Every internet thread about anywhere popular is quickly filled with people saying that they tried it and didn't like it. That's natural and I think fine, and anyone considering moving to London should consider all the disadvantages.<p>But there are also great advantages: it's easy to find work here, it's a walkable place where there is no need to own a car (or even know how to drive), although many complain the weather is in fact very mild and it's very achievable for someone on a software engineer salary to raise a family close(ish) to the centre. Of course there's plenty of "cultural" whatnot too. I love it here and wouldn't move anywhere else.<p>If you are thinking about moving here, I'm happy to answer any "dumb" questions you have over email (see my profile).
As a native-born Brit who moved to Eastern Europe four years ago, there is some information in here I actually didn't know.<p>Also, as someone who has moved country twice (six years in Italy was the first time), I should note that this article doesn't deal with what I can only describe as general UK culture and the British character.<p>I would strongly advise anyone heading Britside to do what I did with Bucharest and have as long an 'exploratory' trip as you can to get a feel of the place: the way people look you in the eye (or don't); whether you sense hostility; and just the general social atmosphere. You can assess this kind of thing in a couple of weeks, usually, at least at a broad level.<p>As someone who gladly left, I'm obviously not the person to ask about whether you'd like living there. But it would be a good idea to stay with friends there, if possible, and scout that aspect out for yourself.
I'm from the UK so the section "What percentage of your salary goes to taxes?" seemed perfectly normal to me.<p>The way the "comment from the editor" is written ("Unfortunately, in England, higher salaries will mean higher tax rates." and "England's tax brackets can be slightly confusing") make it sound like this is not commonly how it works in other counties.<p>Could anyone tell me about how this differs from where you are?
My feeling was that outside of FAANG you would have to move to Zone 3-4 or share a flat.<p>Combined with the hassle for EU citizen nowadays to get a work permit it does not sound so enticing anymore.<p>Though for FAANG London still seems to have a better ratio of salary to CoL than Dublin.
Okay London is awesome, and good for this guy for moving there.<p>WOW though, "Above £60,000" salary. Despite the exchange rate, £1 pretty much buys you the same goods as $1 in the US (£5 coffee anyone?).<p>For such a high cost city, this pay sounds atrocious. You could live in SF and make literally triple that easily.
Plus the taxes are super high in London too.<p>I don't really buy the idea that having the NHS makes this all worth it either. Working in California you can get an employer health plan (Kaiser, etc) for $50 a month pre-tax that is in fact better in quality (no wait times, no need to get referrals to see any kind of doctor you want) than the NHS and never have to pay more than a $20 copay for any service.<p>It sounds like a super fun life experience, money isn't everything, I would absolutely love to do this but I don't know how I could ever justify cutting my pay from 350k -> 115k AND paying super high tax just to live in a specific city.
AFAIK in London you'll be making more as an Uber or cab driver than as a dev if you are not interested working in finance sector or at a couple of advertising shops.
>>> It gets more affordable if you go elsewhere in Greater London. I was able to find a two-bedroom flat for under £1,300<p>The rest of the article seems quite on point, but that rent, I just can't quite put my finger on it.<p>There is no way you're getting a 2 bedroom for anywhere near that. It's not even in the right ballpark.<p>What you could afford for £1300 is a 1 bedroom, at a fair distance from central, thanks to the sharp drop in rent from coronavirus last year.<p>I'm certainly curious to know what he is renting. Either he's not living in London or I missed a second wave of rent drop from coronavirus.
It is interesting how companies can justify sponsoring someone on the basis other than they cannot find a specialist for the money they are willing to pay.<p>Don't get me wrong - immigration should be encouraged and I think it should be easier for people from various backgrounds to come and contribute.<p>What isn't right, is that companies register huge profits (and often transfer them to tax havens) and don't share them with employees, while at the same time complaining they cannot find developers. Just pay more and you'll find plenty!
<a href="https://listentotaxman.com" rel="nofollow">https://listentotaxman.com</a> is a useful tool to calculate net salary (and generally stays up-to-date).
Visiting London is a blast, living and working there is a grind. I was deeply unhappy after three years (from 2016) but I really enjoy going back to visit socially. I was earning pretty decently and living in Zone 2 between Holloway Road (Piccadilly) and Highbury & Islington (Overground) stations.<p>Once the novelty wore off and I'd got into the work day commute all I noticed was how filthy and over-crowded it is, and how nothing works. Too hot, too cold, too much snow or too much rain and trains don't run which causes a massive backlog of people and delays. It takes 40 min to get anywhere and there are frequently obstacles during your journeys (signal failures etc). You live in the same town but never see some of your friends because it is such a saga to get there and back. I worked in Leicester Square and could not get proper mobile signal there most of the time. Moving apartments is super stressful and estate agents gouge you every step of the way. Doing any sort of admin in that town is an absolute nightmare.<p>The restaurants are some of the best in the world but most of the time you need to book at least two weeks in advance, so there is almost zero chance of spontaneity. While restaurants are a bit pricey it's a 50% chance of being mediocre or the best meal of your life. Not to mention every time you sit down you are reminded that your two hour time limit on the table has started. Any exciting band or festival has tickets that sell out in seconds.<p>I also felt that interactions with people could often be a fine line between sarcasm and being patronising. A lot of my friends raved about London 10 years ago (and I believe them) but most have now left or are wanting to.<p>It's a shame though, London seems like it can be a great city but is being crushed under the weight of all the people and honestly the quality of life I experienced there was just not that good. It really feels like too many people have moved there and it's become a bit of a tragedy of commons situation.<p>Sorry to be a downer but I really feel that London gets a lot of hype and from my experience doesn't seem justified in its current state. So just wanted to share some of my experiences.
For those with experience migrating (preferably your whole family) from a 3rd world country to 1st world, please help answer:<p>1. How old is too old? (E.g. "Don't bother migrating if you're 30+, you're too old for the job.")<p>2. How "recognized" is your experience and your previous role (e.g. can a Senior IT Manager in Myanmar be a Senior IT Manager in UK?)<p>3. How's the salary adjustment going to be? "Current salary +30%" won't cut it as the living costs will be very different.
I lived in London for 15 years. It was great. I house-shared for most of that and it's a great way to meet people if you're new to the city and don't know anyone. Others had pretty bad experiences though.<p>London is also quite cycle friendly so you don't technically have to get public transport all the time, which is great especially when it gets hot in summer.
I have been working in London as a developer for 7 years and, to me, it’s the best city in Europe to be in tech.
Maybe I could be making 3 times more in SF but I wouldn’t be in Europe, close to my friends and family.