Getting Around London

London has one of the best public transport systems in the world which makes it easy to travel to where ever you need to be.  If you have a smart phone it is worth looking at our mostly free and recommended useful smart phone apps page that will make trekking around London even easier.

Transport for London Website

Transport for London provides you all the information you need to know about getting around London and includes an excellent journey planner tool that advises you on the best way to get to where you want to go. (Including an estimated time the journey should take)

Postcode System and Multi Map

A UK post code should have between 6-7 numbers and letters in it. The first two letters and 1-2 numbers indicate the general area whilst the last 3 numbers/letters indicate a specific area. e.g. The post code Sw6 1BW is that of Fulham Broadway shopping centre. SW6 is the general Fulham area post code. 1BW indicates the specific location. If you have a full post code you can pin point that location on an online map such as google maps.

A-Z Maps: provide pocket maps for the London and the UK. They can be purchased at any bookshop or newsagent.

Public transport System

The Underground (Tube) starts operating between 5.00am – 6.00am and ceases operation between 12.00am – 1.00am daily.  Tube maps are present at all underground stations and are easy to use.  The map is colour coded for each tube service which makes it easy to follow.

Overland Trains starts operating between 5.00am – 6.00am and ceases operation between 12.00am – 1.00am daily.  Like the Underground, this service is pretty self explanatory and easy to use. Trains run 24 hours a day to Gatwick Airport from Victoria.

London Buses are easy to use and cover most of London.  It can sometimes be quicker to use the bus to get to your location rather then using the tube. It is also likely your area will have a 24 hour night bus service from Piccadilly or Trafalgar square. Night buses are marked with an N in front of the bus number. It is advisable when moving house to check on the Transport for London website to see if there is a night bus service available.

Oyster card/Travel cards

Oyster card can be used on all London buses, tubes and overland train services within the London zone system.  This is the cheapest way to travel around London.  It is worth purchasing a weekly, 14 day travel card or monthly pass with the zones you are likely to most travel in frequently. If you have not purchased a daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly pass it is still worth using the ‘pay as you go’ option whereby you can top up money onto the Oyster card as required.  This will also make travelling cheaper. For example, travel on buses in London for one trip without an Oyster card will cost you £2.00 per trip, using an Oyster card will only cost you roughly half the price.  (Note: not valid for any Airport express services).

Travel Cards can be used on the tube, overland trains and buses for the zones which you have purchased for as many trips as you like. While getting an Oyster card is very easy and should always try to be your first option, the next best thing to do to save money using the public transport system is to purchase either a daily, weekly or monthly travel card. If you only need to purchase a daily travel card, it is best to purchase it after 9.30am on the day (during off peak travel) as it will be much cheaper. (Note not valid for any Airport express services.)

Black Cabs/Mini Cabs

There are two types of taxis that operate in London: black cabs and mini cabs.

Black cabs are the uniformed black bubble looking taxis with the sign on top and separated seating from the driver. Black cabs can be expensive, so if an alternative mode of transport can be used that is cheaper it can be worth considering. The drivers are very knowledgeable in terms of roads and places of interest and should know most locations in London.  If you are unfamiliar with the area you are travelling to, it sometimes may be worth using a black cab to get you to your final destination.

Mini cabs are often but not always a cheaper alternative to black cabs and provide a similar level of service as the black cabs. Mini cabs, in most cases, are unmarked cars without any signage but are marked with a mini cab licensed sticker on the back or front window of the vehicle.  They can either be booked via phone or at a mini cab shop (these shops can be found in most areas along high streets). Mini cabs are all privately operated so you will need to find the mini cab service for your area.  They should be able to tell you the exact price before your journey so ensure this is agreed upon before travelling.  Be weary of the cost and the area you are travelling to or from as you may be ripped-off without even knowing.

Driving in London

If you can help it we suggest not driving around London because the govenrment use owning a car as some sort of legalised money rort. There is car tax, paying the council for street parking, parking fines, cost of parking if you can find a space, congestion charges for driving through central London, car insurance and the expensive price of heavily taxed fuel. On top of this it is partilcularly bad if you have anger management problems as my understanding is being stuck in traffic jams does not help this.

If you have to drive and need to buy a car Carmony and Autotrader are both good website to source cars from.

For car insurance try these sites to find the best deal for you try Money Supermarket, Compare the Market or Go Compare to find the best quote for you

To transfer your drivers licence to a UK or International drivers licence go to Driver Vehicles Licensing Agency.

To find the best way to get somewhere and be notified of roadworks or traffic delays always use The AA.

