Moving to London (2 Viewers)

[billygannon]

Think I'm moving over in September. Fucking shitting it. Probably going to live in the East direction, but I'm pretty nervous about bad people. Is Hackney alright? Anywhere else nice in that vicinity? Would living by myself be prohibitively expensive?

I registered with reed.co.uk to keep an eye on jobs. Looking at something like payroll/accounts payable because that's where most of my experience is. Any other recruitment sites worth while? There wasn't much on The Guardian site, which I found disappointing, since I use that site for everything else.

Gumtree my man for gaffs?

Sincerely,
Wobbler

Jobs: http://www.jobserve.co.uk
Place to live: http://www.net-lettings.co.uk/ (gives you a good overview of the city on the front page)

 

[Luther Blissett]

Think I'm moving over in September. Fucking shitting it. Probably going to live in the East direction, but I'm pretty nervous about bad people. Is Hackney alright? Anywhere else nice in that vicinity? Would living by myself be prohibitively expensive?

I registered with reed.co.uk to keep an eye on jobs. Looking at something like payroll/accounts payable because that's where most of my experience is. Any other recruitment sites worth while? There wasn't much on The Guardian site, which I found disappointing, since I use that site for everything else.

Gumtree my man for gaffs?

Sincerely,
Wobbler

I moved to London last September and, not wanting to tempt fate, I've found it much less intimidating than Ireland in terms of crime and general agro. Also after living in Rome for 18 months previously London seems like the politest city on earth! Granted I don't get to go out much after dark due to study and work commitments, but the area where I'm living (Turnpike Lane in North London) is really quiet and relatively cheap. I'm paying just over £300 for a huge double room in a flat share.

As regards Hackney, I looked at a few flats there and while they were fine I have to say it seemed a bit of a dicey area. There seem to be a lot of people moving there who can't afford to live in Shoreditch/Brick Lane. But as I've never lived there you'd be better off listening to someone who does! The other factor for me was that there is no tube station in Hackney. While it pays to get the bus, both financially and in terms of getting to know London, if you're new to the place and need to be somewhere at a precise time, for job interviews etc, having a tube station nearby, at least in my experience, is a godsend.

I found my room on this site: http://www.london-flat-rental.co.uk/cgi-bin/dbr.asp?sc=y

Best of luck with everything!!

 

[jonah]

I think living in Hackney has greatly greatly improved to be honest because all the middle class hip kids are flocking there and to places like Bethnal Green for a bit of the Pete Doherty lifestyle. I mean its still relatiavely dicey as the nice chap above me said, but I wouldn't be totally put off it either.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I think living in Hackney has greatly greatly improved to be honest because all the middle class hip kids are flocking there and to places like Bethnal Green for a bit of the Pete Doherty lifestyle. I mean its still relatiavely dicey as the nice chap above me said, but I wouldn't be totally put off it either.

that's pretty funny

 

[billygannon]

Oh! Try to find work near where you live.
Commuting in London is expensive and very crap.

 

[oh shit]

I think living in Hackney has greatly greatly improved to be honest because all the middle class hip kids are flocking there and to places like Bethnal Green for a bit of the Pete Doherty lifestyle. I mean its still relatiavely dicey as the nice chap above me said, but I wouldn't be totally put off it either.

all part of the gentrification process. london fields on a hot saturday is swarming with skinny jeans and people on track bikes looking like they couldn't spell velodrome. i like it, it goes with having a lot of interesting gallerys-venues-secret cinema showing-cheap rent-good food-other young people around.

i live near dalston junction, it's fine, i fucking love hackney. i work in tottenham so it's a twenty minute bike ride north, no traffic to deal with, i use the tube about twice a month and the bus if it's pelting rain, otherwise it's fine.

hackney is made up of a lot of old villages that were positioned outside the boundaries of the city by various religious bans and that sense of small communities is more or less intact. there are a lot of old village greens and parks left over and each neighbourhood has a different feel to it and a slightly different ethnic make up. i wouldn't want to live any further south than hackney road though.

ps the orthodox jewish area mentioned earlier is stamford hill, it's north of stokie and is the largest orthodox jewish community in europe. all the women wear wigs to cover their hair and the kids are all dressed identically, i quite like passing through every morning cos it's not something you see a lot of in belfarce. they aren't that friendly to outsiders, for obviously reasons.

 

[oh shit]

Oh! Try to find work near where you live.
Commuting in London is expensive and very crap.

oh yeah this is really really important if you want to have a serious job

 

[Wobbler]

Thanks everyone for your advice,insight, websites etc.. It's very much appreciated. I do like the sound of Hackney but the point about tube links is a very good one. In the early days, I'd be very glad of a reliable means of getting around. I'll take a decent at all of this in the next two months (I'm moving in September)

Oh! Try to find work near where you live.
Commuting in London is expensive and very crap.

