To ask about working and living in Central London?

[QuestionableMouse]

I'm a northern girl through and through. Longest I've spent down south is two weeks when I was on holiday 😂.

I'm registered with Debut which is a graduate role matching app.

99% of the job I'm matching with are in Central London and to be honest, the thought of living and working in such a big city scares the pants off me. (I currently live in a small village and work/go to uni in Sunderland, for context.)

I'm a mature student (also for context!)

Please can you share your experiences and any advice?

Thank you!

London is massive but it also has lots of trains, the tube etc.

A lot of people have their career in central London but commute from a more peaceful location. For example, we're in a very leafy and quiet location within walking distance to the green belt countryside but it's zone 5 for transport & DH even cycles to work some days.

You could also live properly rurally but then it gets more expensive for commuting and can take quite a while.

Some people are happy just living near a big park but coming from the countryside, you'd probably find them too full of people to be able to relax.

You get used to it. I get a packed tube across London every day. Even the pavements are so packed you can’t move. But lots of nice restaurants and there are plenty of nice places to live with trees and parks. And it’s reasonably easy to make good money. Just don’t end up somewhere where you have to get the central line.

London is really a collection of villages, each with its own character, rather than a homogenous blob

In many ways, London is a series of small towns or villages, particularly the further into the suburbs you get. You don’t have to live in central London (and honestly, you’re unlikely to be able to afford to anyway, it’s incredibly expensive). The best thing you could do would be to visit for a couple of days and have a wander around. Get off the tourist routes, visit some places in zones 2/3/4 with big parks or galleries or museums to guide your direction.

It can feel overwhelming at first but you honestly do get used to it. London has pockets of calm and peace even in very central areas, and it’s also a very walkable and green city.

Lived in London my whole life but my DH is from a sleepy town in Scotland. Stark differences but London has so many different areas that you can find parts of it that you will love. It is busy but if you live in a zone 2-5 suburban area then you should have more peace during weekends and evenings.

To be honest I love London and think it’s worth living here even for a little while for the experience.

I don’t think it’s a problem that you are a mature student either - quite easy to meet people if you want to.

I work in the ‘city’ and I live in Shoreditch which is fairly central. I moved here at 17 from a very small and quiet town in Nottinghamshire.

I settled in really quickly, even now I still plenty of new places to go and new experiences.

London is an incredible place to live and work. Don't rule it out from fear or uncertainty. Equally, it's not for everyone and it can be lonely to feel isolated in a big city.
Do you know anyone in London to stay with for a test, or to stay with at first if you move here to start work while you look for a home?
Home situation will depend on your budget but as an example, I live reasonably central but next to two parks so I have the benefit of being in a city with an immediate surrounding of nature.
Other options, as others have mentioned, live outside London and commute in, and/or ask about flexible working options of a new job - so many places will have working from home available for example, which makes living elsewhere and commuting part of the week more bearable.
I've lived in London for 25 years and still love it!
But also, there must be so many graduate opportunities elsewhere (depending what subject you are graduating in). Try registering with other recruiters, for example, look up the civil service jobs site - there are jobs located over the country including in the north.
Good luck!

lived and worked in London years ago for 2 years, surrounded by thousands of people, all going somewhere, it was the loneliest 2 years of my life.. socialised with my workmates last Friday (payday) of every month, it was the only fun I had.

I've worked all over the world, London was the loneliest.

I've lived in 30 places and moved to London once the children went to Uni. Best place by far (and I've lived in Sunderland!)

It's all a village, I live in the 1960s about 3 miles from central London - I have a library, greengrocers, butchers, library diy shop, chippy, launderette all 2 minutes from my house.

I grew up in London and have lived here all my adult life, except for going away to university.

I live very centrally, within walking distance of a zone 1 station. It's expensive and busy, and not for everyone, but I love the vibe and convenience. There's always something to do, and I like to make the most of the galleries and museums here.

