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[frenchgirl]

To make a long and dull story short, I have an (actual not hypothetical) opportunity to commit to a one-year academic post in central London for 2009-2010 but the pay is only c.£25,000 and I currently do not live in the area. Is this at all feasible if one works 24-7 and doesn't shop or expect to live the high life?

I would really like this post, and the opportunities it would afford, but I am concerned about finding a place to stay and being able to pay rent/eat for 12 months. I don't want to actually move to London per se but rather find a flat or someplace furnished where I can camp well, so to speak, for the year. I have a partner who would be visiting me for long periods of time but not all of the time, so small is not a problem.

I tried sabbaticalhomes.uk but couldn't find anything less than £395 per week. Is there something I am missing? Just don't want to go through the whole thing of renting a place, setting up elec., buying a TV license and all that for a limited period of time and on pretty meagre pay!

[expatinuk]

There are plenty of threads about living in London on low pay. Fact of the matter is that you will have difficulty in existing... not living... on 25K. You can only do it if you live like a student and live in shared student type accomodation.

[scotia]

To echo what expat has said - on £25K your only accommodation option is likely to be a room in a shared flat/house. One of my friends moved to London nearly a year ago and even earning £35K could not afford a place on her own.

[secretweapon]

The people I know who live in London on 25k pay about 500 a month to live in shared flats in non-central locations (which doesn't necessarily mean 'bad' locations - for example, some live in Greenwich and find it quite pleasant).  Of course, if you move further afield you are also paying more for transport - a travelcard will probably be about 140 per month.  If your take-home pay is in the region of 1400-1500 a month, it's going to be tight.  But it can be done - the big challenge is finding a group of nice, like-minded professionals to live with.  You probably won't find this kind of property on Sabbatical Homes.  Word of mouth would be your best bet - ask the people hiring you if they can put you in touch with other department members in a similar position who could advise.

[wegie]

I tried sabbaticalhomes.uk but couldn't find anything less than £395 per week. Is there something I am missing? Just don't want to go through the whole thing of renting a place, setting up elec., buying a TV license and all that for a limited period of time and on pretty meagre pay!

sabbaticalhomes seems to be aimed at people who only want to spend a few weeks in London doing research and don't mind paying through the nose for it. £395 per week is what we're now paying for a two bedroom cottage in one of the most expensive bits of London!

Go through your university accommodation office or to rightmove.co.uk or findaproperty.com and the prices will come down significantly. In particular, check to see if your institution has a separate property list for postgraduates and post-docs, quite a lot of places do.

[frenchgirl]

Thanks very much for the information. I am starting to feel pretty depressed about this post. The opportunity is great, but the pay is crap, and if it wasn't in London, I wouldn't have to worry so much about  whether or not to take it. Looks like I will need to do more research before deciding . . . I may sound unrealistic, but I have no desire to share a house with strangers at this point in my life (30s). Early 20s would have been no problem but now not so keen on such arrangements. Would rather live in a closet, as long as it is my own closet.

[expatinuk]

Would rather live in a closet, as long as it is my own closet.

Darn near impossible to find a closet in London on a 25k salary.

[secretweapon]

Thanks very much for the information. I am starting to feel pretty depressed about this post. The opportunity is great, but the pay is crap, and if it wasn't in London, I wouldn't have to worry so much about  whether or not to take it. Looks like I will need to do more research before deciding . . . I may sound unrealistic, but I have no desire to share a house with strangers at this point in my life (30s). Early 20s would have been no problem but now not so keen on such arrangements. Would rather live in a closet, as long as it is my own closet.

1.  Are you certain the London allowance is included?  Maybe there is another couple of thousand available.
2.  Can you share your concerns with the people hiring you, and ask if they have any suggestions?  (maybe there is campus housing, but it is a well-kept secret?  Or maybe they happen to know someone going on sabbatical who needs a housesitter)?
3.  Is there anyway to spend less time in London and save money?  For example, move out in the summer and work from home? 

[wegie]

Would rather live in a closet, as long as it is my own closet.

Bloody difficult in London. D'you really want to live in a studio in Acton or Leytonstone? Because that's what you'll get on £500 a month.

[alwaysanon]

Coming in late to this... but if you don't mind a commute on the Tube, it's actually pretty easy to find a decent place in London for cheapish. Not 500, but 7-800/month is certainly doable. We used to live a ways up the Northern line (great links to central London, less than a half hour's journey) and paid less than 1000/month for a nice 2-bedroom flat less than 5 minutes from the Tube station. Friends of ours rent a 2-bed flat in Neasden for 850/month. Look on findaproperty.co.uk, but also look on gumtree.com, and check in with estate agencies that specialise in rentals. We found Winkworths (winkworths.co.uk) especially good.

You won't be rich by any means but you'll certainly be able to survive and even thrive on 25k. And the Tube is great for reading!

[empyrean_aisles]

Look on findaproperty.co.uk, but also look on gumtree.com

Please be careful with gumtree. I'm sure there are honest & ethical people selling things and renting out properties on it, but there are also a helluva lot of scams. I knew of two people - both with graduate degrees - who were scammed out of several thousand pounds on an apartment rental that looked legit but in fact wasn't. Be cautious and very alert and always check references.

Good luck on the househunting!

[drpud]

We found Winkworths (winkworths.co.uk) especially good.

I'm also facing the prospect of living in the capital on crap pay (under 30k) so thanks very much for this Winkworths link, alwaysanon. I've checked it out and it seems that if one is willing to live outside the city proper there are (some) moderately priced looking flats. Of course, looking at pictures online and seeing them in person is always a different story.

Does anyone have any suggestions about childcare in London?

[wegie]

Does anyone have any suggestions about childcare in London?

According to everyone I know, staying childless is your best option . . .

Failing that, the list runs in order:

• Marry somebody either wealthy enough to pay for a nanny or with a career that lets them stay at home
• Creche at your university. Almost always cheapest and best organized option. Be prepared to murder, lie and steal your way to the top of the waiting list
• Creche affiliated with your university, but not actually the university creche -- a few places have agreements with local companies as well as running their own creche
• Local private creche -- runs the gamut from amazing to awful. Prices in London run from extortionate upwards
• Local childminder -- variable quality, but usually cheaper than a private creche
• Local authority creche

[erikjensen]

Thanks very much for the information. I am starting to feel pretty depressed about this post. The opportunity is great, but the pay is crap, and if it wasn't in London, I wouldn't have to worry so much about  whether or not to take it. Looks like I will need to do more research before deciding . . . I may sound unrealistic, but I have no desire to share a house with strangers at this point in my life (30s). Early 20s would have been no problem but now not so keen on such arrangements. Would rather live in a closet, as long as it is my own closet.

If it is only a one year positions, then you might find it worth it to take the position even if you actually come out a financial loser. I took a one year position in the London area at about 32k with my employer covering half rent which is a better deal than yours, but I have three dependents. The only items of clothing we could really afford were a couple school uniforms for my daughter, we went out to eat only a couple times, and we nearly froze in the winter to save on heating. But most weekends were filled with free or nearly free (yearly memberships) things we couldn't see anywhere else: museums, palaces, cathedrals, gardens, exploring neighborhoods, etc. And when we had a week off, there was always RyanAir or EasyJet to take us to some place sunnier and cheaper. I certainly couldn't make a career of it, but it was worth doing. If all you end up doing is working, riding the tube, and eating beans on toast in your miserable flat, then it's probably not worth it!