If you’ve noticed that an overwhelming number of placements are based in London and you're starting to freak out about the prospect of moving to the big city, this blog post is for you. As someone who definitely had reservations about moving to London, I hope I can calm your nerves a bit and share some useful information about the capital while still keeping things real.
I do want to start by saying that if you feel very strongly about not spending your placement year in London, you absolutely do not have to! There are plenty of amazing options across the UK and abroad to suit everyone; however, don't pass on a placement you find interesting just because you’re unsure about the change in environment.
House hunting: buildings are taller than just 2 floors here! 😯
Now, if your only experience of the UK housing market is looking for a second-year house in Bath, London will grant you a very different experience. I found it very stressful that, unlike Bath, I couldn’t start looking for a place about 9 months before starting placement, but I might just be too eager. Regardless, the London housing market, in my experience, moves a lot quicker. What I mean by that is that houses come up when their previous tenants terminate their contract, and landlords tend to look for people who want to move in within a month. The contract process also tends to be very quick, making places disappear fast; I think it took me literally one week from enquiring about my current flat to having everything signed. For this reason, I would recommend being open to moving in a few weeks before your placement actually starts so that if anything goes wrong (knock on wood) you won’t be homeless once work begins.
For international students, as you know, you will need a UK guarantor to be able to rent a place. This is usually very common knowledge in Bath, and guarantor companies are widely accepted, though this is not always the case in London, so make sure to tell the agents as soon as possible! In some cases, if you are living with a mate who has a UK guarantor, landlords might allow you to live in the property as a ‘permitted occupier’ while the other tenant’s guarantor covers both of you. (However, keep in mind not everyone will be comfortable with that arrangement and be sensible about it).
In terms of viewing properties, most agencies will be happy to give you a virtual tour rather than you having to go into London to view every place; this is very helpful, especially if you are an international student who is home for the summer, so take advantage of it!
Speaking of agents, be conscientious and don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Do not take anything as 100% set in stone until there is a signed contract because, even if you have paid a holding deposit, there is always a chance it may fall through (it happened to me). Unless you decide to hire an agent for yourself, remember most real estate agents are loyal to the landlords, which means they might not give you all the information and might not always have your best interests at heart. Because of this, make sure you are initiating communication FREQUENTLY: be naggy, ask questions, call them rather than email, ask for updates, and do not let it go silent.
The websites I found most useful when searching for accommodation: https://www.rightmove.co.uk/ https://www.zoopla.co.uk/ https://www.openrent.co.uk/
Transport: the world is your oyster (card)
After coming to London, I don’t think I’ll ever complain about the Bath £2 bus tickets (though really it is still a bit of a scam). London has a very extensive (and expensive) public transport network managed by TFL (Transport for London), including buses, the Underground, the Overground and national rail (the Southeastern and Southern lines). The city is also divided into Zones, which determine how expensive your travel will be, depending on how many zones you are crossing. If you know you'll be using train services frequently (Underground, Overground, or National Rail), I highly recommend getting an Oyster card and purchasing a railcard for the year, which costs around £30. This will provide you with ⅓ off train travel during off-peak times: 9:30 am - 3:59 pm and 7 pm - 6:30 am on weekdays and all day on weekends/ bank holidays. Keep in mind that the discount doesn't apply to bus travel; however, the overall daily cap will be reduced, and bus trips count towards it if you use your Oyster card.
Step-by-step guide on how to use the railcard for TFL:
- Purchase a railcard on the Trainline app/ website (check UniDays for discounts)
- Purchase an Oyster card online or at an Underground/ Overground station
- Register your Oyster card online, making it specific to yourself (if you purchase it online, it should be done automatically)
- Speak to a worker at an Underground/ Overground station and ask them to link your railcard to your Oyster card
- Charge your Oyster card on the TFL app or at an Underground/ Overground station
- Enjoy your discount 🙂
Safety: when I said I wanted to be snatched, I didn’t mean my phone…
London can definitely feel very intimidating and scary compared to Bath, which is a very small and quiet city. I must admit it freaked me out a little bit at first (and still does sometimes). To ensure you stay safe, I would suggest doing some research on the area you plan to live in and choosing one which seems to fit your needs. For example, I knew I would be travelling home late some nights, so to me it was important not to have to walk very far from the train station, but for others it might be more valuable to live in a quieter area away from main transport hubs, which tend to attract higher crime rates.
In terms of walking around in London, the atmosphere is quite busy in most places, which makes me feel safer; however, this also translates to higher pickpocketing incidents, especially phone snatching. This is probably the most prevalent form of crime in London; if you haven’t heard of it, it basically consists of people riding past you on bikes and quickly grabbing your phone as they ride away. To prevent it, I would suggest being quite aware of your surroundings, especially of bike lanes in busy streets, and being conscious of when you are taking your phone out. I know for a lot of us, picking up our phones from our pockets or bags when it buzzes is second nature, though I would recommend becoming more aware of this reflex so that you are less vulnerable to phone-snatchers. I try to minimise how often I check my phone when I’m out and, when I do, I try to do it away from the road, holding it firmly and staying aware of passers-by. Some people also purchase phone cases with some sort of band or lanyard attached to it so that if someone tries to snatch it, the phone will be physically attached to your body and harder to steal.
Entertainment/ social life: seven Great British Pounds for a pint?!
London's inflated prices are no joke; the average pub will genuinely charge you seven quid for a pint (and that’s probably one of the cheaper ones). This might make it seem hard to connect and make new friends since any outing seems to cost an arm and a leg; however, it’s important you maintain some sort of social interaction in order to not go insane during placement. If you really cannot afford to spend any money on leisure activities (which is valid), I would suggest going sightseeing in London; you are in a new city after all, so why not take advantage of it? There are lots of touristy areas you can visit for free, like Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace exterior (go on Monday, Wednesday or Friday at 11 am to see the Changing of the Guard), Tower Bridge, Piccadilly Circus, Hyde Park and Chinatown. Speaking of Chinatown, if you fancy a dinner out and like Asian food, this might be a good place to explore, as you are usually able to find reasonably priced and yummy food. If that isn’t really your thing, it is always a safe bet that there will be a Wetherspoon’s close enough with their lovely low prices.
If you are struggling with making friends while on placement, I would highly recommend joining some sort of sports team or group. Nothing makes you get close to someone faster than sweating profusely together a few times a week, right? You don’t need to be a sports prodigy to join a team either; there are plenty of recreational and social sports teams around London for whatever tickles your fancy. You can literally do something as simple as go to a workout class at your local PureGym to meet some new people.
Well, there you have it. Is this the best ever London-living guide? Definitely not. However, it includes some of the stuff I wish I had known about before moving here. If you are looking to move to London, I hope this was somewhat helpful, and if you were a bit sceptical, I hope I’ve somehow helped demystify the city a little. Good luck!
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