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I have lurked these threads as much as I can but a lot of questions I have are missing!
My husband's job has offered him the option to move to London to work in that office. Our visa is not in question as we have a sponsor and his work will take care of that. All my questions are for the actual "living abroad" part! We have two small children, both will be in grammar/elementary school. We currently pay $2100usd a month for rent so i assume that around 1300 pounds will be our budget.
We have a trip planned later this month to go to London to "make sure we want to move there" I already know I do, but I do need to see it and visualize it first before we move. This isn't a state to state move.
We are ok with living a ways away from London(office is in Islington) as his job is very liberal and doesn't expect him to be in the office every day, he can work from home. Most of his co-workers live several hours(by train) away from the office.
We want to live "in the countryside" so it is more affordable, but i don't even know where to start looking! Does anyone have a suggestion of towns/cities/etc to start looking at? My goal is to be able to walk to the city center to get groceries so we don't have to have a car as well as walk my kids to school. I want a safe city with great schools. My daughter is currently in an amazing rated "10" school in Seattle so its hard to take several steps down when it comes to school. Most of all I want to feel safe and welcome in a comforting city where I don't feel scared to walk everywhere (sorry USA mentality)
Any advice on the upcoming trip to check things out? Also I love to research so if anyone has any cities that have great schools but a great city center I'd love to research them also..
Also, I am up for any words of wisdom. I have never left the USA so this is a huge move and I don't think I can get enough info!
As you will be working in Islington I'd look at Hertfordshire or even Enfield/Barnet area ( Suburb of London ) it's incredibly easy to get to his work and central London if needed.
As you're looking for a country side type place you should be ok with £1300 ( assuming that's just for rent? ).
PrimeLocation Have a look at this and it will give you a rough idea of how far£1300 will get you, also have a look at Buckinghamshire/Essex they are counties either side of Hertfordshire.
I can't help with the schools I'm afraid. I hope this will help though
£1300 isn't a massive budget, even for outside the city unless you're going to go a couple of hours commute out. You say "countryside" then mention you would like to be able to walk to shops/services, which is a little confusing!
There is a mass commute from every single direction into London everyday, so you will find train services from satellite towns pretty frequent though expensive. Quality of service is variable with some lines better than others. I wouldn't contemplate a driving commute unless way out of rush hours.
With such a broad canvass, it's hard to know where to start. Are you looking for an apartment, or house? Outside space? How far out of London would you want to be? Islington is quite a large area - I would suggest ascertaining which is the closest Tube station to your husband's office, and which line it is on, which will have a bearing on the commute. Angel, on the City branch of the Northern Line is the most likely, in which case looking north in Hertfordshire would be logical. Some nice towns out there, but the nicest (St Albans, Hertford, Harpenden) are London prices. Check destinations from Kings Cross or Euston mainline stations - Angel is only a couple of stations away. Were you thinking small or large town? Personally, I would favour the better suburbs of London, which give the best of both worlds, but you would really struggle with your budget. I can't imagine you would want a sketchy area purely for convenience.
Londoncowboy's suggestion of Enfield is pretty good, though it's more like a London suburb than a country town (and it is, after all, the "London Borough of Enfield", even if it doesn't have a London zipcode!). Looking at Rightmove.co.uk (a sort of UK Zillow) £1300 is only going to get you an apartment in Enfield, or a house that is off the beaten track somewhat.
If you look east (which is cheaper than north or west and certainly south west) into Essex, then Chelmsford might be an idea. It has a crazily good train service into London (about an hour) and in the rush hour, they're every 10 mins or so as it's a major commuter town. Actually, it's a city - which a specific thing in the UK (not like the US, where every two bit town is called a city!!). You would get a decent house for your budget, an easy commute, plenty of shopping and facilities in the city itself, and it's a doddle to get into London. It's just not the "classiest" of places (Essex has a reputation for being brash, loud and a bit uncouth - mainly as a lot of EastEnders moved out from London there over the decades). I don't have kids, but worked out near there for many years and I seem to recall that Chelmsford schools are pretty good. The trains terminate at Liverpool Street Station, which isn't too bad for Angel if not ideal. It would mean a change and 2 Tube trains.
