Living in London can be great. It can also be a nightmare. For every positive the capital has, there is also a negative. But if you don't mind a bit of smog, paying over £2 for a pint and having to get up close and very personal on the Tube, you're sure to love it.
London is Europe's most expensive city, and the second most expensive city in the world, hot on the heels of Tokyo. But, as well as being Europe's most expensive city, London is also the richest. People flock to the capital as wages are typically 20% higher than in the rest of the country. But be warned, the cost of living is also a lot higher.
If you're renting a one-bedroom flat, expect to pay a minimum of £150 a week, and if you're thinking about buying then you'd better have a great mortgage deal, some hefty savings, or some very nice parents.
House prices in London are 1.6 times the average for England and Wales and a first-time buyer can expect to pay about £193,508 for a pad.
But if you're looking to get on the property market and make a killing, estate agents are touting Croydon, Southwark and Lewisham in south London and Hackney, Tower Hamlets and Newham in east London, as the latest property hot spots.
If you're renting and want to stay in the most trendy areas of London, pick up an early edition of local classified newspaper Loot and look for flats in Camden and Islington in the north of the city, Clapham, Kensington and Chelsea in the south, and Notting Hill in the west.
But there's more to London than finding a great place to live. The city is a hub of activity. Whatever you want to do, the chances are you'll be able to do it in London. It's one of the world's most remarkable and exciting cities, which embraces the diverse cultures of its population through cuisine, shops, music and festivals.
It has more than 30,000 shops, 3,000 of which are in central London, and 26 major street markets, more than any other capital in the Western world. Notable markets include Camden in north London, Petticoat Lane in east London, Portobello Road in west London and Borough market in the south.
As well as shopping there are plenty of opportunities for drinking and dancing the night away. London is home to 9% of Britain's pubs, with 3,800 drinking establishments - too many for even the most practised of pub-crawlers. Nightclubs and restaurants are also 10 a penny and can cater for every budget.
Getting a cab home after your night out is never the easiest of tasks, however. There are plenty of unlicensed minicabs patrolling the streets, but be warned, the cabs are illegal and not recommended. There are 21,000 licensed taxis in London though, and a further 2,200 licensed minicab operators, so you should be able to get home safely. Other than forking out for a cab, the Underground runs until midnight and night buses run all night. Some overland trains also run throughout the night.
There's no arguing that London is a horribly expensive city, but it's also a fantastic city and arguably the greatest in the world. People flock to London because it has everything you could ever want, be it a bit of culture, a great night out, a stroll in a beautiful park - 30% of the capital is green space - or your dream job. n
The hotel sector is generally reporting much improved levels of trading, with both the budget sector thriving and corporate spending and tourism levels increasing trading levels at the middle and upper end of the market.
With renewed confidence in the economy, the themed restaurant sector is buoyant, and many companies are planning further expansion and predicting encouraging growth for the year ahead. Career progression is often extremely fast in this sector.
In contract catering, salary levels tend to be higher in business and industry than in the public sector. There has been a growing tendency to ask candidates to combine junior management with craft level skills - a typical example of which is the amalgamation of the roles of catering manager and head chef into a single role of chef-manager.
The past year has seen a great deal of restructuring and company sales in the pub sector. There is also a growing trend to switch from managed units to leasehold or tenancy, offering great opportunities for budding entrepreneurs.
For chefs, the market is showing encouraging signs of growth at all levels, with spending on eating out showing month-on-month increases across the UK. This optimism has allowed employers to keep salary levels competitive in order to attract good quality candidates in a sector where skills shortages remain a key issue.
London salary comparisons September 2004
Hotels
| General manager |
£35k (budget)-£185k (large five-star) |
| Assistant manager |
£15k-£25k (only in smaller London hotels) |
| Restaurant manager |
£20k-£90k (for the few large-scale five-star) |
| Reception manager |
£17k-£26k |
| F&B manager |
£16k (small three-star)-£60k (large five-star) |
Themed restaurants
| Unit manager |
£20k-£50k (dependent on size of unit/no of covers) |
Contract catering
| Unit manager |
£16k-£45k (dependent on size of unit/no of covers) |
| Pubs |
£20k-£45k (dependent on turnover) |
Chefs
| Executive chef |
£45k-£120k |
| Chef, guide-recognised |
£25k-£80k |
| Commis chef |
£12k-£15k |
Source: Berkeley Scott