Tips that could help you avoid some common pitfalls
Guest post by Jeremy Reynolds
Whether you live in England or want to move there for your studies, London is one of the most exciting cities on the planet. It is well worth the time and experience if you can get accepted into one of the top-ranked universities.
You have to do your planning carefully, though. London is not cheap and you could land up going home without a degree if you don’t do proper research. On the other hand, living in London is one of the most exciting experiences that you will ever have.
Here are some tips that could help you avoid some common pitfalls.
Some facts about London
London is an international city, so you will meet people from all walks of life there. Of the over 9 million residents, around 37% come from other cities and countries. You should have no problem communicating as the official language is English, but the accents can be difficult to understand at times.
There are 32 boroughs that make up the city of London and each one is unique in both culture and of course pricing, especially when it comes to accommodation.
If you want to make some extra cash while there, you can earn money through part-time work as a writer of Edubirdie. You’ll do some writing and people will order your essay at this service. It’s good and easy money that you can earn by helping students with writing assignments for thesis, dissertation and term papers.
How much are you looking to spend on housing?
London is amongst the most expensive cities in the world and living there can cost you a great deal of money. If you compare the prices with other cities, you get the idea. In Australia, you pay up to 10% less for accommodation.
On average, you can rent a flat or an apartment for £ 502 a week, or if you want to rent a single room in a commune, you could get away with £ 280. Be on the lookout for some bargains, though, because, on some of the boroughs, you could rend a decent place for around £ 105.
If you know someone in the area, ask them to scope things out. They will also be able to tell you how your traveling is going to be affected.
How am I going to get around?
If you are thinking of getting a car in London, don’t even bother. The roads are super busy, but the public transport is among the best in the world. It comes at a price, though. London’s public transport is also among the most expensive in the world, but you can save quite a bit of money if you buy a monthly or annual card.
They come with generous discounts and if you are mainly going to use the transport to get to campus and back home, you could save a lot which means a lot for student travel in the UK.
Everyone has to eat
Here is an area that you can save a bit on if you are clever. Going to restaurants is not the best idea if you are on a tight budget, their fast-food chain stores are reasonably priced, but you don’t want to eat junk food the whole time.
Living in London means that you need to know where the cheaper grocery stores are. Again, local knowledge is king and speaking to a local will give you a fair idea of where to buy and where not.
Pic credits unsplash.com
Going to the local pubs
London is famous for its nightlife. And if you are planning to relocate to London, you will have more pubs to choose from then what there are days in a year. Like anything in London, location is key and you will be looking to pay anywhere for £ 3 – 6 a pint at a pub, or if you are looking to chill at home, you can expect to pay between £ 1 – 2.
You can, of course, also drink for free, but these opportunities will be sporadic. Look out for book launches, art festivals, or networking events. You can even do some online searches to find out when and where they will take place.
The all-important internet
Like most first-world cities, London has many free Wi-Fi hotspots, but you don’t want to be stranded. This is one area that is cheaper than most other countries, including the US, Australia and Canada.
You can expect to pay around £15-20 for a standard broadband connection with up to 17mb download speeds. You’ll be bound for 12 months, but it will be well worth it, especially when you need to burn the midnight oil for your studies.
Conclusion
Although London is not the cheapest place to go and complete your degree, you can navigate the city and hunt the bargains. Students are experts in finding the cheapest way to get along and around. How to move to London is going to be the deciding factor of whether your stay will be one for the memory books or one to forget. If you plan ahead and do proper research, you’ll have an amazing and unforgettable time.
Author Bio:
Jeremy Reynolds is a student mentor and a career advisor helping school and college students to secure a seat for themselves in the best universities around the world. His expert guidance has helped many students realise their dreams. In his free time, he writes books on career tips, practices yoga and plays guitar.
