Taking a pay cut to live where you want?

413x

413x

413x

Caporegime
Joined
13 Jan 2010
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33,518
Location
Llaneirwg
Do people do this?
I was on holiday in Cornwall and absolutely loved it. It was the first time I've had proper post holiday blues!

I decided that I really want to live there.
This is helped by me only being where I am now due to job.

I have an unspectacular job in data analytics/science (half way between) but the wage is easy for me to live on and not struggle.
I also live in a relatively cheap area
If I had kids my wage wouldn't be enough I don't think (there are no plans for these)

Jobs in Cornwall aren't very common but I've seen a few I can go for and some I can easily do.
The main issue is it would be a pay cut. To the point of 10-15pc gross
This would be able to be absorbed if not ideal

Is it worth the risk?
Have you done it?

The other option is to move towards London for more money and more expensive living, but It doesn't appeal so much
 
came down 2 1/2years ago lucky enough to be mortgage free ,my job is just production but i get an alternating 4 day then 3 day weekend .
in my time off i just do what i used to do on my holls ie surf walk cycle ect
my bills are a lot cheaper down here and its an awesome place to live
good jobs can be hard to find but lower end jobs like mine are very easy to find but its all about the time off to me

edit /biggest regret not doing it sooner as ive always loved cornwall ,come from west yorkshire
 
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Money cannot buy happiness, only coke and hookers! ;)

It is a lot easier to follow your dreams while you have few commitments, look into the whole idea if you really fancy the move.
 
I feel the same way about Cornwall. Fell in love on my first visit, have been back many times and would love to live there. But employment can be an issue.

Personally I'd take a 15pc pay cut if it meant I had a better quality of life. Money isn't everything, assuming you can pay the bills of course. But that's less easy to say if you have a family to worry about. But as long as you have job security and can pay the bills, bringing up a family somewhere with a good quality of life could be worth the risk of lower income.

Also, whilst it might mean a pay cut, certain aspects of the cost of living are quite cheap in Cornwall. However, house prices and rents are relatively high. Not as high as the South East of course, but still not that cheap.

Also, something to consider is places always appear nicer through the lens of a holiday when you have the time to explore and relax. But is that place going to feel the same at the end of the daily grind? Or in the depths of winter? Depends on what you want out of life, what things you'd like to do with your spare time etc.

If you feel the pull of a place, go for it, take a chance. Everyone I've known who took this sort of a step never regretted it. In fact quite the opposite, most wish they'd taken the plunge sooner.
 
moon man said:
came down 2 1/2years ago lucky enough to be mortgage free ,my job is just production but i get an alternating 4 day then 3 day weekend .
in my time off i just do what i used to do on my holls ie surf walk cycle ect
my bills are a lot cheaper down here and its an awesome place to live
good jobs can be hard to find but lower end jobs like mine are very easy to find but its all about the time off to me

edit /biggest regret not doing it sooner as ive always loved cornwall ,come from west yorkshire
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This is what I enjoy.
Being in the water in general. The east of UK just doesn't cut it.
I think of what I do now with my money and it isn't much. Material things, odd day out. But it's very commercial.

I like scuba diving, body boarding (would take up surfing if I lived there!), swimming, exploring, nature and greenery.
Oh, and the roads are amazing for driving

What I'm scared of is
waiting too long and wasting my youth just living where I do now by staying put for money
Vs
Going there and finding at some point it all goes wrong or later in life needing that financial backing

But the first seems option seems like the worst
 
Cern said:
I feel the same way about Cornwall. Fell in love on my first visit, have been back many times and would love to live there. But employment can be an issue.

Personally I'd take a 15pc pay cut if it meant I had a better quality of life. Money isn't everything, assuming you can pay the bills of course. But that's less easy to say if you have a family to worry about. But as long as you have job security and can pay the bills, bringing up a family somewhere with a good quality of life could be worth the risk of lower income.

Also, whilst it might mean a pay cut, certain aspects of the cost of living are quite cheap in Cornwall. However, house prices and rents are relatively high. Not as high as the South East of course, but still not that cheap.

Also, something to consider is places always appear nicer through the lens of a holiday when you have the time to explore and relax. But is that place going to feel the same at the end of the daily grind? Or in the depths of winter? Depends on what you want out of life, what things you'd like to do with your spare time etc.

If you feel the pull of a place, go for it, take a chance. Everyone I've known who took this sort of a step never regretted it. In fact quite the opposite, most wish they'd taken the plunge sooner.
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Yes it wouldn't be a pay cut at all where I'm struggling.
I know winter wouldn't be great, but it isn't here either. And it's not as if Falmouth has nothing in it.
The draw is because I like water sports and not drinking on a weekend. You just can't do that here.
I don't have many hobbies here. But I saw multiple surf clubs whilst there.

I will look into house prices as I'm ready to buy. I don't want to buy round here as I don't feel 'at home'. Which makes it feel like I'm wasting time and money on rent too

My week here consists of spending time with my gf, gym, work, a friend or two, kayaking on a lake.
 
