How to volunteer for London 2012

Where will you be in exactly 2 years time?

If you’re planning on living in London in 2012, then it can’t have escaped your notice that the Olympics will be opening on July 27th, 2012.

There are many ways to get involved in 2012 – you can already register to be notified when the tickets come on sale, by signing up at London 2012 .

We have also been promised 4 live sites at Hyde Park, Victoria, Park, Jubilee Gardens and Potters Fields where large screens will be set up for members of the public to attend with a free ticket. You can also watch events such as the Marathon, Hyde Park triathlon and road cycling for free as they’ll be taking place in Central London.

But what should I do if I want to be more than a spectator, but don’t have the time to become a world-class athlete in time for the Olympics?

The answer of course is to become a VOLUNTEER .

Ok, so in order to become a volunteer at London 2012, you need to sign up to one of two schemes:

• Locog’s Games Makers
• City Hall’s London Ambassadors

Locog are recruiting around 70,000 volunteer games makers for their 31 different teams. Examples of their teams are ‘Media, Editorial and Press Operations’, ‘Protocol and International Relations’, ‘Transport’, ‘Torch and Ceremonies’, ‘Sport, Medical and Anti-Doping’, ‘Competition Venues and Olympic Villages’ and ‘Technology’. Some of the teams require as few as 50 games makers (volunteers) whereas other teams require several thousand volunteers.
The upside to becoming a Locog volunteer is that you’ll get free meals, free transport and the opportunity to be involved in the biggest sporting event that London has seen in years. It probably won’t look bad on your C.V either.
The downside involved in being a games maker, is that due to the huge scale operation that Locog are undertaking, they will require their games makers to be extremely flexible. You’ll probably have to set aside around 10 working days to be involved in 2012. You’ll also be unable to change your shifts (not good if they want you to work at the same time as an event that you have tickets for) and won’t be able to request that you work with friends or family if they’ve also signed up.
To get involved with Locog as a games maker, applications are open from September 15th.
All volunteers must be over 18 by New Year’s Day on 2012, but a separate programme for 1,500 volunteers will also be introduced for under-18s.

City Hall have a much smaller programme going on. They’re looking for around 8,000 volunteers to be London Ambassadors.
The Ambassador programme requires people with an enthusiasm for London to be the ‘face of London’ assisting as guides at airports, rail stations and other tourist hubs.
As an ambassador, you can expect to be fully trained, receive a uniform (which you can keep), get free transport within zones 1-6, free meals up to the value of GBP 5.00.
Applications are being accepted as of today at London Ambassadors .
The minimum age for becoming a London Ambassador is 16.

How to maximise your free time in London

London is a hectic and busy city. The average commute into work (even from somewhere like zone 3 to zone 1) can be between 45 minutes to an hour. So many of us feel sometimes like we don’t have enough time to ourselves in the evenings and weekends. Luckily we’re here to provide you with a list of ways to maximise your free time in London, so you feel like you have time to breathe at the end of the day!
Not all of the ideas on this list are particularly affordable, but then not all of you who are moving to London will be on a tight budget, so you’ll have to tailor the list realistically to your own financial circumstances.

