Living in London on minimum wage

[gemandjule]

My son, age 25, is moving to London. He split up from his long term live in girlfriend in October. He has decided to move to make a fresh start. He has a job in retail (bookshop) which he enjoys as he loves books and has a masters (with distinction) in English literature from a red brick uni. He’s hoping to get into publishing but for the short term will be on minimum wage working in kings road. He’ll be looking for a house share. How difficult will it be to afford to live in London on minimum wage?

@Rickrollme

I would encourage him to try to make London work if at all possible. At such a young age he can share a grotty room and eat ramen noodles but there is no substitute for being in the heart of it all, among other like-minded young people. The people he meets and experiences he has could open up future opportunities that he will won’t have anywhere else. If it’s miserable he doesn’t have to stay but at least he tried. As he gets older his responsibilities will increase and he may never have this kind of chance again. I think 25 is awfully young to compromise your dreams if there is any alternative.

Absolutely this!

If you can't live in a shitty house share and survive off ramen when you're in your 20s, when can you?

Oh, but of course, this is Mumsnet, where everybody's precious children must live at home until they're 30, get a good job in the civil service and save a good deposit towards a new build in a commuter town...

OP, assuming your son is relatively physically and mentally robust and isn't expecting kittens and rainbows, he will be fine. Maybe send him a care package every now and again?

PS - I worked in a bookshop in my early 20s when I was doing my MSc and it was, hands down, the best job of my life (I say that as a senior professional in my early 40s). Paid money to read books, talk about books, arrange books and occasionally chuck a duster about.

Wish him good luck and many adventures from me.

The flat is a bit meh, OP. They probably could have found somewhere a bit nicer, a bit quieter, in an area that's a bit more buzzy and a much more convenient commute to Kings Road but it's perfectly fine.

I'm sure he's going to love London life though and it's where he needs to be to follow his career path. It's a great place to be in your twenties. If it's the bookstore I am thinking of, they have another branch closer to where he is living, he might be able to transfer if a job comes up. They also host a lot of book launches, which will be interesting for your DS, even if he's handing out wine instead of drinking it.

If he loves theatre then an evening job as an usher would be good extra cash- Hampstead theatre in Swiss Cottage is a great place to do front of house work/pick up bar/box office shifts.

That's a great flat for the price- well done, those boys.

The National Theatre is always advertising for front of house temporary staff- they pay LLW and it's a nice place to work.

The Royal Court is looking for ushers as well- that would be a great place to get to know people.

He could get a single room in a grotty bedshare for as little as £600.

My tip is to freelance in addition to working, copywriting, proofreading, editing and build up his reputation.

Make a website/blog/wordpress showcasing his skills and building up a portfolio of his work- he will need it.

Get a job bartending/delivering food at the weekends- make being sociable pay! He will meet people and it will give him £100 disposable income a week.

London is a high energy city and he is young. If he throws himself into it and burns the candles both ends- he will get where he wants to be. When I was there, all my friends had lots going on, jobs, friends, side income, hobby, relationships etc.

That pace can get addictive but is also pretty tiring at times. But don’t go to London to just do one job then go home because you are skint.

Would also suggest he joins the Royal Society of Literature once they're fully up and running again (they've been mainly online but are gradually starting to do events in person again) as their events tend to be good for networking before and after.

There are some great tips here. Thanks to everyone for taking the trouble to give support and ideas. I’m feeling much more optimistic than I did when I started this thread. I agree; he’s young, healthy, intelligent, very committed to his plans for the future. Who knows whether it will work out or not but it’s a hell of a lot better than being at home anyway

I was also going to add that ushering or theatre bar work will earn him some extra money in the evenings and get him into contact with other people in a similar situation. Some theatres will advertise on their websites, but its also worth going round stage doors with a CV and just asking. Non-West End theatres tend to be more interesting!