Good luck with the enterprise - narrow down the specifics and we'll try to be of further help. At least from Seattle, you won't be fazed by the rain!
I am now in the USA but hail from near Chelmsford. It is a good option and cousin has actually just bought an apartment there. Has great train links , family friendly and has some fantastic schools. I know as I work in education in Elementary (and did in the UK in the nearby town)
If want to look up schools and also get some of the low down use the Ofsted site. Its not the bible but gives you a feel for the school and can search by postcode. Yu are 30 mins from the coast, it has a great social side and community stuff. There is also good leisure facilities. Enfield is also good and easy commute.
Chelsmford is only a 30 minute commute to London as well as being on top of some gorgeous Essex countryside and your budget should be fine, Walkable with great public transport and Hylands park is great (something I miss living in Utah where I have to drive everywhere!)
, I would say look at the school (unlike in Utah you can visit schools when kids are in class and walk round in Middle school/Elementary/high school) as you will get a good feel for what suits your child. We did that when in UK and then when we moved to the USA 13 months ago.
My kids school in UK was a failing school 2 years before they started and now one of the highest performing in the county. That's down to leadership and teaching staff inspiring kids and relationship with parents.
If you want to drop me a private message to ask specifics let me know
I miss living there and cant wait for a visit back in the summer.
Islington is an expensive part of London and you won't get much for your money in the surrounding area. There many decent areas in North London and also in the neighboring Hertfordshire. Chelmsford is too far away and it will require taking the tube to Islington in addition to the train journey into London. And Essex, at least the parts I'm familiar with, is a bit rough.
In the UK, in addition to paying rent, you will be responsible for paying property taxes (aka council tax), so factor this in your rent.
I'd recommend you read - Brit-think Ameri-think by Jane Walmsley to lessen the culture shock of moving to the UK. At first, you may hate it, but after a while you will get used to living in London. Also, there is a British Expats forum online ( i can't post the link, google it) and it has a section on moving to the UK.
Unless you live out in the countryside, public transportation is OK in the UK (though I think it's expensive). City centers in the UK are called High Street, and you'll have one in almost every locality. For the most part, UK is very safe and there are no ghettos, unlike the US. I'd recommend getting a car while you are there, and a small one at that.
I suspect your main issue will be schools, so focus your search based on schools. It's the biggest gripe for those who have made the move across the pond. You may already know this, but living in London is expensive but you will get the experience of a lifetime.
Islington is an expensive part of London and you won't get much for your money in the surrounding area. There many decent areas in North London and also in the neighboring Hertfordshire. Chelmsford is too far away and it will require taking the tube to Islington in addition to the train journey into London. And Essex, at least the parts I'm familiar with, is a bit rough.
And where in London, precisely, would you suggest the OP (who appears to have gone absent) finds suitable accommodation for a family of 4 for £1300 a month inclusive? Around here, that will get you a small 2 bed or large 1 bed flat - and this is zone 4. It would get you a broom cupboard in Islington. There is nowhere in London I can think of where that budget buys family accommodation which would allow a Tube-only commute to Islington. Maybe Barking. What were you saying about "no ghettos"?
Chelmsford is a mere 30 miles from London, and I was way out with my hour train journey - it is indeed only 30 minutes (I ought to know - I commuted out to Witham from London for 20 years!). I could start a journey to central London from Chelmsford the same time as someone else from an outer-zone Tube station and probably beat them to it. Once at Liverpool St, it's only 4 Tube stops, albeit with one (slightly pain-in-the-ass) change.
Thank you guys for all your suggestions, I am looking into each one of them. I probably spoke too soon as far as budget, I took our current rent and converted it. We won't have two car payments among other things so there is a lot of wiggle room there. I just wanted some sort of base.
Fellow co-workers live as far away from Islington as Cambridge, Warwick and Banbury. Like I said, work is very liberal so going into the office once a week is perfectly fine. I believe that is why co-workers with families live so far out... for the lower cost. With that being said a long commute (hence countryside as i called it) is not that big of a deal if it happens once a week.
My biggest concern is good schools that possibly coincides with safety, at least in the US thats how it seems to go.
@1onder I will pick up that book and read it on the flight over. High Street! That is kind of what I meant about being countryside but walkable, if there is a city center that is accessible thats all I want, I don't mind being far away!
@Montygirl, thanks so much for the info coming first hand! I will look into Chelmsford, family friendly is key and good to know about the schools and great link!!
@640TAG that is why I asked! Coming from US searching by the closest Tube station wasn't in my realm of thinking, I will look that direction. Thank you for all your suggestions.
We leave in 2 weeks for London, I'm hoping that all of this info makes sense when we are actually there. I don't think we will scratch the surface in one week but its a start. Also if there is any area that is a definite "stay away from" let me know!
I never lived in the "countryside" so I don't really have any advice on this front...
As for the move from the US to the UK, I think you will find it much more safe. I've lived in London (and some not prime areas like Tooting) and Boston (Brookline), which I think fares pretty well among US cities in terms of safety. I've always felt much more safe in London. I took night buses at 3 am, went to the "bad" neighborhoods (Brixton, Streatham) day/evening hours, no probs within reason of course (I'm female, white, and in my 30s btw). I wouldn't suggest going to the "bad" neighborhoods because I don't see the reason, but it's really much milder than US "ghettos" - and I was told that Boston doesn't even have real "ghettos". (probably politically incorrect words, but you know what I mean).
Public transport in the London area is excellent too. Cities are far more walk-able. I found groceries cheaper too. Hell, I saved money on a graduate student stipend in London.
I suspect that you will find that the gap between good/bad in the UK is not as extreme as in the US. Good schools-bad schools, rich-poor, etc. The middle class is more prominent.
The only thing that may disturb you is the amount of drinking going on, however I never had bad or scary experiences with drunk people around me.
I don't know if this is helpful to you at all but see if your husbands company knows of/will provide a local area consultant to conduct an intake for you, show you around a few potential cities and talk schools/commute with you. This is my profession in the Bay Area. I am hired by companies in the Bay Area, or individuals moving here as an expert tour guide and area resource. I know all the schools/public and private and the rental market in all Bay Area counties and commute times. I help people decide where to live based on their unique profiles and preferences that I interview them about in an intake call.
I had no idea this type of service existed prior to applying for the job, so I am assuming others don't know of it either. I do know for a fact that most major cities and their suburbs have "relocation consultants" or "destination services consultants" that specialize in the metro area and/or the surrounding suburbs. Good luck with your move and hope this helps!
I never lived in the "countryside" so I don't really have any advice on this front...
As for the move from the US to the UK, I think you will find it much more safe. I've lived in London (and some not prime areas like Tooting) and Boston (Brookline), which I think fares pretty well among US cities in terms of safety. I've always felt much more safe in London. I took night buses at 3 am, went to the "bad" neighborhoods (Brixton, Streatham) day/evening hours, no probs within reason of course (I'm female, white, and in my 30s btw). I wouldn't suggest going to the "bad" neighborhoods because I don't see the reason, but it's really much milder than US "ghettos" - and I was told that Boston doesn't even have real "ghettos". (probably politically incorrect words, but you know what I mean).
Public transport in the London area is excellent too. Cities are far more walk-able. I found groceries cheaper too. Hell, I saved money on a graduate student stipend in London.
I suspect that you will find that the gap between good/bad in the UK is not as extreme as in the US. Good schools-bad schools, rich-poor, etc. The middle class is more prominent.
The only thing that may disturb you is the amount of drinking going on, however I never had bad or scary experiences with drunk people around me.
Thanks so much, I'm a 30s female myself so your input means a lot. This is so good to hear. We live in a very nice suburb of Seattle which is very safe, I mean Seattle is pretty "safe" itself. My concern is taking my family outside of what we know and a great area into something scary just because we can't afford an equivalent area. This makes me feel better.
Drinking doesn't bother me! So I guess I'm good (I might fit in with my nightly glass of wine ha!)
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Relocation consultant