• Get your supermarket shopping delivered. Why waste an hour getting to the shops, ramming trolleys with other stressed out shoppers and then carting everything home again, when you could just sit in the comfort of your own home and wait for your shopping to be delivered to you? If you shop with Sainsburys, you can choose your delivery date up to 21 days in advance and amend it up until 11pm the night before your delivery. You can choose substitute preferences in the event that an item you’ve requested is not available. They deliver from 9am-10pm Monday to Friday, from 11am-8pm on Saturdays and from 10am to 4pm on Sundays. The delivery charge is as little as £3.50, but you can qualify for free delivery if you spend over a certain amount. Once you’ve had your shopping delivered once, the Sainsburys system, will remember your ‘Usuals’ and you can quickly select them again, or add/remove things from your usual order. It’s a brilliant way to save yourself some time and we can’t believe that not all Londoners do this! Visit Sainsburys now for more information.
• Get a cleaner. Ok, this is quite indulgent, but there’s nothing worse than waking up on a Saturday morning, looking forward to relaxing for the weekend and realising that you need to hoover the house from top to bottom, dust the furniture and clean the bathroom. Instead, consider getting a cleaner to visit you once a week, once a fortnight or once a month for some extra help. Make sure you do your research before you commit to employing one. You’ll want to see references and recommendations from other people in your local area. An average cost for a cleaner in London would be GBP 10.00 per hour, usually for a minimum of 2 hours at a time.
• Is there time to watch TV if you’re a busy Londoner? Of course there is. But there are even ways to maximise your TV viewing time. Pick your favourite shows and record them. That way, you can then skip through the adverts (which often take up as much as 20 minutes of a 1 hour show!!!), giving you more time for other things… or more TV-viewing! If you get Sky Plus installed (currently the box and installation is free), then you’ll be able to quickly ‘series link’ your favourite shows and leave the box to work it’s magic.
• Ok, this is a boring one and is often unrealistic, but if you want to maximise your free time, then try not to drink too much the night before. Particularly on a Friday or Saturday night. You’ll spend the next day sobbing in bed and wishing that you had the energy to a)play football, b) take a walk in the park, c) go shopping….
• Time manage your London social life. If you have 3 friends who all know each other really well, then why are you seeing each of them separately, when you’d be just as happy killing 3 birds with one stone and going for one night out with everyone. Obviously, this is totally dependent on your social circumstances, but if you can merge a couple of evenings into one, then both your wallet, your liver and you will be happy about it.
• Do as much as you can online. Aside from ordering your food shopping, which we’ve already discussed, try and set up all your bills to be paid by direct debit, or at least be able to pay them quickly online. There’s just no need to go to the Post Office or be sat in a phone queue once a month, when there are other options available to assist with your admin.
• Use your travelling time wisely. If you take the tube every day, then try and find the time to read the paper or a book. If you take the bus or train (e.g if you’re above ground and have a phone signal) then use the time to call someone – your girlfriend, your best mate, your mum, whoever. If you just sit there waiting to arrive at your destination, then you’ve potentially wasted an average of 90-120 minutes of the day as a London commuter.
• If you’re single, then why not try speed-dating in London. This is the ultimate way to maximise your dating time. Sign up with Speed-dater who are the leaders in this particular type of dating.
• If you’re a gym-goer, then try and find time to go either before work (can be difficult) or at lunchtimes. You’ll find many branches of major gym chains in the West-End and City, so you should be able to squeeze in 30 minutes on the treadmill or a yoga class at lunch rather than having to wait until the evening, when you’re tired and just want to mong out in front of the telly with your dinner! The downside is that central London gyms can be much more pricey than suburbian gyms, so you’ll need to weigh up what works for you.
• Try and book for as many things as possible. If you’re going to a restaurant, then book in advance so that you don’t find yourself waiting at the bar for a table for half an hour. If you’re planning on a particular club or bar, then get yourself on the guest list in advance so that you’re not left queuing outside in the rain!

Commuterland Book Review

Today we’re reviewing one of our most popular aids for those people who wish to commute into London for work, whilst living in either the countryside or a leafy commuter town.

The Sunday Telegraph Guide to Commuterland – Finding a home within reach of London is brought to you by Caroline McGhie.

The book follows the trainlines out of mainline railway stations such as Liverpool Street, Fenchurch Street, Kings Cross, St Pancras, Moorgate, Euston, Marylebone, Paddington, Waterloo Victoria, London Bridge, Charing Cross and Cannon Street.