Excellent point, I know how London gets. The thing is, unless I'm seriously lucky, I don't think I'll know where I'll be working until I'm living somewhere.

Is Hackney/Stoke Newington handy for areas where people tend to work?

Speaking of jobs, I aim to take a two pronged approach to job hunting. My original approach was to look for anything other than what I'm doing now, but with the economy and shit, I'd say my best bet is to stick to what I have experience in (accounts and that). Still, if I could find more casual work bar/shop/something like that, I'd jump at it. Are there any recruitment websites for that sort of work, or is it more of a just walk around town with my CV in my pocket sort of thing?

Once again, thanks everyone for your help.

 

[jonah]

greatly improved in the sense that its less dangerous to live in, i mean. there is of course the incresed chance of pretentious drivel induced vomiting, but i like hackney despite this. there are skinny-jeaned people everywhere, avoidence is irrelevant.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

Thanks everyone for your advice,insight, websites etc.. It's very much appreciated. I do like the sound of Hackney but the point about tube links is a very good one. In the early days, I'd be very glad of a reliable means of getting around. I'll take a decent at all of this in the next two months (I'm moving in September)


Excellent point, I know how London gets. The thing is, unless I'm seriously lucky, I don't think I'll know where I'll be working until I'm living somewhere.

Is Hackney/Stoke Newington handy for areas where people tend to work?

Speaking of jobs, I aim to take a two pronged approach to job hunting. My original approach was to look for anything other than what I'm doing now, but with the economy and shit, I'd say my best bet is to stick to what I have experience in (accounts and that). Still, if I could find more casual work bar/shop/something like that, I'd jump at it. Are there any recruitment websites for that sort of work, or is it more of a just walk around town with my CV in my pocket sort of thing?

Once again, thanks everyone for your help.

bethnal green tube station is a ten minute walk from downtown hackney. there's also plenty of busses into central london. i try to avoid the tube as much as possible anyway. horrible way to travel

bar work isn't as easy to come by as you'd think. there's probably hundreds of other people with the same idea as you and bars get tonnes of CVs on a daily basis. i went all over london CV in hand when i first came over and got nowhere. fucking demoralising. that was in november/december though so probably not as depressing to do at the tail end of summer.

gumtree advertises a lot of bar jobs but most of them look for 2 years plus experience. not sure if there's any recruitment websites specifically for hospitality jobs

 

[Wobbler]

bar work isn't as easy to come by as you'd think. there's probably hundreds of other people with the same idea as you and bars get tonnes of CVs on a daily basis.

I guessed as much, which is why I'm pretty much resigned to doing accounts. Still, it would be a pity to rule it out completely.

 

[David Kronenbourg]

I guessed as much, which is why I'm pretty much resigned to doing accounts. Still, it would be a pity to rule it out completely.

ah yeah worth a shot. i managed to get one trial shift after visiting dozens of bars. realized very swiftly that i wasn't a barman and fucked the shift. barstaff are pretty useless here. i suspect a lot of them are hired because they look a certain way. it's certainly the case in my local

 

[Wobbler]

i suspect a lot of them are hired because they look a certain way.

I almost certainly don't have that look.

 

[jonah]

you're being very self deprecating on several thumped threads today, wobbler, do you need a hug?

 

[oh shit]

shoreditch and bethnal green are right beside the City, as in financial district... dalston and hackney central are about a mile or two further north, stoke newington's another mile or so up from there. you can get to the tube at bethnal green, liverpool street, old street, or highbury easily enough to connect to the rest of the city if you're on a bike. it just gets difficult if you have to bus it to the tube. and you also have to not mind leaving your bike locked up outside the station all day.

 

[Wobbler]

you're being very self deprecating on several thumped threads today, wobbler, do you need a hug?

Are you anywhere near Lucan?

shoreditch and bethnal green are right beside the City, as in financial district... dalston and hackney central are about a mile or two further north, stoke newington's another mile or so up from there. you can get to the tube at bethnal green, liverpool street, old street, or highbury easily enough to connect to the rest of the city if you're on a bike. it just gets difficult if you have to bus it to the tube. and you also have to not mind leaving your bike locked up outside the station all day.

In other words, it should be fine. Nice one.

 

[oh shit]

yeah, i mean if you don't have a job lined up already then there's no particular reason to move anywhere else

 

[Wobbler]

yeah, i mean if you don't have a job lined up already then there's no particular reason to move anywhere else

Exactly. Thanks.

 

[jonah]

Are you anywhere near Lucan?

Not within the 30 mile, but you can have my best wishes and one of these virtual irons !ironyyy

 

[Wobbler]

Not within the 30 mile, but you can have my best wishes and one of these virtual irons !ironyyy

That will do thanks