Aodonis STOPGAP TEACHING

Accommodation and Living in London

Living in London

Many agencies tell you the merits of working through them in particular. An example is help finding accommodation in London, my company agent just suggested I look on apps and Facebook, absolutely useless for someone who has never been here. 

If you are young and live alone then renting a room is the best way to go and you can find places with bills included for around £500 – £600 or more and save a good chunk of your salary. For those recruited from abroad this could prove a stumbling block as finding good accommodation in London, a place the teacher has never lived and at a good price may end up scaring many teachers, it’s an area I think agencies can do better on. 

A reason they stay away could be London prices because those are quite intimidating at the outset. Part of that is finding out where you are going to base yourself, there are a myriad of places to live but everywhere is expensive.

From my experience if your after a room only I would use the app SpareRoom because it has everything you are looking for. Need a place with bills included and normally coming with a legal binding tenancy agreement then this site is perfect for you and may help you in the short term so you can decide if London is for you. Other apps include Zoopla and Rightmove which also offer rooms only but also entire flats if that is what you are looking for. A good tip is to try and find yourself close to the trainlines and parks as London is very urban and lacking in good quality green spaces. If you are a foodie or looking for an active nightlife, your in luck as London is loaded with places to eat and meet. It also pretty much guarantees you access to the latest shows, world class sports locations, concerts, easy travel to the rest of the world and some of the best places to visit such as the royal residences, there is always something to see and do.  Just remember travel by train costs more the closer you are to the city because London is broken up into zones.