Moving to London - A Practical Guide
88London - Big Ben
A lot of people are moving to London This is a practical guide to help prepare for the move:
Accommodation - Rent is very expensive in London. 1 bedroom flats can be about £600 a month. If you are renting – always find out what bills you have to pay. Ask if they are included in the rent. There so many bills here: Electric bills, Gas bills, Water bills, Council tax bills, Television License.
In most situations you will have to pay 2 months rent to move in. E.g If the rent is £600 a month. You will pay £1200. The landlord will repay you £600 when you are leaving provided you leave the place in good condition. (A link is provided below where you can find properties)
Transport - Transport is expensive but its easy to get about. You can use the Train, Tram, Bus, DLR . Always have a tube map on you to help plan your journey because if you don’t pay the correct fare for the Zone you are travelling to, British Transport Police will give you a financial penalty.
If you will be driving, ensure you have insurance and a full driving licence or the police will cease your car.
It is also a good idea to buy a book: The London A –Z (street atlas). This will help you get around easily. If you will be going out a lot, get a “Travel Card” for the day or for the week. It’s a cheaper option. You might also need an Oyster card but this will depend on the area you live when you come to London. Ask any member of staff at the train station.
Taxi’s - There are black cabs and Licensed mini cabs. Mini cabs are cheaper. Never get into a Taxi that hasn’t got a Licensed sign on it.
Private Taxi's must have this sticker
Studying - If you have come to study, there is a link below which will give you names of all the Colleges and Universities in London.
Jobs – London has a lot of jobs. Some people say its hard to get a job, but be positive. If you really spend time looking for a job you can start a job within one week of arriving in London. It could even be cash in hand.
You can get jobs through
· Recruitment Agencies
· Newspapers
· Job Centres
· Private companies
· Via the internet (If you haven’t got internet, there are internet Café’s £1 for 1 hour)
· Or by even approaching them directly.
Prepare a CV and Register for a Temporary National Insurance Number as this will be needed when your Employer pays you.
Food – No matter where you come from you will find your country food in London. There are lots of supermarkets and small shops. Some supermarkets like Asda, Iceland and Tesco will deliver everything you buy to your door for a small price but you have to order-online. This is very convenient if you don’t have a car.
For bargains, go to “The Pound Shop”. Ask anyone around you where it is. (There are so many branches) Everything in the shop is just £1, but be careful not to buy the whole shop as you will be spoilt for choice.
If you don’t want to cook you could go to a “take away” or get them to deliver to you at home.
Health – You might consider registering with a GP. A General Practitioner. (doctor) **HealthCare is FREE. There are also a lot of Gyms about and small Leisure centres for children if they wish to go swimming.
People of London – The people in London are generally friendly and helpful but like any other city you should still be cautious.
Entertainment – London is a place where lots of Tourists visit. Open the link below to see a list of places you can visit in your spare time. Some places are free. Buckingham Palace is also open for visiting – so you might want to pop in and say hello to the Queen at some point.
Good Luck and enjoy your stay.
Buckingham Palace - London
Useful Books
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Finding Accommodation
- FindaProperty.com Estate agents property search for sale & rent UK & overseas properties
Property for sale & rent through leading UK & overseas estate agents & letting agents. Find a Property search tools help locate houses, flats, apartments, new homes, investment property & commercial property to let or buy in the UK &a
Recruitment Agencies
- Recruitment Agencies in London, Employment Agencies Directory
London jobs guide featuring job search and a comprehensive directory of London recruitment agencies. Search the agency directory.
Universities in London
Colleges in London
Places to visit in London
CommentsLoading...
Hey that was very valuable info. I remember having seeing Buckingham Palace about 10 yrs ago. This hub reminded me of all those beautiful places I visited. Thx for sharing.
Thnks for the information. London is really expensive. It means one have to work extra hard to survive. Its not easy anywhere anyway. Thanks.