Stranger Tip: Join a car rental club: If you feel you would like the use of a car without the ongoing expenses it can be well worth joining a car rental club such as streetcar.

Cycling in London 

Cycling can be a great way to get around London and can actually be a faster way of getting around than driving! There are some great bike routes and paths that run through London’s many picturesque parks and along the Thames.

The best place to purchase a second hand bike is at the Brick Lane sunday markets or on websites such as Gumtree or Loot.

To find information on cycling routes go to the Transport for London website link here.

Where to Live in London?

The biggest factor of where you live in London is going to be your commute to work. London’s transport links are excellent, however they are not perfect so put a strong weight on time travel to work when choosing a location to live in. How long do you want to have your head squashed underneath an armpit on your way home from work on a hot sweaty day?

Where to Find Accommodation

Flatshare: Gumtree, Easy Room Mate, Flatshare, Spare Room       

Rental Properties: Zoopla, Right Move, Find a Property, Gumtree, these are also good websites if you are looking for properties to buy.

Estate Agencies: Register with estate agencies in the areas you are looking to live. Note they are likely to charge an administration fee. You can find these agencies using the websites listed above.

Resource Tools to help you choose possible locations to live

Rental Cost guide: Net Lettings gives you a rent price indication of different areas.

Council Tax Cost Guide: What katy Did  gives you a council tax comparison

Area location guide: Living in London gives an area guide. Use it as a guide only.

Electricity/Gas Comparision: Uswitch/Money Supermarket

Broadband/Internet/Home Phone Comaprison: Broadband Choices

Work to home Travel time guide: TFL Journey Planner

 Questions to ask yourself when choosing a place to live

1. What are the transport links like to my place of work?
2. Is the location easily commutable or local to friends I know in London?
3. How expensive is the council tax for the property?
4. Is there park land nearby?
5. What is the local nightlife/pubs like?
6. Are any of our potential flatmates likely to put our underpants on their head when we are not home or have potential to make a suit out of our flesh like the guy from silence of the lambs?
7. Is my deposit going to be placed in a tennancy deposit scheme?

Areas with good nightlife and Bars

Clapham Common/Junction,  Shoreditch,  Fulham/Chelsea, Notting hill/Bayswater, Camden, Central London/West End, Angel/Kings cross

Picturesque and Green Areas:

Richmond, Barnes, Hamspstead Heath (Beware the roads in Hampstead can be dangerous in the early mornings if George Michael decides to get some munchies)

Overview:

It is important to develop a job search strategy when relocating to London and to do this you should look at a range of job seeking avenues such as: Online Jobsites (advertised Jobs), Recruitment Agencies, Direct Approach and Networking. 

It is important toTailor your CV for the different roles/positions you are targeting to best sell yourself. Make sure it is free of spelling and grammar mistakes.

Tips for online jobsites:

There are over 700 online jobsites in the UK so find the ones that best suit your needs. Many of the jobsites allow you to place your CV online so recruiters can find you, you can also register for job alerts so that you will be made aware of any new potential opportunities.

• When placing your CV online try and place as many relevant key words that you feel recruiters may look for when searching for candidates. This could be job roles, software, certain skills, education etc.
• Once you have registered your CV online, log onto the jobsite every three to five days so that your CV remains relevant. The reason for this is recruiters can do searches based on time, so if you had not logged in for 9 days and the recruiters were looking for candidates within the last 7 days you would not come up in their search.
• Make sure your details are up to date and you have a relevant post code/address to where you will be nearest looking for work as recruiters can do location searches. If you currently live in Manchester but are moving to London, put a London post code in. If you don’t have one find one from a train station near to where you most likely want to live or if unsure a central London train station.

London Stranger recommends the following jobsites:

Excellent Generalist jobsites these cover a wide variety of jobs/industries (Reed, Monster, Total Jobs, CV Library, Gumtree -adverts only Secs in the City -more admin specific)   IT/Engineering (Planet Recruit, Jobserve, Jobsite) Finance/Accountancy (E Financial Careers, GAAP, City Jobs) Personnel/HR (Personnel Today, Simply HR ) Public Sector Jobs (Public Sector Careers) Hospitality Jobs (The Caterer) Retail: (Retail Careers  Retail Choice) Legal: (Totally legal) Healthcare Jobs: (NHS)

Note: Dont just register with the specialist jobsites as the generalists listed above can be equally useful to your job search.

Tips for recruitment agencies

Recruitment agencies play a prominent part in the UK job market so it is important to register with those that handle the most relevant vacancies to yourself.

