Moving to London

goingtokl

Hey all,

I am thinking about moving to London early next year for a year or so.

Does anyone have any experiences to share re: finding work, accommodation etc? I have some friends living there at the moment and I could crash with them until I got on my feet.

I presume because I am Irish I do not need any visa or anything to work in the UK? I would just need to get a PPS (or equivalent)?

I'd like to get as much sorted out before I go. I have had a look at various websites like allinlondon but I'd like to hear if anyone had any stories or wisdoms they'd like to share?

thanks,
GTK

Ruu_Old

When I went over to London, I just went around the different agencies and put my name in with them for a start, found some contract work. Do you have any friends over there at the moment?

goingtokl

Yeah that's what I plan on doing Ruu, did you have any problems setting up a bank account or anything? Or getting your PPS number?

I have some friends there at the moment so I don't need to do all this immediately but it would be nice to get a few things sorted out before I go.

Sgt. Sensible

You will need ID and proof of residence to open a bank account, a bill of some sort worked for me even though it hadn't got my name on it. You will also need to get a national insurance number. Ask your friends where the nearest office is or the local jobcentre people will tell you where it is. You shouldn't have any problems.

Ruu_Old

When I went over there about 5 years ago, my brother told me that all you had to do was go into the local post office and get your PPS number. I don't think that is the case now and it is issued when you get a job. I had no problems setting up an account, there was a Bank of Ireland near me so I used that one. I do believe they are strict on address verification, so try a few of them if you have no luck. Another brother of mine had great difficulty with it but finally got one sorted with one of the building societies, could have been Lloyds.

goingtokl

cheers guys, I really appreciate the info

Ruu_Old

Check out the Abroad forum as well, theres a few threads with information and experiences of people who moved away, a few that moved to England there too.

goingtokl

Thanks Ruu, I'll have a look through that now.

growler

if you have friends over there you could ask them to put a electric / gass bill in your name, it will save you a load of hassle setting up a bank account when you get here. You can get the national insurance number from social services, just bring your passport, no visa required Eu and all that.

One thing though, if you come over in January, depending on what kind of job you want, the first few weeks are generally fairly quite for recruitment. finding some form of work shouldn't be too hard, depends on what you're after really. there are tons of agencies, finding a gaff isn't a problem usually, theres a free ads papercalled loot that has lots of accomodation / falt shares in it.

Dellas

Try www.manpower.co.uk

Also if you went to Newry and opened up a bank account with Bank of Ireland or Ulster Bank I think its easier as they will accept a southern address with passport and form of bill etc... Might be worth a trip but call the banks first. Maybe also try your bank here and see if they will offer you a sterling account.

The nicest are of London is West, say Richmond/Kingston/Ealing/Chiswick.

DayDreamer

I moved over 4 months ago and had no problem opening a bank account. I'm staying with a friend for a few months so before I left Dublin I changed my address with the bank and organised for my statements to be sent to my friends address. So basically when I arrived in London I already had a bank statement and credit card statement made out to a UK address. This made it a lot easier to set up a bank account. Bring as much proof of ID with you when you go to the bank. I had to make an appointment with a customer services manager to open my account.

Also with the National Insurance number you should ring any Job Centre as soon as possible. They'll give you a different number (for a place based in Wales) to ring to organise an appointment. When you ring them they'll tell you where your nearest Job Centre Plus is and book you in for an appointment. They'll send you out a letter to confirm the appointment and a list of documents that you need to bring. I had to wait over a month for my appointment so its better to ring them ASAP! I got my NI number 2 weeks after my appointment so I was pretty impressed!

Unfortunately I cant offer any advise about accommodation cos as I said I'm living with a friend but I hear this site is very good >> http://www.gumtree.com/

With regards to work I found these sites really good! To be honest I was looking for a while cos it was during the summer months which was a bad time to look for work. In the end I uploaded my CV onto a few sites and I got loads of calls!
http://www.totaljobs.com/
http://www.fish4.co.uk/
http://www.jobsearch.co.uk/
http://www.monster.co.uk/
http://www.reed.co.uk/
http://www.topjobs.co.uk/

Another thing to think about is transport ...you should get an Oyster card as soon as you arrive ...I know I'd be lost without mind. That reminds me ...also get an A-Z!

I cant think of anything else at the moment but feel free to PM me if you have any questions

goingtokl

Cheers DayDreamer, that gives me a lot to work on, thanks a million, I may PM you with a few question if that's ok?

thanks,
GTK

tippbhoy

Both AIB and BOI have a presence in London, I was able to open a bank account over the phone by verifying my account details from Ireland. You'll find branches in places like Cricklewood (traditionally an Irish part of London).

Some companies will only pay into certain instituitions accounts however, but you may not have that problem. If you get paid by cheque you can cash it in the local Irish bar :rolleyes:

West London is the nicest part but is also the most expensive. If you play GAA then they might look after you if you're any good.

Hope that helps

daiixi

I and most of my friends in London found accomodation through www.thegumtree.com. I lived in large houses over there - always more than 8 people and found it great for instant friends/family.