Thanks J Dove. If you do come to London, I would so love to meet you and we could have a cup of coffee with some tempting cakes. :)
Cheers Anjali. That was a decade ago. Lol. I think your due for another visit. :)
Philipo, you hit the nail on the head. Its such an expensive place to live in. You must visit one day. :)
I moved from Toronto and I still get tickled with how Brits say the *tube* and we say, the *subway*, lol, great Hub n info! :)
Cheers Dame. :)
Will I ever move to London? I dont know...very probable. My future intents are so connected with the place. Hey, very informative stuff. You would gimme a tour sometime, Elena. That would be the real treat.
London is a great place to visit.... often go for theatre weekends, there is a place you can get 1/2 price theatre tickets, if you queue during the day...... RENT HERE IS MUCH HIGHER..... Lots to do in London...... I may visit it is ages since I went ... lovely lovely hub..... I like the big red buses, and huge Marks and Spencers....
Thanks Mon Ami Fiery. You'll love London and I'll be your Tour Guide any time. We will stop all traffic for you, when you come. Why? Because the African Prince is in Town. Lol.
Cheers Brenda, that's nice. I wouldn't mind paying a visit to Dublin too. I've never been :)
I really like London, it is one of my preferred cities despite finding the British so eccentric I like their politeness.
What about Internet in London?
Is it cheap or expensive? I heard that in hotels it is quite expensive.
Thanks Anath and Michele. :)
Michele, using the internet in Hotels is expensive but there are a lot of Internet Cafe's outside and its only £1 for an hour or 50p for 30 minutes.
Ps. You know what hotels are like, they charge £3 for just a bottle of water. Lol.
This brings back memories, I was in London in 2006, and I had a wonderful time. As you said, it is very expensive, but I would love to visit again. Loved the hub.
We look forward to having you. Might even be able to arrange Tea with the Queen. :)
Cheers
i would love to go on holiday anywhere
Nice hub, Lady E. I'm hoping to move back to London soon, and the information you provided will be helpful. Cheers.
I love London, and Great Britain in general. I've been there a couple of times and really like it. The architecture, houses with their own names, people, pubs....
** Thanks love of night. Hope you can visit in the summer, when it's nice and hot. :)
** Hi Miss Belgravia, wishing yu a happy return back to London. Glad you found the Hub useful. :)
** Hola Hypnodude. It's nice you have visited, hope you liked the Pubs. lol. Not a good idea to visit this Xmas though with the Euro tunnel having problems, British Airways going on strike etc etc. Thanks for stopping. :)
Lady E, Wonderful hub! Very Informative. Wow! It was about nine years ago but London was wonderful! We had a lovely stay way out in New Forest then on the latter part of our trip we stayed in Trafalgar Square... What a contrast. London is quite beautiful and yes expensive! Thank you for sharing, Much Love & Blessings!
That's lovely DeBorrah. Glad you enjoyed it. From what I read, I'm guessing it was the summer you stayed. :)
Thanks
cool dude
Great writeup! Just a comment, these days (2010) there are no one bedroom flats--that you'd actually want to live in--for £600 a month! The fall in home prices has driven rental prices skyhigh!
Hi Londonforkids "alwight"
Good point. The last lovely one bed flat I rented was about 2006. £615 a month. I'm not sure how high they are now, but I'm certain they must have risen.
Cheers. :)
Hi Londonforkids "alwight"
Good point. The last lovely one bed flat I rented was about 2006. £615 a month. I'm not sure how high they are now, but I'm certain they must have risen.
Cheers. :)
I see London has a few more additional bills to pay as compared to here. I've never heard of a television license. The idea of having groceries delivered to your door is great. I have been made aware of a few small business owners who are trying to expand on that idea here. But, because it's new, I have a lot of reservations about it. I'll wait until they have some seniority. London sounds exciting with a lot of places to visit. Maybe one day I'll get a chance to visit Voted-up/rated!
When I visited London in 2009 I really noticed that the prices for everything (food, clothes) were really high, compared to my country.. I think it´s always worth a visit/trip, but I couldn´t afford it to live in London, whereas it is a lovely and inspiring country.
