What to know before I move, so I don't end up destitute and unhappy.

[greensweatergirl]

I am moving to the UK very soon (if the visa processing times listed on the UK Border Agency are true, just a few weeks!). I've put a great deal of thought into this and I just want to make sure I'm not missing something. So here are the basics of my plan. If something seems like a disaster waiting to happen or if you think of something I should consider, please tell me! I know this post is fairly uninteresting to read but another pair of eyes will help immensely!

And if you don't want to read it....what do you wish you had considered before you moved to your SO? Anything at all.

MONEY PLANS

My savings are in the form of a $10 000 student loan. This money is purely to prove to the Border Agency I have money and is reserved for my school courses which I'm doing long distance. It's not going to be touched for living expenses. We will be living off of my SO's earnings until I can find a part-time job in the UK. My boyfriend enjoys his job but unfortunately doesn't make much money. And he's a tad idealistic, so I asked two different people if they considered his salary enough for two people to live off of in the UK. They said we would have to be careful, but it's definitely doable.

-If for some reason I do have debt on my visa card (from flight tickets or if Telus Mobility screws me over when I cancel my phone), we transfer it over to his Visa to pay off. He has a no interest fee on his visa for the next two years.

-We've agreed that while he's the only one working, the money goes purely to living expenses and to pay off his school loan. When I start working part-time, I will take the equivalent of whatever he's paying into his student loan and pay it into mine. I will also put aside 150 pounds a month into a savings. If we break up before my visa expires, the money stays with me and I use it to get home/get an apartment, etc. etc. If we don't break up it goes into a wedding fund. Anything left over will be put towards living expenses.

JOB

-I do not have a job at this time, though my SO's boss has offered me some shift work at the company my SO works for (we have the same degree). I do not particularly want this job however (it's working with violent offenders), so I will look around first. I'm honestly scared to death about this though, as I know the UK's economy is faring even worse than Canada's, and I haven't had much luck in Canada since I moved back here 5 months ago.

Transport

Unfortunately I can only transfer my Canadian license into a UK license for automatic transmission cars only. SO has a standard car. GUH. However, the walk downtown is 20 minutes, and there are buses as well. But there's no point in getting a bus pass until I get a job.

HAVING SOMETHING TO DO/FRIENDS

-My SO signed us up for a gym and cinema membership, and I've also joined a few clubs so I'll have something to do when I get there. I will also be doing my first course in the program. My boyfriend also has to sleep in the halfway houses he works in twice a week, so they'll be long stretches of time when I'm alone.

-My SO has a weekly night out with his friends, which I'm invited to.

-He has asked one of his friends to go to yoga with me once a week, as I love yoga and she wants to get into it.

STUFF

-I'm bringing clothes, toiletries, important papers, and school stuff. My parents will keep all my furniture and stuff in their house until my visa expires. If I stay, they chuck it. If not....it's there when I come home. I also have very little sentimental attachment to things, and I only brought clothes with me when I moved to Asia for three years and did perfectly fine.



Whew! I need to stop posting such long things. But I'm so scared I've overlooked something. What have I missed?

[snow_girl]

I don't have much time so I will post more later but where will you be living in the UK? Neither me or my SO need a vehicle there, the bus and tube do just fine and might end up saving money that way rather then paying for a car, gas, insurance and upkeep on it. Second, don't bring any toiletries. Take only what you need an buy the rest when you get there. It will save you room and weight in your suitcase for more important things like clothes! Jobs are hard to come by, I still haven't found one after 6 months, granted I stopped trying a month before christmas. But if you have been offered one I'd take it, even if it is just for a short period. Just because it is with violent offenders doesn't mean that the job you will be doing will put you in harm of anything. Chances are the job is doing paperwork or something behind the scenes?
Don't stress too much, its not much different from Canada. Just make sure you've got some back up money incase and you'll be fine.

[greensweatergirl]

I thought I'd read you were back in Canada snow_girl? Did you go back to the UK?

