Bad time to move to London?

tothemoon · 01-10-2021 11:38pm #1

I'm currently working for a tech company in Dublin. It's been on my mind for quite some time that I'd like to make the move across the pond to London. I was planning on making a move in the next 6-9 months, but lately I'm beginning to think it might be a bad idea. It looks like an utter shitshow over there since brexit. Plus, the salary for the job I'm currently working seems to be a lot less in London than Dublin, even though the cost of rent seems to be quite similar in both cities? And I'm not sure the cost of living is much less, apart from probably your weekly food shop? I'm not big into politics so amn't really sure of the way London is heading since brexit but was hoping people here may be able to give some advice.

Thanks.

tinytobe · 02-10-2021 7:01am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058211323/bad-time-to-move-to-london

London is not England, that's one thing to keep in mind, if one considers moving there.

In my experience the cost of rent is in London a lot lower than in Dublin. This may sound odd to you but it was my experience. I was in Dublin before the crisis hit and recall bidding wars for rental apartments and viewings with 40 to 50 other interested parties. In London getting a single viewing with a realtor is way more the norm than in Dublin. The only pain in the back side is the council tax which is to be paid not only by the owner but also by a tenant. There seem to be some studio apartments around where the council tax is paid by the landlord, but I am not certain, which criteria applies to that one.

I don't know your personal circumstances, but a Studio or one bedroom will be a lot easier for you to get in London than in Dublin. With a bit of luck in zone 2, but most certainly in zone 3.

Regarding Brexit, you'll have no problem, if you have Irish citizenship. Regarding supermarkets, empty shelves seem to be not so much of an issue in London than in the countryside of the UK. And regarding petrol, I don't think you have any plans of driving while you live in London.

Nobody knows where the UK is heading to. A lot of things will depend how tightly the UK will be connected to the single market I'd say. It could be possible that all these shortages could be under control by spring next year.

If the job offer is right, move there, and if you don't like it, you can always come back to Ireland.

Jim2007 · 02-10-2021 6:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058211323/bad-time-to-move-to-london

It really depends on why do you want go to London or anywhere else for that matter. You have a right to live and work anywhere in the EU/EEA/CH. If you are young with good tech skills you can probably land a job in most parts of the EU/EEA/CH even if your language skills are not great. So why leave Ireland and why London, then perhaps people can give you some useful feedback.

tothemoon · 05-10-2021 5:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117968327#Comment_117968327

I suppose the main thing being the weather. London gets great weather every spring/summer and even their autumn isn't the worst. In Ireland, the dark and dull weather gets my mood down a lot, and tbh, I'm just far happier when the sun is shining. As well as the weather, London is great for food, pubs & nightlife, has solid public transport and I'd imagine it has more women than Dublin too, which may finally lead to me getting a girlfriend!

Jim2007 · 05-10-2021 9:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117980445#Comment_117980445

Well if you are going to move for weather you might want to move a bid further south.... You'll also find that the south of France, Switzerland and northern Italy also have a better work-life balance than London.

As for the rest, if you have not managed to find someone on the Dublin scene, then maybe you need a different approach. For me, London is fun to visit for a few days now and again but I would not want to live there. I moved to Switzerland over 30 years ago and this has been home for a long time now. But if I was a young guy now I'd be looking at Vienna, Munich or maybe Milan.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 05-10-2021 10:22pm

London is a great spot but there are differences, a friend of mine has lived there for a number of years and talks about the slight but noticeable cultural differences. The whole Irish self-deprecating thing doesn't apply there. Everyone talks themselves up quite a lot which can be anything between absolutely fair and bloody annoying, depending on the person. Not a big deal, but something I found aggravating. Also, be prepared to get consistent slagging about being Irish (if you are!), it's generally completely harmless and good natured, but can be annoying after a while for many - although definitely going to be slightly less pronounced in London than a smaller regional English city. The weather is definitely generally better than Ireland, but not so much that it would be a factor to move there imo.

The dating scene is huge and varied, the public transport, while not inexpensive, is great, fantastic nightlife, restaurants etc, something for everyone, and for many expats living there, London gives you the chance to re-invent yourself and to be whoever you want to be. Its like a clean slate.

As has been said already, London is not England. Don't worry about Brexit-esque attitudes there. I happened to be there the day that Brexit was officially voted in and most people I spoke to on it were somewhere between dismayed and horrified.

Joe_ Public · 05-10-2021 10:34pm

According to very recent figures i read, Londoners are now paying on average 75% of their net income on rent. That's insanity, pure and simple. Dublin is bad, sure, but it's not at that level. Not yet, anyway.

I see sheep · 05-10-2021 11:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117980445#Comment_117980445

I think 'Great weather' is a bit of an exaggeration tbf. It's slightly better than Dublin.

Could you go Australia? I didn't really like it but if you're looking for sun, English speaking and good pay it ticks the boxes.

I live in Britain now and prefer it to Oz but I'd recommend everyone try it out.

