2 Aussie Lads In The Early 20's Looking At Moving To London.......

Welcome on Expat.com shuey !

Maybe you could start living in an hostel (there is quite a lot of hostels in Bayswater area, such as the Astor hostel astorhostels.co.uk), find a job, and then find a flatshare on gumtree.co.uk ?

Hii

What makes you want to come to England? Australia looks way more cool! The beaches and the chilled out attitude beats rain and rude people any day ha

I should warn you .. getting round London can be a nightmare, and expensive! The trains are always packed and the tubes are so hot which in winter sucks because it's like 1 degrees outside so you are all wrapped up, and then you get on a tube and you're sweating! I dunno what your trains are like in your cities so you may be used to it, but the underground system here can look be so hard at first, but the more you use it the more you get used to it and the train workers will be happy enough to help.. but i wouldn't bother asking a passer by, people in London are SO rude and will barge past you without a care in the world. The streets are always packed and noone will even think about moving out of the way for you in the train stations or say sorry for knocking you over But... it's a great place to visit!!

I never usually join websites like this, but i was googling about travelling in Australia and came across it. I saw your post and thought i might actually be able to help . I'm 19 so we would be interested in similar things and although i don't live in London, i have been there a lot! I'm from Hertfordshire so it's not too far away.

London is huge and there is so much to do! It should be fairly easy to get a bar/restaurant/shop job, but i wouldn't expect to earn too much!

Hmm there are so many sights you should visit

The london eye is a must - i advise at nighttime because the whole city is lit up and you can see for miles. It's right next to the River Thames too. The houses of parliament is nearby so if you visit during the day you can check that out if you're into that kind of thing (i went on a school trip while i was in 6th form, it's interesting if you like history/politics and things, but otherwise i wouldn't bother - i didn't really enjoy it tbh!)

Madame Tussauds is cool, I would recommend that! Do you know what that is lol?

Oxford and regent street shopping is amazzzing! But then i'm a girl and i love my shopping . Infact the shopping in general in London is awesome, fashion is a big thing here. Westfield shopping centre in Shepard's Bush is really big and new if you ever fancy a big shop.

The London Dungeons i have never actually been to, but i've been to the London Tombs and it was shit scary so if you're brave, go to one of them

I've never been clubbing in London because it's a bit far to go on a normal night out, but it's supposed to be awesome. Go to the absolut ice bar, it's completely made out of ice and i've heard you're only allowed in for a certain amount of time and they give you a snow suit to wear! As for clubs, The Ministry Of Sound, Pacha, Boujis and  Mahiki are all popular and are definately places i want to visit .

I can't think of anything else right now and think i've rambled on enough! Any questions, just ask

I've met a lot of Aussies who live in the Clapham area (which means you may or may not want to live there?) But it's lively area of south London so do check it out when you arrive. It's less pricey than smack-central London. Anf there's a so-terrible-it's-great bar called Infernos there. Ah, Infernos....

You may also like Shoreditch, Camden or Islington areas as they have more bars/music and cater to younger people that are looking for nightlife and like to live in the thick of it. A few of the English guys I work with who are around your age live in Bethnal Green and London Fields.

Check gumtree.com for current listings for flatshares, etc. It will give you a decent idea of what's available in your price range.

I can't offer much in terms of job hunting for what you're looking for, though since you will have a work permit, you won't have any difficulty finding a bartending gig. In fact, I've noticed a large percentage of the people who work at pubs are Australian!

You and your friend will have a great time here.

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thanks everybody for the tips and advice, just booked my ticket, leaving aus jan 25th 2011 and ariving the following day (26th jan - aussie day)!!!! so excited / scared for my big move / adventure!!!!

Congratulations on getting your ticket!! Good luck. Hope to hear about where you decide you stay, etc once you get there.

Hi there!

Did you manage to move and if so, how are you finding it?
Please fill me in as I would love to know how you're coping!!

Sonia

Yeah, how did you boys go? My story is pretty similar to yours, but im arriving in October.
Stressing about finding a job, but other than that, i cant wait.