy very much, so it's worth investigating, particularly around Tooting, Dulwich, Brockley. I liked Forest Hill, though I am not sure how expensive that is, and bits of Rotherhithe/Surrey Quays are leafy and quiet and not too expensive, but might be too quiet if you want a taste of London's buzz.
Good luck.
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Date: 2012-10-11 07:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-09 09:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-11 07:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-10 09:16 am (UTC)As a rule anywhere in London that is affordable is a *little* bit dodgy. I have friends in Leytonstone and New Cross who love both areas, and it's not like they're "don't go out after dark" areas, but it's always worth exercising caution. That being said in London you're never more than a few streets from a dodgy area even in the best parts of town, so really, I would base your judgement on the street where the house/flat is rather than the neighbourhood. I'm in Tottenham/Haringey, which people are forever telling me is very dodgy but the part of it where I am is pretty nice so that goes to show what people know. If you're looking to save cash look for areas where there are good buses into town - a bus single on oyster is £1.35 (though in cash it's £2.20) so buses are always miles cheaper than tubes and trains.
Also I'm northern born and bred (proper Northern too - Tyne & Wear) and I've now been in London 10 years. I still get amused when people call Watford North - it's one of life's simple pleasures.
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Date: 2012-10-11 07:06 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-10 08:45 pm (UTC)I've lived in London since 1998, apart from the year in Australia, and the year in Sheffield. You cannot be too Northen for London, we have people from Canada and Russia and other northlike places. I myself am from the Hope Valley, and I've managed ok. I've lived in Poplar, which was fine, Hackney, which was cheap and mostly ok (we did get burgled once, but they only took the TV.) and also Maida Vale, but that's more costly- i was a lodger.
Workwise- can you join any agencies now? They're often a good source of work, but they take a cut of your wages, may not be worth it.
London has many cool and fine things.The British Museum! The Nationall Gallery! Some libraries!! Me!
Spitalsfields Market (like Canden, a bit, but less crowded, often about £10-5 cheaper and slightly cooler) Full of cool and interesting things to eat, see, and maybe buy. Nearest tube's Liverpool St, likewise that's where Petticoat Lane Markets and Brick Lane are, if you like bagels, cheap curry and clothing.
Also fun is a company called Orginal London Walks; they have hundreds of guided walks that cover a particular aspect of the area, eg the Jewish quarter, or Spies' London or the Ripper walk- they only cost £8. walks take about 2 hours they all start and end near a tube station,. and they've fairly reasonable in pace
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Date: 2012-10-11 07:08 pm (UTC)I am VERY excited about the British Museum, I can't describe.