Moving to Reading

[maxvamp]

Hello all,

There is a potential for a transfer from the US to a company in Reading.

I was wondering if anyone had input on some good places to look for housing, what to expect for cost of living, and any surprises to look out for when trying to survive in the UK.

Fuel prices are well known over here, but I have a VW Bora TDI that gets 43 MPG, so I should be good.

Thinking about moving to Swindon due to the lower house costs.. but looking at a map may be misleading..

Thx,

Max.

[brap]

Fuel prices are well known over here, but I have a VW Bora TDI that gets 43 MPG, so I should be good.
Nice car :)
Thinking about moving to Swindon due to the lower house costs.. but looking at a map may be misleading..
Don't let the absurdity lead you to believe it's not true, there is an absolute chasm between north and south house prices and living costs.

To put it in perspective; our student house (4 sharing) pulls in £1100/month for our landlord. My partner and I have been told by relatives back home (in the Midlands) that their mortgages are significantly lower than the price we pay - just us, discounting the other half of the monthly rent. Friends in Sheffield, Lancashire, are paying around 1/4 of the amount we are monthly.

It is also true that the closer to London you get, the higher total living costs rise. Food, discounting large-chain supermarkets with standardised prices, is more expensive. "Going down the pub" - an essential British exercise - will probably be around 50% more expensive in and around London than it is in Nottingham; move to Yorkshire and above, and the price drops. It's quite scary.

Basically, if you have a reason to be down south, ie. your salary is good enough to handle it, or you're here for an "experience", you're sorted. If salary isn't location determined, stay away from the south!

[maxvamp]

Sadly, the job is very much tied to Reading. I will look north, however.

Thank you for the tips..

Max.

[Blue Velvet]

Possible surprises may include:

• TV Licence
• Council tax
• Car insurance
• Road tax
• Service charges on restaurant bills with smaller portions than US
• 'European' lager that is actually brewed in the UK (e.g. Grolsch)...
• Ferocious competition for the 'right' kind of school for kids
• Rudeness & snobbery masked as politeness
• More expensive (virtually) everything

[wowser]

Friends in Sheffield, Lancashire, are paying around 1/4 of the amount we are monthly.

!

Just to clear up - you do realise that Sheffield is in Yorkshire, don't you?

[Savage Henry]

• Service charges on restaurant bills with smaller portions than US


Most of the restaurants in Reading are quite abysmal and aren't worth the service charge ... so you shouldn't feel embarrassed about not tipping.


[Flame retardant clause: I said 'most'.... there are a couple of restaurants in the Reading area that are excellent ... but they are seriously rare]

[brap]

Just to clear up - you do realise that Sheffield is in Yorkshire, don't you?
Haha... History, not Geography ;)

I always, always thought that Sheffield was the other side! Comes with not having one of these fancy automobile things... my family are all Yorkshire, I'd get slapped if they read that :o

[wowser]

haha - quite right! I am more of a fan of the York side of Yorshire, myself, so as a Lancastrian, the mixup irked me ;)

[maxvamp]

Possible surprises may include:

• TV Licence
• Council tax
• Car insurance
• Road tax
• Service charges on restaurant bills with smaller portions than US
• 'European' lager that is actually brewed in the UK (e.g. Grolsch)...
• Ferocious competition for the 'right' kind of school for kids
• Rudeness & snobbery masked as politeness
• More expensive (virtually) everything

So what are the positive virtues of England then?

Also, what is Swindon like?

Max.

[wowser]

positives? *scratches head* Hmm...We have nicer supermarkets, i suppose, and our TV is better. I think that's about it. People who emmigrate here seeem to like it though :)

[Savage Henry]

So what are the positive virtues of England then?

Also, what is Swindon like?



