So, you’ve made the choice to do some teaching in London, UK – well done! You’ve probably also heard a lot about how expensive it is to live in London…..If the figure at the bottom of your bank statement does not fill you with confidence, you may be wondering…..How much money do I actually need to make it to the UK and get settled in?

 

As a rule of thumb, we recommend to travel to teach in London is $10,000 – that’s Aussie dollars, not British pounds.

If you can get $20,000 even better but unless you’re planning an extensive holiday you really won’t need much more than that.

If you’re arriving in the summer and have $10,000 this gives you a good buffer zone of about 4-6 weeks before you need to start work and worry about getting some money coming in.

To be honest nearly all Aussie & Kiwi teachers start working within 2 weeks anyway, especially if you’re arriving in January so unless you’re partying like Charlie Sheen you won’t hit the end of your $10k before then.

 

Let’s break it down over a 4- week period:

RENT & BOND

The most expensive thing you’ll have to layout when you arrive is accommodation; generally your first month’s rent up front for a long term rental.

If you’re living in a flat in London and wanting to live in a cool area such as Clapham, Tooting, Shoreditch etc. (let’s say £800 per month for your room) you’ll be up for £800 for the first month of rent upfront – that’s about $1500 straight away.

On top of that chuck on about $500-$1000 for your temporary accommodation in a hostel/Air BnB and that brings it up to $2500 just for accommodation.

FOOD & DRINK

If your not eating out you could easily feed yourself for about £15 pounds a day. If your smart about it. So maybe say £20.

However if you want to go out to the pub. Your looking at £30 for that.

And if you like a coffee in the morning that will set you back about £3-£7 depending on how fancy you like it.

So if you’re only counting your grocery shop you might get a way with a meals budget of £600 a month. Now lets add in a buffer of £100 a week for coffee, lunches out and pub meals. That bring our total meals budget to: £1000 or $1900

OTHER

Essentials like stuff for your new flat (linen, towels, household items) (about $200)

Play tourist – visiting all the cheesy landmarks when you first arrive! (say $200)

Going out – this could include going to the pub, club, a nice restaurant, going to a movie ect. (say $200 a week)

Transport – Getting to work and around London can be expensive so if you don’t like the idea of walking everywhere make sure you factor about £10 ($19 a day) on public transport.

Loading up your SIM card (which we give you before you go) with some credit ($50 will last a while!)

TOTAL: approx. $1800

GRAND TOTAL FOR 4 WEEKS: $6200

There you go! $6200 will last you around 4 weeks without scrimping too hard on budgets. Anything more than $7000 just gives you a longer buffer and a bigger safety net, however for those teachers struggling to save then you can feel confident travelling to England with only $6000-7000 in your bank account. This does not account for flights, other travel or visas so do keep that in mind too.

 

If you are interested in making the move to the UK, click here for more information and to get in touch!

 

Note: This blog was last updated with the latest prices in 2023, make sure to do your own research on prices as we cannot guarantee these figures are correct.