You can expect to find out the following pieces about over 1200 different towns and villages that feature on train routes on the commuter map into London:

• House Prices
• Property Types (e.g cottage or modern apartments)
• Schools
• Local shops
• Local activities and societies
• Ticket prices into London
• Journey times into London
• Frequency of trains running into London
• Area profiles to help readers decide if they would fit in

If you don’t yet work in London, then you can read the book with a completely open mind and choose pretty much anywhere in the home counties or outskirts of London that appeals to you based on your preferences and budget.

If you already have a job in London, then you’ll probably want to choose to live on a commuter rail line that terminates vaguely near where you work, so that you don’t have to trek half way across town on the tube once you arrive. So if you work in the City for instance, then you may simply use the book and read through the different stations all the way along train routes running into Liverpool Street for instance.

The book lists locations from around 30 minutes commuting time to up to 2 hours commuting time into London.

The book is revised and updated regularly to reflect the most recent house prices, commuting times and train routes, which as you can imagine are all changeable factors.

It’s all very well us telling you that this book is great, but if you don’t want to take our word for it then take a quick peek here.

Buy the The Sunday Telegraph Guide to Commuterland for around £10.17 with free postage (price correct at time this article is printed).

If you liked this article, then you might be interested in more of our articles about commuting:

• The Best Places to Commute to London from
• Commuting into London for work

Barclays Cycle Hire in London

Something very exciting is due to happen at the end of the month….
Barclays Cycle Hire is commencing in London on Friday 30th July.

With the huge increase in cycling fans in the capital over the past 5 years, it’s about time that a decent cycle hire scheme was introduced.

For those of you who have travelled to cities such as Paris or Amsterdam, you may already be familiar with the concept.

Basically, it’s a cycle sharing scheme for the public. In short, you pick up a bike at one of 400 docking stations in the capital and return it to another.

The bikes will be available at all times as it’s a self-service system.

The drawback is that this is not a free service, however, it’s an extremely affordable way to get around town.

You’ll be required to pay two costs in order to use the bikes:

• An Access fee, giving you the right to use the cycle hire
• A Usage Fee, which will be based on the duration of your journey

The access fees are:

• GBP1.00 for 24 hour access
• GBP5.00 for access for a full week
• GBP45.00 for annual access (this option is only available to members

The usage fees are:

• Less than 30 minutes for FREE
• Less than 1 hour – GBP1.00
• Max. 90 minutes – GBP4.00
• Max. 2 hours – GBP6.00
• Max. 2 hrs 30 mins – GBP10.00
• Max. 3 hours – GBP 15.00
• Max. 6 hours – GBP 35.00
• Max. 24 hours – GBP 50.00

Additionally, if you see yourself being a regular cycle hire user and fancy taking out a membership, it costs GBP 3.00 as a one-off, which will give you access to a membership key which is chip-enabled and will give you a fast-track access to the bikes.

You will be penalised with some quite strong charges if you return the bike late (GBP 150.00), damage the bike (max.GBP 300.00) or don’t return the bike at all (GBP 300.00) so there’s no room for chancers with this cycle hire scheme. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the 400 docking stations will be fully protected by CCTV footage.

In summary, if you’re looking to take quick, short trips around London and don’t fancy being stuck on a sweaty tube or greenhouse effect bus this summer, then the Barclays cycle scheme could be great for you. It provides you with an additional choice and unlike many other types of London transport, it’s available at any time of day or night.

For more information, please visit Transport for London.

You might also finding another of our cycling articles to be of interest to you:

Ways to blend in as a Londoner

When you first move to London, some of you might take to it like water off a duck’s back, others of you may feel that you stick out like a sore thumb.
We’ve created a list of ways to blend in as Londoner, so you don’t feel out of your depth. Many of them are related to the public transport system and some should be taken as being tongue in cheek, but we’ll let you try and work out which are which!

