Advice on moving - how to decide

[Andelusion]

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are currently job hunting, we are both trainee teachers, we willl both be hoping to start work this September.

I currently live in Yorkshire, she is in the West Midlands. We are looking for jobs in Yorkshire, East/West Midlands.

This leaves us with a lot of areas to search in, it's quite overwhelming deciding on where to choose without literally picking at random/

I have 2 questions, how do you narrow down your choices? Neither of us have travelled very much, nor do we have family spread around, and secondly, does anyone have any counties/towns/cities to avoid/recommend? We have ruled out Birmingham as have both been there and aren't fans

We appreciate any help..

 

[Morba]

get jobs then decide where to live. thats the best thing imo.

 

[Xordium]

See where you can get jobs and then move your plans from there. And don't judge Birmingham by the centre I have a Birmingham postcode and have been to the centre about 5 times last year and that was to New Street Station. Some really nice commutable places on the outskirts that can get you to lots of the local towns and cities quickly - where I live I can get to London in under an hour also!

 

[cm1179]

didn't you post this about a month ago or was it someone else?

anyway, i live in worcestershire in a small village. can be in birmingham central within 35 mins by car on a quiet run, an hour on commute, 30 mins by train. worcestershire is nice as is warwickshire and shropshire but as always there is some dodgy parts but these don't attract the premiums of others. being in the midlands has good travel advantages. as i'm sure was mentioned in the other (or similar thread) lichfield got a lot of votes.
birmingham is great for shopping and nights out and there is merry hill if you want free parking and something a little less chaotic.

 

[VoG]

get jobs then decide where to live. thats the best thing imo.

this tbh, it's no good working out where you want to live until you've got a job that you have to move for, anything else is completley back to front.

 

[Fr0dders]

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are currently job hunting, we are both trainee teachers, we willl both be hoping to start work this September.

I currently live in Yorkshire, she is in the West Midlands. We are looking for jobs in Yorkshire, East/West Midlands.

This leaves us with a lot of areas to search in, it's quite overwhelming deciding on where to choose without literally picking at random/

I have 2 questions, how do you narrow down your choices? Neither of us have travelled very much, nor do we have family spread around, and secondly, does anyone have any counties/towns/cities to avoid/recommend? We have ruled out Birmingham as have both been there and aren't fans

We appreciate any help..

Factors

#1 Commutable distance to your future job
#2 Local School Area. If you choose a city that you like (say leeds) then find the good schools in that city, and find their catchment area. Saves you having to spend thousands further down the line when you do have kids to move to somewhere with a decent school
#3 Local Knowledge - find somebody who lives in the city of your choice and ask them what areas are good or bad. I live in wakefield for example, so can provide you with the areas to look for / stay away from in the Leeds / Wakefield area. If you fancy moving to Hull for example, find somebody who lives there and ask for their advice (overclockers GD is great for this bit)

 

[Energize]

Look at crime maps across the area, see if there are good transport links and an easy commute to your new jobs. Remember that any time spent commuting reduces your wages effectively. Do you have dogs (need garden, park etc) or are planning to have kids (schools)?