TV and radio channels without commercials
Micro-breweries
Security checks at airports don't involve the compulsory smashing opening the luggage of all passengers
Bovril
The manual-speed gearbox
Blackwell's, in Oxford, the World's largest bookshop
You are never more than 90 miles from a beach
The expression " you're avvin a laarrrff "
Yorkshire Sculpture Park
.... err ...that's it ... for now.

[MemphisSoulStew]

Also, what is Swindon like?
Max.

Not nice - stay near Reading. Also, living in Swindon would mean a 70 mile a day round trip commute to work, and that's no fun.

Reading town itself is very busy and you wouldn't want to live in the town, but there are some nice villages within a 5-10 mile radius. You're better off looking south, north and west of town. East of town is more built up with business parks.

The towns along the Thames are generally very nice - Sonning is a gorgeous little village but very expensive; Pangbourne, Goring and Streatley are nice little towns as well.

There's a list here (http://www.ukpropertyshop.co.uk/s/Berkshire/estate_agents_Reading.shtml) of estate agents in Reading which will give you an idea of property prices.

[Blue Velvet]

So what are the positive virtues of England then?

Also, what is Swindon like?

Max.

To my mind, some of the positive virtues are:

• Cheap flights to European destinations (weekend break in Barcelona, no probs)
• A genuinely tolerant society relatively free from overbearing & suffocating religiosity.
• Independent and healthily sceptical media with some of the best of US TV (mostly HBO stuff) in case you get homesick.
• Home to one of the great cities of the world -- London with everything that it has to offer.
• Fantastic landscape gardens, interesting architecture and tons of history.
• An incredibly varied music, art & cultural scene.
• Generally, the English have a great sense of humour if you can handle irony, sarcasm with a strong streak of cynicism & surrealism. Great standup comedy scene.
• The National Health Service (it gets a lot of flak but compared to many other places in the world, it's OK)
• Few guns... the chance of a colleague going 'postal' is remote.
• The weather is not that bad. You are extremely unlikely to get 12 foot snowfalls, nor huge tornadoes...
• More public (bank) & work holiday allowance per year than the average American worker (I believe)

There's loads more. After all, I moved to the UK 15 years ago so it must have its good points...

:)

[wowser]

• An incredibly varied music, art & cultural scene.


Should read - all culture being squeezed out by Chavs

[Blue Velvet]

Should read - all culture being squeezed out by Chavs

An example of a major downside: In England, no discussion of society seems possible without the inevitable reference to class and how superior you feel relative to those you perceive as being 'beneath' you...

[wowser]

An example of a major downside: In England, no discussion of society seems possible without the inevitable reference to class and how superior you feel relative to those you perceive as being 'beneath' you...

I'm not talking about class, here. I'm talking about a particular culture.

[MOFS]

positives? *scratches head* Hmm...We have nicer supermarkets, i suppose, and our TV is better. I think that's about it. People who emmigrate here seeem to like it though :)

Asda's a division of Wal*Mart so as an American maxvamp I'll leave that up to you to decide whether that's a good thing or not...

TV - good - try Channel 4 for the news (50min bulletin with 8mins of ads) and british comedies - Spaced (makers of Shaun of the Dead essentially), Black Books and Teachers are all really good.
The weathers not that bad really - not too cold (not too hot either), and it doesn't rain as much as the movies like to portray.
And not everyone speaks with either a cockney or a posh accent (unlike what Frasier and Hugh Grant films try to portray :mad:
Not everyone is from London. :rolleyes:

(NB: A recent poll of a set of Americans (can't remember what group) came out in the Observer claiming that their average image of Britain was essentially a rainy Hugh Grant movie :eek: Obviously you don't think that)

PS: wowser - what's your 'tar? Very cute it is, hmmm!

[wowser]

Not everyone is from London. :rolleyes:
Seconded! lol

Supermarkets - compare Sainsbury's or Boothes or Tesco to somewhere like VONS in California - Us Brits win, here.


PS: wowser - what's your 'tar? Very cute it is, hmmm!