• Don’t wander around obviously clutching your A-Z. If you need to carry it, then try and be discreet about it. Or if you have an I-phone, you could just use that instead to get about!
• Try and hide the fact that your snot is currently black and sooty – we promise it’ll go away.
• Get an Oyster card – real Londoners don’t buy paper tickets, they’re more expensive.
• Never stand still on the left side of an escalator – always move to the right. In fact, most Londoners are often in a rush, so feel free to charge up and down the left side of the escalator.
• Always avoid eye contact with strangers and don’t even think about exchanging niceties – we don’t do that in London or else people might mistake us for psychopaths.
• Walk quickly everywhere and try and look like you’re extremely angry at all times.
• In a supermarket, use the self-service checkout – remember that you’re in a hurry and don’t have time for queues.
• Don’t scream in alarm at the tiny amount of change you’ll get when you hand over a fiver for a pint of beer
• Stop carrying cash altogether and rely on using cards everywhere
• Scream like billio if you see a mouse in your house, but don’t bat an eyelid if you see 10 of them whilst you’re waiting for a tube
• Roll your eyes and be completely devoid of sympathy if someone commits suicide by jumping on the tube tracks and ruins your journey across town
• Start sniggering (and/or exercise an eye roll) if your train is delayed or cancelled due to leaves on the line or the wrong type of snow
• Always carry Nurofen, Berocca tablets, eyedrops and chewing gum with you on Friday mornings to help you deal with a crazy Thursday night out.
• Learn the names and respective colours of the tube lines. Nothing will make you stand out more than if you say you’re taking the yellow line to work. IT’S CALLED THE CIRCLE LINE!
• Don’t bother going out in Central London unless it’s for work drinks. Instead find the best pub in your new area and claim it as your local.
• Start acting like the rest of the UK doesn’t exist

PS We didn’t mean the last one – we’re not originally from London either!!!

Graduate Recruitment Survey Results for 2010

The results of a study conducted by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) are hitting the papers today.

The AGR’s Graduate Recruitment Survey for 2010 looks at the competition for graduate jobs in the current economic climate and the qualities that a graduate needs in order to secure a job in today’s market.

Earlier in the year there were some optimistic signs that things were looking up for recent graduates as it was reported by CBI (Confederation of British Industry) that only 6% of firms were operating a graduate recruitment freeze (e.g not hiring graduates) – this was down from 38% in mid-2009. But the AGR are now claiming that compared to mid 2009, there is a 6.9% decrease in graduate vacancies this summer, which is 4 times what they predicted at the beginning of the year.

It seems that with so many graduates from 2008 and 2009 struggling to find work, there is now a backlog of candidates fighting for the same graduate vacancies in what the AGR deem to be a ‘diminishing pool of jobs’. It is thought that around 69 candidates are competing for the same job compared to 49 per vacancy last year.

The result? Recruiters are being forced to tighten up their selection process to ensure that they’re left with the crème de la crème!

Approximately 77.5% of graduate recruiters are now demanding that their candidates possess a minimum of a 2:1 Honours degree. This is compared to 66.7% requiring this from last year.

Over 1/3 of employers are also recognising the need to have relevant work experience in the industry that you want to work in. For more details on how to get relevant work experience, an internship or an entry-level job, please read our article on WEXO .

It’s not all doom and gloom though. Some sectors such as consulting services, insurance, accountancy and construction are anticipating a rise in offered vacancies this year.

To maximise your chances of securing a graduate job this summer, then do two simple things:

1. Upload your CV for free to Monster , so that recruiters can search the database for the best of the best and you can search for positions.

2. If you haven’t already got relevant work experience, then visit WEXO. Work experience isn’t just for 16 year olds. Top employers such as James Caan from the Dragon’s Den uses the WEXO system to recruit and not all positions advertised are unpaid, so do yourself a favour and get one step ahead of the game!

How to create a great flatshare ad

If you’re looking for rental accommodation and housemates when you first move to London, then we thoroughly recommend that you use a flatmate finding service such as Easyroommate .

