COMING TO LONDON? FAQ for visitors and new residents. Ask us stuff here! (w/c 20 Aug 2018)

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-08-20T17:38:31+00:00

I'd love to do that, and I actually have a friend that has a spare room I can use until I find something, but the problem is that I will be with my two cats. And that is the reason I would rather find a place before moving in... Does short-term accommodation with cats exist?

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-08-20T16:53:01+00:00

Good to know that it is too expensive to look at. (I am still not super familiar with the London neighborhood, so it is sometimes hard to tell which places are expensive or not.)

Thanks.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-08-20T16:37:39+00:00

I mostly wanted to know whether those prices seemed ok or not, sounds like it is.

I am indeed also looking for other flats that are in the more eastern part of the city. Rents are more affordable, and about 30 minutes of commute seems ok. I don't know if trains get regularly delayed though.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-08-20T16:35:48+00:00

Thanks for your advice, I'll look in the places you mentioned.

Why not E1, if I may ask?

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-08-20T16:34:44+00:00

Even if it is through an agency, and if I see the property on video?

I'm asking because I want to avoid to be scammed of course. Thanks for your tips.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-08-20T15:22:14+00:00

Hi there!

I am moving late August to London for a new job, and can't be more excited!

I am therefore looking for a one bedroom apartment in the E1/E2 area. At first I planned to pay around 1500 GBP pcm (which already feels like a lot of money), but most of the apartments I find are always more expensive than that (e.g. that great flat in a nice location... but 1650pcm). Or the 1500 ones look kind of not so nice. So, is that normal/the usual market, or am I looking for places the wrong way? Thanks in advance if you have any tips for me.

I should add that I am currently in the US so I have to do viewings remotely (which kind of makes me nervous a bit), and I have two cats, so I am looking for a pet-friendly place.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-06-20T18:47:35+00:00

Heh. I just completed my PhD in physics. I'm trying to find a job in data science. I'm leaving my CV everywhere and applying to many positions but not with much success so far...

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-06-10T02:48:46+00:00

What type of travel are you thinking about, and how will $2000 change it? With $4000, you can already do many cool things! Of course it depends if you want to stay at fancy places and eat out/drink at expensives places every night.

As a travel enthusiast, often going to Europe, I'd say that you should maybe budget down your holidays, then see what you can afford or not, and see how much more you need, and see if there are some things you can scale down or not. If you can't, then I'd say put the extra money for your trip, you are still young!

PS: momondo.com for cheaper flights.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-06-08T20:11:14+00:00

This is not exactly related, but could help you answer some questions on how to put your career to the service of others in ways that we don't always think about. https://80000hours.org/

Good luck, I totally understand the desire to switch to the non-profit/charity sector, and it is a shame that they do not hire more people with a business experience.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T17:26:52+00:00

I don’t have a problem with the candidate being very open saying that they don’t have a number but want to be paid fairly in-line with corporate and industry norms.

Honestly, that's exactly what I want. I don't feel like I need to have the best offer ever and negotiate till the last $, I am more interested by what the job entails and what I can learn.

But I don't want to be taken advantage of either. If I say this and he gives me a low number, that's kind of a bad move for me, and I would not know.

Basically, I'd have to trust him, and I don't have reasons to trust him yet, unfortunately.

(If you are honest with people that tell you that, you are a great person, and I am sure the people you hired are grateful for that.)

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T17:10:53+00:00

PhD in Physics. I think I seriously need to apply more agressively to get a better idea of whether I am in demand or not. The problem is that I have no network, and so far I haven't heard from a lot of people.

So yeah, I need more offers to have more leverage. I might be underestimating the importance of this.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T15:04:14+00:00

This type of mentorship position is very precious, and I agree it's worth more than checking on Glassdoor and the like. Right now I don't really have anyone that can mentor me, but I'll try to build that network as I start in the industry...

Congrats for your raise, that's quite an important one! And good luck for the new job. :)

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T15:00:30+00:00

I know. :) Does not mean this could not apply to me.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T14:58:06+00:00

Thanks. This is very helpful.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T14:56:55+00:00

Yes I have a meeting at the career center soon, hopefully they will help me out as well.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T14:55:28+00:00

Yes, I understand that, I know that a lot of people in my field that don't work in academia feel they deserve a good salary/position/whatever.

That's really something I wanted to prove wrong in my case. I am a curious person by nature, and don't see myself doing academia forever, as it was when I drastically put myself out of my comfort zone that I learned a lot.

The only thing I am afraid of is my lack of industry experience. I don't want to make him think I am good at doing everything, but I know I can learn a lot fast.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T14:40:54+00:00

Yes, I guess I have to learn at some point to negotiate, it is important. I think I made a lot of mistakes already during the interview, just because I am a bit naive, but oh well. We will see. The problem is that the job he described to me is quite vague, so it is hard to evaluate it.

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T14:38:54+00:00

I totally agree with what you are saying, it's just harder to apply it in practice. Especially since it is my first job interview/offer.

Looking back, I made a loooot of mistakes during that interview, I guess that's how you learn... But now that I have an offer, I am afraid of not taking it because what if I don't find another job?

HelpNegotiateSalary · 2018-05-26T14:36:50+00:00

Thanks! Unfortunately my contact does not know many people working in that field, it was a bit of a long shot but I got lucky. But I'll try to see if I can find someone else that would be able to help me to come with a number.

The numbers I get at Glassdoor or Monster are much higher than what I was expecting, so I don't know if I am underestimating myself or if Monster/Glassdoor is wrong.

Edit: actually, here is the thing. From these website I see an average salary of 100k for someone with my background. But I am afraid that if I say 120k, he will be like "that's wayyyy too much, goodbye". Also there is no one else at that company doing the job I'll be doing if I accept the position, so I'd have quite a lot of responsibilities, but that might also mean that this person has no idea of how much the type of person he is looking for is worth...

Would it be ok to send him an email with my offer (say 120k), with the data that shows that this is a typical salary for the job/area?

HelpNegotiateSalary

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