I'm glad it is noticed - it is a capybara (or a stuffed toy version). They are native to South America and are very cute! Here is a real one:

http://www.perimeterpoint.com/galleries/mammals/capybara.jpg


... apologies if the pic looks out of place in a thread about England

[maxvamp]

Thanks for the tips folks.

If it helps, I am not totally ignorant of the English culture.

I have been to several towns in England many years ago, and figured out that ordering iced tea was a bad thing. I also aquired a fondness for Wimpy burgers, even if it was somewhat unhealthy. I have an extreme fondness for British comedy and cut my teeth on Derek and Clive . Most here don't find that funny, but sick!!

Don't worry, I am aware that there is more to England than Ms. Brahms ( AYBS? ), and that damn Bucket woman ( Keeping up Appearances )..

I have to ask though,

If one were to get a job in Reading, and needed to find a 3 bedroom place for around 700 - 800 pcm, to what town would you look? I need a place to host my award winning candlelight suppers. <grin>

Max.

[maxvamp]

BTW:

What is bad about Swindon? High Crime? Lower middle / Lower Class? Bad Schools? Place they shove all the Yanks?

Max.

[russed]

i have only been to swindon once. its wasnt very nice. it was absoloutly chucking it down (probably didnt help my opinion of it) oh and i had to stand outside in it! (i was on work experience surveying a plot of land).

despite what people say above. it does rain lots! well i think i am further north than other people though. but it is nicer up here! less chavs and actually some culture!

[wowser]

Thanks for the tips folks.

If it helps, I am not totally ignorant of the English culture.

I have been to several towns in England many years ago, and figured out that ordering iced tea was a bad thing. I also aquired a fondness for Wimpy burgers, even if it was somewhat unhealthy. I have an extreme fondness for British comedy and cut my teeth on Derek and Clive . Most here don't find that funny, but sick!!

Don't worry, I am aware that there is more to England than Ms. Brahms ( AYBS? ), and that damn Bucket woman ( Keeping up Appearances )..

I have to ask though,

If one were to get a job in Reading, and needed to find a 3 bedroom place for around 700 - 800 pcm, to what town would you look? I need a place to host my award winning candlelight suppers. <grin>

Max.

Boy, you went to England ages ago!

[Blackstealth]

i am further north than other people though. but it is nicer up here!

I'll second that. There might be more money in the south but life is better up here.

[Blue Velvet]

I'll second that. There might be more money in the south but life is better up here.

Depends on your definition of better...

[wowser]

I'll second that. There might be more money in the south but life is better up here.

Nicer natural landscape, too

[russed]

I'll second that. There might be more money in the south but life is better up here.

yup its generally better. in the likes of leeds and manchester there are all the big shops that are there down south. you dont have to be stuck in traffic (as long) and not at all in the country!

you can properly drive your car up north (in hte country) give me a back lane any day!

cost of living is a bit less and i can be in hte countryside (infact on a moorside) within 2 mins of leaving my house and i live in a really nice town.

blackstelth: where in yorkshire do you come from?

[iGav]

Depends on your definition of better...

Bingo... ;)

[Blackstealth]

Depends on your definition of better...

Beer's cheaper (and infinitely more drinkable), houses are slightly cheaper, there's more open space (I can look out of my window onto the moors instead of looking onto Kev over the road polishing his XR3i), less traffic density, and the people, IMHO, are much friendlier.

blackstelth: where in yorkshire do you come from?

The outskirts of the delightful city of Bradford ;)

[russed]

The outskirts of the delightful city of Bradford ;)

its not so bad! (well it depends which part of the city! i'm from skipton!

[Blackstealth]

its not so bad! (well it depends which part of the city! i'm from skipton!

Nah, I can't complain really. I've lived here for 12 years now (was in the US before that) and it's not as bad as people make it out to be, it's a nice compact city with pretty much everything you could ask for and the riots only add to the enjoyment.