With Easyroommate and other flatmate finding services, when you sign up you’ll need to create a profile. Much like meeting people in person, first impressions count and so you’ll need to make sure that you’re showing the best version of yourself to those scouring the database.

Here are some tips that you might want to bear in mind when putting a profile together.

• Where possible, add a photo of yourself. Easyroommate’s research shows that you’re 3 times more likely to be contacted if you add a photo of yourself. It’s not about people judging whether you’re attractive or not, but it is about people sussing out whether they think that you’re their type of person or not. Harsh, but true.
• If you’re going to include a photo in your profile, then be careful about which one you pick. That picture of you dressed up as Frankenstein at last years’s Halloween party, might have been hilarious, but it probably won’t do wonders for attracting potential housemates.
• This is basic, but make sure your ad is written with good spelling and grammar. Some people will judge you if you spell words incorrectly and skip on to the next ad. If you were never a spelling bee champ and aren’t blessed with a strong vocabulary, then turn to a friend or family member who is and ask them to read over your flatmate ad before you post it.
• Sell yourself as a housemate. If you’re a great cook who is going to make a mean Sunday roast then say so. You need to let people know what will be so great about living with you.
• Honesty is important. If you’re thoroughly opposed to living with couples, smokers or pets, then say so in your ad so that you’re not wasting anyone’s time, including your own!
• This isn’t a dating site, but it’s not a dissimilar process. You want your ad to stand out from the crowd, but for the right reasons. Try and come across as friendly – a little humour never hurts either.
• Most flatmate finding services allow you to start by signing up for a free basic profile. Try using this for a week or so and see how you get on. If you haven’t had much luck, then it’s usually worthwhile upgrading to a premium membership for a small fee which will allow you many more options, such as being able to contact everyone on the database and including a phone number if you wish.
Tags: Easyroommate, flatmate finding service, flatshare, housemate, move to london, rental accommodation
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Definitive Guide to Moving to London

As we’ve now written 100 articles on our Moove2London blog since we started writing in October 2009, it seems as good a time as any to recap through some of those articles and use them all as a
‘Definitive Guide on How to Move to London’.

Things to Consider Before You Move to London

Before you move to London, you should think carefully about whether or not it’s for you. Obviously, here at Moove2London, we’re pretty biased and think that everyone should live in London, if only for a short period, so that you have experienced everything our capital city has to offer. But you need to come to that decision by yourself, so read

• Don’t move in with your parents, move to London
• My Favourite Thing About London
• 10 reasons to move to London

If it’s your parents rather than you who have doubts about you making the move, then let them read

• Moving to London – the Parents Guide

which is designed to help put their minds at ease.

If you’re considering moving to London from abroad, then you might want to prepare yourself for some homesickness (don’t worry, everyone gets it and most people get through it!) by reading

• Dealing with the culture shock of living in London

In particular, if you’re an American who is moving to London for the first time, then read our popular articles on

• Americans moving to London
• How to move to London from the U.S

Looking for accommodation in London
Once you’ve decided that moving to London is the right thing to do, then you’re probably going to want to work out where to live and who to live with.
Don’t worry, these are extremely common questions and we have many articles on the subject including:

• Where to live in London
• Where do Young Professionals Live in London
• North or South London
• Property Guardian Schemes in London
• The Importance of Using a Flatmate Finding Service

If you’re considering living on the outskirts of London and commuting into the capital for work, then you’ll need to read:

• The best places to commute into London from…..
• Commuting into London for work

Looking for work in London

Usually at the same time as looking for accommodation in London, you’ll also be considering how you’re going to pay your bills. Our Working in London page has heaps of information on this, but you should also read about:

• WEXO – Work Experience and Internships
• Survival Jobs in London
• CV Writing Tips when applying for jobs in London

Finances in London
Once you’ve actually moved to London, you’ll be concerned (don’t worry – we all are!) about your finances in London. Luckily there are loads of ways of saving money when you live in London and it really is extremely manageable to live an exciting lifestyle on an average salary in London. Let us help you put your mind at ease with our articles on:

