Q And A: What It’s Like To Live And Work In London

Posted On 25 Nov 2017

Q And A: What It’s Like To Live And Work In London

25 Nov 2017
Q And A: What It’s Like To Live And Work In London

Q And A: What It’s Like To Live And Work In London

We speak with Aussie candidate Joey Douch about temping in London and why you should enter our competition to win a trip to London now!

 

How long have you been in the UK and where are you based?

I have been in the UK for over 10 months. I moved over in mid-Jan and initially moved between Airbnb’s at Camden, Highbury, Islington and Chelsea before signing a 12-month lease at Queens Park.

 

What was the main reason you decided to move overseas?

The main reason I decided to come over was due to the travel opportunities on offer. The closest travel destination to Sydney is New Zealand, and with a flight of similar duration leaving from London, you can essentially reach all of Europe and even the top of Africa. The opportunities are literally right there, flights are cheap, and the opportunity to see places that you’ve only seen photos of is incredible.

What do you love about living and working in the UK?

The city is a great, vibrant and a continually surprising place to be. Both summer and winter have a great appeal. With summer, everything about the city changes and becomes more vibrant. There is literally so much to do and I recommend living in London to have the time to explore the city and truly appreciate it. There are markets, outdoor bars, an abundance of sporting events on offer, beautiful suburbs to explore, enormous parks with deer, the London Zoo, walks by London canals and waterways, day trips to Oxford and Cambridge, a lot of shopping opportunities, the big tourist attractions, swimming at The Serpentine at Hyde Park, Santander Cycles that you can hire and endless comedy shows and theatre performances to see in the West-end. There is so much to do, and visiting for a short period is, unfortunately, going to leave you wanting to stay for longer.

Winter on the other hand, despite it being cold, is still as vibrant and entertaining. Nothing stops and the lead up to Christmas has been great. There are holiday decorations everywhere including lights and Christmas trees. Shopping centres put in an incredible effort and the window displays are unreal.

 

Have you made the most of the opportunity for further travel in Europe?

I’ve done a lot of the big European cities and they have been awesome, however living in London makes you realise that you need to stay in one place for a decent amount of time to really experience that place. You should also get out of the city to some smaller towns and the countryside to see some truly beautiful places. I have not done nearly enough of either.

 

What’s something you miss about Australia?

I miss the beaches. Of course, I also miss family and friends… but mainly the beaches! Beaches in England are not overly inviting. Some of the travel destinations I’ve been to this year were based solely on the quality of the beaches there.

 

What advice would you give to our soon-to-be competition winner?

It sounds like you are setting up the winner perfectly with flights and work. My advice would be to hit the ground running and look for accommodation sooner rather than later. The UK rental process is different to Australian processes and takes more time, so if you’re looking for a 12-month lease, be proactive and get stuck into looking for a place. Also, as tempting as it will be to play tourist and spend up big by eating out and drinking in the first few weeks, try not to. Save your dollars and be a bit conservative with spending, as you can literally by a flight to Europe for less than the cost of a pub meal.

 


 

Thinking about undertaking a working holiday visa in London? We’re rewarding one lucky Aussie with return flights to London plus an amazing work assignment in the UK. Find out more at www.est10.com.au/london-competition