Why I'll Never Work in the City of London Again
VloĆŸit
- Äas pĆidĂĄn 8. 09. 2024
- SUBSCRIBE đ go.mattbrighto...
The Great Resignation - Lots of people are leaving their jobs in search for something greater. I recently left my London city banking job to go fully remote, giving me more freedom to work flexible hours, spend more time on passion projects and work in the style that I want to. After the great resignation - what are quitters doing now and why did 4 million people quit?
Working in London has been great, buf for me... after 6 years commuting into the city, I'm glad I'm done with it!
đĄ Analyse Property Deals Like a Pro - wtfpropertyinv...
----
đ€ The Finance Apps I Use:
Get 12,000 free points with a no monthly fee American Express Rewards Credit Card
go.mattbrighto...
Stocks & Shares ISA for Personal & Business
investengine.p...
Get ÂŁ25 when you invest at least ÂŁ100 with InvestEngine (Ts&Cs apply)
Vanguard
www.vanguardin...
---
đ§ MY FREE COURSES
đĄ ÂŁ0 - ÂŁ100K - My Journey of Building a Property Business - go.mattbrighto...
đšâđ» How to Freelance on Fiverr - skl.sh/32qhXzb
đ SEO Rank Higher in Google - skl.sh/3j3gELP
---
MY GEAR
4K Camera - go.mattbrighto...
Lens - go.mattbrighto...
Shotgun Mic - go.mattbrighto...
Audio Recorder - go.mattbrighto...
Lighting - go.mattbrighto...
Tripod - go.mattbrighto...
Mic Boom Arm - go.mattbrighto...
Podcast Mic - go.mattbrighto...
Podcast Mic Stand - go.mattbrighto...
USB Audio Interface - go.mattbrighto...
Monitor Desk Arm - go.mattbrighto...
Macbook Pro - go.mattbrighto...
Sony Headphones - go.mattbrighto...
1TB External SSD - go.mattbrighto...
Wireless Mouse - go.mattbrighto...
Wireless Keyboard - go.mattbrighto...
MY TOOLS
đœïž CZcams SEO - www.tubebuddy....
đ” Background Music - mattbrighton.c...
đ» Webhost - wtfpropertyinv...
đïž Website Builder - go.mattbrighto...
đš Graphics & Visuals - wtfpropertyinv...
đ Free Audible Book - go.mattbrighto...
đš Email List Builder - go.mattbrighto...
STAY CONNECTED
â Buy me a coffee - www.buymeacoff...
đ Sign up to my email newsletter - wtfpropertyinv...
đ My website / blog - wtfpropertyinv...
đž Instagram - / mattbrighton_
đŠ Twitter - / mattbrighton_
đ Facebook - / wtfpropertyinvesting
WHO AM I:
I'm Matt, a product owner and property investor working in London, UK. I make videos about money, finance and property investing to help people lead a more financially savvy life. In my spare time, Iâm documenting what it takes to diversify my income and build a business.
GET IN TOUCH / BUSINESS:
If youâd like to talk, Iâd love to hear from you. DM @mattbrighton_ on Instagram and I'll happily get back to you!
PS: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that I get a small 'thank you' from, to help fund this channel. It also means you can get awesome deals with my affiliate partners! đ
What do you love/hate about working in London?
Definitely commuting is a big nono for me.
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 CZcams friend please Matt Brighton my mate?
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 itâs own self absorbed narcissistic bubble.
London is overrated, overpriced, overpopulated, dirty and unsafe.
if u drug addicted u will love it if not u will make feel different
I moved from Yorkshire to London and lived there for 15 years as a barrister until the pandemic when I âfledâ back to Yorkshire. My firm kindly let me work from home so, when Iâm not in court, Iâm at home. Iâve 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 donât know how I coped with the underground all those years.
Your story is similar to mine đ
You did it because you were conned into believing that you HAD to.
I moved out of London too - swapped a studio flat for a semi detached with big garden in a rural area - canât imagine ever going back! Iâm 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 donât live there
Oh wow! I imagine the same - once you're out of it, visiting in moderation becomes enjoyable again
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 đ
Hope the career hunt goes well! Weâve been house hunting outside London and itâs so refreshing looking at places with a driveway, garden, space and detached property in nice areas! Definitely feel like Iâve done my time crammed in a flat
Itâs literally so dehumanising being crammed like cattle, rushing for trains. I left a 3rd world country so I donât 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!
Left Canary Wharf 2014 and never looked back. PS started 07:45 and usually left 7-8PM.
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!
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
I have been commuting from Birmingham City Centre to London for over 2 years. My flat costs ÂŁ140K in a nice area and Iâm fine. My partner and I never considered living in London, given the high cost of living
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!
Ouch! My commute is considered a good one at 40 minutes each way from zone 2! I donât envy it especially with delays and interrupted service đź
No one wants to spend his life traveling going to work... Remote working is the way to go, and having a side hustle business!
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
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!!
Then, there's the Sussex Vampire!
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
the worst part of London: the tube đŹ
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!
Best of luck!
hahahah
@@alexkije đ€
Why?
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.
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.
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
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 đ
Totally agree - Iâll miss aspects of office work for sure. Very fun and social and worked with great people đ but working remotely Iâm learning to enjoy hobbies and interests more and meet people that way / more locally. But indeed all personal preference and neither a winner
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!!!
