My expectations...my hopes....my 1st time in London...!!

There are only a few moments in your life that gets you extremely excited... I was like that 19 year old girl who got her own scooty J when I was planning my trip to London. I had few complimentary months before going to London for my studies; I felt it was time for a leap into the unknown, with a suitcase, some money and a one-way ticket to London. The plan was to study, work, have fun and refresh my education (MBA); pretty scary stuff eh! One month was my limit for becoming economically independent and of course doing a smooth job with a fine pay...thats what i thought at least...:)!!. As I’ve heard ‘you must go into the country to hear what news at London’...'London--->The city of Dreams??^_^'

My 1^st experience wasn’t a good one though...i was home sick..Stayed home for 3 whole months doing nothing....no friends...blaahh..!!! I wish I hadn’t come but I learned to live and now I‘ve started to like it...!! Though I have lot more places to explore..!!

Let me give u guys a brief guide about surviving in London....Sharmi’s way!!:D

The job I found was, of course, as a waitress in a Portuguese restaurant. There is plenty of work, despite the recession, but employers are reluctant to accept adventurers because they know that in a few months they will probably have to replace their personnel. Often if you work in the evening, that’s it for going out for the night. When you finish at midnight after a day on your feet, all you want to do is to go home n sleep. It’s an extremely exhausting work and, in my opinion, not very satisfying. You often work six shifts per week, with at least one of those at the weekend. Basically, it’s no holiday, and when you decide to do it, you need to be very motivated or you will end up going home after three weeks with your tail between your legs. No kidding!!

To work legally in England, you need to ask for a national insurance number. You call a free phone number to make an appointment for an interview at your local Jobcenterplus. You can ask for a NI even if you don’t have a job yet, but will have to go back to the job centre to get it and your NI arrives in the post.

London is expensive. A pint of beer costs an average of £3.40 and a packet of pasta costs less than a pound, so if you are a bit careful, you can live on £880 a month without having to make too many sacrifices.

The only thing that is exorbitant is transport. Even with the famous Oyster card, which is absolutely indispensable. However, even with this, there is a way to get out of paying so much. Not everyone knows that there exists a pass just for the bus which costs a ‘mere’ £16 or so per week and allows you unlimited access to London buses.Rent in London is quite expensive but not excessive. The rooms in London are quite small. Stay hopeful, pray to the goddess of luck and make sure you have an initial budget of at least £800 because, quite regularly, a deposit and a month’s rent in advance are required to guarantee a room.

Apart from the necessary costs of food and rent, the real problem is that the English capital offers absolutely everything! There is something for all tastes and it’s too easy to spend an evening with friends, a Saturday shopping and a small trip and find you have blown your budget. However, with everything it offers, London is a truly stimulating city and managing to make your way on your own in this great metropolis is very satisfying… for the information of all the people who are sceptical before you leave!