Expert Info

Posted by
on 25 Feb 2016
I recently got a job offer from a company located in Slough. The offer was around 85,000 pounds per year, plus bonus and health insurance and I would be moving with my wife and two small children (4 years and 4 months). As I have no clue of the cost of living in the UK or if Slough is a nice area to live (from what I read in the internet, it doesn't seem so...), I would appreciate your help on the following topics: - Where should I look for a place to live (Slough, London, surroundings...)? - Is the package that they are offering me enough to live a "relaxed" (i.e. no luxury, but enough to live in a safe neighborhood and manage some savings for the future) life with my family, as a single income family? All you help would be highly appreciated.
Anonymous (not verified) on 1 Mar 2016 - 09:20
Hi Raveaux,

Being an ex-Londoner I wouldn't say Slough was the trendiest area to live in but the cost of living their will certainly be cheaper. And thanks to great transport options you'll be able to travel into London pretty quickly. 

The cost of living in London is expensive. Nothing is really cheap there.I suggest taking a look at the Cost of Living in London page to get you started in drawing up an estimated budget for the family.

Where are you from?


Shantalie


Anonymous (not verified) on 3 Mar 2016 - 09:54
Hi guys! Thank you very much for all your help. Much appreciated! I'm Portuguese, but I'm currently living and working in Switzerland. Money wise, if I accept this move I will be earning less than what I'm earning today (around 40% less...), but I also know that the cost of living in Switzerland is not comparable to a lot of places. My only concern is that I think that the cost of living in London will not be far from the costs that I'm having today and probably will not compensate the 40% reduction in my paycheck... However, I'm trying to understand if the option of living outside London can help me closing the gap. For schools, my older kid is 4 and I would definitely enroll him in a kindergarten, while the youngest one is only a couple of months old, so for the time being he will stay at home with my wife. Every single time I search the Internet for a place to live outside London, it seems that crime, drugs, gangs and things like that always pop up in my searches, especially if I search close to Slough...and for sure this is something that I want to avoid for my family!
Anonymous (not verified) on 2 Mar 2016 - 01:30
Ravenx, that offer is too good to live in uk. If you have your own transport you can try to look for place to stay in Winsor, not as expensive as London. With your offer after deduct all expenses I think you still can have saving for at least 1000 gbp(as long as you're not looking for luxurious things like branding goods etc). Wish you all the best
Anonymous (not verified) on 3 Mar 2016 - 08:01
Hi Raveaux,

When choosing an area to live in you will also need to think about schools for your children? How old are they? What type of school will they attend?

Your choices of international school will increase in London itself but there are lots of good British private schools outside London which could make areas like Surrey and Windsor good options.

Smith
Anonymous (not verified) on 9 Mar 2016 - 06:02
Hi i live in Ferndown Dorset BH22 8LS on the outskirts of Bournemouth . We have friends that commute to london and surrounding areas every day by train and car. Where we live by the sea we have a low crime rate and have the new forest national park 5 minutes away. Our home is in low crime area schools good and the home prices are lower than london and surrounding areas. My husbands works with planes at Bournemouth airport. we get offered jobs all the time at Gatwick and Heathrow but love the Dorset lifestyle. The money you have been offered would be really good for living in this area. Communiting isnt hard and many companys now allow romoat access 1 or 2 days a week from home . Good luck

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