Not just London but the UK in general. Obscene levels of taxation and god awful weather make me leave the UK.
Yes
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.
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.
Young people who are just starting their corporate careers need to appreciate that whilst remote working has benefits, if youâre trying to build your network, meet new people and improve your life socially, itâs essential you spend some time in the office.
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.
@@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 itâs your first ever job you need that exposure. If youâve been in the industry long enough it doesnât matter
@@MattBrighton someone at my company has recently left for a more remote role, even though she doesnât have the experience or the skill set to justify it. Especially since sheâs job hopped 3 times in less than 6 months at the same job title. All for the sake of an extra ÂŁ2k, but thatâs her prerogative
@@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....
@@jawlig you donât just get a massive pay rise for working 6 months permanent constantly. In her position, she was making an extra ÂŁ2k by moving and sheâs never been promoted. Iâve spent 1.5 years in my current company and been promoted twice, Iâm starting a new job next month and I have received a ÂŁ17k pay rise. Thatâs the difference
Love the art galleries hate the unfriendly expensive. The travelling youâre right itâs knackering and unrewarding. People are also ruder
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
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
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 . Iâve returned to the City to have a look around a couple of years ago. It is nothing like it used to be. Now itâs boring, people eat lunch at their desks in a toxic culture. There is no fun whatsoever. Iâll never return.
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
These are symptoms of a dead city. When itâs working population no longer live within walking distance but itâs 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 itâs 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.
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.
Although I respect the perspective, I donât think this has anything to do with London. You couldâve changed the title of this video to why Iâll 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.
London lost it's charm. It is too expensive and too dangerous.
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.
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 đ Great video as always. I'm looking forward to more of them.đđœ
Very good point! I love that working remotely thereâs no need to out-do anyone in the office. Instead work well with others and be judged on your work output! đ
Youâre never going to get on with everyone but you need to be an adult and learn to be diplomatic and civil. Thatâs life Iâm afraid grow up and get used to it.
Same here....!
As a lifelong Londoner (which probably makes me biased) happy to pay for ÂŁ7 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
Dangerous and foreign
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 ÂŁ6.60 a day!
Itâs very strange thinking about those days haha. Hopefully never returns to that! Not pleasant in the summer on the central line
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 moved away from London37 years a go never regretted it and it was still a fine city back then.
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?.
Brighton and Hove !
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.
Honestly I live in london and I never knew how expensive living in central london actually is
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.
2020 pharmaceutical
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
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
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 ÂŁ28.50 for a retrurn per day. The old office used be in Southend .
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.
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
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.
45 min is nothing. My commute is 1hr 15min to 2hr one way.
Just back from visiting london, we used stations around whitechapel, everone looked deppresed
I commute on HS1 then Northern to Bank, a season ticket is ÂŁ7,800 ish.
So WFH 2 / city 3 is a godsend
HS1 goes through Stratford international. When I used to hop on there to St Pancras it cost a fortune. Couldnât believe the season ticket prices from Kent!
@Gareth Mathew but without the train I donât get to work, and with the work, I donât make the money
Love the videos mate! Keep up the good work!
Thanks! Appreciate it
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.
Wake up and stuck straight into your desk with no lights⊠thatâs so right đ thatâs why I got it wrong then
This was such a well put together video man! Loved this such and the content was incredible!
Glad you enjoyed it!
pip pip olde chap
Thank you for making this video. I can relate to some of the points made.
Lots of similarities!
Have you sold your new build in London or have you rented it out? Or are you still living in it? Thanks
Getting it valued at the moment to put it on the market đ
Did you work in blackrock ,
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.
Is commuting in London really more expensive than buying and maintaining a car like you have to in most other parts of the UK?
I bought a car a year and half ago. I spend about ÂŁ4500 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
@@MattBrighton thatâs interesting. Appreciate the honest and detailed comparison!
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 ÂŁ28.50 for an any time return it's hybrid working pattern.
but if you are leaving London, you are leaving the enriched diversity experience.
Great video mate. Best thing your do going remote. Are you going to sell your London pad and move?
Indeed! RICS valuation due any day now then will likely put it on the market. No ties to London now with the job changed!
@@MattBrighton you wonât 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 now work from home for life
In Japan they at least pay the transportation fee... sheesh...
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.
2015 i was doing my GCSE'sđ
Lol getting up at 7...I'm at work by 7
This isn't really anything to do with London lol.
This is more a WFH vs commute argument.
Itâs about working in London đ€Šââïž
Is London even English anymore?
No đđą
I'm Bengali and I can tell you there are more immigrants than natives and white people I see on a day to day
It's not really an English city, it's more of a giant multicultural bedsit.
No, itâs 3 main groups: Middle Eastern, Indian, African.
NopeâŠespecially Whitechapel
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.
Central line life bro
This
Hi mate do you live in Brighton
they built fancy towering office blocks, but nobody is going to london to own nothing. nice try....
Do you want to promote your video to the target audience through advertisements?? Advertisement will help to rank your video. It is very professional.
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.
Not anymore đđđ
Wasted because you had your headphones in and your eyes down. You could have been chatting up international birds on the London commute.
With a face like that?
Friends in London hahaha ....funny...
Lunch in london now is minimum 25 pounds