London has a population of over 7 million, making it the largest city in Europe. The sheer number of people living in the capital continues to attract a number of toursits each year. According to the Times, there were more than 26 million people visited London in 2005 (before the recession hit) .
There are a lot of jobs in London, but like anywhere it is hard to find the right job. I have lived here for the past 17 years and decided to put together a few tips to help those coming to the UK.
1) Sign up to the right recruitment agencies
There are lots of jobs out there, but it is best to make sure you are registered with the recruitment agents in your field. I work in online marketing and have dealt with a lot of agencies. Propell in Soho has digital marketing roles as does Salt. Salt is based just under the arches at Waterloo and the staff are very friendly. I have been in regular contact with Jake who comes to some of my search events and who places people in a number of roles client and agency side.
2) Network
Meeting new people in business should never be underestimated. It is important to go the events in your field to learn more about the industry and meet potential employers. Meetup.com has a number of different networking events. I run one called Search London which has events every 6 – 8 weeks. There are a mix of those wanting to get into search and those looking for more exciting job opportunities.
3) Don’t be surprised by the cost
Lots of people come to London thinking they will become rich. I hate to break it to you but unless you are a lawyer, a banker or maybe even a contract developer, by the time you pay your bills and rent, you are not always left with much at the end of the month. Rent for a decent size room in zone 2 may set you back about £600 – 700 a month and bills might be on top as well. A zone 1 – 2 travel card costs £27.50 a week. Food can be cheap if you go to the market or shop in places like Morrisons.
4) Look outside of zone 1
It is very expensive to live right in the centre of London. Most people live in zones 2 and 3. Balham is an up and coming area, like Clapham was fifteen years ago. House prices have shot up everywhere. Shoreditch, the east part of London has become very trendy. There are also a lot of offices in east London, agencies such as AKQA have their office in an old converted warehouse.
5) Sign up for deals
There are some cheaper things to do in Londonand as we are in the midst of the credit crunch there are always lots of offers from myvouchercodes.co.uk and vouchercodes.co.uk and you can get cashback from sites such as quidco.com. There are also a lot of places where you can get 2 4 1 drinks. One of the best bars for this is Be@1, known for its 2 4 1 cocktails, meaning you can get 2 for £7, bargain.
These are my top tips for living in London. I will be adding more posts to living, working and going out in London.