If you don't mind about not speaking English then I'd say try to get a job in Spain/Italy/France, lifestyle is great imo.

I see sheep · 05-10-2021 11:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981514#Comment_117981514

I don't think that 75% is remotely accurate.

Joe_ Public · 06-10-2021 12:04am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117981630#Comment_117981630

I don't know, it's a figure that has been reported anyway but sometimes these things can have caveats attached. Anectodally, i know what a few people are paying over there so i wouldn't personally have much issue accepting it might not actually be that high, but not all that far off either.

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/income-spend-on-rent-uk_uk_5e1f2be7c5b673621f6ec176

tothemoon · 09-10-2021 3:55pm

Thanks everyone for your replies.

The slagging about being Irish wouldn't bother me really, I could deal with that and probably give a slagging back, if needed. The clean slate thing is pretty much exactly what I'm looking for. Ireland just seems very depressing to me lately. The depression probably stemming a lot from covid and being stuck at home for my final year of college and now at home for the start of my career, but also the fact that the cost of Dublin rent is atrocious, and if I'm going paying a large chunk of my salary on rent, I'd prefer to ensure I'll be able to live a nice lifestyle and not be borderline depressed all of the time.

I don't fancy Australia. Not at the moment anyways. It's too far away and the time difference is too much. Maybe in a couple of years though.

Having done a lot of research, London rent is quite high and seems to be very similar to Dublin, albeit there are more options in London. As I said in my first post, the salary for the job I'm doing seems to also be a lot less in London vs Dublin, even though the cost of rent is similar. When I convert the Dublin salary to pounds, it works out at 10-15k more than what the London salary is. For a decent room in London, I'd be forking out around 33% of my gross salary. For the same in Dublin, I'd be paying around 20-25% of my gross salary. These are rough estimates, of course, but I obviously don't want to make the move to London if I'm going to be getting far less money to do the same job.

Strumms · 09-10-2021 4:28pm

I’ve never lived in London but I’ve spent a good amount of time there both work trips and for leisure....

its a seriously expensive place....I know here is catching up or maybe has but...

socializing... taxis, drinks, food, cinema.. costs.

summers are better then Dublin by far but winters similar... if anything I found the city pretty uncomfortable and tiring to navigate in the heights of summer.

Jim2007 · 09-10-2021 4:49pm

Regardless of the economic situation and covid 19 etc... I don't see moving to London for the sunshine as being a great strategy.

billyhead · 09-10-2021 6:49pm

I think winters in London can be colder than in Dublin due to the northerly air flow.

listermint · 09-10-2021 6:55pm

If you are looking to escape the pandemic... Surely the UK is not the place to go for it on any metric. Tbh OP. Things are opening up here. Give a few months back to office meeting people in work and out. You'll see a major change in your current circumstances into 2022.

I'd sit tight. I most certainly wouldn't be taking that level of pay cut to live in London. No chance.

Henry Ford III · 09-10-2021 7:00pm

London is a world city. Dublin is a dot by comparison.

Go by all means - the things to do list is only limited by your imagination.

The only thing I don't understand is why you'd go for a smaller salary. You'll spend big in London.

HerrKuehn · 12-10-2021 10:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058211323/bad-time-to-move-to-london

Would you think about Berlin if you work in a tech company? It is a huge city (not as big as London though), low cost of living, great city for younger people.

[Deleted User] · 12-10-2021 10:34am

If you’re moving to London at the moment I would play it by ear. There’s a lot could go weird in the U.K. in the next few months. If you’re just renting, you can always take advantage of that and get a better place or move.

If you’re planning to move there and buy something, I think we’ve yet to see the bottom of the U.K. cycle of politically induced self harm, so the housing market in London may become a lot more affordable.

I’d agree too. London is it’s own bubble and is largely (but not entirely) a Brexit politics free bubble.

It’s also only a very short flight away. I mean if you’re in say Dublin or Cork, London is more accessible than it is from many parts of regional Britain because we’ve excellent, extremely frequent and very cheap fights.

I also wouldn’t be moving somewhere based on COVID policies. Nowhere is out of the woods on that just yet. Personally, I would hang on until we’re through winter 2021 and see how everyone is. This disease has thrown some seriously unpredictable curveballs and we are only really just at peak vaccination rates etc etc COVID is a bizarre situation globally and it’s really not that easy to get a full sense of perspective on it and it will, eventually, be nothing but a bad memory of that weird time.

Move because you like the place and you have something to move to. That’s the best way of picking a place to live.

tothemoon · 14-10-2021 11:53pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118008068#Comment_118008068

Berlin is a city that has crossed my mind. Haven't really looked into it too much though. I have absolutely no german though, would that matter, or is there loads of non-german speakers there>?

Annascaul · 15-10-2021 11:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118021825#Comment_118021825

Berlin is an interesting city. The museums are really good and shopping can be extensive more than in Dublin at least. I could only see myself living there temporarily, but never really permanently. The city has also a variety of social problems and often violent political protests against anything and everything one could imagine.

Bad time to move to London?

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