What do you love/hate about working in London?

@aurematic

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely commuting is a big nono for me.

@jamiedavies4545

Жыл бұрын

Its Jamie Davies I live in the UK I live up north in Carlisle City I wouldn't live in London either Matt Brighton and will you be my KZread friend please Matt Brighton my mate?

@Ben-uh5qf

Жыл бұрын

Love is the salary. Hate everything else: the people, the commute, the pollution, the prices, how dirty it is, how out of touch London is with the rest of the UK. London is it’s own self absorbed narcissistic bubble.

@VaughnGeorge

11 ай бұрын

London is overrated, overpriced, overpopulated, dirty and unsafe.

I moved from Yorkshire to London and lived there for 15 years as a barrister until the pandemic when I “fled” back to Yorkshire. My firm kindly let me work from home so, when I’m not in court, I’m at home. I’ve bought a house, got into gardening, spent a lot more time with your family and now have a child who is spend a lot more time with than I would have done if I had been back in the rat race. I don’t know how I coped with the underground all those years.

@claralouise6433

9 ай бұрын

Your story is similar to mine 😅

I moved out of London too - swapped a studio flat for a semi detached with big garden in a rural area - can’t imagine ever going back! I’m still working in London 2 days a week though, an hour commute each way but only doing it twice is manageable and I actually appreciate the city more now that I don’t live there

@MattBrighton

Жыл бұрын

Oh wow! I imagine the same - once you're out of it, visiting in moderation becomes enjoyable again

@aaakk00

Жыл бұрын

I'm looking to do the same! Could you please share in which town you live? I'm struggling to find somewhere with good commute links

I'm SO glad I moved out of London. Whenever I go back to visit, I feel revolted when I'm crammed on the central line and I wonder how I did it for 8 years straight! One of the good things about being a dentist is weatend to actually earn more outside of the city, but I'd absolutely love to go remote, it's one of the reasons I want to change career paths 😅

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Hope the career hunt goes well! We’ve been house hunting outside London and it’s so refreshing looking at places with a driveway, garden, space and detached property in nice areas! Definitely feel like I’ve done my time crammed in a flat

@Tatianarain

Жыл бұрын

It’s literally so dehumanising being crammed like cattle, rushing for trains. I left a 3rd world country so I don’t have to deal with such inconveniences. Ugh

An interesting video. I'm a Brit-American, born and raised in London's East End and worked in central London for many years. I emigrated to Dallas in 1990, with the job. I love to visit London and the UK, but would never want to live in London again. Very high taxes need to be levied on all those vacant properties, that are merely places to park money. Typical greedy employers wanting to offer less to remote workers, simply to get a piece of their employee's savings. "It's costing you less, therefore I should pay you less". Such nonsense!

@Ofelas1

11 ай бұрын

Left Canary Wharf 2014 and never looked back. PS started 07:45 and usually left 7-8PM.

the worst part of London: the tube 😬

Very similar story to mine - moved to London in 2018 for a grad scheme. But really struggled with cost of living and lifestyle inflation (my fault!). I only managed to save some cash when lockdown hit and I moved back home. Now 4 years on I've left London for the North and work remotely (still go to London once a month). Work life balance is 100x better and I can invest more for the future. I don't think I'll ever go back to that life. Wasn't all bad though, the social aspect was definitely a big plus!

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Love it - sounds similar. Great to have experienced it, not a forever thing - off to better pastures new with a little bit of London every now and then only when needed :D

great for u! i quit mine at 51, left london for good n hv been on the road for 8 yrs n been happier, saving more than i did working on the road to over 30 countries now, grateful!!!

Great video Matt, I feel exactly the same. I'm moving up to Yorkshire after living in London for my whole life, so looking forward to how that goes!

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Best of luck!

@alexkije

2 жыл бұрын

hahahah

@teddyagsmith

2 жыл бұрын

@@alexkije 🤔

@samiuddinomer8154

Жыл бұрын

Why?