I'll be in Northampton, about an hour north of London. Unfortunately, my boyfriend does need his car, as he works in Kettering, which is about a half hour drive away. If he didn't work outside of town, I'm pretty sure he'd ditch it, because it siphons away his money like there's no tomorrow.

I don't really want to take the job because it is working directly with violent offenders, alone and by myself, and some of them are there because they've committed rape. I know the offenders wouldn't be there if the justice system didn't think it was OK to release them, but I still wouldn't feel comfortable. I'm a skinny shrimp and if someone wanted to overpower me they definitely could. I don't even feel comfortable with my boyfriend working there. I'm always glad when he calls me after work and he's not decapitated or dead. My SO was actually thinking of doing one overnight shift on a Sunday once a month, if we're THAT desperate for cash, because with holiday and night pay it somehow makes him 200 pounds. I think we're also in agreement that if I'm still looking for a job six months in, I'd take more school courses so I could finish earlier.

Looking for jobs here can't be any worse than England. I went to Japan to teach for three years because it was a year after my undergrad and I couldn't find anything not minimum wage. I thought it'd be better when I came back but it's still been a complete bust. My first job after I got back gave me a total of 3 hours in two months before I gave up nagging and quit. Then I looked again but completely gave up in December when I interviewed for Stats Canada. I had worked for them before on the Census - the reference letter in my application package was from them- and I still got rejected. All my references for my jobs are all amazing, and I feel my interviews go at least OK, and still nobody wants me except for shitty retail stuff, which I did 10 years ago in high school pre-degree. I hate, hate, hate looking for jobs. I'm sorry for the rant, I'm just so frustrated. I get so mad when I think I could work in another country for good money and get promoted loads and loads but my own country rejects me at every turn. I'm seriously considering becoming a housewife at this point.

Good to note about the toiletries. My boyfriend's gay boss already gave him one of his many swanky hairdryers that I could have, so that saves a few pounds in my luggage. What's the cost of makeup like over there?

[snow_girl]

I'm in Canada visiting for a couple weeks right now. I think jobs are much easier to get here then in the UK. You might have to rearrange your resume to make it UK cv standards. They do theirs differently then here, they want to know everything where as here its short and to the point and leave the other stuff to the interview. You can always get a job at mcdonalds, I worked there in the UK for a couple weeks and got sick so I quit but they'll hire anyone! I might see if I can do some nannying when I get back, I did it in Germany and its easy. Northhampton isn't that far from where we are right now. You can drive on your canadian licence for one year so don't rush out and switch them cause then it is a pain to switch back if it doesn't work out there or when you need to come home, plus buses are really good. I haven't bought any make up since I've been there but I'm pretty sure its the same price. Some things are cheaper, but clothes are more expensive they just switch the dollar sign for a pound one in a lot of stores.

[greensweatergirl]

That's nice that you're back for a bit. How's your visit going? Are you stocking up on poutine and Timmy's?

If I recall correctly I think you said you were from Alberta? I think it may be somewhat easier to get a job out there than here in Ottawa. So many of the postings for government jobs I looked at were for places in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. It seems like the entire Canadian economy is slowly making its way out there. People keep telling me I should move out west because there are more opportunities, but it's so far away from home! It's a totally different world from Ontario I'm sure! If I'm going to move, it's going to be for a European adventure!

Good to know about the CV, that's something I can do here so I can hit the ground running. So it's not really tailored for the job you're applying for? If so, that's so strange! I know I keep talking about Japan, but it was so weird doing resumes there, you have to include a head shot of yourself! O.o

And your nannying idea is good, especially if you have experience. Actually that's a good idea for me too, I have loads of experience with kids.

You can really drive on your license for one year? I thought I read that was just for visitors, not residents... Do you happen to know if the Canadian license is good for standard cars? I know you can only drive automatic if you get an international license or if you transfer it to an English one, which is hella annoying.

As for clothes...my boyfriend said the prices were comparable when I tossed out some figures, but I guess we'll see.

