A Brief Guide On Moving To London

London is one of the most popular emigration destinations in the world, and appeals to people of all ages, backgrounds and interests. Growing up in Australia London always seemed like such an exciting place to live so I knew it would eventually end up as my home one day.

When I moved here back in 2006 it was definitely a steep learning curve applying for visas and generally organising my life in order to move to the other side of the world, and for some this can seem really overwhelming at times (I know it did for me!) so I want to share this brief guide with anyone thinking of making the move.

• Apply For A UK Visa

Finding out you are not eligible for a UK visa is definitely a deal breaker, so as soon as you decide you want to move to London make sure you read through the different visas categories and their eligibility’s as soon as possible. The UK has many different kinds of visas, so there is bound to be one for you, but before you plan any further make sure you are confident that your visa application will be approved. You can read my Guide To Visas For The UK for more information.

• Book A Flight

Depending on where you are moving from, you are probably going to need a flight to arrive in London, and the earlier you book, the better. There are a number of cheap carriers flying into London – Ryanair, Air Asia and Easyjet to name the most popular, so it’s worth checking their websites out along with other travel deal sites like travelzoo and skyscanner to find the best deal.

As a general rule flights will be more expensive over the summer months (June – August) so take this into account when booking.

• Apply For A Job

Some people move to London to further their careers, while some move in order to travel and work their way through Europe. Either way, you’re probably going to need a job (unless you’re one of the lucky few who don’t!) to support yourself. London jobs are relatively easy to come by, despite a large number of candidates, but people with international experience are always looked upon favourably, so make sure you sell yourself!

Corporate positions can be applied for either before you leave home, or when you arrive, and if you’re currently working in an international company then you may be able to negotiate yourself a transfer.

If you’re looking for work when you arrive then you will most probably meet with a recruiter in your field who will then put your forward for positions. Generally most companies give at least two interviews before taking on a candidate. Monster and Hayes are two of the big websites that recruiters use in London.

If you’re looking for more chilled out temporary or holiday work, then most of these positions can be applied for from anywhere in the world. Jobs like working in a pub, in a childrens camp or nannying are popular with travellers, and will usually involve an interview when you arrive as well as an online application.

• Find A Place To Stay

Technically you could find accommodation before you arrive in London, but unless you have a lot of money to spend it is likely that you will find somewhere short term when you first arrive – perhaps splurge a little and enjoy yourself before starting work!

A great place to find this type of accommodation is by renting with onefinestay.com – they offer a home away from home right here in London, and they even provide you with an iPhone while you stay – how cool is that?!

In terms of longer term housing, most flats will be listed on either Gumtree or specialised real estate websites like Find A Property or Right Move, and will either be advertised privately by a landlord or by a Real Estate Agent. Generally flats are snapped up pretty fast due to high demand, so you’ll need to be quick in your decision making and be able to lay down a deposit equal to a months rent.

Most properties come furnished, so you won’t need to worry about buying furniture and other things, which will keep your costs down.

• Organise Your Personal Admin

If you’re going to be working in London then you’re going to need a bank account and a National Insurance (NI) number. By far the easiest way to go about getting these is to use an ‘agent’ like First Contact who have good relationships with the UK banks and can fast track the entire process. This usually costs around £30 but is well worth it. Once you have your account set up you will be able to start work and get paid (hooray!).

Your NI number is like a social security number and if you are earning above a certain amount when you will be required to pay NI contributions each month on top of tax. This covers health care through the UK National Health Service and the UK state pension, so if you eventually leave the UK you will most likely receive a rebate for this.

• Buy Must Have London Items

Once you’re officially a Londoner there are a few things you’ll need to buy to make your stay a lot easier and more enjoyable – firstly, due to the sometimes volatile London weather, you are definitely going to need an umbrella! Make sure it’s a sturdy one too, it can get very windy here!

You’ll also want to pick yourself up an A-Z Map Book which is a handbag sized booklet that can help you navigate your way around the city streets, as well as an Oyster card for your travel. This is the cheapest way of travelling on London’s public transport and will save you from buying paper tickets every time you want to jump on a bus or catch the tube.

• Enjoy!

Now all the hard stuff is done it’s time to enjoy all the fun and fabulous things that London has to offer! For ideas on what do to, you can check out my guides for Fun Things To Do In London and Weird London which can be found on my other site the Living In London Guide.

Have fun!

Photo Credits – Thanks to wallyg and markhillary (Attribution License)

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