so i need advice on how to sustain myself in london

Well, next year in July i might be moving to London to work and study. I can see myself living there for a big while, 3 years at least ... or maybe forever? Only time will tell.

I wanted to know exactly how can i make a living there, how much do i need to earn to pay for a room, food, some clothing and occasional night clubing. Is this possible with a part time job? What's the reasonable price per hour for a job there that can cover the bills?

I'm currently the IT manager for two clinics of a major hospital here, working full time. I'm aware that i won't be doing such job in England for starters.

So basically, i want some feedback from you londoners out there to help me out with this major life changing decision. I know the weather is not the nicest, and that's ok, i been there and i actually prefer your cold rather then the moisty damp weather we get in Portugal in the winter (horrid!!!).

Looking forward to hear from you people
Cheers!
Bruno

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Without seeing your CV its difficult not to be vague. But I’ll take a wild guess and say that as you have experience in IT and Healthcare you could maybe make a living working in IT or Healthcare




Average Cost of Accommodation in London
Flat-Share Rental per month
East London £290 - £390 (single), £430 - £600 (double)
West London £280 - £430 (single), £459 - £690 (double)
South London £280 - £500 (single), £350 - £650 (double)
North London £300 -£400 (single), £430 - £550 (double)

One Bedroom Flat Rental per month
East London £650 - £750
West London £700 - £800
South London £600 - £700
North London £650 - £750

UK cost of Food & Drink
Average weekly grocery bill (including food, basic laundry and toiletry items for 2 people) £60
Average pub meal £6 - £10
Average restaurant meal £12 - £20
Pint of beer £2.50 - £3
Average bottle of wine £10
Average meal for two in mid-priced restaurant £40

Entry into a club can cost anything from £5 - £20

I think you should also think about the cost of transport. I cannot afford to live in London so I commute. My weekly all-zone travelcard is £62.70, but it would be much cheaper if I only used the tube (nearer £40 I guess) so it really depends where in London you plan to stay.




It depends on the job – working part-time in IT in the City it is certainly possible. Working part-time in a bar it’s going to be much more difficult. Is there any reason why you aren’t looking for full-time work?




I've given you the info, now you do the math!




It doesn’t get very cold in London. Average low in the coldest period is 36°F and there is little windchill. If you want cold, I suggest you move to somewhere like Montreal. Then you will know what cold is!

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Thank you AdrianWebb !

Yes i do have loads of experience in IT, but for some reason i don't see myself working abroad in that area straight away.

I will need a part time as i intend to study during the day.

So according to those prices, i made some rough estimates and i think i'd have about 700to800£ in expenses every month, wow

so working about 5 hours a day at 9£gbp an hour would still be to tight to "survive" the month ... hmmmm i want this to work so bad but i can't see how :|

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My advice to you is:

Try and get work in IT
Try and work full-time, you can study in the evenings and weekends, loads of people do
Flat share, its so much cheaper
Stay away from clubs they are rip-offs and will eat your money. There are loads of cheap and free things to do in London

Stick to the above and you will make it work

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Yep, AndrianWebb is right. I would suggest you the same.
[EDIT Spam weblink deleted]

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Have to say even those rent prices are ambitious - 'South London £600 - £700' - I would have loved to find a one bed flat in south-west London for that much!!

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with you CV, im sure you could get some temp work pretty easy. come over, and go to the temp agencies to put your name down straight away. (you might even be able to do it online, before you even get here). they will get you some temp jobs pretty quick, which will save you having to burn through all your savings in the first few months.

temp jobs frequently lead to full time jobs. i know people who have stayed at temp jobs for six months and then been offered a full-time contract.

and the good thing about temp jobs, is that you can still look for a proper full time job while you're doing them

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