Offered a job, need advice on salary and on the London area
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Offered a job, need advice on salary and on the London areaI'm going to be based in Leatherhead, the graduate scheme I'm on is £26k and that is for all of their offices in the UK
So what bothers me is that I've been placed into an office next to London and being paid the same as a guy who is placed in say... Swansea, and the cost of living is much different so shouldn't I ask for a bit more? I don't want to ask for relocation because I'm happy with it and I don't want to put them off me, but is it unreasonable to ask for? Should I wait until after the tax year for this?
Secondly, I finish my MSc Diss early sep, and start 1st oct, this gives me 3 weeks to really do my research and find a place and move in, is this too short? Should I ask for a start date further on?
Third question, I come from a rural area so really have no idea what to expect in London or where to stay. I don't want to live in Leatherhead, due to it being so small, as I doubt I will be able to find the local amenities I would like (mainly, a decent weight lifting gym). So is it worth living in a London borough? London fringe and Surrey rent prices are very similar from what I can see.
All I want is to be able to rent somewhere that is at most average for the area, that is walkable to the train station, and has a supermarket nearby, and non-rough! If it is in a London borough though ideally I would like some walkable access to an overground/underground station, but this isn't necessary. Any ideas?Last edited by Firepanda; 29-06-2012 at 18:14. -
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I have friends working and living in London (Zone 2) getting paid about £22k. Based on that, I don't think you have any right to ask for more money. You should count yourself lucky to even have a job offer in this economic climate tbh. You will probably find that the pay scale goes up quite quickly in a grad job, but if you make a fuss demanding more money before you even start then you risk them withdrawing the job offer and giving it to someone else more grateful.(Original post by Firepanda)
I'm going to be based in Leatherhead, the graduate scheme I'm on is £26k and that is for all of their offices in the UK
So what bothers me is that I've been placed into an office next to London and being paid the same as a guy who is placed in say... Swansea, and the cost of living is much different so shouldn't I ask for a bit more? I don't want to ask for relocation because I'm happy with it and I don't want to put them off me, but is it unreasonable to ask for? Should I wait until after the tax year for this?
Secondly, I finish my MSc Diss early sep, and start 1st oct, this gives me 3 weeks to really do my research and find a place and move in, is this too short? Should I ask for a start date further on?
Third question, I come from a rural area so really have no idea what to expect in London or where to stay. I don't want to live in Leatherhead, due to it being so small, as I doubt I will be able to find the local amenities I would like (mainly, a decent weight lifting gym). So is it worth living in a London borough? London fringe and Surrey rent prices are very similar from what I can see.
All I want is to be able to rent somewhere that is at most average for the area, that is walkable to the train station, and has a supermarket nearby, and non-rough! If it is in a London borough though ideally I would like some walkable access to an overground/underground station, but this isn't necessary. Any ideas?
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Re: Offered a job, need advice on salary and on the London areaDon't suppose you will be working at Unilever? my sister is starting there after summer....
She will be sharing a house with 2 others that are on graduate schemes in leatherhead, one at a oil company and another at Unilever. I would look on Gumtree for house shares in the area I'm sure there are young professionals there needing roommates. At this stage in life it is important to build savings as an emergency fund so living with others reduces your expenses a lot. -
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Re: Offered a job, need advice on salary and on the London area1) No if anything I'd want more money if I'd been placed in Swansea. Only joking, but no I wouldn't complain over this. Graduate schemes are usually set salaries, and Leatherhead is hardly central London, it's not even within the M25!(Original post by Firepanda)
I'm going to be based in Leatherhead, the graduate scheme I'm on is £26k and that is for all of their offices in the UK
So what bothers me is that I've been placed into an office next to London and being paid the same as a guy who is placed in say... Swansea, and the cost of living is much different so shouldn't I ask for a bit more? I don't want to ask for relocation because I'm happy with it and I don't want to put them off me, but is it unreasonable to ask for? Should I wait until after the tax year for this?
Secondly, I finish my MSc Diss early sep, and start 1st oct, this gives me 3 weeks to really do my research and find a place and move in, is this too short? Should I ask for a start date further on?
Third question, I come from a rural area so really have no idea what to expect in London or where to stay. I don't want to live in Leatherhead, due to it being so small, as I doubt I will be able to find the local amenities I would like (mainly, a decent weight lifting gym). So is it worth living in a London borough? London fringe and Surrey rent prices are very similar from what I can see.
All I want is to be able to rent somewhere that is at most average for the area, that is walkable to the train station, and has a supermarket nearby, and non-rough! If it is in a London borough though ideally I would like some walkable access to an overground/underground station, but this isn't necessary. Any ideas?
2) Personally I'd say you have plenty of time. You won't be able to look much earlier then that as places don't tend to stay on the market long.
3) Dunno really where to recommend, not my area. But I'm sure you won't struggle to find a nice place on 26k (assuming you share with someone else, might stretch the budget if you live alone). -
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Re: Offered a job, need advice on salary and on the London areaNo. Some jobs take into account the cost of living in London when offering wages but not all. Also, next to London isn't London.(Original post by Firepanda)
I'm going to be based in Leatherhead, the graduate scheme I'm on is £26k and that is for all of their offices in the UK
So what bothers me is that I've been placed into an office next to London and being paid the same as a guy who is placed in say... Swansea, and the cost of living is much different so shouldn't I ask for a bit more?
Seriously, you've got a job that pays £26k. Shush and be grateful. -
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Re: Offered a job, need advice on salary and on the London areaLeatherhead isn't that small! You should go and check it out before you decide not to live there. If you're worried about living costs, you won't want to be buying rail season tickets in the London commuter zone...
If you do decide to live elsewhere, you definitely want to go in rather than out, so you're commuting in the "wrong" direction - so much nicer than commuting towards London.
