Harriet Sims
Futures First Ambassador & Placement Student at SAP
Are you considering doing a placement in London? Are you a little bit apprehensive? Don’t worry, these are all the thoughts and feelings that I had, prior to moving to the ‘Big Smoke’. I can safely say that my placement was a huge learning curve, an opportunity that I will always be grateful for – and so much fun!
Bucket List must-do’s:
There is a never-ending list of places to go and things to do in London. It is a multicultural metropolis, filled with endless types of people, history and experiences. As a new Londoner, I would say the best way to immerse yourself as a local, is to make weekend trips to different London Boroughs. One weekend I was in Camden visiting the vintage shops, the next in Notting Hill at Portobello Road Market, the following in Shoreditch trying their street-food markets, and the next I spent exploring the independent cafes in Covent Garden!
London is a booming city with many famous events that people travel across the globe to visit. It depends what you are into, but I loved booking last-minute reduced tickets to see West End shows, travelling to Wimbledon to watch the tennis on the big screen, or making the most of the free museums and spending my weekends wandering through them.
Rain or shine, summer or winter – there is something for everyone in London!
Navigating London:
The London commute can seem quite daunting at first, especially if you are getting to know the various Tube lines. I’m a born and bred Northerner, but within weeks I felt completely comfortable getting myself from place A to B. There are signs everywhere, so as long as you take notice of them, you will be fine!
I would however recommend adding an extra 15/ 20 mins onto your travel time, just to factor in train queues and packed carriages. The easiest way around London is via Tube or bus, so I would recommend purchasing an Oyster Card season ticket (which you can get student discount on!). Due to the increased change to home working, maybe this is something that is less necessary now, however.
Budgeting and Finances:
It’s pretty inevitable that as a placement student you will not be earning a huge salary, however I found that I managed comfortably during my year. You are still able to apply for a maintenance loan from University, which may come in very handy.
My top tip is to BUDGET! I broke down my monthly salary and worked out exactly how much I would have left after paying my taxes/ rent / Oyster card, and made sure I was always within budget. Personally, I found the biggest price-jump from up North was rent, restaurants and alcohol, so these are the areas I made sure I was making smart decisions on.
So there you have it – a brief tour of how to navigate the Big City! By throwing yourself into the ‘London lifestyle’ you will be able to gauge whether London is somewhere you would be happy to start your career after University. You will learn so much, both from your placement and from the social side so even if you decide London isn’t the place for you, it will still be a valuable year.
Find out more about the Futures First Ambassadors here.
Discover placement opportunities here.