Anyone in LONDON??

[13thenewblack13]

so i've gotten to the point where i need a change of scenery. I live in the US, New Mexico to be exact. Two of my friends and I have decided we want to move, we're young, why not? We could just move to a different state but as they say, go big or go home. We've decided we want to move to london. I thought who better to ask than the DTT guys. If any of you guys are over in london, or somewhere nearby, get in touch! i would love to get some pointers/advice/whatever about it. I still have a lot of research to do but it helps to talk to a real human being.
Thanks!
MM

 

[Cornish Pixie]

What do you want to know? I live around 80 miles from London but lived there in the past.

Having just come back from a vacation in the States, I can tell you that the cost of living in London (or anywhere in the UK) is much, much higher than in the States. Gas is probably nearly twice the price (although if you live in London you won't need a bike or car because you can get pretty much everywhere easily on public transport)

People are mostly friendly, but like any city there are always going to be some parts of the city that are less friendly than others (do your research before landing in the UK so that you know where you think you might want to live)

The city has great nightlife and obviously being a city there are plenty of chicks. The Ace Cafe will also be on your door step.

Getting work in London? If it's like most of the rest of the UK atthe moment, it could be tough. There will probably be plenty of bar work and stuff like that but you will probably have to do some leg work to find it. If you have a skill or specialist qualification, my advice would be to try and find a job before you make the move.

Oh almost forgot the weather is pretty predictable, wet and miserable for 6 months of the year.

It might be worth thinking about some of the other UK cities as well, Bristol is good fun, Birmingham is large and friendly, Manchester is large and lively, Edinburgh is quite cool or maybe one of the coastal resorts like Brighton (home of the historic Mods v's Rockers clash's and less than hour from London by train or car)

 

[Frog]

Hi, what do you want to know I lived there for seven years before moving to France, great place for the young, not so for middle aged farts like me, the fact that English is your language will give you ahead start as far as job search goes. The Aussie's and Kiwi's have a magazine in London which has jobs, digs and people who want to share digs, most of them are in their twenties, there may be a similar American expat scene, if not I don't think the Aussie's would mind you tagging on. Have a look on the independent traveller sites as they give advice on cheap lodgings such as youth hostels, volunteer hostels and work etc, you only get one life, go for it.

 

[13thenewblack13]

Thanks to both of you for the info! i am considering other places as well, manchester seems like it would be a cool place to live. I speak spanish as well, not being too far off from italian, so i was even considering places in italy. I think the hardest thing would be getting a work visa, since i'm a college student. Frog, would you happen to know the name of that publication? hopefully i'll find something, but even rent is pretty expensive from what i've seen so far. I guess its easy to think you can just up and leave and move somewhere else, especially for someone like me since im not tied down by anything, but there's a lot more to it :/

 

[Frog]

The Aussie mag can be found online,
www.tntmagazine.com or www.tntjobs.co.uk
If you google Americans in London you will find lot's of American and Canadian expat groups and forums.
Digs are expensive that's why you may need to share, the fact that there is two of you should make it easier/cheaper, temporary work permits are fairly easy to get in the UK compared to other countries, and many students use this root. Italy has high unemployment at the moment and although the language shares the same roots as Spanish it's very different. Manchester has amazing night life and has much cheaper rents, my daughter has just finished uni at Leeds which is England,s fastest growing city, cheap rents and last year there was plenty of bar work, around £7 per hour, good luck.

 

[13thenewblack13]

Seeing how high my expenses would be, along with economy and other things, i'm starting to have an inclination towards australia! i wouldn't mind the surfing, and i've heard the girls are easy on the eyes I'm still really interested in the UK but i'll decide as time goes on.

 

[13thenewblack13]

Re: Anyone in Sydney AU??

I'm interested to see what the people from oz would say about it. If anyone has lived or lives in Sydney, or nearby, let me know what you think of it and if you would recommend living there.