Watford, Hemel Hempstead or Aylesbury?

[WatfordHemelAylesbury]

Which would you choose to live? 2 DCs. One is a baby and one is summer born and turns 3 this year so have we missed the boat for reception at school or is that next year? Not sure what schools are like. DH has landed a job around there and has been working away the past 6 months and now we're planning to join him.
He needs to be on that line within commuting distance of his work.
I'm angling towards Watford so I have the best chance of finding a job as I'm a qualified teacher (no NQT yet... long story) and work best with disadvantaged inner city kids, but would we be better getting something further out, eg Aylesbury and a little bigger for our money?
We plan to rent for 6-12 months before buying so a) I can get a job to improve our mortgage prospects and b) so we can sell our current house in Ireland.
Our rent budget is about 1400 PCM and our house buying budget is about 450k based on current salary (am currently on maternity from self employment).

Just wanted to add to avoid confusion I qualified as a teacher in England so I don't need to re-register etc but I can't do supply until I've done my NQT as I qualified in 2013 (I've looked up the latest rule change).

Watford is a nicer area with better transport links, there are some good local schools. Out of the three I would (and did) choose to live in Watford.

I know the other two fairly well in terms of location and amenities bur not schools so can't comment on those.

If you do go for Hemel try Boxmoor

@Mysteryuser thanks I'd love to be able to look around but I'm currently living in Ireland. I used to know the areas quite well as we lived in a refuge in one of them for a while before being rehoused elsewhere, but that was 20 years ago when I was a teenager. Am hoping to have a bit of a nosey when we go over to visit DH in the summer. DH said he went to Hemel last weekend and thought the town centre was quite run down, which surprised me because I always viewed it as quite a nice place (with a great market? Might be mis-remembering) but that was ages ago, so now I'm questioning what I know about all of them! I am worried about the selective schools system in Bucks, as DC1 has SEN and while he might catch up, I don't want to move/get settled etc then find out our only options aren't right for him and that all his mates are going to a school he can't access.

@Magenta82 thanks that was my gut feeling, but I didn't know if my childhood dreams of moving to North London were clouding my judgement. I'd like the children to have lots of opportunities to play and do activities.

@Sleepingsatellite1 thanks! Will take a look as I hadn't heard of that one.

@Sleepingsatellite1 oh wow, I've just looked up Boxmoor on Maps/Street View, it looks gorgeous! And ideally located near the station!

I agree, it is the nicest part of Hemel.

There are some rough parts of Watford as well so make sure you research first.

If I could afford it I'd choose Croxley Green, all the good parts of Watford but a much nicer area.

Nice primary and secondary school there too.

I agree with that too ☺️

Thanks, I'll add it to the list of places to look at.

Presumably you want to be on main line into Euston? Or would Met be an alternative?

I know Watford, Croxley and Hemel pretty well. Of the 3, I think Croxley is best by far. There are good and not so good parts of Watford and Hemel. Boxmoor is lovely.

DH works in Tring, so I think it's the Euston line we need, but he'll be going in the opposite direction to everyone else. I'm probably looking at working in the other direction as that seems to be where TES thinks the teaching jobs are. Balancing it so the commute is reasonable is the conundrum. I liked the look of Hemel as it has an ice rink and I'm a keen skater but I don't like the time it'll add if I end up working further in.

Kings Langley is a nice village on that line

Look on Teach in Herts for local teaching jobs- plenty in Watford!

@Twilightstarbright oh brill, thanks!
@Sleepingsatellite1 I've seen some nice houses there, I'll add it to the list of possibles.

Why not look in Tring or Berkhamsted? You would get a decent enough house in Aylesbury but Tring and Berkhamsted are much nicer. Boxmoor is a residential area with no centre as such. HH centre isn’t great in my view. Berkhamsted is really much nicer. The station is central. Decent enough centre. Lots to do locally and good schools. Would definitely choose it over Watford.

Schools in Aylesbury will be within reach for a job. You might find one or two are a challenge!

Agree with this Berkhampsted is 1000x nicer than HH, Watford or Aylesbury.

So you qualified as a teacher in 2013 but haven't done an NQT year year? Shouldn't this be your firST thing to worry about? Has the curriculum changed since then?

Berko is nice BUT parking is shit and traffic is very busy. Aylesbury and Hemel are more diverse and real.

Aylesbury is in Bucks, so a grammar are, do bear this in mind.

My Dad lives in Tring. I'd move there in a shot if I had the budget. Lovely outlying villages too. I have family in Hemel and can also say Boxmoor is really nice. Also Berkhamstead. Has a decent high street too.

Villages around Tring/Berko are lovely, a world away from HH or Watford. Also look at villages between Tring and Aylesbury? If train line is important, beware that Aylesbury isn't the same line (it goes into Marylebone and is slower - Tring and Berko go through HH and Watford into Euston).

Berkhamstead is very expensive - definitely not a place offering a family home for £450k. What about looking north of Tring towards Beds - Dunstable is much more affordable?

A budget of £450k doesn’t go very far in the SE!

@Poopootatty
It would in Aylesbury! That’s the dilemma isn’t it?

Bucks has many schools that are not grammars! Aylesbury is more diverse but the centre is crap despite a Waitrose! It’s a sad shadow of its former days. If DH works in Tring there are areas where £450,000 will buy a decent enough house. But yes, nicer areas might be out of reach.,

I used to live in St Albans and know Thing, Berkhampstead, HH and Watford quite well. I think Berkhampstead is out of your budget, Tring you could maybe just about do and it's safe and lovely, especially with little children. HH you can definitely afford but it is nowhere near as nice as B and T. I always felt quite uncomfortable in HH, lots of big groups of teens roaming around, town center quite deprived looking etc. Watford you can afford and it has the best transport links, and there are some OK areas, and some that are really rough. It's bigger though, so much more stuff to do.

They are begging for teachers in Herts schools - plenty of unqualified teachers doing the job - I doubt someone without an NQT year would be snubbed.