Can DD work in central London and live on this salary?

[Memorybear]

DD, 21 has been offered a contract in London, very near to Oxford Circus.

Salary is 29k pa, take home pay around 2k a month. She would need to house share (hopefully within a 30 minute tube commute).

Looking on spareroom it appears that a double room share is £800-£1000 pm all bills included. she’d need a zone 1-3 tube card at just under £200 a month.

Other Outgoings would be mobile phone, food, clothes, socialising, I guess she’d need contents insurance?

She thinks it’s just about doable as long as she was careful and was frugal around food (take own lunch etc) but I’m not so sure, it’s easy for money to run away with you.

We can help her out a bit - rather than her turn the opportunity down as she’d love it. We’d be about 3 hours away by car to visit as much as we could. Does anyone else manage on this kind of salary?

I worry she’ll have a bit of a miserable existence in a shared house if she doesn’t quickly make friends although I guess it’s not a lot of difference in going off to uni.

Any tips please? This is all very new to us and she’s dithering a bit over what to do.

Doing too much for your children can a) prevent them learning life skills and b) send them the message that you don't believe they have the ability to cope.

Neither is healthy.

Stepping back, while being there as a safety net, is being a 'decent, loving mum'.

You don't come across as having much faith in your daughter. Maybe she will surprise you!

My DD moved to London last year and in a similar situation. Money is tight but her and her friends are all in the same position so they do fun things together that don't cost the earth. She's loving London life and is glad she made the jump from our rural village
Be careful on spare room as she found it to be full of scammers. There is a Facebook group called Gals who rent which she used to find a room.
My only other comment would be to be wary of signing a rental contract if her employment is only guaranteed until March. She may be able to find a room where she is taking over someone else's contract that has less than a year left to run as you don't want her stuck in a contract with no income after March.
The room share situation in London is very fluid and people are moving all the time so it's quite common.

@Memorybear

When does the contract start, OP? I'm assuming September.

I was struck by your mention of Bloomsbury, as that would be ideal, the area being so full of young people attending UCL, SOAS, RADA, etc.

My one worry would be the logistics of securing a room in a shared house in an area where there is such immense demand, especially if she isn't in a position to rush round on the day the vacancy appears.

When I moved to London many years ago to work in Whitehall, the Civil Service placed me in a hostel in South Kensington; it was full of young women who had just moved to London to work and study.

The organisation which ran it still exists; they have a cluster of hostels on the northern perimeter of Hyde Park as well as the South Ken one and I wonder whether one of the Hyde Park ones would be suitable. Getting to work should be easy and she would have easy access to the Park during her time off.

https://lhalondon.com/lha-living/young-people/

Which business sector does she work in, by the way? There may be a relevant professional body which has regular meetings for young members in London, which she might enjoy.

It’s going to be a tight, OP (that is coming from a Londer)! It would be great if you can help her a bit (that is if you can afford it). It is going to be stressful to stretch her pay for the month, though it’s only for a short term. I think it’s lovely that you are thinking about your child. Yes, she is an adult but still your child.

Yes! After tax/travel loan etc, I lived on £1000 per month for my first year in London in 2001. It was tricky, but I found a bedsit near Putney for a few months and then lived in a hose share with a girl I met at work. She should definitely ask around her new office if anyone has any spare rooms in a house share.
Good luck to her!

This is tight but fairly standard.

Am I missing something?! If rent and bills are £800 and travel is £200, she has £1k a month left. Why does anyone think that £250 a week for food, clothes and fun (plus a bit into savings) is tight?! (Yes I live in London). Even if the room is £1000 that’s still £200 a week spare.

Very tight. Zona 1-3 is a bit unrealistic. I lived in Croydon West, zone 6 but 20 min commute. That would save money. She'll have a cracking time though.

She should do it! I started in London on £15k (about £1000 a month, rent for a room in a houseshare was £400) in 2000, aged 22. Yes it was tight financially, but I had a brilliant time. Lots of free stuff and she can go round to mates' places for a few beers rather than going out to bars the whole time. If she hates it she can move away again.

JFC just give it a rest @HowIrresponsible

Just to add - I’ve just shown DD your comments and she burst out laughing. ‘What a weirdo’ were her actual words 😂😂

Don't stoop to her level @Memorybear!

Thanks BIWI, you’re absolutely correct. We come from a family where we all try and support one another. We’ve got 3 children, all adults, 2 have left home and they live happily in their own homes. They had financial and practical support and help from us all along. They don’t need the financial help any longer but practically and emotionally we’re always there for them and they are for us.
They were always grateful for it and as a result we all have a great relationship.
Pisses me off when people assume things incorrectly. It’s just pure nastiness, just for the sake of it.