• Ways to Save Money in London
• Living in London on a Budget
• How Much Does It Cost to Live in London
• How Much Money Do I Need to Move to London

Getting around London
We have full information about London’s public transport system available on our Transport in London page. However, these articles may also be of interest to you:

• Cycling to Work in London
• Car Sharing in London
• Driving in London
• Tube Etiquette in London
• Free Parking in London
• Oyster Cards
• Re-opening of the East London line

Socialising in London

So, you’ve made it! You’ve moved to London, you’ve find a great job, accommodation and you’re managing your new London budget brilliantly. There’s just one thing left to sort out… your social life!
Never fear, we have some great articles here which will keep you busy for the foreseeable future!

• How to be a great housemate in London
• Finding love in London
• How to meet people in London
• Gay Hotspots in London
• Circle Line Pub Crawl in London
• Throwing a House Party in London
• Come Play Sports

We have many other articles that may be of interest to you, so feel free to look through the category archives. We’ll see you in another 100 articles for our next recap!

Gay Hotspots in London

This is a guest post from Dan at Student Discount Search who moved to London in 2004.

For me, the diversity of London’s gay scene is one of it’s biggest strengths. Whether you want to sip a latte and watch the gay world go on Old Compton Street, dance the night away with the bears at XXL or have a beer al fresco on Clapham High Street there is something for everyone.

Soho is the obvious first point of call for new gays in town. Old Compton Street, the main thoroughfare, is packed with gay cafes, bars, clubs and shops. A young, pop crowd frequent GAY bar at one end, while Comptons and Duke of Wellingtons at the other have a bit of rough-round-the-edges pub vibe.

In between there are two branches of the ever popular Balans which serve hearty food with a cosmopolitan twist, but be prepared for queues, especially at weekends.

Don’t forget that there is an Italian heritage to Soho too, with great restaurants like La Porchetta, where you can grab a cheap and delicious pizza.

Going slightly further afield is Retro Bar, which is a loveably scruffy pub nestled off the Strand where you are as likely to hear a Morrisey classic as you are the latest ditty from Pixie Lott on the juke box.

You should get to know your local borough’s homo hotspots too. Pick up a free copy of Boys or QX magazines which have all the local listings. From the Kazbah and 2 Brewers in Clapham to the Black Cap in Camden, you may well prefer to stumble home then have to cram yourself on a crowded night bus from Soho.

For sporty gays there are plenty of gay member and gay friendly sports clubs and teams. I met a lot of friends and even a boyfriend through tennis London, who meet at 5pm every Sunday at Westway. There is Stonewall FC for football, Kings Cross Steelers for rugby, badminton, water polo…there really is something for everyone, which is a lot like London itself.

Some of the places mentioned in this post, are described further in
Time Out’s Gay and Lesbian Guide .

Introducing WEXO (Work Experience & Internships)

WEXO has been set up as a matchmaking process between recruiters and those who are seeking work experience, internships and jobs.

Specifically designed for young people at the beginning of their careers, they’re perfect for graduates and young professionals who are moving to London for the first time.

As graduate unemployment has soared by 44% in recent years, 56% of recruiters are now saying that work experience is the most important quality that a job candidate can possess. With famous businessmen such as
James Caan from the Dragon’s Den using the WEXO system to hire, this is surely a trustworthy and well-regarded system that bridges the gap between job boards and social networking and is a bit like Facebook.

The way WEXO works is that companies post their profiles and job opportunities and candidates then browse this list for FREE. If you come across a position that you’d like to apply for, you’ll then have to part with a one-off life-time membership of £10. As well as applying for positions, this fee gives you access to membership benefits such as career events, discounts, advice and C.V guidance.

But why listen to our recommendation of WEXO, when you could read these glowing reviews from The Sunday Times, The Guardian and many more.