Relocating to London
Do you want to live in London? Here are some tips to help you make the move whether you are relocating from within the UK or from another country.

Finding a job
Finding a home
What to look for in a new home
Questions

Once you have made the decision that you want to live in or around London, wherever you come from, you will need a job and a place to live. Finding either from a distance can be difficult.

Finding a Job
Because London is an expensive place to live, particularly for housing, it is not a good idea to expect to find an unskilled job paying enough to live comfortably in the capital or within easy travelling distance. I would advise you to only consider moving if you have good marketable skills attracting a reasonable salary. The places to look for job vacancies are:

• The Guardian
• The Times
• Daily Telegraph
• Evening Standard
• Fish4Jobs

Before making any final decisions about whether to move or not, take a look at the kinds of jobs available and the level of salaries. Then take a look at the level of rents for accommodation or house prices in London. Do the sums add up? Will you really be better off if you move?

If you currently live outside the UK or the rest of the EEC, you might find that you cannot work here anyway. Immigration into Britain is highly controlled and difficult. Take a look at the various ways to apply for a visa.

• Highly Skilled Migrant Programme
• Scheme for Innovators (people planning to start a business)
• Work Permits

Bear in mind that if you don't fit into the Highly Skilled Migrant Programme or Scheme for Innovators, you will have to find a job before coming to the UK and your employer will have to apply for the work permit.

Alternatively, you might be able to work here if you are employed by a multi national company with offices in the UK.

Finding a Home
Prices of flats (apartments) and houses in London have risen dramatically over the past 2 to 3 years. Most are now far out of reach of the average wage earner. For example, a one bedroom flat in Balham, South London, is currently priced at just under £140,000 (approx $200,000). For a rented flat in the same area, you can expect to pay around £700 to £1000 ($1000 to $1500 approx) per month. You can find more information on house prices and rental property in London by using the search facility on Fish 4 Homes.

What to Look For in Your New Home
What should you look for when searching for a home? If you are working more than a short walk or bus ride from home, transport is one of the major features. You will not want to drive to work if you can avoid it. Traffic jams are the most noticeable points about driving in London. All day parking in Central London is hard to find and expensive. On top of that, congestion charging will soon be implemented so this will add to your costs if you use your car. The best way to commute to work is by London Underground or by overground trains. Close proximity to an Underground or train station is very desirable.

If you have children, you will also want to check out the local schools which vary considerably from area to area. Some are very good, some aren't.

Is the area you are considering relatively safe? You can be mugged or burgled in any area but you don't want to live in the local 'drug alley'! If you are moving from a considerable distance and so can't check it out personally beforehand, get information from local sources like the police, your embassy, local community associations, friends or relatives nearby or ask on a forum like the All Info About London one attached to this site.

London is an exciting and fascinating place to live and work. It is sometimes noisy, dirty and crowded too. In other words, it is a busy city with all the advantages and disadvantages that brings. If you have particular questions on moving to London, ask them in the All Info About London forum where I and others will endeavour to help you. Good luck!

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Copyright © 2002 by Carol Fisher. All Rights Reserved

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