Moving to London? What Non-UK Citizens Should Know

Posted on 09/05/2023

Moving to London? What Non-UK Citizens Should Know

A relocation to London can really be a cause for quite the excitement. Going to one of the world’s most desirable places to live in, an European capital of culture, a place with hundreds of years of history and plenty of locations to show for that history. London, where the British are as British as they can be with uncompromising Britishness radiating from them, and where you can live life as a real Englishperson despite that a lot of the population there is of mixed ethnicities. How much more exciting can moving house to London sound?

But while you are making that moving checklist and looking for removal companies, you should probably know a few things that you will otherwise discover the hard way.

• The stiff upper lip behaviour is a myth.
British people might be a bit more distant, and seemingly unemotional and uninvolved during conversations, but that has nothing to do with them actually being unemotional or unfriendly. British people are actually quite friendly, and London is the place to prove it. The moment your moving van arrives to London you can ask the neighbour for help and you will see that you will receive it. You can strike conversation with nearly everybody, especially in the pubs, and especially about sports or politics.

• Opportunity does not mean certainty.
Whenever researching information about London, you will always come across assurances that London is a place for young professionals and that you should go there because of all the opportunities that it gives you. While that is true, that does not mean not looking for a starting job and then chasing your dreams. London is an expensive place to live in, and you can’t survive on dreams alone. Work hard, get an opportunity, chase it down, pin it down, act on it – that’s how careers work, you can’t simply jump to the top stop.

•  You will have to learn a lot about public transport.
Depending on which country you are coming from, you might have had some experience with public transport, but in London you will be required to learn all about it. Not everything there is in walking distance, and you will have to use the transportation links of the London Underground, or the busses or cabbies that the city offers to get from anywhere to anywhere.

• Attractions are for tourists.
If you have previously travelled to London and have been to some of the attractions, you will know how accessible they are. Curiously enough, after moving house to London and becoming a part of the crowd, those same attractions will become aggressively inaccessible because of the huge throngs of tourists hogging all the queue spaces. You will literally have to get up quite early in the morning to get the opportunity to visit places like the Natural History Museum or the Science Museum.

• Not all Londoners are British people.
Meaning, London houses a variety of ethnicities. You can meet people from literally all over the world right around the corner, and this does make asking for directions a bit tricky. But then again, it means that you can find people who will be more aware of the hardships you can face during the initial days of your stay in London, and will relate and help you get accustomed to the lifestyle.

Equipped with this knowledge, you should be able to face the difficulties and pleasantries that living in London will gift you with. Keep your head up and be patient and diligent in whatever it is you are doing, and you will thrive.