Hoorah! I've been offered a job, I start in London on Monday! Help.

[Raven11]

Tonight I've been offered a grad job in Canary Wharf starting Monday. Right now I'm living in the Midlands, have about £600 savings and I'll be earning 18k a year. I do have a fair amount of friends in London and they're in a similar position to myself. They've offered to put me up for a couple of days but they're obviously really tight for space/none of them own a sofa!

I don't really know London that well except for the touristy bits.

So a little about me, I love 'going out', not a fan of commercial, I do dress up but I never wear heels etc. I do love the hustle of cities and people usually think where I live is dodgy so I'm sure I'll get on anywhere. I have a basic idea of the cost of London and I know I'm going to be skint.

What areas should I be looking at? What should I know? Any tips? Ahh.

[ItsReallyColdTonight]

Well done :) congrats on your job! :)

[oldlaundbooth]

I have no idea... You're looking for an area to live in?

Congratulations on the job BTW

[MaryPoppinsPenguins]

Congrats on the job!

Are you looking for a place to live then?

[IcingSausage]

What’s your budget for rent? I’d start from there and search accordingly, there’ll be some areas totally out of your reach on 18k a year.

If you’re working in Canary Wharf maybe look around East London. No prerequisite for wearing heels round there so you should be ok on that front

[BelleandBeast]

Think about the commute, your budget, and take it from there. on 18k, it will be a house share I imagine.

Congrats, moved here when I was 18 and haven't left.....

[NoSquirrels]

For Canary Wharf, I'll recommend Lewisham - buzzy (Model Market food in summer is great), still relatively cheap, direct connections to Canary Wharf. Realistically on £18K you're looking for a flatshare, and so get the DLR & underground map and start circling areas you can live in. Or pick somewhere close to where your friends live. Ask them to ask around - often word of mouth is good for finding a room - colleagues, friends of friends etc.

Enjoy!

[glow1984]

£600 is not enough for deposit and first months rent anywhere in London. Do you have a plan?

[edwinbear]

Congrats on the job! I'd suggest looking in Lewisham. There is a DLR which gets you straight into Canary Wharf in 20 mins and is relatively cheap to rent. It's also close to Blackheath and Greenwich which are lovely at the weekends.

[Raven11]

Thank you ladies! Sorry I shouldn't have made that clear- it's been a long day, I'm stressed and should have proof read!

I'm looking for some general areas where I might want to look. I'm looking for somewhere with bit of a buzz, okay transport links and somewhere I can still afford to eat!!

After tax I'll be bringing in 1,300 so most of that will just be rent. I'll probably get myself a job behind a bar when I've settled in to give myself some pocket money.

[Rebeccaslicker]

I would say be prepared to take a while to find a place to live if you're looking for a house share - most adverts get loads of applicants so it's nothing personal!

[KenAdams]

Where in the Midlands as I might be tempted to commute depending on the location if I was on £18k.

[IcingSausage]

£600 is not enough for deposit and first months rent anywhere in London.

Yes, sorry to put a downer on your exciting news but I thought exactly this too.

[EmpressOfTheSpartacusOceans]

Yes, Lewisham area or Brockley / Deptford / New Cross. Relatively cheap & decent transport links for Canary Wharf & Central London.

I found my place on Zoopla. Good luck & congrats!

[Madcatter]

Go anywhere you can afford on 18k. East London will be easier for canary wharf than west London. Look at the tube/dlr lines that run to CW and try looking along those. Look at spareroom and gumtree (lots of rubbish to wade through on gumtree but some hidden gems). Don't worry too much about what the area's like. These days everywhere is fine. Your main priorities are cost and commuting time.

Congratulations on your new job!

[slimyslitheryslug]

Will your new company be able to give you an advance on your wages? You'll need to have enough to pay a deposit and the first month's rent up front I would have thought and then enough to live off whilst waiting for your first pay cheque.

[viques]

If you are looking in East London then Stratford /forest Gate are accessible for Canary Wharf. If you are feeling brave Canning Town is also very easy journey wise. But none are exactly cafe culture areas, and sadly not particularly cheap but they do have good transport connections.

[mumisnotmyname]

You could also consider heading out to Ilford and along that way, goodmayes etc. But you will need more money for rent and a deposit.

[ChildFreeWeek]

You'll get more for your money in SE London and it's got good access to Docklands. Try Charlton, Greenwich, Deptford, Blackheath, Lewisham. Woolwich and Plumstead will be cheaper but a bit rougher. You might be able to find a reasonable house share on Isle of Dogs, which would be within walking distance of Canary Wharf.

Congrats on the job. I loved working in CW and want to go back. I used to cycle from Charlton.

[HundredMilesAnHour]

Make sure you check your contract to see if you're allowed to take on a part time job. Some employers insist you request their permission/approval to take on other work so make sure you check.

Have a look at Stratford for flatshares. Easy commute to the Wharf and lively/buzzing. Living and working in London is expensive!!! Try not to spend more than half your net income max on rent or you put yourself in a precarious financial position.

£18k is low for a grad job, especially in the Wharf. But it's a step on the ladder so well done!

[Madcatter]

£600 is not enough for deposit and first months rent anywhere in London.

Yes, you'll need a month's rent up front plus about 6 weeks rent as deposit. Plus agents fees if they've not scrapped those yet.

Depending on your current situation and where in the Midlands you are it might be best to commute for a couple of months first.

[allthecheese]

Apologies if I'm stating the obvious but you need a house share. £600 a month should get you a house share in East London. Places turn around quickly so you should be able to find somewhere pretty soon. Go on spareroom.co.uk.

Look at the DLR map and use that as a guide. Lewis ham was a great shout by a PP.

[Imknackeredzzz]

Yep another one saying £600 will be nowhere near enough sorry. But congrats on job!

[WorraLiberty]

I think Newham is about the cheapest borough, but even then you'd need more than £600.

[itsnearlychristmas]

Try one of the guardian schemes like this

dotdotdotproperty.com/available-properties/

[WitchesHatRim]

Where in the Midlands as I might be tempted to commute depending on the location if I was on £18k.

18k wouldn't be enough to commute either tbh.