Moving to the UK soon - I have no idea what I'm doing! HELP!

I'm 28 but until I move to the UK from California I'll have lived with my parents my whole life.  It took me a while to find some good success but it happened.
I've got zero experience with this stuff.  I've never even paid rent.

My first suggestion-- If you don't know already, learn how to cook.  If it's something your parents have always done for you all these years, maybe it would be a good idea to test a few favourite recipes before moving, so when you're missing a bit of home, you can fix those dishes for yourself

Second- rent and travel are expensive.  I certainly agree with respect to houseshares if you're a single guy moving over, as it is highly probable that you will want to meet people outside of work to socialise with.  Check out SpareRoom for an idea of what's available.  I know rent can be shocking, but as you go further outside of London to find lower rent costs, the travel cost (and commute times) can also increase rapidly-- so it's important to consider these various factors together to find a balance that suits you.   The TFL website will give you an idea of commute/journey times.  

If you're looking for a bit of personal commentary-- My partner and I make a similar amount to your expected earnings  (except without the additional %).  We live in a nice area of London (N5) and for rent and bills, we pay around £1,500/month.  Our combined travel is another £420/month on top of that, and each of us commutes around 1 hr 20 mins to work.  Our groceries are variable, but average out to around £30/week.  We go out for dinner at least weekly (£30-40), and try to make trips to Europe every few months (£400).  I pay $500/month in US student loans, and am able to put away £250/month into a savings account.   He's not in the habit of saving, but buys new gadgets and video games regularly.  I feel like we live a moderately good life, so depending on your own personal preferences/spending habits, it certainly is doable.  As you've only got one mouth to feed, and one commute to cover-- I think you'll be that much better off-- especially if opting for a house share!

Yeah. The rental market in London seems to be like New York. Really expensive, and your money doesn't go far at all.

For the short time you're getting your bearings - a few weeks I'm talking about - you could also rent a bedsit. What's called a studio apartment in America. You can find them all over London, even in the West End, and starting at £90 to £100 a week, you won't burn through a lot of cash.

This has been eye-opening to me, as someone who will shortly be moving to Newcastle. I had no idea it would be so difficult to secure a place to live and open a bank account! I will be in a city with an HSBC branch later this month, and was planning on opening an account for my husband and I so we'd have one when we get to the UK, but is that not possible? My husband is going to be a postdoc at Newcastle University, will having a secure job make it easier to get a place?

We were thinking he'd head over a few days early and get settled and then I'd come over with our son. I hate to think it will take longer than that!

inversed, the situation in other parts of the country are not nearly as competitive (or as expensive) as in London.

I moved to the UK as a student in Nottingham.  Over my first few days there, I withdrew maximum amounts of money from my US account through a cashpoint.  The University was able to issue me a letter so that I could open a bank account.  Once opening an account, I deposited all the money I had withdrawn over those few days.  At the same time, (with the Pay As You Go phone I got on Day 1), I was able to set up viewings of flats, and found a place quite quickly.  If i remember correctly, we were able to move in within the week. 

Moving from Nottingham to London was a whole different story, our search for a flatshare took about a month (as most properties were gone within a few hours of posting...and we couldn't get down in time to see them). 

As the university will have a lot more experience with international students/employees, and probably even an International Office, your husband will probably get the support he needs.  You can get an idea of prices/what's available/how frequently new properties are listed on Zoopla.co.uk or rightmove.co.uk.

If HSBC offers an international account that you can open in the US for use in the UK, it likely has some fees associated with it.. I am not aware of (m)any people actually go that route.

To Inversed:

I'd bank on it taking your husband a few days to a week, (or even 2 weeks to find a place that's suitable for a family), that's from viewing to placing a deposit, having references checked etc. to being able to move in. Just letting you know the worst case scenario, its not like some areas of the USA where there are apartment complexes with management offices ready to rent apartments. But there again surely University is helping your husband with arrangements?

Thanks for the reassurance. We've been looking at zoopla and there appear to be a number of options in the neighborhoods we've staked out. My husband is in the throes of finishing his dissertation right now so hasn't had much time to work through logistics with the university. Hopefully they will be helpful!

Is there any chance you can call the University and ask to speak to whoever would be helping with the accommodation? That's what I would do, in fact I do all of that sort of stuff when we move country/area/house etc. because my husband is too busy with work to take care of the logistics!

I'm sure the University wouldn't mind working with you, in fact you are the one who needs to know what the options are because you are going to be at home more than him

Good news is I think I can get my soon to be employer to have a place ready for me before I got.  They've done it for a coworker and I'm next I think.  Going to push for it.

I'll be using the same bank as my employer so that should make the process a lot easier too.

It would be nice to have a place to go to right when I get there.  It sucks that I can't see it myself beforehand but if I hate it I suppose I'll move when the lease is over .



That and I'll get a pay as you go sim card for my phone and I should be pretty set on the major things.

For short term on arrival try the
newcomer link: http://www.meininger-hotels.com/en/hotels/london/ [nonactive]
Till you get acclimatised, its a hostel/hotel dorm rooms shared rooms etc, clean and reasonable, good location.