Good cheap place to live sw with job opportunities and good transposition links

[Mindyoursoul]

I live in a lovely part of the U.K. southwest in a naice very small town (moved from a big city 10 years ago)

However the opportunities here are dire. I’m trying to find better job offers but there is nothing around me! Apart from a load of care homes, salaries are very low and no big employers nearby (bar the nhs which is linked to job I do currently and pay is awful) Public transport is practically non existent here and I don’t want to have to drive hours to get anywhere!

where would you live if you were me?
I’m hoping to get a job in the civil service but there aren’t any bases anywhere commutable to me currently.

I feel so stuck here, I moved with my now exh and have a new partner now but I’ve never felt at home here. It’s so “local” and residents are either snobs with second houses or locals who will never leave and have no desire to learn about the world outside of here. There’s nothing going on in the town either it’s mainly over 60’s. I miss the vibrancy and culture of my home city but I couldn’t possibly afford to live there now.

I’m in a poorly paid admin job but it’s convenient for childcare and I do work with some nice people so I don’t hate it but the amount of work I do for the pay is immensely disproportionate. I so scared if I don’t change things soon this will be my life forever.

I need to stay fairly nearby as kids need to stay with the dad too. So I’m thinking Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire
any suggestions?

Somewhere on the train line into Exeter?

Taunton. 30 mins to Bristol & Exeter and the power station has meant lots of jobs.

sorry but Taunton is not my kind of place I find it really soulless and depressing!
I do really like Exeter I’d move there if I could but it’s too far from their dad. I’m currently about 1.5 hours away from Exeter

Bristol , Swindon or maybe Bath ?

trowbridge, swindon

Where are you now? Interested as sounds similar to near where I live.
Do you have anywhere at all in mind?
Then others with experience of living there can share.

Swindon

@Batcountry8 don’t want to give exact location as it’s a really small place and don’t want to out myself. It’s within 40 mins of Dorchester.

Trowbridge would be something to consider as that’s good for their dad.

wonder what it’s like? Might have to visit guess I would need to commute via train to bath or Bristol for work?

Would somewhere that sometimes gets put in another county be enough transposition for you?

sorry @PedantScorner i don’t understand what you mean?

Just had a look at Trowbridge and it doesn’t get a good write up on MN quite rough apparently!

it’s tricky although where I am now isn’t good for me job wise it’s very safe and kids schools are really good. we are lucky to be able to find a house we can just about afford to rent here (much too small for us!) moving elsewhere am likely to only afford the rougher areas.
Youngest is in primary yr 5 so still need to consider school!

really what I think I need is a remote job with chance of progression then can move when kids are older!
but I cannot find any remote work in civil service or companies with offer progression.

sorry @PedantScorner i don’t understand what you mean?

It's a bit of gentle ribbing!

Your thread title has a typo, you have asked for somewhere with "good transposition links"

Ahh I see 😂 bloody autocorrect!

Thats the problem with the SW though isnt it? Low wages, and not many jobs that arent in tourism/public sector/old people. And high property prices.

Maybe someone will level us up....like they are talking about doing in the north. at least housing is generally cheap there.

Op a lot of civil service roles are hybrid now. 1 or 2 days in the office, WFH remainder.

Swindon. Lots of public sector jobs

@Mindyoursoul , I guessed it was the wretched autocorrect.
Should have added a , my username doesn't always get clocked.

Swindon's not bad. It's not Dorset though, and Dorset is lovely.

I know Dorset well, there are no decent transport links, it's overcrowded in Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch and wages are low. This is pushing it seeing as you want to be based either in Wiltshire, Somerset or Dorset but would you be able to get work in Southampton and commute from Fordingbridge or Salisbury and then you'd be on the edge of Wiltshire.

I was going to say Swindon. Big, lots of employment I would think, not rundown but not chocolate box so not overpriced. I only visit for work so don't know it well.

I live in Somerset, housing is cheaper but transport again is pretty awful.

Bristol and Bath have more jobs and better transport links than most other places i can think of in the SW. Though that means house prices are even more expensive than the high prices generally. Bristol always seems more cosmopolitan when i have visited - maybe due to the high student population.

We are not advertising Swindon, it is reasonable cost, good location and a good selection of jobs, and it's rubbish reputation keeps it that way 😉

It's got good routes to other towns nearby, if you want an Oxford commute in your future the new Eastern villages development will be good location.

It's town centre is as run down as others, long term plan is to shrink it down and convert to housing.

Education is middling, but low risk of no availability of preferred school (unless you're being silly with catchment areas). No university, but Bristol is down the train line.

It's not cotswold pretty, but it works.

I wouldn’t move to Trowbridge!!

what about Westbury? It’s only a small place but has good train links to Bath/Bristol and I know there are a few MOD sites in Bristol.

Or Bradford on Avon if you want a pretty place. Again not much there but easy and quick to train to Bath/Bristol

Bristol is going to be your best bet.

Chippenham - nicer and better connected than Trowbridge, some decent job options locally and commutable to Swindon, Bath or Bristol