• Register with as many as you feel fit, don’t get caught in the trap of depending on one or two to find you work.
• When sending your CV always follow up with a call to establish a personal connection with a recruiter.
• Once registered contact them every 3-5 days particularly if looking for temp work.
• Those seeking office based work are able to register face to face with high street agencies. (Office Angels, Reed, Brook Street etc). Applying directly face to face is an opportunity to make a great impression on recruiters and increase your chances of finding work quickly; so be positive, dress professionally, be friendly and build rapport to gain the recruiters confidence and give you an advantage over other temps.

Networking and Approaching Companies Direct

• Many jobs are found through word of mouth, so it is always worth contacting friends and colleagues you know in London to see if they are aware of any relevant job opportunities.
• Make sure you have your profile listed on linkedin with an up to date location. Make it as detailed as possible and don’t be afraid to put a personal email/UK mobile number on it so that those interested in your profile can easily contact you.
• An easy way of searching relevant companies is through Linkedin (do an advanced company search to source relevant companies.)
• Keep track of companies you are interested in and document which ones have a job board on their websites. Use those with job board as a guide only, as many companies forget to load new opportunities on their jobsites, some forget to take jobs placed off while others run there jobsites super efficiently.

Super stranger Tip: Even though you are relocating to a new city/country there are ways of developing a network quite quickly. If the industry you want to work on is having an exhibition or event get business cards(vista print can do this cheaply) made up and introduce yourself to those representing there companies at the event or exhibition. Collect business cards and send your CV to the contacts you met and built rapport with.  Facebook is another useful networking tool.

How much should you be earning? How much will you earn after tax?

Use the website payscale as well as the knowledge of recruitment agents to get an idea of what you should be looking to earn money wise. Listen to Taxman will enable you to work out how much money you will get in your hand under the pay as you earn tax system.

Bank Account

On arrival in the UK your main goal should be to get a bank account open. Once you have achieved that task than it may be worth shopping around for the best deal for you in terms of interest, low charges and other benefits as it will be easier to open an account with all these organisations if you already have one open. Money Supermarket is another website that can assist in helping you choose which bank account is for best for you.

If you are struggling to get a bank account open 1stcontact are likely to be able to assist you in opening one up although you have to pay them a fee to do so. I would always try and do it myself first or through a recruitment agency that wont charge but can give you an introduction.

Importance of national insurance number

This is important for two reasons. The first is that it plays a part in tracking your tax contributions to ensure you are paying the right amount, if you don’t have a national insurance number than you will pay emergency tax (which you can get back). Secondly it is evidence you are a tax paying resident and as a contributer entitles you to the national health service. For more information on how to apply for a National Insurance Number click this link.

How much should I be earning?

To gage how much you should be earning, it is worth checking out the payscale website, searching relevant job advertisements and gaining advice from a few recruitment consultants who recruit for your field of work.

How much money should I get after tax?

Most employees are taxed under the simple PAYE tax system to get an idea what you should get after tax go to Listen to Taxman. If you are going to be working as a contractor, there are ways of reducing your tax through an umbrella or limited company, it is likely recruitment agencies will direct you towards relevant schemes. Do some research to check you can legally operate under a ltd or umbrella company and if so it may be worth shopping around to find the best scheme for you. Some of these companies will charge £1500 a year, some will charge less which means more money in your pocket. 

Transferring Money Internationally

If you are looking to send more than a £1000 overseas it can be worth hunting around for the best rate rather than just doing it through your bank. The more you send will make it more worthwhile to play the companies off each other.   Always factor in administrative fees and charges when working out what will be the best deal for you.

Insurance

If you are driving/owning a car it is illegal not to be insured. Most other insurances are your choice and it is worth hunting for the best deal as well as the cover that best protects your needs. Money supermarket and go compare are two comparison websites that will compare prices from a range (not all) of insurance companies.

Disclaimer: This content is for basic guidance only and should be not viewed as financial services advice.

London has some of the best discounted dining in the world if you know what to do and where to look. Many restaurants will offer specials early in the week so it is worth keeping a look out when strolling passed restaurants.

Get a Taste card: A taste card will cost you up to £70 for a years subscription but can give you and your partner either a 50% discount or 2 for 1 deals at 100′s of restaurants in London. If you looking to be here a year and enjoy dining out it is a must. Taste card often run free trials so check there website even if you are only going to be here short term.

Excellent websites for dining out deals. Top Table and Square Meal are two websites worth keeping an eye out for restaurant deals.

Daily Deal Websites: If you dont mind receiving lots of emails Groupon, KGB Deals and Living Social are worth registering with.

Budget Restaurants: go to our restaurants directory and go to our “Dining out on a Budget” category to find restaurants that offer real value for money.