I want to use work to get out of here

Former Member

I currently live with my mother, her partner, my younger brother and a dog. My dad lives about 10 minutes away. The town is semi-rural and it's a seaside-y town. Sounds lovely right?
But more than anything I want to move out of the area. To somewhere bigger, more interesting and far far away from the people my age here, most of whom bullied me in high school... it'd be too weird to be friends with any of them so I don't have much of a chance of having a social life here.

So I'm doing what one of my paternal aunts did at my age, applying for jobs all over the UK and then finding a room/small flat to rent when I find a job. Different economic world now than back then, but with effort there's no reason why I can't do it. Find work, find a place, earn money enough to survive and begin to save up for that custom-build computer I want for my video-making hobby.

I wonder if anyone has advice on how I can make this a smooth process? It's quite a feat to think about achieving, but I want to make it happen. Starting fresh somewhere new will overall be a healthy thing for me.

**helen**

Hey there,
Deffo people around who've made such a move - I'm sure they'll be willing to share some pearls of wisdom.

I just wanted to drop in and say I think it's a brave and admirable step - and I really hope it works out for you.

We have a moving town checklist on TheSite that you might find helpful to refer to.

Are there any places that you've visited where existing friends or family live that might appeal?

Former Member

Yeah, I'm considering moving into the area of Manchester, as that's where a lot of my family live.
Only issue is that I also have my last ex living there but I'll get past that. I also want to be far enough away from my family so that I'm not constantly bumping into them. Much as I love my family... I want a little space. xD;

Applied for one job there yesterday.

Former Member

Apologies for double post but...

As well as Manchester, been applying for jobs in Bristol too. Got a phonecall this morning.

Because I don't live there they can't offer me that job (even though it said the interview was immediate, not the start date), but they're keeping my details on record.

Ho hum.

Former Member

Im starting to think about this too but the main concern for me is do i find a place on my own or move in with someone, not just for financial reasons but for company etc. What do you think on this?

Former Member

Personally I'm probably moving into a room with a group of other tenants or else getting studio/small flats with some shared facilities.
I've done it before as a student, so as long as the people you live with are decent people and you all do your share to keep communal areas liveable...

Former Member

I think room sharing would be a bit of a risk, but I've flat-shared with all sorts and it's rarely a disaster

Good luck.

Former Member

Ive flat/house shared too and it was fine but im not sure if i just got lucky with the people i was put with on the first day of uni or not.

Former Member

I'll echo what Helen said - it sounds like a great and very brave move, Fangirl :thumb:

Flat-sharing would definitely be a good way to broaden your contacts if you don't know many people to start with. It helps to have as many in-roads into different social circles as you can to start with, and give you some social interaction at weekends until you have made proper friends to hang out with... some of them may even become your proper friends!

Good luck...

Former Member

I've taken the plunge and just moved to a new city before. I rented a room in a shared house with strangers, all bills included. Initially for a 3 month rental agreement, so worst case scenario I could have moved back in with my parents if I didn't find a job. The area was a little run down but cheap, so it was a starting point. I got lucky with my first set of housemates too as they were all decent people and had some fun times together. I had a couple of months rent saved up in the bank and just applied for any and every job. I pretty much did 9-5 job applications 6 days a week for a few weeks, I found it pretty easy to get call centre work (not great, but it paid the bills).

If you have any friends living in different cities it's always worth asking to see if their employer is recruiting.

My tip for renting is to look for a cheap all bills inclusive deal with a short term contract. Try not to go for a 'joint and severally liable' contract, as you could get landed with someone else's unpaid rent or bills (I've learnt that lesson the hard way :banghead:)

Former Member

Thanks, that's actually really helpful and useful for me to know.

Things have... well, gone in a slightly different direction for me. I've gotten myself a job... sort of. Right now it's a freelancing position and I've a few things to get sorted out first but it seems I'm on my way to... something.
I'm excited but also nervous about whether I can handle it. Guess I'll see when I start. :yes:

Former Member

Congratulations on the job :thumb: