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Topic: Is 30,000GBP enough  (Read 6847 times)

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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2013, 07:49:14 AM »
£ = alt+0163 or c+p from the character map.  

Can't give you any feedback on the budget but I do think you'll need to allot more for rent if you live in the southeast.  I paid £910 a month for a 1 bed flat in Finsbury Park (zone 2) in 04-05.  
« Last Edit: March 03, 2013, 07:00:24 PM by Kristi »
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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2013, 08:16:45 AM »
£30k is £1935 take home per month from next month.

You might be entitled to some child tax credits also if you/your husband are British.


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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #17 on: March 03, 2013, 08:31:36 AM »
It can vary by area, but I think your rent estimates are low. We have paid as much as 800 for a 1 bedroom flat when we lived in an expensive area. After moving to a smaller town, we paid 800 for a 3 bedroom house but have recently moved again and are now paying 1050 for a 3 bedroom house. I think you'll want to budget for 800 at least (if you're willing to have your kids share a room, you'd have more luck finding a 2 bedroom for 600).

I'd also look again at the tax calculators online--I would think your take home wage would be around 1900 (less if you contribute to a pension).

Childcare can be really expensive here, as well. For full-time, 5 days a week care, the minimum amount we were quoted was 1,000 a month (with some places wanting up to 1300 a month). In-home childmilders will be more reasonable than nurseries.

For what it's worth, my husband and I have been living on his post-doc salary with one child for the past 2 years, but in order to make the costs work, I had to quit my job and stay home full-time. Definitely doable, but we are moving back to the US after our second is born, as it's not something we want to do long-term.   
« Last Edit: March 03, 2013, 08:34:23 AM by lilybelle »


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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #18 on: March 03, 2013, 10:12:30 AM »
I live in the same general area as the poster above.  Season tickets to London (with the Underground included) are 5,600. 

The South East is expensive.


Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #19 on: March 03, 2013, 11:00:34 PM »
I've seen this before here buuuut  it's from 4 years ago so I'm sure if it holds true.

I'm looking for employment and my general searches seem to say that 30000GBP is a reason amount to expect for me.

But I really don't know if that is enough.

A bit about me and the family:

My husband will be attending the University of Kent for postgradute school - he will not be able to work but student loans will cover his tuition.

I should be able to expect about 30K as a post doc in my field. This would be at one of the universities in London or the South and South East areas.

We have two small children, primary school age but would need after school care.

We would expect to live somewhere South or South East with a maximum commute by car or train of one hour. 

So is my budget reasonable? Is 30k do able?
I figure I would take home about 1700(pounds) a month
so 400 for food
300 for child care
600 for rent (can I get a NOT scary 3 bedroom flat for that?)
that leave me 400 for everything else (power, heat, gas/fair,  entertainment, etc)
Realistic?

Basically, no...if you want to live or work in London.

None of the major universities are within walking distance from a major hub station, so you're looking at having a London travel card - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14416.aspx
£116 a month.

You could buy a folding bike or walk, but I assume that time is going to be an issue if you need childcare etc.

The boy and I lived in London on about that whilst he commuted to Brighton when he was in college, we had a little extra for student loans and no kids. It was...grim. Rent is pretty expensive.

Now if you both live in Kent, yeah probably doable but if you're even considering this I would implore you to rule out anywhere inside the M25 or attempting to commute to inside the M25.


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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2013, 03:47:59 AM »
£30k is £1935 take home per month from next month.



This is good news! woot! It gives me (a teeny tiny tad) more wiggle room. That includes national insurance right?

For what it's worth, my husband and I have been living on his post-doc salary with one child for the past 2 years, but in order to make the costs work, I had to quit my job and stay home full-time. Definitely doable, but we are moving back to the US after our second is born, as it's not something we want to do long-term.   

Good to know there are others here in the same boat as me. With luck  my husband will only be an unpaid student for a year and after he will get a stipend. But I sill might have to pick your brain on how to make ends meet in a post-doc salary!


Now if you both live in Kent, yeah probably doable but if you're even considering this I would implore you to rule out anywhere inside the M25 or attempting to commute to inside the M25.


Yeah this is more or less EXACTLY what we are thinking of doing.....  There are several real employment possibilities on the east side with in the M25. How bad is it really to commute into the M25?


Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #21 on: March 04, 2013, 09:24:15 AM »

Yeah this is more or less EXACTLY what we are thinking of doing.....  There are several real employment possibilities on the east side with in the M25. How bad is it really to commute into the M25?

