Quote:
Originally Posted by andapplepie
Thanks for the quick reply! Yes, we'll be coming from the US. He'll be working in Central London not too far from Picadilly Circus. We'll be on an expat package, but not at a high enough level to get the car 
We'll have some assistance (moving assistance and initial housing for a few months), but then we'll be on our own in terms of housing. Is it hard to live in Central London with a tot or do a lot of folks do it? Do people move out farther once they have children? Do we miss the London experience if we live out farther? If we move to the suburbs of London are we missing the point of moving to the UK or conversely is the experience still rich living in the vicinty of London? Thanks! |
Plenty of people raise children in London, if you are going to be a stay at home mum I see no reason why it should not be possible.
The major constraint is money since London is one of the more expensive towns in the world. As a general guideline I always advise people to request as many pounds as US dollars as a base salary as a starting point of negotiation, having said this I think $1 buys you more than £1 in general terms, so beware. You should be paying around £1200/month for a 2 bedroom flat and general utilities in a medium income area, some less in a not so good part, and the sky is the limit from that.
Housing in the UK, but particularly in London, is very small when compared to the US. You will be in for a shock, I guarantee you that, many friends that did not know any better brought too much stuff with them which had to go to storage because would not fit on their place. If your time here would be limited I would seriously consider not to bring much and to rent a furnished place or to buy stuff here (2nd hand if necessary).
You could of course live in the London suburbs, but have to be prepared to suffer the commuting in the very inefficient and crowded trains. I chose to live close to my place of employment, which gives me back 3 hours of my time every day. I don't have anymore nice fields with cows and horses as neighbours, but I could not care less, London is a great place and it simply rocks.
The London suburbs are very loved by families with children, many middle class people "escape" London to places perceived as "better" to raise children. You have less access to the fantastic cultural life in London, but having said that, with a child that may not be an important consideration since life revolves around them, but be prepared to lose your partner at 7:30 not to see him back until around 18:30 every day (if he leaves on time every day, which he should anyway).
If you intend to enjoy London in any serious way childcare is fundamental, living in the suburbs will make it more difficult to find this while in London, although still difficult to find, obviously is more widely available.
These are lose musings, I hope they are helpful.