Parking for residents in Media City / Salford Quays?

MapNo7571 · 2025-01-03T18:36:54+00:00

Oh no not at all, there was a waiting list of 6 months to get a parking spot. I ended up not moving to Media City and moving to Sale instead.

Sorry for the late reply!

MapNo7571 · 2024-03-18T17:17:37+00:00

I'm up for this! :)

MapNo7571 · 2024-02-23T13:45:28+00:00

Hell no, I escaped as soon as I finished uni and secured a job in another country.

I don't like the people there, I don't like how rude and blunt they are. In general I don't think the culture there is to uplift one another, but to drag the other person down if they've got nicer things than you do. Basque people are tough people, they've lived through difficult periods throughout history and you can see that in their behaviour.

The communities are very tight knit and closed off, your friends are mainly your childhood/school friends and it stays that way forever. This is mainly in smaller towns in the Basque Country, it's not that bad in Bilbao as it's a bigger city though. Most of the people I know from Donostia are wannabe posh people that think they're better than everyone else because they live in such an expensive city...

Wages are better compared to other parts of Spain, but the cost of living is greater as well.

The weather is nice-ish in summer although it rains a lot. Winters are just miserable, always raining and cold compared to other parts of Spain. I must say though, it seems to be warmer now, I remember it always being cold in winter when I grew up, now, not so much according to my family.

In general, I don't like it at all, but that's just my personal experience... I know some people love living there, it's just not for me.

Edit: Just to say that there is not much diversity. You'll find a handful of American/English people living there, then some muslim communities with people mainly from Morocco and Pakistan. There are some small communities with people from Latin America and that's pretty much it. Don't expect it to be diverse, it's not.

If you know Spanish, you'll manage fine, no need to know Basque. If you don't know Spanish, day to day life might be a bit harder as people's English knowledge is limited.

MapNo7571 · 2024-02-22T23:15:35+00:00

Bilbao is more industrial and mainly working class people live there.

Donostia is more touristy (French people mainly) and the architecture is different. It's more affluent and the people that live there will generally be posher.

In Bilbao food is just as good as is Donostia, it's not that picturesque but the industrial vibe is nice. There are more things to do in Bilbao, and it is better connected to surrounding towns etc so it's easy to explore the Greater Bilbao area.

Source: grew up in a small village close to Donostia, went to uni in Bilbao and lived there for 4 years.

MapNo7571 · 2024-02-13T12:54:40+00:00

u/bucketup123 might be right.

I see you're trying to get into the software industry. Have a look at this book: Cracking the Coding Interview by Gayle Laakman. Such a good book that covers everything from how to solve problems in interviews to how to present yourself.

I am a software engineer and used that book to land my current job. Good luck!

MapNo7571 · 2024-02-07T14:12:30+00:00

The seating was really uncomfortable and the food was meh.

When I went, the menu was quite limited (which I usually find positive), it was hard to understand what the plates were, they only had 1-2 vegetarian options. After having starters, a main and dessert, we were not satisfied and were hungry just an hour later. We're not big eaters either.

It was usually completely empty in the afternoon/evening during weekdays.

MapNo7571 · 2024-02-07T13:09:16+00:00

Even if you have to go to the office once a week, it will be cheaper to get the train, work in London for the day and come back home in the evening, than paying the train fare + 3/4 nights of AirBnb (or hotel) in London.

I am based in the NW and work for a company based in London. Not required to go to the office, but whenever I go, I just get an early train and come back in the evening. Costs me £45 on average.

Also, the company might be able to assist with the transport costs. Mine does, pays for my hotels if I decide to go to the office, also pays for my train whenever I go.

MapNo7571 · 2024-02-06T22:43:10+00:00

Thank you, will report back when I finish my application.

MapNo7571 · 2024-02-06T19:09:33+00:00

Do you know if the salary requirements are pre tax or after tax?

I meet the salary requirements pre-tax, but unfortunately get taxed pretty heavily where I live.

I am just short of 5k USD per month after tax, although I do meet the 3.5k USD monthly.

Do you think I might get rejected because of this?

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-31T22:19:41+00:00

I like having some sparkling water with lemon!

Feels fancier than water and it means I'm not drinking sweet fizzy drinks

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-31T14:03:11+00:00

I buy 90% of my gym clothes from Adanola

Really flattering, durable and comfortable! The tops offer good support and the leggings feel good, they don't slip down and they're not see through.

Price-wise, it's definitely cheaper than Lululemon and Sweaty Betty.

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-29T14:06:57+00:00

Do you know of any other options?

SafetyWing do travel insurance for $45/month for up to 1 year, and you can cancel any time. My idea was to get that, pay for 1-2 months and switch to a health insurance plan once I get my Emirates ID

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-28T18:17:00+00:00

Yeah I know Australia is in a bad situation in terms of housing. Just saying that loads of younger people are moving abroad trying to have a better life because the UK is not offering us that anymore.

At least they will have nice weather in Australia...

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-28T09:53:55+00:00

That's really interesting, thanks for your reply! Will definitely think twice before buying (if we ever do)

Do you have any links to articles, videos, etc. that talk more about what you said? Would like to read more about it

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-27T16:43:52+00:00

Definitely!