I have been commuting from Birmingham City Centre to London for over 2 years. My flat costs £140K in a nice area and I’m fine. My partner and I never considered living in London, given the high cost of living

Great points made throughout the video. As somebody about to graduate into the world of work, however, I do fear about the over emphasis on WFH. We already live in a generation that is more lonely than ever, and while the office does have its bad bits, it also has its positives - mainly getting you out and meeting people in similar environments. I've seen it already with friends 1-2 years older than myself that their social circle hasn't expanded beyond their university friends that live nearby. However, don't think there's a right answer and it's entirely up to personal preference. Great vid as always Matt 👌

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Totally agree - I’ll miss aspects of office work for sure. Very fun and social and worked with great people 😄 but working remotely I’m learning to enjoy hobbies and interests more and meet people that way / more locally. But indeed all personal preference and neither a winner

Love the videos mate! Keep up the good work!

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks! Appreciate it

Hello Matt, just came across your channel. Refreshing to hear things from you and totally agree with you on everything. We as parents especially I am absolutely fed up with London. Its getting hell conjusted crammed and crowded. Upon that feels like there's no fresh air left. Everywhere you see these new buildings been constructed and creating more issues, adding to crowded conjusted places. I really want to move out of London especially having a 3 and half year old who I don't want to bring up in such an environment. Often feel like robot working day in and out. Could you please mention some nice places to relocate just outside London?.

@TheDreadfulCurtain

7 ай бұрын

Brighton and Hove !

That was an interesting perspective and I kinda have a rant of my own on this topic tbh. As someone working at a bank near Canary Wharf and seeing how the many of my colleagues are having to commute 1h+ in each direction, it really baffles me how much the banks are pushing for the "return to normal" as soon as they can while a lot of us actually end up being more productive by apreciating the flexibility that wfh offered. Its the mere thought of the phylosophy behind that makes it sound a bit bonkers -> covid is fading away, ergo we must go back to 5 days in office...thats the only reason we are doing it?!? Not much thinking dedicated into whether this actually didnt unintentionally improve employee welfare without affecting productivity or whether the complete return to the office wont badly affect some of the employees. In addition, though this might be just our bank messing it up, there were plans for partial returns on rotational basis after the January lockdown (so the office was roughly on 30-35% capacity at most). The result? They cut so much on maintainance that even at this capacity supplies were running out, devices were malfunctioning and toilets were going out of order every 1-2 weeks...then they wonder why people try to go part time or eventually resign if they cant.

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

I completely get this, I went into the office before I left the bank I work for near Moorgate, went into the office in October before I left - on the first day back nothing had changed. Old monitors, wrong cables so nobody could plug laptops into screens, plug points were positioned so our new laptop chargers wouldn't fit. Was very disappointed to see they achieved nothing during the pandemic to improve office spaces. And then trying to get people in multiple days a week - made no sense.

@jawlig

2 жыл бұрын

My take on your take is that those buildings were and still are expensive, so they need to justify keeping them - it is a head office at the end of the day, so they are just working to the assumption that things will return to normal. Also in this specific section of the workforce, many have experienced less work life balance, as the extra time saved commuting/being in office is simply extra time worked - at the expense of personal/social interaction and a break to schedule. From my personal anecdotes, I've heard of senior management asking for work done after working hours which is something that rarely happened before the flexibility of wfh. Some have actually become more burned out through wfh

I agree, the stress of comuting, and long working hours, horrible, the polution, stressed people around you in the city, everyone in a hurry, unknown people everywhere, I realy didn't like it to put it mildly.

Worked in the city for two years - hated the commute! Left in pandemic and moved to Devon. Still work a city job and make more money than I did when I was office based

Another great video - love the thumbnail! I agree with everything you've said. I can't believe we actually used to cram ourselves on the Central line 10 times per week, all connected by the fact none of us wanted to be there. All for the pleasure of £6.60 a day!

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

It’s very strange thinking about those days haha. Hopefully never returns to that! Not pleasant in the summer on the central line

TFL is absolutely awful, I live in Zone 3 and it takes me 1.5 hours to get to work, that's 3 hours a day which is insane! Where I currently live it would take 20 mins once Crossrail opens, but I've been waiting since 2018 and there's just constant delays. On Friday, it took me 2 hours for a 25 min journey!! In other words, I think you've made the right decision!

