London Living - Advice
I will be joining a mega fund in London as an associate soon and was wondering where the best/nicest neighbourhoods are to live at? My office is in Mayfair so preferably somewhere close by or in West/Central London.
Likewise, does anyone have any recommendations on where to make friends/meet new people in London. I'm in my 20s and don't have many contacts in London so was wondering where to meet like-minded/fun people. I've heard of private members clubs being a thing over there (not as much in NYC) and wanted to get advice on which ones to join. Thanks!
Bump.
I'm in the same process of looking for a place to live in London. I found spareroom and rightmove useful for searching places. I have decided to flatshare because I'm new to city. I'm looking at areas like Liverpool Street, Shoreditch, etc., but I'm no expert about London.
Don't live in Mayfair. Full of empty flats.
Look at bits of inner Zone 2 on either the Victoria or Jubilee line (assuming you'll be near Green Park) - e.g. Islington / West Hampstead in North London, around London Bridge / Bermondsey / Borough south of the river. You'll find far more people in their 20s living in that kind of area and they're far more fun places to live than Mayfair & West London.
Join a sports team. Football / cricket / hockey / running clubs etc are a great way of meeting people in London - normally super social and full of young professionals (but not just other people in the finance bubble).
Interested to hear about Sports clubs still being social.
How far along the spectrum from uni sport to something could see parents at?
I kinda assumed it would be a lot closer to take your parents vibe and the end of the excuse to get hammered uni style
Am guessing it depends a lot on club, any recommendations?
Depends a lot on the club. A tennis club in Richmond / somewhere similar will have an older & more sedate demographic. A team sports club in an area of London where there's a younger demographic will be a lot closer to the uni sport experience. E.g. a clubhouse/bar with cheap beer & socials until late on Saturdays. A couple that come to mind would be clubs like Spencer in South London (hockey, cricket, lacrosse, netball, squash & tennis) or CLTC / Hampstead Cricket / W Hampstead Hockey (tennis, cricket, hockey and squash sharing facilities & two clubhouses - cricket & hockey at least is a 20-35 age range). Look for a club with its own clubhouse - will be a lot more social.
What about rugby? I’m a big rugby guy but nobody in the states plays it
Will be plenty of rugby teams albeit not really my thing so can't give any reccomendations. Mixed tag rugby in a park is quite a common social sport.
Our associates (speaking from a London MF) tend to live in Marylebone / Shad Thames / Bermondsey / Victoria / Clapham type areas. Very few in North London (Islington and West Hampstead have a mid-30s family vibe) and the immediate surroundings (Mayfair / Knightsbridge / Belgravia / Chelsea) to our office in St James' are too expensive these days except for the double PE associate couples that want a one bed or small two bed for £2.5k / month.
If you are at a reasonably social firm you should be able to tag onto nights out with other associates and start building a friendship group from there. As suggested above, joining a sports team is a really good idea.
Have worked in Mayfair, would recommend Victoria or Westminster for living. It’s loads of fun, not too expensive, if you don’t mind a bit of a trek you can walk back from most places you might go out (Soho/London Bridge etc).
Anywhere where you can tie into the Victoria line to quickly get to the office, bonus points if you can walk to said office. Above recs. of Islington would be +1 from me.
If, like me a little over a year ago, you're coming from the US and seeking similar accommodations, which in my case was looking for a modern flat with amenities in-house, A/C, etc. then everywhere along Nine Elms in Vauxhall will work. I mostly walk to my office in Victoria (20-25min), but can jump on Victoria line via Vauxhall station (5-10min).
To be clear, it's a dead and uninteresting neighborhood to live in (granted they're really trying to liven it up RE Battersea area especially), and unlike other residents I'll actually admit it. But you're a stone's throw away from Chelsea and the West End in general, whether on foot or taxi or tube, so for me it turned out to be the best of both worlds > be close to West End, be in a brand new flat. You'll learn quite quickly that where you live in London doesn't drive where you hangout, public transport makes it too easy to pop around wherever on moment's notice.
Thank you for the help! Was wondering if it's common/normal to bike to work? Or is the tube the best way to commute?