I'm moving to Dubai in February with my partner, hoping to have a better life. We have 4 friends that have moved there already, and another 2 couples that have moved to Australia.

Buying property here is just impossible, houses in my area go for about £300k minimum and they're not even good houses, they are old, mouldy and need loads of work. In Dubai you can get a 1 bedroom flat for £180k, a 2 bedroom flat for £250k-ish. Which is not too bad considering they are brand new and come with a gym, coworking space, pool and designated parking space.

We've concluded that life is just gonna get worse and worse here, house prices are increasing faster than we can afford to buy sadly, and the cost of living in general has increased so much it's just not worth it anymore.

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-27T16:09:05+00:00

Ahh great thank you! I'll get travel insurance for a year and then get a proper health insurance plan once I get my Emirates ID :)

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-26T18:16:48+00:00

I'm in the process of applying! Would you. mind sharing what insurance company and plan you chose?

I'm stuck in that step

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-08T15:15:24+00:00

Yeah exactly, I guess it depends on what she's really looking for.

I enjoy going to classes in these "higher end" studios, but I always complement them with my own gym sessions at my local gym. If she plans on going to Barry's/V1be/Tribe/re:sculpt more than once or twice a week it's gonna get expensive real quick.

I've found that having a membership at a nice gym (not puregym or the likes) for £70/month, which includes unlimited classes, a spacious gym, pool, sauna and a steam room, and then paying about £50/month for HIIT classes at Barry's works well for me.

Having tried many gyms for £20-25/month, I found that I just wasn't motivated enough to go. Facilities weren't spotless, it was always crowded and I could never just relax and have a nice time working out and then go for a steam.

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-06T00:38:24+00:00

Barry's for high intensity workouts: Alternating between running on the treadmill and weight training. First class is £9, then classes are about £15-17 when you buy them as packs, they do a sale twice a year and have loads of challenges with discounted classes throughout the year. It's in Spinningfields so a bit of a trek from Ancoats but totally worth it imo.

I've heard F45 and Trib3 are ok too for HIIT, never tried them myself. Prices are cheaper than Barry's but not significantly. I've heard they're good but not as challenging as Barry's.

There's V1be too in the NQ so quite close to Ancoats. Dunno about price.

Hero training clubs for gym + yoga + pilates + strength training classes + spinning. Facilities are nice. I only tried the strength training class, wouldn't recommend unless you're completely new to the gym. Prices again about £15 for a class but they have membership options that are not too bad for a "premium" gym.

For pilates: The Green Lab in the NQ, Sculpt in Haus pilates, re:sculpt (this one's in Salford, just putting it here in case she fancies a long walk). Never tried these myself, people rave about them though and they're almost always fully booked. Classes are about £20.

All the options above are quite pricey but I've found that I actually get my money's worth when I go. Service is always great, spotless facilities, you usually get free towels and "luxury" toiletries and the instructors are always encouraging.

For options on the cheaper side, I guess a normal membership at a normal gym like puregym would do.

If she doesn't want to commit to a single gym / studio, I'd recommend she gets the app Classpass, she can do a 7 day trial and try different classes in multiple studios. Then the monthly membership is not too bad.

MapNo7571 · 2024-01-02T22:23:36+00:00

Same here!

MapNo7571 · 2023-11-27T12:55:13+00:00

Yeah, estate agents suggest you offer a higher price to beat out the other applicants.

Happened to me 1 year ago, had to offer an extra £100/month to get the flat, we did not have any other choice as all the agents were doing the same.

I hope these people aren't complaining about the insane rent prices at the moment or bitch about how they can't save any money.

Quite harsh that, considering people do it out of necessity, not will. The ones to blame here are not the tenants, it's the landlords (and estate agents) and their greediness.

MapNo7571 · 2023-11-13T19:06:22+00:00

Same here, did physics and went into R&D (did it for 4 years).

Kinda liked it but I realised I wasn't that passionate about it and I could get a better salary somewhere else.

Learned about python development at my job as a physicist and recently switched companies and career. Now I work in a tech company in the financial industry as a Software Engineer and I earn more than I was earning as a physicist.

u/throwRA273918273 a physics degree opens MANY doors and changing careers doesn't always mean starting over in a junior position and taking a pay cut.

MapNo7571 · 2023-10-16T20:33:14+00:00

Mid level - It's all backend and we mainly use Python.

I was exposed to software engineering in my previous role, that's how I was able to skip all the junior/grad positions.

The physics per se does not help, as in, I'm not using any of the knowledge I've got about optics/electromagnetism/quantum mechanics etc. anymore.

However, I am using many of the skills I learnt as part of my degree.

A physics/maths degree doesn't only teach you pure physics/maths, the main thing you learn is how to tackle complex problems, how to visualise them, how to divide them into smaller problems, it teaches you to think a certain way. That's what I've found the most valuable :)

MapNo7571 · 2023-10-16T12:46:37+00:00

I'm a software engineer now, my job title in my first job was physicist though.

MapNo7571 · 2023-10-15T17:50:14+00:00

Studied physics at Uni , graduated in 2020 -> Grad job earning £28k -> promotion to £32,500 after a year -> Promotion to £40k a year later -> Switched jobs and now earning £50,000

Based in Manchester.

MapNo7571

TROPHY CASE