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Ouch! My commute is considered a good one at 40 minutes each way from zone 2! I don’t envy it especially with delays and interrupted service 😮

@strapzson

2 жыл бұрын

No one wants to spend his life traveling going to work... Remote working is the way to go, and having a side hustle business!

Completely agree with your decision my advice is trying to get a skill Engineering, acountancy.... that can be done country wide and move to a cheaper city.

Thank you for making this video. I can relate to some of the points made.

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Lots of similarities!

That's why I listen to audio books/podcast on the commute. It's not wasted and I have a fixed time/period to listen to books and learn.

I am working for a bank in the city with 2 days WFH hybrid, pretty happy. WFH fully isnt for me, its nice to be in the city atmosphere.

This was such a well put together video man! Loved this such and the content was incredible!

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@alexkije

2 жыл бұрын

pip pip olde chap

As an epileptic, London is one of the few places in the UK where I can comfortably live and, because of my health condition i actually get free travel in all London zones. I considered moving to Sussex, but not only would I no longer have free travel, but the public transport was expensive and sporadic/unreliable. So...some of us are just stuck here!!

@alexkije

2 жыл бұрын

Then, there's the Sussex Vampire!

I agree I would go in to the office in the morning in 2016 say good morning and would not get a response, it would not want me to stay in a role where people are constantly eating at their desk and not interested in having a conversation with their colleagues. I can understand that at times one does not want to talk but that is not a good way to be.

This is a great video. I'm lucky to have a new job working remotely but I want to move further out to get a better home and standard of living. Working remotely means I have more time with my son which is very important.

I live about 12 Miles from Southend employer decided to close provincial offices and make regional centres in cities my nearest one is Stratford it costs £28.50 for a retrurn per day. The old office used be in Southend .

I did one stint as a Tupe consultant for a financial company in the City. They acquired an entire section of a major bank through a share acquisition. It was my job to tupe in the employees. Long story short, project went brilliantly, but they told me that once I finished the Tupe, they wanted me to work on a benefits and pay harmonization across all their entities. That would have another 4 months at 450 pounds per day. However as soon as I began working on the benefits harmonization, they conjured up a whole lot of internal political reasons to get rid of me. The worst thing about working in the City is the internal politics

Just back from visiting london, we used stations around whitechapel, everone looked deppresed

Love the art galleries hate the unfriendly expensive. The travelling you’re right it’s knackering and unrewarding. People are also ruder

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

I saw an interesting photo in the news this week during the tube strikes of everybody cramming on a bus with an advert above it "Our office is worth the commute" - The irony of it

Just a question. Where would you move in UK out of London? I have been checking places and the prices are quite similar. The last spot I found with decent prices is Luton. Close to the airport so I can travel easily to Canary Islands to see my family and friends but... nothing much to do there apart of work remotely. Any ideas, please? I am looking to move out of London.

@Dr.Stacker

Жыл бұрын

I moved to luton from west london 8 months ago and to be honest best decision. Got a lot more for money with house. You have Watford Milton Keynes, harpenden and st albans all within 20-30m drive. You have express train 5 stops from LTN to kings cross. A decent number of businesses and employment opportunities. Good road and tail connections. The main thing you give up is socials really

As a lifelong Londoner (which probably makes me biased) happy to pay for £7 pints, commuting smelling a stranger's armpit (we're packed like sardines on the tube) and all the extra costs for the fun of living in London (won't say my actual age but just out of the millennial age group), think owing capital appreciating property and potentially other investments is important though to keep your place here; is tricky for the young and new arrivals and because of this some places in London can become abit stagnant feeling

I really want to work in London. I really like it there. Ive considered (but not greatly thought about this) living in Reading. Then work in London for work. Itd be an hour commuting roughly from home to there. I really dislike Bristol. In my experience the progression is poor here.

Great video mate. Best thing your do going remote. Are you going to sell your London pad and move?

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Indeed! RICS valuation due any day now then will likely put it on the market. No ties to London now with the job changed!

@glenrussellproperty

2 жыл бұрын

@@MattBrighton you won’t look back mate. I have such a better work life balance now and not been to London for 7 years now since starting my business focused locally

I moved away from London37 years a go never regretted it and it was still a fine city back then.