It's very normal (particularly for the younger guys) but you need to establish that wherever you are commuting to has good bike parking facilities and showers. If you get a Brompton (folding bike) you can put it in a taxi on the way home if you are in the office late.
Most major roads (except the minor motorways like the Westway / M4) have decent cycle infrastructure these days.
Lived in Marylebone for 12 years and loved it! Had a flat share and all full of finance people from Europe and amenities are very good. Selfridges and regent park in walking distance. Soho, portobello road and Mayfair you can reach within 15-25min walking distance. Prefer to Chelsea :)! I would avoid anything south of the river if you hate commuting
Thank you for the advice! Will definitely check those areas out.
School alumns?
Great advice here! Thx
As long as your neighborhood is 95%+ white, you are good.
gl finding a neighbourhood like that in central London
yea avoid Whitechapel at all cost if that's your criteria lol
I currently live in Bloomsbury (South of Fitzrovia and near Soho) nearby the British Museum. It's a quiet neighborhood with lots of grad students/young professionals and it's a 20 min walk to Mayfair where I work.
A bit off topic but want to ask OP, would consider doing a top MBA from HBS/Wharton and slide into a top HF in the US,as you do have the finances and credibility
I already recruited with a few MM and L/S shops; however, ultimately decided to pursue PE instead since the opportunity came up. Haven't decided where or when I'd do an MBA but also there's no rush for me so for now just focusing on gaining more experience. Also think it depends on what type of firm you're joining as some firms like Warburg pretty much make you pursue an MBA and return afterwards.
Covent garden imo
A lot of the advice shared above is very valid but a couple additional areas to consider:Pimlico (hits all the right spots location wise, Victoria line, close to Chelsea, live on the side closer to the council housing and will be cheaper)Angel (live walking distance to Kings across but closer to the Angel side, lots of young people there plus some fit mums)Clapham not bad, the commons, lots of young people, infernos is both bad and good at same time (your will know what I mean in time)Earls Court isn't bad with the Chelsea proximity, cheaper than Chelsea but more expensive than Islington, good vibePlaces to avoid. Don't live in Chelsea or South Ken or Mayfair or Soho. These are the worst locations to directly live in for cost reasons on Chelsea/South Ken or vibe/livability reasons for Mayfair/Soho. Also avoid Brixton, Hackney and Peckham. Your friends working public relations in consumer goods will swear by these three locations but trust they are loser locations.
Should we organise a meetup for finance folks who just moved to London??
I'd be down for one.
Third’ed
Fourth’ed. moving there in a few months. PM?
Fifth’ed. Not looking for housing, just need referrals🤣
Related but unrelated -
Can someone please confirm MF PE associate pay in London, assuming a US fund (BX / KKR / APO etc.)?
Have heard everything between in-line with US (i.e. they pay you USD-equivalent in GBP) to 40% haircut. Making a major life decision soon to potentially move to London from NY and this is obviously top of mind.
If comp is top of mind then you should not make this major life move. No one moves for the pay. If you’re getting kicked out cuz of visa that’s one thing, but if you are choosing to leave NYC for London don’t think you’re going to make equal money. If you’re just doing a stint then the money doesn’t really matter, if you’re thinking about staying long term then obviously your cap is much lower in london than NYC. There are probably 25% of seats paying $1mm+ consistently in London vs NYC.
Yeah visa-related
At my US MF they indeed pay USD-equivalent in GBP
I live in hackney, commute is 40 min and am more of a fan of the vibe there. Depends on what you prefer though.
Some good advice already up there; my top 3 areas in London for young professionals would be:
1) Marylebone (Baker Street/Regents Park)
2) Notting Hill
3) South Kensington
As others have pointed out if you are new to London sharing a 2 bed is a good idea both from finances and social perspective. The areas suggested are considered upscale central London locations so rents will be on a steeper end (c. £2.5k to £3k for a 2bed) but worth it and easily affordable on a MF salary.
Marylebone honestly is fucking dirty. Trash everywhere because garbage collection is shit, weird ethnic restaurants and Asian massage parlors on every street. Even Baker Street is disgusting early in the morning. The only nice areas actually are those bordering Mayfair.
Just part and parcel of living in New Mumbai
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