job offer in London.

[Guest]

i recieved a offer from a oil company in london. i have a few questions for any one who lives in london or has lived there. am trying to find out if its worth the problems of moving there for the pay since london is so expensive.so here goes.

1. benefits 8,000 GBP a month plus over time
2. company housing ( how good is this? don't know the area yet) 2,500 GBP a month
3. 1 month vacation a year
4. health insurance payed for

what i want to know is will i be able to save a decent amount of money on what i will be making there?

what is the average pay for a middle class worker?

Are fresh vegtables easy to come by. i hate the frozen stuff.


in the states i live in a 2000sq ft 2 car garage with a large back yard and inground pool in a upper middle class neighbor hood. i also own 2 cars since public transport does not exist in my part of town a car is needed. so i want a similiar lifestlye for my family. i wont really need a car since public transport seems to be very good in london. but i might buy a used one.

thanks for any help

[Guest]

Sounds like a very good deal, well above average pay (which is about GBP 2500/m) and very generous accomodation allowance which should get you a decent place in a respectable area, but space in London is at a premium so don't expect to find a large place with a pool for that kind of money. You would need to live outside the City for that.

We do have fresh food in the UK... And none of the GM modified variety you have in the US

Hope this is of use

[stogie bear]

Tomcat... step in here and do your duty, please sir!

[69billy]

If that money is TAX. free is Very good...BUT if not you'll be paying 40% Tax..

[Tomcat]

OK
I just picked this up at the airport, ive got a few minutes so taking a quick swipe at it. I live near Tower Bridge in Central London. ( London Is a big place and cant be described as an area)

Central London
a decent 3 bed flat will swallow the allowance with no change. Forget your own pool My mate has a big 3 bed flat 100 yards from me and pays 1000 a week and no pool( near Tower Bridge).  A Nice house in or near Central London will cost your right arm... and maybe a leg. There are no  nice family middle class houses in Central London not what your looking for anyway, In the West End there are houses but as i said you wil have to pay a small fortune

There is also a property shortage as more people drift to the City. Its a big problem.

I think its better if you look at going a bit further out like Shenfield , Brentwood  or Woodford but its an hour train ride. A nice 4 bed house in Brentwood will cost you about 400 a week.

Fresh fruit will be from the supermarkets

Forget your previous lifestyle , its not obtainable here on the money you state. London is the third most dense city in the world .

I have the average pay scales at the office but not with me.

PS actually some apartment blocks do have communial swimming pools,

[Mai-Kee]

Cool offer! Just grab it and get wasted with the boys every weekend between Wayout and Stunners!!!
Friend of mine lives somewhere in Ealing close to the tube and it only takes him 30min to the office in central London. He pays for a 3 bedroom apt with quite a large living room, a studio and a small garden about 600/w. I think the most important thing in London is not to live too far outside. Commuting for over 1h one way is ridiculous. I'd rather stay in an apt half the size I was used to, than spending ages on a bloody train.

Do they need somebody else there??

MK

[katoeylover]

It is a good offer, and you will be able to save dependent on your lifestyle. Living in Ealing/Putney/ wandsworth near the tube lines will give you easy access to most areas.

http://www.foxtons.co.uk/search?....=search

Council tax is approx £1500 per year

Driving is a nightmare most of the time and there are congestion charges (£8 per day) for central areas.

There are great food markets all over london with great food.

It is a great city and also has great restaurants and nightlife.

[Guest]

from the sound a real house with a fenced back yard is out of the question. i need this for my dog. his a labador and needs his room. i refuse to live in apartments again. also because of other wants it does not sound like a place to live even for a short time. to damm cold and to expensive for me.(am cheap). your right robin its not tax free so i would only be making a little more then i am right now with better living conditions in the states.
thanks you all for the quick answers.

i 'll stay my original course and retire to s. asia in 5 to 8 years.

[katoeylover]

Also your dog would need to be quarantined i think for a while. Check that out.

[Guest]

yep 6 months

[69billy]

One big plus is going to LOS from London is only 11Hrs. From your home to BKK hotel in les then 16Hrs.and much cheaper then USA..

[Guest]

Depending onwhere you live in London you should get a decent place for the money but pool wise - over here that has to be indoors so you are looking at major heating bills. Some of the new blocks in Docklands have communal Gym and pool facilities and the Light railway will take you into Tower Hill and from there the City is just up the Road.

You don't mention which Oil Company, but the head office of Shell is just outside Waterloo Station which is on the South Bank of the Thames and this area is up and coming with many of the old industrial buildings converted into flats.

You need to check on which of these better blocks allow dogs as some have no pet policies.

As for fresh food - Borough Market next to London Bridge station is excellent and there are small farmers markets in Chelsea, Kensington and parts of Hammersmith - there must be others if you check the local press.

If you commute in from the suburbs you will find accomodation cheaper but the journey can be a killer. Also after a night out getting back to suburbs can be expensive if the trains are finished. There are two options then - pay a fortune for a hotel or take a leaf out of the Beefmeister's book and party till mid morning.

Whatever you decide good luck

[dummy_plug]

(69billy @ Oct. 14 2006,15:28) One big plus is going to LOS from London is only 11Hrs. From your home to BKK hotel in les then 16Hrs.and much cheaper then USA..

Sure...gotta rub that in don't ya Billy?

[Tomcat]

Ive lived in central London for 16 years and moved 6 times ,,,, most of the old dock conversions were done before the proper building regs kicked in which means if you rent a warehouse conversion then expect to put up with noise from neighbours as there wont be any soundproofing.

Even if you rent a place worth 500K ,if its a conversion you have got problems. If you rent a flat make sure you ask if its a warehouse conversion and if there is a concrete floor and that the walls are brick and not plasterboard. The ingress of noise is a big big problem in Central London
.
Im moving soon due to this factor and my place was built in 1990. Also crime is pretty bad so make sure you have an alarm. Ive been done three times i ten years.