One good thing about living centrally is that there are multiple stations and bus routes nearby, so I'm never stuck for transport even in a tube strike/rail strike/road closures. So I'd consider living somewhere that has a few different options for transport, rather than relying on one station that gets you into central London quickly (but leaves you with no options if there's a problem on that route).

You don't have to live too far out to get a quieter feel - I have friends living in zone 2 or 3 and their streets are very quiet - once you get away from the station/high streets it's often just residential streets, the same as anywhere else.

It's very common for people to flatshare even with professional jobs and in their 30s/40s here, so I don't think being a mature student will be a problem. Partly for financial reasons, but also for social reasons too.

I agree that living in London is the loneliest I've ever been. I hated it. It's definitely not a collection of villages, unless you've never been to a village. It's an urban sprawl. What green spaces there are are packed with people. But then I think I'm built for wide open countryside and fresh air. Some people love it.

I am a northerner. I live and work in central London. I love it here especially being so central but some people find the lack of space and frantic pace of life difficult, if you do then you can live in the suburbs and spend more time and money travelling.

I have lived in London for over 25 years. Some bits are edgy and grimy and others are quieter and greener. I lived in heart of Camden Town when I was a student and now live in a leafy bit of Zone 3. I love it. Central London is busy and crowded but you adapt. It is likely you won’t live in the centre unless you are minted so you can pick somewhere a bit further out that is less busy if you don’t like crowds.
I would give it a try, you might have had enough after two years or you might stay 20.

I think it's fun when you're young, especially if you have enough money to enjoy it. However, it's unlikely on a graduate salary that you will be able to afford to actually live in central London, it's more likely that you'll work there and then commute to zone 3/4 to live.

Best career move ever. Loads of interesting people. Fun bars and restaurants. Career opportunity’s and networking events constantly. Make sure you research your area for living and find a nice village vibe. For example Camden might not be right but somewhere further out and quoted might be better

I live in the 1960s about 3 miles from central London

That's one way to avoid some of the traffic congestion, and it must make it easier to stay in touch with elderly relatives

London is awesome ! Depending on whether you'll be sharing accommodation etc and how particular you are, you can readily live no further out than zone 2. My lovely niece on NMW happily lives in zone 2

There is so much to do in London and for free, museums, galleries, markets, parks

I live rurally in a village where people say hello to each other.

Over the summer we visited London and hated it. Its not a cluster of villages. Its a city, with people ignoring one and other. Heads down, doing their business.

I’ll stick to my happy quiet village.

(She's just moved from zone 1, Elephant & Castle, to zone 2)

You,can always get your starter job in London and move out in a couple of years if you don't gel with London

I have lived in central London since I was 18 yold. I used to love it. Now I am beginning to loathe it. We are planning to leave in the next 5 years.

Thank you for all the replies!

I have an aunt and cousin who live in London but don't have much contact with them (their choice).

Honestly Sunderland sometimes feels too big to me so I'm worried I wouldn't cope with London. Hate crowds and congestion but some of the jobs sound amazing so I'm looking into it.

Can someone please explain the zones to me in small words? I did Google it but I'm more confused now than when I started!

I'm definitely not minted!

London can be pretty unfriendly. I’ve lived here all my life and always notice how much friendlier people are elsewhere, particularly ‘up north’. But underneath it’s a great place, so much diversity, people from all over the world coexisting more or less peacefully.

Basically central London is zone 1. Then moving outwards in rings, zones 2-6 are the main zones although I think some places go out to 9 or 10. Travelling anywhere that includes zone 1 is the most extensive, ditto living there. Property prices are also affected by which side of London you are, e.g. I live in zone 5 to the east, which is much cheaper than zone 5 to the west.

You should definitely look at where in London you would be working, if you are planning to commute in. No point living in Kent (say) if your office is near Paddington, as the cross- town tube journey could add an hour.

QuestionableMouse you will hate it! Don't go.

The public transport zones enable you to gauge roughly how far somewhere is from central London (the busiest part with most of the tourist attractions, social life and jobs). Zone 1 is in the centre. Zone 2 is adjacent. Zone 6 is furthest, a good 30 minute ride on a train.

Here's a map:
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