What do you mean by East side? That's a massive area.





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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #22 on: March 04, 2013, 10:25:53 AM »
None of the major universities are within walking distance from a major hub station, so you're looking at having a London travel card - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tickets/14416.aspx
£116 a month.
I buy a monthly season ticket on Greater Anglia, and have London Zones 1-6 included in the cost the ticket, which works out to be only £86, so much cheaper than what TfL quotes, ie:
1 month Rail = £234.70
1 month TfL Z1-6 = £213.60
1 month Rail with Z1-6 = (only) £321.10
So that could be slightly helpful for your consideration.  Granted, even though I only typically use Zones 1-3, it's not possible to only buy a Z1-3 with the rail pass.  So it's all or nothing, really.

Given your circumstances, I'd strongly consider living in/around your husband's university, as this would mean a) only one of you will have to commute, and b) one of you will always be nearby to the little one if there are any emergencies.

Do you have to do a PostDoc? Would you consider going into industry, or maybe working with the NHS?  Or not even using your PhD?  After I submitted my master's thesis here, it took around 10 months for me to find a job that was in science (and it's completely unrelated to my degree); In the meantime I rolled burritos to help support my OH's income. If you choose to move to the UK, you may have to get a bit creative, or settle for something less than what you might be hoping for.
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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #23 on: March 04, 2013, 02:35:25 PM »
What do you mean by East side? That's a massive area.



Yeah I'm trying to throw my net pretty wide in order to maximize my options.
I'm mainly looking in zones 2-5 but with extra emphasis on bromley and bexley.
 I am going to bend over backwards to avoid The City and pother central areas.



Do you have to do a PostDoc? Would you consider going into industry, or maybe working with the NHS?  Or not even using your PhD?  After I submitted my master's thesis here, it took around 10 months for me to find a job that was in science (and it's completely unrelated to my degree); In the meantime I rolled burritos to help support my OH's income. If you choose to move to the UK, you may have to get a bit creative, or settle for something less than what you might be hoping for.

I would LOVE to get into industry that is my #1 choice but I am worried about getting a job. I kind of figured that it would be easier to land a post-doc rather than a job.


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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #24 on: March 04, 2013, 02:55:46 PM »
This is good news! woot! It gives me (a teeny tiny tad) more wiggle room. That includes national insurance right?

Yes, that includes tax/NI.

www.salarycalculator.co.uk


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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #25 on: March 04, 2013, 03:00:21 PM »
Yeah I'm trying to throw my net pretty wide in order to maximize my options.
I'm mainly looking in zones 2-5 but with extra emphasis on bromley and bexley.
 I am going to bend over backwards to avoid The City and pother central areas.

I would LOVE to get into industry that is my #1 choice but I am worried about getting a job. I kind of figured that it would be easier to land a post-doc rather than a job.
Yeah the UK job market for science graduates hasn't been good for some time now, but hopefully it will improve soon. A girl I work with got her science Masters from Imperial College in 2011, she was also offered Phd sponsorship by Imperial which will pay her £15,000 a year but she doesn't think that will improve her chances of getting a better job. Another guy I know will be doing a sponsored Chemistry Phd through Open University that will also pay about £15,000 per year and he's hoping to get into academia afterwards. Science jobs are usually concentrated in certain hubs - like Berkshire, Hertfordshire, and Cambridgeshire. Not so much in Kent. London has mostly medical communications jobs in PR agencies. Good luck in whatever you decide!  :)
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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #26 on: March 06, 2013, 06:36:06 PM »
I earn 30k and take home ~£1700/month, but this is after pension contributions and student loans have been taken out.  It would be more like £1900 without those.

Look for Marie Curie postdocs.  They pay almost twice as much.  There are other postdocs advertised at more than 30k too, if you already have some postdoc experience and the right skills.  Another option would be to see if you can get a different type of job that pays more.


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Re: Is 30,000GBP enough
« Reply #27 on: March 06, 2013, 06:45:33 PM »
I earn 30k and take home ~£1700/month, but this is after pension contributions and student loans have been taken out.  It would be more like £1900 without those.

Ah, yeah, I forgot to mention that in my post -  as well as tax and NI deductions, I also have pension contributions (about 5% of my salary) and student loan repayments (about £120/month) taken directly out of my paycheque each month. If I didn't pay those, like Hobnob, my take home salary would higher.


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