** Hello Support Med - London is exciting and you'd really enjoy if you come to visit. Try not to come at winter.
Looking forward to it and I'll be arranging for you to have Tea with the Queen. :)
** Hi Steve - It is an expensive city, but well worth visiting. Hope you visit someday. Regards.
A lot of great information on moving to London. A must read I you are thinking of moving. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Mih36 - glad you stopped by. :)
Hi,Lady_E. Very informative Hub, and from the feedback it generated, a popular one.
I was born in London. Left England in 1951 and have never been back. Coming from London with its on-time buses and tube railways to Australia in those days was like stepping back fifty years. They were still using open-ended railway carriages out here; the sort that Abraham Lincoln used to do his 'whistle stop' political speeches from. However, I'm a true Aussie now and at seventy-four doubt I'll ever return -no, not even for a visit.
G'day Tom - Never say never. lol. Wouldn't you like to see the massive changes that have taken place since you left?
I'm glad you feel very settled in Australia. It's a place I would love to visit but don't look forward to the 24hour flight.
Thanks for commenting. :)
Very informative! I live in the U.S., but I want to move to London so bad. Do you think that it would be safe to move there without a job?
Hi, findmyTeenfashion - My advice would be to have a reasonable amount of savings with you. It wouldn't be nice to be stranded.
London is a place where you can get odd jobs within 2 weeks to amonth while you are looking for proper professional job. So, bring some dollars with you.
Best Wishes.
You have write beautiful hubs, you are also beautiful and it's so cool that you live in London. keep writng while in London can't wait to hear more
Thanks lanealanea, for your kind comments. You are lovely too. I hope you visit London someday - let me know in advance so I can arrange for you to have tea with the Queen. :)
What a good idea for a hub! Actually, a lot of the information is a good basic checklist for moving to a new city.
Thanks 2patricia's - Glad you found it interesting.
Best Wishes. :)
Excellent information in this hub. I do have a friend who migrated there and he said that apartment hunting is no easy feat for him. But he also mentioned that London is a very wonderful place. Hub up.
Its a nice place HPWriter - You must come and visit some day...
Lovely Hub. Many of my relatives lives in London. When i will complete my bachelor degree i will apply for M.B.A in UK. Maybe then i will be possible for me to visit london ;)
Your article really helped me
Thanks tnvrstar
I hope your plans work out.
Best Wishes. :)
Living in London. Sounds like a dream come true. Those of you who are footloose enough, I say, "carpe diem" and go for it! I can see you inspired a lot of thinking on this possibility, Lady_E. Nice idea for a hub. Thanks.
Thanks JSParker - I hope you come to visit some day. :)
I would love to live in London, it would be amazing seriously. Im from Liverpool. Compared to what i am paying now on my flat to London is a massive difference. But then, id prob choose not to drive if i moved down there because of the public transport so what id save on car insurance, tax, MOT and service etc would be extra! ha ha I just have under a year left of my loan to go and then im free haha - question is, what sort of job can i get down there! :)
Hi Peter.
With a positive attitude, you can enjoy living in London. You can rent a room or live in a Studio flat for now and take one step at a time.
Driving - it depends where you live and work. If you work in the City, it would be advisable to get public transport otherwise you will have to pay "congestion charge" everyday. If you don't, then a car will be convenient.
I used to live in Liverpool. I lived in Anfield and worked in Bootle but I am glad I moved to London.
Jobs - there are all sorts. You will be spoilt for choice but must find ways to have the Edge over other applicants, as more people are looking for Jobs at the moment.
Good Luck.
Wish I had come across this useful hub 4 years ago! I am leaving now but would like to say,this is a greatly helpful hub.By the way, Health care is free in London!
Hi Alladream - Hope you enjoyed your Stay in London. What a Crazy but lovely place. lol.
Yes, Health Care is FREE (I have edited the Hub to reflect this, thanks) but you have to register.
Wishing you well wherever it is you are going to. :)
JDove-Miller Level 1 Commenter 2 years ago
Neat hub. I'm planning to visit Europe in 2011 if all goes well. Perhaps my group will include a trip to London.