Ahhhh! Thanks for all your tips, they're very helpful.

[London-FortCollins]

I'm a UK resident so feel free to hit me up with any questions about UK living

Northampton is a much cheaper area to live in than the big cities such as London. Although by comparison wages can sometimes be slightly less BUT I'd say it works out pretty well. Automatic cars are not overally expensive as they're not as popular here for some reason. Of course you then do have the added expense of gas, insurance etc. What are the buses and trains like there? Generally speaking most places in the UK have a very good bus and/or train service.

If you want to share your SOs salary I can tell you my opinions on how liveable that is but of course no worries if you don't want to

CV's in the UK do sometimes vary by sector but as a general rule you DO tailor them for each role BUT you would be expected to cover or explain gaps in your employment. For example this is my CV layout:

Name
Contact Details
Covering statement

Employment - most recent first

Current role
*Details
*Responsibilities
*Achievements etc

March 2010 - June 2011 Time spent travelling

Past relevant role
*Details
*Responsibilities
*Achievements etc

Past relevant role
*Details
*Responsibilities
*Achievements etc

Past role
*Dates
*Brief summary

Past role
*Dates

Past role
*Dates

Volunteering experience

Eduaction (I dont have this because I didnt go to Uni but if you have a degree -especially at a prestigious school you probably want to add this)

Qualifications

Skills

If you just need a job for money most service jobs, like McDonalds are always hiring. When I was 16 I worked at Greggs the bakers for 2 years - that was pretty fun and not as evil as McDonalds

Makeup depends on where you buy it and the brands. Overall I'd say its pretty reasonable although I personally found some brands cheaper in the States. Go to Superdrug or Boots - Boots have a loyalty card scheme and you collect points everytime you spend money. The points rack up really quickly - I use them to buy Christmas presents and they also send you extra discount vouchers and stuff.

If you ever want impartial advice about anything money related the website to check out is https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ - Martin Lewis is a genius and completely impartial. There's also a great forum for money saving ideas, current special offers and all that kind of thing.

As I say if you ever have any questions about the UK feel free to shoot me a PM

[digitalfever]

MONEY PLANS

I’d only suggest that you have money for a return ticket in case something happens back in Canada and you need to get home ASAP.
JOB

Have you tried internships? I think you’re going to need to gain some UK experience. Try Inspiring Interns (It’s a UK based intern firm) and they are free of charge for interns!

Transport

I’d suggest that you buy an oyster card before you arrive in the UK it will make job hunting, interviews etc.. much easier and you’ll be able to explore while you SO is at work rather than stay home all bored.

HAVING SOMETHING TO DO/FRIENDS

you can hang out with me when I get there (yay!). Lol random offer but seriously… I’ll have very few friends 

STUFF

Do you have your medical papers and documents? Medical/Health Insurance? Prescription for any pills you might need?

I would suggest you bring a can of Tim Hortons coffee with you so you can smell the scent of Canada once in a while.

[snow_girl]

I’d suggest that you buy an oyster card before you arrive in the UK it will make job hunting, interviews etc.. much easier and you’ll be able to explore while you SO is at work rather than stay home all bored.

While it is good to have if you are in the city, you can't use it as far out as you are. I tried using it from watford to North hampton and got in trouble cause you can only use it as far as watford. So don't worry about that one right away.

Like London said, still tailor each cv for the specific job, If you are applying for a nanny position then change your objective to something that relates and such. But like she gave in the example, they want to know why there is a 6 month gap in unemployment on your cv and want details. So all that stuff you learned about only using point form and keeping things short and sweet here can be thrown out the window there.

The visit is going good, but I am stocking up on second cup hot chocolate instead Also bringing some nibs with me. When do you go over there?

[digitalfever]

While it is good to have if you are in the city, you can't use it as far out as you are. I tried using it from watford to North hampton and got in trouble cause you can only use it as far as watford. So don't worry about that one right away.

