Going to London with 900 quid

Young Blood

What should I do first? Rent a room or shack up in a hostel until I find a job?

rainbow kirby

Save up more before you go. You'll burn through 900 quid so fast you won't believe it.

Cool_CM

I'd imagine that you should look into a job before you go and try to crash with somebody at the start, 900 isn't going to last very long when you're starting out in a new city.

Asaiah

900 quid will get you a room+deposit IF you're lucky. You will then have no money to live.

I moved over with 3000 sterling and I had a job to start 2 weeks later. I found it extremely tight, by the time I got my first pay cheque 6 weeks after moving I was skint. London is insanely expensive compared to Dublin.

Bottom line is save save save. You are not ready to move to London with 900 pound, if you think you are then you are in for a rude awakening.

frag420

Nothing more to add, the advise above is the best you will get!

I had 2k moving over but thankfully I was able to stay with relatives for a couple of months first otherwise that would have vanished fast!!

KeithTS

Sterling or Euro?
Neither will get you very far but the former would be nicer.
That'll get you a room for a month but you'll probably need a heftier amount as your 1st month is typically one month plus 6 weeks deposit.

To break it down, my deposit (for a double room in a shared flat) was £900 a couple of years back so expect to pay more these days. the rental situation in London is even worse than Dublin and on top of your rent/deposit you may also need to fork out another £200+ (a friend just paid £450) in agency fees.

What industry are you hoping to find work in?
When working you'll need a National Insurance no. which they probably won't but can refuse to issue if you don't have work lined up.
Without that you'll be working for cash in hand, that'll naturally pay less if you can get it.

If you're really in a hurry you'll most definitely need more in the bank. If you're smart about it you should be able to line something up and then move. It's a tough enough town, there's work there and money to be made in certain fields but the idea that you can stroll off a plane, find an apartment and a job in a couple of days is so far beyond naive it's encroaching on the realms of stupidity.

Do some research, if you have any questions come back and let us know, I'm sure people here are more than willing to help.

the_syco

€900 would be probably less than $700

Dorms with other random people would be £6-£15, and you'll be also paying for food. As most hostels won't have facilities, you won't be able to store food, so will be spending a lot on takeaways.

If you don't even have a job lined up, I'd say save more before heading over, and then look into renting a room.

BrokenArrows

the_syco wrote: »

€900 would be probably less than $700

Dorms with other random people would be £6-£15, and you'll be also paying for food. As most hostels won't have facilities, you won't be able to store food, so will be spending a lot on takeaways.

If you don't even have a job lined up, I'd say save more before heading over, and then look into renting a room.

For £15 you would end up sharing with more than 10 people.

You will burn though €900 before you know it.

Assuming you decide to stay in a hostel and share a large room with 10-15 others for £15 a night then you're paying £450 for accommodation in your first month.

£5 per day on food minimum is £150 if you cook everything and be super cheap.

That leaves you with £100 which you will spend on travel to move about the city looking for a job.

And assuming you get a job on day 1, you might not get paid for a whole month.

If you really want to do it then do your self a favour and make sure you have a whole bunch of interviews lined up before you get here.