I commute on HS1 then Northern to Bank, a season ticket is £7,800 ish. So WFH 2 / city 3 is a godsend

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

HS1 goes through Stratford international. When I used to hop on there to St Pancras it cost a fortune. Couldn’t believe the season ticket prices from Kent!

@henrywoodcraft8724

Жыл бұрын

@Gareth Mathew but without the train I don’t get to work, and with the work, I don’t make the money

Not just London but the UK in general. Obscene levels of taxation and god awful weather make me leave the UK.

@datingandlifeadvicechannel7534

5 ай бұрын

Yes

Wake up and stuck straight into your desk with no lights… that’s so right 😂 that’s why I got it wrong then

I worked as a derivatives broker in EC4. I commuted from South Oxfordshire from 1984-1998 , getting up at 0530 hrs and getting back home at 21.00 hrs. I did it because I could afford to get a 4 bedroom detached house with land. The City then was great fun. I emigrated to Hong Kong and Singapore in 1998 . Never returned . Live next to a beach in 37 C. With a gym. My ex colleagues that remained commuting died at 41, 52, 64,65 . I’ve returned to the City to have a look around a couple of years ago. It is nothing like it used to be. Now it’s boring, people eat lunch at their desks in a toxic culture. There is no fun whatsoever. I’ll never return.

Have you sold your new build in London or have you rented it out? Or are you still living in it? Thanks

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Getting it valued at the moment to put it on the market 😊

Young people who are just starting their corporate careers need to appreciate that whilst remote working has benefits, if you’re trying to build your network, meet new people and improve your life socially, it’s essential you spend some time in the office.

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Fair points, I loved the office days and the social side. I've found networking just as easy working Remotely, if not had widened my horizons outside of the one company being able to network through my YT channel and Instagram.

@T0pMan15

2 жыл бұрын

@@MattBrighton absolutely, still possible to do remote but does require more effort and motivation required by each individual. However my point is, if you know nothing about the corporate world and it’s your first ever job you need that exposure. If you’ve been in the industry long enough it doesn’t matter

@T0pMan15

2 жыл бұрын

@@MattBrighton someone at my company has recently left for a more remote role, even though she doesn’t have the experience or the skill set to justify it. Especially since she’s job hopped 3 times in less than 6 months at the same job title. All for the sake of an extra £2k, but that’s her prerogative

@jawlig

2 жыл бұрын

@@T0pMan15 Job hopping is the most effective way to get raises quick. Trying to get a raise in your current role/company is like pulling teeth....

@T0pMan15

2 жыл бұрын

@@jawlig you don’t just get a massive pay rise for working 6 months permanent constantly. In her position, she was making an extra £2k by moving and she’s never been promoted. I’ve spent 1.5 years in my current company and been promoted twice, I’m starting a new job next month and I have received a £17k pay rise. That’s the difference

These are symptoms of a dead city. When it’s working population no longer live within walking distance but it’s heading in the same direction for other cities. Wfh had the chance to really spread wealth but this has been resisted by Government and city interests and so it’s only a handful of other UK cities that really have these job opportunities. The majority of us in the shires still have to relocate to London to get a better quality of living.

London lost it's charm. It is too expensive and too dangerous.

BRITANNIA has fallen in life quality in last 3 years to the extent that it remind some FALL OF Roman province of BRITANIA, Good luck to you Matt

I love WFH. Its the best thing that has happened to me. You missed an important fact that not everyone in the office gets along and some people make you feel uncomfortable because they want to get ahead and make you feel inferior. When you WFH you dont need to deal with negative energy as much and you can vent without the person your venting about hearing you 😉 Great video as always. I'm looking forward to more of them.👍🏽

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Very good point! I love that working remotely there’s no need to out-do anyone in the office. Instead work well with others and be judged on your work output! 😌

@T0pMan15

2 жыл бұрын

You’re never going to get on with everyone but you need to be an adult and learn to be diplomatic and civil. That’s life I’m afraid grow up and get used to it.

@tochukwunjoku

2 жыл бұрын

Same here....!

I moved out because I could live in the Caribbean. I think it's better even if there are no ( cheap ) Amazon or stuff like that but hey. You live where people spend their holidays.