Like London said, still tailor each cv for the specific job, If you are applying for a nanny position then change your objective to something that relates and such. But like she gave in the example, they want to know why there is a 6 month gap in unemployment on your cv and want details. So all that stuff you learned about only using point form and keeping things short and sweet here can be thrown out the window there.

The visit is going good, but I am stocking up on second cup hot chocolate instead Also bringing some nibs with me. When do you go over there?

Oh shoot! I didn't know that... So then what do you do after you've gone past a certain point?

I'm coming ou tin May till July and then back for 2014 for good

---------- Post added at 01:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:45 PM ----------

While it is good to have if you are in the city, you can't use it as far out as you are. I tried using it from watford to North hampton and got in trouble cause you can only use it as far as watford. So don't worry about that one right away.

Like London said, still tailor each cv for the specific job, If you are applying for a nanny position then change your objective to something that relates and such. But like she gave in the example, they want to know why there is a 6 month gap in unemployment on your cv and want details. So all that stuff you learned about only using point form and keeping things short and sweet here can be thrown out the window there.

The visit is going good, but I am stocking up on second cup hot chocolate instead Also bringing some nibs with me. When do you go over there?

Oh shoot! I didn't know that... So then what do you do after you've gone past a certain point?

I'm coming ou tin May till July and then back for 2014 for good

[snow_girl]

You have to buy a ticket.

[London-FortCollins]

Yeah Oyster cards are only for London. If you are going beyond zone 6 you're best off just buying a standard paper ticket.

(And if you're not living in London - dont even worry about oyster cards! )

[Kiara]

what about the European Format for the CV? Doesn't it work in the UK? If it does, this is the link and it's pretty easy to build: https://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/e...rriculum-vitae

[princessmeg1328]

My fiance lives an hour and a half north of you, and I'll be there permanently starting the end of 2013/beginning of 2014. Just another offer to hang out whenever I am there.

[greensweatergirl]

Thanks for all the links everyone (money advice, internship etc.).

I actually would love to do an internship. I'm taking publishing courses long distance and it seems to be the only way to get into the industry. Ideally I'd like to do an internship for the one publishing house I could find in Northampton, but I'm considering trying for ones in London as well, and using some of my school money to commute (it's really expensive though...400 pounds a month!). But I think other than an internship in my career field or landing a great paying job in London, I'll have to stick to Northampton.

My boyfriend said downtown is a 20 minute walk, and buses within Northampton are pretty good, if a bit expensive.

I sent my visa off on Wednesday, and received notice on Thursday that it was being processed. The processing time was listed as three days, so hopefully I should know by Tuesday. I know they have to accept me, I'm just scared I messed up my application somewhere, as the UK Border Agency website is all over the place in terms of what you should send in with your application. After that, I'll book a flight straight away. In a world where everything goes right, I'd be there by mid-February. My boyfriend even bought me a desk and a lamp a few days ago so I'd have somewhere nice to study. He's the best!

I am totally up for hanging out with people! Please PM me with your details and I'll send you mine when I get there and am settled in.

[flugelhorn]

That is so exciting you're moving to the UK! I'll be hopefully moving to London (to close the distance) in September or October.

My best advice would be to have making friends on the top of your To Do List. You seem to be very reasonable about what if we stay together/ what if we break up but you are moving to a totally new place & I think it's important to establish your own social circles - especially if things do go bottom up. (Which I hope they don't!)

Are you going through SWAP or did you just apply for the visa on your own?? Because I know SWAP can help you find a job, but I'm not sure if they're in Northampton....? Finding a job is the one thing that really worries me about moving to the UK but I am willing to do any sort of job at night & then intern during the day... The good news about internships in the UK is that (most will) pay or at least give you a stipend! (I will have a Fine Arts degree in April & only a handful of internships I've looked at in Toronto offer this 'perk.')

They don't have many flavours of Pop Tarts in the UK so if you really like those then definitely pack them.

Good luck! I look forward to hearing about your adventures!