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Billies Bangers said:
Having a holiday somewhere and living there are worlds apart. You have to do lots and lots of research before taking the plunge.
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I'm with Billy on this and have some personal experience. We researched long and hard before buying our second home in France. We will be spending a lot of our retirement time out there. However, as much as we love being in France I would not have liked to work there and have to manage financially when we were both younger.

Holiday yes, retirement yes, live and work - NO!
 
Faustus said:
I'm with Billy on this and have some personal experience. We researched long and hard before buying our second home in France. We will be spending a lot of our retirement time out there. However, as much as we love being in France I would not have liked to work there and have to manage financially when we were both younger.

Holiday yes, retirement yes, live and work - NO!
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What do you like doing with your free time?
Hobbies and interests etc
 
I've done it. Left London after working there a couple of years to move back to Winchester where I'd lived/worked the 5 years beforenad, where the pace is a touch slower. Only really took a 5% pay cut. Don't regret it.
 
I think with something like this one option would be to find a company you'd be happy to stay with for a while and then transition towards telecommuting/working from home.

Maybe you'd need to spend a few days per month in the main company location - London etc.. people do have various solutions for this from canal boats on leisure moorings to sharing ownership/rent of a studio/1 bed crash pad with colleagues (also helpful for people who usually commute but sometimes work late etc..). Or even if you buy say a 2 bed flat and rent out the main bedroom, advertise it as you occasionally staying in the second bedroom during the week etc..

I mean going forwards there are likely going to be more and more jobs where working from home is allowed and you've picked a growing, in demand area to work in.

There are extra risks though in that you are limiting yourself if you only want jobs that let you mostly work from home, obviously rural Cornwall isn't exactly full of data science jobs which is why it probably would be a good idea to either find a place you'd be happy to work at for a long time then transition to working from home or go into this bearing in mind that you might need to take up a regular office job Monday-Friday if things don't work out.
 
^It's an option. But it may be a long way off. And potentially never arrive.
But these are exactly the things I need to consider.

Unfortunately Cornwall is a looong way from civilization!
 
413x said:
Yes it wouldn't be a pay cut at all where I'm struggling.
I know winter wouldn't be great, but it isn't here either. And it's not as if Falmouth has nothing in it.
The draw is because I like water sports and not drinking on a weekend. You just can't do that here.
I don't have many hobbies here. But I saw multiple surf clubs whilst there.

I will look into house prices as I'm ready to buy. I don't want to buy round here as I don't feel 'at home'. Which makes it feel like I'm wasting time and money on rent too

My week here consists of spending time with my gf, gym, work, a friend or two, kayaking on a lake.
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Well from a leisure time point of view it sounds like Cornwall is a perfect match. And as you say, it's not like Falmouth is the back of beyond if that's where you plan to head for. So it all depends if you can find stable employment (or stable self-employment) to make the move work for you. How does your gf feel about the possible move?
 
Cern said:
Well from a leisure time point of view it sounds like Cornwall is a perfect match. And as you say, it's not like Falmouth is the back of beyond if that's where you plan to head for. So it all depends if you can find stable employment (or stable self-employment) to make the move work for you. How does your gf feel about the possible move?
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She would probably be there now if she could. She went to uni in Falmouth. So it was her idea to visit the places we did.

I don't want the world, I just want a dog, nice girl, not have to worry about the bills, and to be able to go do my water sports in the summer.
Job also doesn't mean too much to me. I missed out (my fault) on doing a job I'd love so life will always come 1st. And my job will always be something that facilitates this.
 
413x said:
^It's an option. But it may be a long way off. And potentially never arrive.
But these are exactly the things I need to consider.

Unfortunately Cornwall is a looong way from civilization!
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maybe stay at the edge of civilization and just go as far as Exeter... still got a motorway and the locals are less 'local' (sorry Foxeye :p)

you might even find there are a couple of firms near there employing stats/data science people
 
I take it this is the first time you've been to Cornwall?

If so probably best to visit a few more times before making a decision, particularly when it's in full tourist season.

I used to visit for work and while I enjoyed the view on the drive down (always seemed to be sunny ) the traffic in Summer got pretty frustrating, it's constant caravan blockades! :o
 
413x said:
She would probably be there now if she could. She went to uni in Falmouth. So it was her idea to visit the places we did.

I don't want the world, I just want a dog, nice girl, not have to worry about the bills, and to be able to go do my water sports in the summer.
Job also doesn't mean too much to me. I missed out (my fault) on doing a job I'd love so life will always come 1st. And my job will always be something that facilitates this.
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Well it sounds like there's very few obstacles. Your gf will be happy, you'll be happy, there's heaps of wonderful beaches and open fields for a dog to run free on, there's surfing and water sports galore. If you can find a way to make it work with employment, just go for it. It's not like either of you are that happy where you are (from what you've said).
 
I'm on about exactly 50% of my previous earnings and the happiest I've ever been. My wage is still very decent, particularly for the area I'm in.... but it's the best decision I've made in my life.

If you know you'll be happy there, do the move. Besides, you have little to gamble, make the move and decide in a year or so whether it was the right one or not?
 
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