I will be working in Green Park as a banker, and am considering living in Canary Wharf because of cheaper accommodation
Is that too long of a commute or is that typical for London bankers?
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It's a very normal commute and a lot of bankers working in Canary Wharf live in the area around Green Park (or farther). That being said - why on earth would you live in Canary Wharf if you're not working there? Most people who work there don't even want to live there - it's one of the most boring parts of London. After 8 PM the place is completely dead, and it's not like there's much to do before that.
There are many awesome places from where you can get to Green Park in less than half an hour. Canary Wharf is not one of them.
I have to second this. Why would you live in Canary Wharf? There are so many better places to live in London and they're much closer. I'm not quite sure I've ever actually met someone who lives in Canary Wharf.
As mentioned previously, I will have free housing in Canary Wharf. And the extra $ i save can be used to pay off student debts. But I would reconsider if the commute is way too long for a 1st year IBD Analyst. I don't care too much about location surroundings.
Hard to argue with free...
I'd check the bank's policy on late night car service though. I haven't lived in London for a few years but if I remember correctly the last tubes are shortly after midnight (?) depending on the line so you don't want to end up spending £20-30 multiple times per week getting home and soak up a decent amount of what you'd be paying in rent and not be near the office. Or get stuck on a long night bus full of drunks.
Edit: but also realize it's not going to be a 27 minute commute because you're going to be standing on the platform waiting for the Tube due to some jackass always throwing himself under a train. I went from Kensington to Mayfair and it was usually 30-40 minutes door to door.
A close friend of mine has an extra room there for me to live in for free :)
27 minutes is fine. I travel around that time every day in London.
As a first year analyst near Green Park I used to commute 40-45min a day from East London. I hated my life so much and finally moved to a place in walking distance (15min walk) which improved my life significantly. Living for free obviously sounds damn sweet so go ahead and try it but after some time you will feel the aggression rising inside of you whenever the tube is delayed or you are in a full train of sweaty Londoners. The occasional signal error will give you the rest and you will move closer. But until then, go for it and try and save some extra money.
And although you claim to be a work drone who doesn't care about your surroundings, you will eventually realise what a shitty place the wharf is. Dead on the weekend, during the week only banker types around you.. not for me.
How long did you take before you moved?
I moved after approx. 6 months. Your commute seems more bearable though as you probably just hop on the Jubilee Line and drive straight without changes to Green Park. The area is still shit, but your commute might turn out to be ok. As I said before, I would just try it for a few months if I were you.
if money is tight why not do Bermondsey or so? Myself I've been thinking of Bermondsey / Kennington / North Lambeth area. I don't know where ill be working yet post qualification...but assuming its in Bank/Liverpool St/Green Park/CW area, all of those seem to be pretty close to those places. anyone got any thoughts? budget is around 350k hopefully for 2 bedroom..
Jubilee line more reliable than others. Out of curiosity, does the bank cover 30min taxi journeys?
I studied in London for a semester and even though Canary is dead during the night it's still fucking gorgeous. I'd live there for free considering how much real estate is in London.
uh that's a negative
Thanks for the comments everyone! The bank does cover night taxi from Green Park to Canary Wharf. I have decided to stay with my friend to save money considering the high cost of living in London.
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