Don’t move in with your parents, move to London
moove2london on 11 Jun 2010After 3 or 4 years of living in halls or a shared house at uni, the time will come for you and your friends to disband and consider where your life is going post-graduation.
Aside from those who choose to study in London, many students who have been studying at universities in other parts of the country, find that their student-friends don’t remain in their uni town after their final year. Instead, they tend to do one of 3 things.
- Go travelling
- Move back home with their parents
- Move to London to find graduate work
There are of course more than 3 options available to graduates, but these tend to be the most popular.
Now, we’re not going to try and talk you out of going travelling. So long as you realise that it won’t last forever as your money will probably run out, seeing the world is an amazing experience and you’ll never forget it.
We are however, here to convince you that moving back in with your parents rather than moving to London isn’t always the greatest of ideas.
Independence
Remember how great it felt at uni to come in at whatever time of day or night you felt like. You were answerable to no-one. You ate what you wanted, when you wanted and didn’t have to worry about being back for ‘dinner-time’. If you staggered through the door at 5am after puking in your own garden, then you might have felt a bit embarrassed in front of your flatmates, but they soon got over it because they were in the same state a couple of nights later. Most parents, even the coolest ones, aren’t going to be impressed by your drunken shenanigans. Even worse, they’ll be ‘worried’ and you won’t be able to let your hair down too much anymore because you’ll feel guilty about it.
Dating
Dating and parents don’t really mix all that well. If you already have a girlfriend or boyfriend, then you’ll have to try and suss out how cool your parents are with he/she staying over. To be honest, most parents should be fairly flexible about this as you have been away for 3 or 4 years. But you will definitely have to bid a fond farewell to afternoon ‘sessions’ on the couch with your other half.
Of course, an even worse scenario exists if you’re single. Let’s say you’ve gone on a couple of dates with someone and you manage to convince them in some sort of drunken stupor that it’s not an issue for them to stay the night in your parents home. You have a wild night of passion and then have to try and sneak him/her out of the house whilst your parents are sat at the breakfast table reading their papers. Awkward!
Financial
Ok, so this is the strongest argument for going home after uni and there’s no denying that many people manage to save a lot of money whilst living with their parents as it’s normal to pay little or no rent to the duo that created and raised you. But on the flipside you need to get out there into the big, bad world and learn how to manage your money. Children who stay at home for too long find it harder, once they do move out, to grow up and manage their finances.
Your relationship with your parents
Even if you have a great relationship with your parents and love getting your laundry done on a regular basis(!), you still might discover that you’ve been looking back on your childhood with rose-tinted spectacles and the reality is that they drive you nuts. Your dad’s obsession with gardening shows and your mum’s constant slating of the neighbours may become a little much for you to bear on a daily basis and you could find yourself either locked in your bedroom night after night for some space, or choosing to get out as much as possible and spending all that money you thought you’d be saving!
Your uni friends
If some of your university friends have moved to London immediately after uni and you chose not to go with them, then they’ll probably be nicely settled in a shared house together and you’ll be sorry that you chose not to go with them. They’ve moved on and you’re jealous of the lifestyle that they’re experiencing. What’s the point of you saving all this money if you’re not going to have any fun with it?
Career
If your eventual aim after saving some money at home, is to move to London and seek out a top graduate job, then the best place to search for and secure such a position from, is London. Recruitment agencies and interviewers want people to fill positions NOW (usually so they can get their commission asap!) They can’t be bothered with waiting for you to take time off work and get the train down etc.
If you’re still in doubt about moving to London, because you’re worried about the costs involved, then read the following articles which might help get some figures sorted out in your head.
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