AIBU to ask you to tell me where I should move to?

[theukismyoyster]

I am a medical student about to start my final year of university in September.

In our final year of university, we have to rank where in the country we would like to have our first job out of uni as a doctor.
(The better you do in your final exams, the higher the chance that you get given the region you've ranked highest.)

The UK is divided up into twenty regions for ranking purposes, which this map shows.

However, there are so many regions on that map that I have got no idea about in terms of what it is like to live there! So I thought I'd ask the lovely people of Mumsnet.

Perhaps you think the area you live is the best place in the UK or perhaps there's an area in the UK you wish you could move to that you could suggest to me?

Important points:
-I will be 26 years old, and I have no children and no partner, so I have no particular part of the country that I need to be.
-I am at university in London currently and would quite like to experience somewhere other than London.
-I cannot and will not be able to drive for medical reasons, so a region with good public transport links within it is vital.
-Someone I could afford to buy a house in one day would be great!

• You rank the regions, but don't get to pick which city/town within the region at this stage, so a region with lots of lovely towns/cities in would be ideal, rather than a region with one great town but the rest awful.

If you were me and the UK was your oyster (apart from needing good public transport), where in the UK would you rank first and why?

Are the deanery going to take into account that you can't drive when allocating hospital rotations? If not I think you can write off large swathes of the country based on public transport links.

It’ll have to be somewhere with good public transport then. So if you don’t want to stay in London, a large city area in the Midlands, Yorkshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Sussex maybe.

If you can't drive OP, you're stuck with West Midlands central or London as part of all the other regions have poor transport links, especially late at night/early morning.

Australia. I’d never work in the NHS for what they pay.

The south-west/Devon. Good public transport in Exeter and good rail links.

If you went to Greater Manchester region, which has lots of jobs, & lived in central Manchester, it could probably work for foundation training. But I think you would be likely to struggle for specialist training.

Will they take into account that you’re unable to drive for medical reasons when allocating your hospital(s)? If not then I’d stick with London as otherwise I think there’s a good chance you could ended up somewhere outside of a city with crap public transport.

I think I would go for a northern city so 6/7/20 ...If the area wasnt all of scotland would suggest there as some great cities!

Go North but to a city with a good teaching hospital. There are some lovely rural areas of the country but hopeless for your career development and for public transport.

A previous poster is wrong to say you can only work in Lonfon it Birmingham due to transport! Leeds, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow all have decent public transport. More rurally you would be dependent on taxis but not if you had accommodation on the hospital site (grim, I know).

I’d go to Scotland if the uk was my oyster.

Definitely North if you want to buy a house! Although being in a major city might bump up house prices, you’ll still be better off than a city in the South and the cost of living overall will be lower

@Expressedways no, they won't take that into account!

@sophystantonlacy oops didn't see your post, no it's not taken into account!

The south-west/Devon. Good public transport in Exeter and good rail links.

Is this a joke?

The south west is my home, I love it dearly but as she doesn't get to pick where in the area (ie which city) the south west is the last place I'd want to be (in fact I moved out of it for similar reasons!). Hospitals are often in isolated areas and where I worked and lived was an hour commute by car (outside of Exeter to Taunton) or two hours by train and then you'd have to get a bus to the hospital.

Cornwall would be even worse.

The south west is some of the worst areas of public transport ever!

The east mids is lovely and so far my experience of major hospitals and public transport has been excellent. I live between notts and derby and can easily get to either hospital by bus and tram (notts). All night or day as well.

I'm a nurse so get the irregular hours etc!!

I live in Suffolk and love it, both Suffolk and Norfolk are lovely but probably better transport in Suffolk

Leeds. Newcastle. James cook hospital Teesside.

South East has lots of teaching hospitals that are easily accessible by public transport but obviously living costs and housing will be pricier.

I can’t imagine being 26, single, serious health condition (epilepsy?) and happy to move anywhere.

What about friends???

You lot are brilliant! Making me think of things I'd never have thought of, thank you!

Scotland, property is much better value. Lots of good hospitals.

@bogglesgoggles I had a feeling someone might say Australia haha!

There is fuck all transport in Suffolk. I would suggest if not London then somewhere like Cambridge. You really need to look at any City. Both in the sense of good transport links and also the hospitals will have a better variety of things to expose you to. Equally they tend to have better funding with equipment. Don't go out into the sticks until you have a family and it's more convenient.

I'd go for Leeds, Newcastle, Manchester, Edinburgh or Glasgow!

@lovemenorca The temptation to stay where my friends are is certainly there, but doing so would be staying very firmly in my comfort zone without even considering what life could have in store for me out there! Worst comes to worst I move back closer after a few years, but i feel this opportunity to go start my life anywhere is one I ought to to give a go (before kids etc make that more difficult!)

What about friends???

Um, you make new ones .