|
|
|
|
Dear all,
Just in case my absence has been noticed, it's because I started a new full-time job on Tuesday, with an hour's commute each way; by the time I've been back in the evening I've been too shattered to do anything more than read. It's not related to forum politics at all.
Now it's the weekend, I find that all the things I would otherwise have done during the week have piled up, and I have very little free time left.
I'm sure I'll be back on a more regular basis once I've sorted out a routine; if everything goes to plan, moving closer to work will be on the cards. If you'd like to contact me, I'm always on email -- spuriously at gmail dot com forwards to my main account -- but (as things stand) I'm only ever on IM briefly, if at all.
With best wishes,
David
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hope the new job goes well, and that it proves to be as worthwhile an experience as mine was six months ago.
All the best with it.
NW
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Dear David,
That commute sounds hard. I once worked for a year in Hounslow while living in St Albans and going by car because there was no public transport even nearly direct. And we had chosen to live in St Albans so as to have the widest possible choice of job without having to move house.
From that house I worked in various places in central London, Chingford, Watford, High Wycombe, Elstree, Bedford, Ampthill and Hounslow. And we lived in the same house for 32 years!
Believe me, the business of moving house is bad; if you move to be nearer the job try to foresee the next change of job and go somewhere convenient for both.
Love,
Anthony
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
timmy
|
 |
Has no life at all |
Location: UK, in Devon
Registered: February 2003
Messages: 13796
|
|
|
The question is, do you get paid enough to rent a room, or flatshare, or get real independence?
Author of Queer Me! Halfway Between Flying and Crying - the true story of life for a gay boy in the Swinging Sixties in a British all male Public School
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I am not sure. The amount of 'take home' salary is, of course, less because of tax and student loan repayments. Then there are the extra living expenses, travel, bills, insurance, petty cash, etc. What percentage of salary is it generally 'safe' to spend on accommodation?
I'd appreciate a chance to talk to you about this on the phone, if you have any free time, Tim.
Many thanks,
David
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's generally easier than commuting to London! The absolute bare minimum is 15 minutes (car) + 45 minutes (train) + 15 minutes (tube/walking) for central London. Last November I was in a London-based job that took 2.5 hours each way; in comparison, this one is easy. 
Before I went to university, I was in a job only a 15 minute drive away. I did not realise at the time what a luxury that was.
I'm only 23, and I've lived at boarding school and university for many years; short-term moving doesn't hold any huge horrors for me. I can leave stuff at my parents' house, at least to begin with.
David
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Thank you, NW. I hope all is well with you at the moment.
David
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
JimB
|
 |
Likes it here |
Registered: December 2006
Messages: 349
|
|
|
It may be different in the UK but here in the US 1/4 to 1/3 of take-home pay (after taxes) is generally agreed to be appropriate. Some people pay as much as 1/2 but that frequently leads to problems with nothing to take care of the unexpected.
The current mortage crisis here is a good expamle of what happens when the above rule-of-thumb is ignored. I would be interested in what you learn regarding your area of the world.
JimB
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Deej, best of luck with the new job. I hope you find it rewarding. In the US the rule of thumb is approx. one weeks pay to be spent on rent. Anything more means you will struggle to make ends meet. I hpe you can find something close to work that meets this.
aqua
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love. Washington Irving
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Around 1/3rd (excluding bills) used to be reckoned usual when I was growing up, but nowadays 1/2 is common ... and in London, up to 2/3rds is not unusual, though that would include utility bills.
However, most younger people in London don't run a car ... which could seriously affect what proportion of wages can be spent on accommodation.
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. ... Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night devoid of stars." Martin Luther King
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Congratulations and best wishes, Deeej!
I hope that your new job will be rewarding, both professionally and economically, and that you will have colleagues who are wise enough to appreciate your professional and personal qualities.
[Updated on: Sun, 20 January 2008 18:53] |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good luck with the new job, David.
Commuting's a real bore.
Nick
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hope you run into a really cute guy at work who takes a real liking to you.
Sweet dreams till sunbeams find you......
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yeah, what Curtis said. You deserve it.
aqua
There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are the messengers of overwhelming grief, of deep contrition, and of unspeakable love. Washington Irving
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
marc
|
 |
Needs to get a life! |
Registered: March 2003
Messages: 4729
|
|
|
Huggs tight......
I'm very happy you found something...... you deserve the best David...
Life is great for me... Most of the time... But then I meet people online... Very few are real friends... Many say they are but know nothing of what it means... Some say they are, but are so shallow...
|
|
|
|
|
Goto Forum:
|
] 
A Place of Safety
Search
Help
Register
Login
Home
Congratulations! 
