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wanna know what you’re up for re the living cost in London? here we’ve compiled the basics about a few London expenses to expect (give or take).
food
check out Sainsburys – big chain supermarket – for the current cost of milk, bread, toothpaste and other everyday stuff.
small note:
milk comes in pints! yup just like a pint glass. for a pint of milk you’re looking at 40p (around 60c).
see grocery prices @ Sainsburys >
travel pass
ok so firstly the best thing to do is grab yourself an Oyster card, which is the cheapest way to travel by bus and tube around London. you can top up an Oyster card with as many pounds as you want, and can get them online, at tube stations and other easy locations. Oyster cards are used in conjunction with tube and bus tickets (not instead of).
read more about Oyster cards @ Transport for London >
tube
rather than give you a giant list, here’s a few typical prices. from Heathrow airport into the centre of London (Piccadilly Circus) it’ll cost you about £4.00. a day card for Zones 1-2, which lasts until 4:30am, costs about £5.00.
get tube prices @ Transport for London >
bus
no matter where you go on a bus within Greater London (Zones 1-6) it’ll cost you £2. to make your trip cheaper – 90p cheaper in fact – use an Oyster card.
download guide to fares and tickets @ Transport for London >
rent
ok so this one’s kinda hard to give exact costings on, cos it really depends on so much. eg. how much of a prince/princess you are ?, what zone you want to live in, how many people you’re living with, closeness to the tube, bills, council tax...well you get the idea.
here is a ballpark figure for the popular zones:
• Zone 1: single room £120 - £200+ (pw)
• Zone 2: Single room £100–£170 (pw)
• Zone 3: Single room pw £70-£100 (pw)
so the further away from the centre of London (Zone 1), the cheaper it gets.
download map of London Zones @ Transport for London >
random list of other London prices
we really could go on about all sorts of London expenses, so here’s our random (yet handy) list of ballpark figures on some of the other necessities.
• pint: £3-5.00 (funny how this is at the top of the list)
• pub meal: £6.00 (well all that drinking gets you hungry)
• chocolate: 40p
• nightclub entry: £15 - £20.00
• coffee: £1.10
• concert ticket: £50.00 and upwards (depends who you see)
• London Festival tickets: £50.00 - £100.00
• pre-packaged sambo from Sainsburys: £ 2.00 – £4.00
• theatre tickets: £10 - 20.00 (at the cheap ticket boxes around the West End)
we could go on and on about the essential items you need to be comfortable in London but instead we'll just give you a few to get you started and a couple of links to help get them sorted.
1. Is a mobile phone or UK sim card so you can get connected with peeps back home.
There are a few options; you can either bring your own phone from home as long as it's unlocked and then get a sim card from any one of the UK providers. the best ones are; O2, Orange, Vodafone, 3 Mobile, and T-Mobile.
Otherwise of course you can buy a phone and sim-card package from any of those outlets too. You'll find at least one of them on any major High St in London, but if you want to do your shopping around, head to Oxford St in the centre of London where you'll find them all in walking distance from each other.
2. A map to help you get around London. The most famous one is the London A-Z, a pocket guide with every nook and cranny that London is made up of so you never get lost.
you can get them in any newsagent or souvenir store in and around London, or you can buy them online if you want your parentals or friends to get you one as a pressie.
3. Get an Oyster Card. It's a card used as payment on the London transport system. At any tube station you can load your card up with money and then use the card to 'tap in and out' on dedicated sensors on every bus and tube stop around London. It's quick and more cost effective than buying individual tickets.
you can grab them at any tube stop and prob best to get yours at Heathrow airport if you decide to Tube it from there. Or you can grab them online if ya want.
4. There are various options available for international phone cards. You can get these phone cards anywhere in the market. With the help of these you can call back home at very affordable rates. PC to Phone call is also another option to get in touch with your loved ones in fraction of time
Type of Work included:-
Creative or Sporting.Charity WorkerGovernment Authorised ExchangeReligious WorkerInternational AgreementA Sponsor is required:-
UK based company needs to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship on your behalf and needs to be licensed.Time allocated:-
Creative, sporting & charity work = 12 Months.Religious, Government exchange or International agreement category = 24 Months.Documents to fill out:-
Self Assessment Points Calculator
Fees:-
£130Paid in your local currency. Valid as of December 2010.Other Facts:-
Fingerprints need scanning.Spouses are allowed on Visa.Must have more than £800 in your bank account and another £533 for any additional dependants for a 3 month period.Points based on, education, salary, position and more.Depending on the Visa needed, points vary.Apply Online.
More Information - Visa Application Guide
Type of Work included:-
General job - that you will fill in for a role that a local UK resident cannot fill or shortage in a particular field.Intra-Company transfer - being sent from the same company in your country to the UK's office.Sportsperson - high level athletes and coaches Visa.Religious - for members of a religious order.A Sponsor is required:-
UK based company needs to apply for a Certificate of Sponsorship on your behalf and needs to be licensed.Time allocated:-
Documents to fill out:-
Self Assessment Points Calculator
Fees:-
£350Paid in your local currency. Valid as of December 2010.Other Facts:-
Fingerprints need scanning.Spouses are allowed on Visa.Must have more than £800 in your bank account and another £533 for any additional dependants for a 3 month period.Must be older than 16.Points based on, education, salary, position and more.Depending on the Visa needed, points vary.Apply Online.
More Information - Visa Application Guide
So before you can really settle into your London adventure there are a few technicalities you’ll need to work out.
The three big things are the job, the flat and the bank account.
It can be a bit of a drag I know (trust me, I know) but it’s all plain sailing after this point… well… mostly.
The most important thing to try and sort out first is the job.
I had a lot of trouble opening a bank account over here before I started my job because most banks require evidence of employment before you can open your own account. Seems like a catch 22 doesn’t it? Need the account to be paid but need the job to get an account to be paid into. I certainly couldn’t get my head around it when the bank refused to let me sign up on account of me being unemployed.
Same goes for finding a place to live. If you’re trying to find a flat to rent, most agencies or even current tennants in a flat share will want to see some evidence that you have some money coming into the old bank account (that you haven’t yet been able to open). It’s all a bit tough without that letter from your employer.
So make finding a job your number one priority.
Maybe even try to secure something before you move.
I have a few friends that signed up for temping agencies before they moved to London and they’ve had it pretty sweet since moving here. There are a lot of companies who maybe aren’t as legit as they may seem so it always pays to do your homework and read reviews and ask the big questions to see if they will come up with the goods.
If you already know people in London, then don’t be afraid to ask them if they know of any work going around. This is exactly how I landed my job. My mate Dave had moved to London a few years before me and we’d always stayed in touch so when I moved with absolutely no idea what I was going to do with myself, I asked him for advise on how I should go about trying to find work. Luck and very fortunate timing was on my side because he told me his work was hiring temp admin assistants and that he’d put in a good word for me. I applied for the job and the rest, as they say, is history. Have been there for 18 months now and I’ve since gone permanent. You just need to get your foot in the door and then you work your butt off to make yourself indispensable.
My best advise is to apply for anything and everything that you can and be prepared to really put yourself out there. While you may want to move to London to become a high flying advertising exec, the likelihood of the perfect job coming up before you run out of money and outstay your welcome on your friend’s couch is highly unlikely. So why not get yourself some bar work to pay the bills and get yourself sorted in a flat while you search high and low for that dream job? Pop your resume in every shop on your local High St (which is the main road with shops) and maybe grab a job in retail. Takes the stress off and doesn’t prolong you settling into your own London life. Be prepared to start small but never stop aiming big in the long run. Remember this is all about just getting your foot in the door. Yes you may only earn 6 pounds an hour in hospitality... but it's 6 pounds an hour more than you'd be earning if you would accept nothing less than your dream job. And that couple of thousand dollars you've saved up to move with won't go very far in London I tell you. Securing a job ASAP should be your number one priority.
A few websites you may like to have a squiz at to look for work are:
www.reed.co.uk/Central-London
www.gumtree.com
www.londonjobs.co.uk
www.justlondonjobs.co.uk
Ok so now (hopefully) you’ve got yourself a job even if it’s only temporary and you can get the golden ticket, the letter from your employer confirming your employment. You beaut! Now you can stroll on into that bank that didn’t want to know you a few weeks ago and plant this letter firmly on their desk and request that they open you a bank account quick smart.
There are loads of banks with loads of different accounts so again it pays to do a bit of homework and find yourself a good deal. Paying a bit extra can get you things like travel insurance and phone insurance included. I also got a credit card with mine which has bailed me out a few times. The major banks over here would be Natwest, HSBC, Lloyds and Barclays. There are a lot of other smaller banks around as well. I am a Natwest customer myself and they've never let me down so far. But as I said, do some homework and find out which bank best suits your needs.
So this leaves the last thing and this will probably be the thing that causes you the most stress and trouble… and this is finding a place to live.
This warrants its own post I think so I will sign off here and write a new entry about finding a place to live. Where to look, what to look for and what you’ll be expected to pay. The truth may surprise you…
Until next time.
Much love from London.
Jess
x