[Chappers]

Amazing - no one mentioned the weather. Which is generally c**p.
As for the health service, I have received better health care in developing countries than here.

We do have real beer though and understand whisky.

[iGav]

I also aquired a fondness for Wimpy burgers,

You'll be hard pushed to find a Wimpy (http://www.wimpyburgers.co.uk) now days... although if you look hard enough... ;)

[kiwi_the_iwik]

You'll be hard pushed to find a Wimpy (http://www.wimpyburgers.co.uk) now days... although if you look hard enough... ;)

I've got one just up the road from me in Twickenham, and there's another not too far away from me in the opposite direction in Teddington...

I dunno, but I feel a bit cheated about having to leave a tip for staff who just give you a burger. Sod that - I'd rather go to Pizza Express.

:)

[garybUK]

You'll be hard pushed to find a Wimpy (http://www.wimpyburgers.co.uk) now days... although if you look hard enough... ;)

you can still find them in the bowling places (megabowl i think).

I am from Greater Manchester (Hyde, Cheshire) and I lived just outside London (Staines, Middlesex) for around 8 months and I hated it down south, no chips and gravy!! come on! :P

If you don't give it a try u cant say which is better, personal preference.

I love the fact I can drive for 5 mins and im in moorland on top of the pennines with some of the nicest scenery England has to offer, fantastic!

[Blackstealth]

you can still find them in the bowling places (megabowl i think).

Yeah, last one I saw was at the Fort Kinnaird retail park in Edinburgh.

[wowser]

you can still find them in the bowling places (megabowl i think).

I am from Greater Manchester (Hyde, Cheshire) and I lived just outside London (Staines, Middlesex) for around 8 months and I hated it down south, no chips and gravy!! come on! :P

If you don't give it a try u cant say which is better, personal preference.

I love the fact I can drive for 5 mins and im in moorland on top of the pennines with some of the nicest scenery England has to offer, fantastic!

I think the one in Bolton is now called the "MEGA _OWL". There is one at that awful grey shed of a bowling alley outside Salford. I went into a Wimpy recently and hated how - its tasted like crap, it was ocerpriced and the service was apalling

[gbulmer]

The towns along the Thames are generally very nice - Sonning is a gorgeous little village but very expensive; Pangbourne, Goring and Streatley are nice little towns as well.



I live in Streatley, it is very nice indeed, and a short (15min) train ride into Reading town centre. As for housing, it's in very short supply so prices reflect that. There are lots of new-build apartments in Reading at about £900 pcm roughly, you might get lucky and find a place to rent in one of the villages.

[markoibook]

Hi!

Well, I've just graduated from the University of Reading, and so know Reading quite well now. PLUS, I grew up in Swindon, and so I know both towns very well.
Reading itself is OK, but is a town trying to be a city. It is generally congested, and rather pricey house wise, due to its proximity to London. There are some nice areas, and as some people have mentioned, there are some lovely villages outside Reading. Caversham is a nice area, in north Reading, and an area to be avoided is Whitley, in South Reading.
Swindon is generally a cheaper town (you will get more house for your money), and contrary to popular belief is a nice town, and personally I find it safer. That said, I think Reading has more of a "life" to it.
Commuting to Reading from Swindon is possible, either via Rail (expensive) or by car along the M4. However, the world and his wife travels eastbound along the M4 in the mornings, and you wil generally experience lots of traffic as you approach Reading. Thus you will probably tire from commuting after a year or so.
One other possibility may be to consider a town such as Newbury, which is closer to Reading than Swindon, though I am unfamiliar with Newbury and so cannot shed some light on that for you.
I think you may well be best off initially renting a house in Reading, and then visit the local towns and suss out for yourself whether you would like to relocate.
I fear that your budget of 700-800pcm may get you a 3 bed house, but not necessarily a fab one - budget more for 900pcm for a house - I believe houses in Lower Earley are about this much, and this is a relatively nice and modern part of Reading.

Hope this info helps!!!

Marko