Commuting to work takes me an hour by train. But I can tell you the best investment decisions I made was in these journeys. Sep 2013 emerging market (India), Dec 2015 gold mining companies, March 2020 oil companies. This early morning one hour travel time is very productive as I could read what's happening around the world and take some rational decisions.

@bambouseraieFR

Жыл бұрын

2020 pharmaceutical

Honestly I live in london and I never knew how expensive living in central london actually is

I love London. Love it even better now I don't live there. I'm fact been loving living out of the UK for the last 10 years

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

Love this comment - I think I'll re-find the magic of London when I don't live in it, and instead enjoy day trips and weekend trips every now and then

Although I respect the perspective, I don’t think this has anything to do with London. You could’ve changed the title of this video to why I’ll never work in big cities again. Take whatever career you had, put yourself in NYC, Singapore, Hong Kong, etc… and you would have the same take you had for London.

Interesting point of view. I lived and worked in London for 7 years, then bought a house in Essex but I'm still traveling 3-4 days a week to London cuz I decided to keep my current job for now. I know that I won't be able to do this forever, I spend average 3 hours a days on public transport, but I am trying to see the positive side. I read, work, listen to music on the train. I do not travel on peak time which makes my life easier. I'm also living in a village with very limited job opportunities in my field. I agree though that commuting in London cannot be a long term plan, it will eventually cause a lot of stress.

2015 i was doing my GCSE's😭

In Japan they at least pay the transportation fee... sheesh...

Hi mate do you live in Brighton

Is commuting in London really more expensive than buying and maintaining a car like you have to in most other parts of the UK?

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

I bought a car a year and half ago. I spend about £4500 a year on the lease payments plus petrol, insurance etc so not much difference. Car probably a bit higher - but also nicer than using public transport so happy to pay the premium for a more luxury journey

@mentat7984

2 жыл бұрын

@@MattBrighton that’s interesting. Appreciate the honest and detailed comparison!

@leeklass3907

Жыл бұрын

I have had change forced on me by the deicsion to close local office I worked at Southend. I live about Miles from SouthendI hybrid every time I go to Stratford it costs £28.50 for an any time return it's hybrid working pattern.

Lol getting up at 7...I'm at work by 7

I now work from home for life

Did you work in blackrock ,

Dangerous and foreign

Central line life bro

@MattBrighton

Жыл бұрын

This

No its not English there trying hard to make it into a foreign country but you let it happen but the big question is why ask blair

Wasted because you had your headphones in and your eyes down. You could have been chatting up international birds on the London commute.

@ItsOttis

Жыл бұрын

With a face like that?

I refuse to leave Shepherd's Bush Ladbroke Grove area. Even if I leave London I'd have to come back nothing can compare! But I'm born and Bred yet I empathize with your points.

This isn't really anything to do with London lol. This is more a WFH vs commute argument.

@MattBrighton

2 жыл бұрын

It’s about working in London 🤦‍♂️

After almost 8 yrs there was completly burned out. Is nice when you are young to gain work or life experience but with time you you just notice the dark side of living there. Especially after Brexit, when all my friends left for good...completly different vibe there.

Friends in London hahaha ....funny...

Do you want to promote your video to the target audience through advertisements?? Advertisement will help to rank your video. It is very professional.

they built fancy towering office blocks, but nobody is going to london to own nothing. nice try....

Is London even English anymore?

@datingandlifeadvicechannel7534

Жыл бұрын

No 😂😢

@randomvidz8742

Жыл бұрын

I'm Bengali and I can tell you there are more immigrants than natives and white people I see on a day to day

@StarsManny

Жыл бұрын

It's not really an English city, it's more of a giant multicultural bedsit.

@formxshape

Жыл бұрын

No, it’s 3 main groups: Middle Eastern, Indian, African.

@juliekrol

Жыл бұрын

Nope…especially Whitechapel

Lunch in london now is minimum 25 pounds

I am from Scandinavia. My first job after uni was in London. Loved it. Great place for young professionals. I paid the penalty of being able to walk to work by living in a shared flat in Bermondsey but avoiding the tube/trains was the best thing I ever did. London needs to de-regulate zoning to build more flats and improve the transportation. That would make it one of the best places in the world.

@datingandlifeadvicechannel7534

5 ай бұрын

Not anymore 😂😂😂