# moving to london



## mumof2 (Jun 28, 2008)

Hi, we're a family of four, with a five year old and a 2.5 year old.
We're looking at an offer to move to London but have a few questions.
Would living in or around Canary Wharf be a good idea specially for a family with small children? Are rents in that area very expensive?
Are private schools very expensive for children in London? We're looking at English Martyrs' RC School but don't really know much about the school, if its a good school or if it will be difficult to go to.
Lastly, will 100,000 pounds gross per year be sufficient for our family's expenses?


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## MichelleAlison (Aug 25, 2007)

mumof2 said:


> Hi, we're a family of four, with a five year old and a 2.5 year old.
> We're looking at an offer to move to London but have a few questions.
> Would living in or around Canary Wharf be a good idea specially for a family with small children? Are rents in that area very expensive?
> Are private schools very expensive for children in London? We're looking at English Martyrs' RC School but don't really know much about the school, if its a good school or if it will be difficult to go to.
> Lastly, will 100,000 pounds gross per year be sufficient for our family's expenses?


Hi and welcome to the forum.

Yesterday I read that the average family in the UK (2 adults and 2 kids) need £38,000 ($76,000) to live per year, an average life. The salary you are talking about is fantastic, considering the average salary is about £25,000 per year. Obviously, there is the tax implication and whether you will pay tax to the UK or the USA. People earning more £40,000 in the UK are taxed heavily on the money above the £40,000 threshold. (I think it is £40,000?)

Have a look at this link for rentals in the Docklands (Canary Wharf) UK Estate agents with homes, houses & property for sale on rightmove.co.uk.

Private schools are very expensive and although I have done some searching for you, maybe this link will help Docklands Nursery Schools, for Nursery Schools in Docklands, London, UK.

Hopefully someone else can help you regarding schools. 

Good luck with your move.

Regards

Michelle


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## jlms (May 15, 2008)

*About Canary Wharf*



mumof2 said:


> Hi, we're a family of four, with a five year old and a 2.5 year old.
> We're looking at an offer to move to London but have a few questions.
> Would living in or around Canary Wharf be a good idea specially for a family with small children? Are rents in that area very expensive?
> Are private schools very expensive for children in London? We're looking at English Martyrs' RC School but don't really know much about the school, if its a good school or if it will be difficult to go to.
> Lastly, will 100,000 pounds gross per year be sufficient for our family's expenses?


The salary you mention should be plenty, you should be able to choose almost any part of town for your house, but you have to be prepared to adjust your expectations, what you will be able to get in London will be disappointingly small (but big enough) as compared to what you could get elsewhere.

Canary Wharf sits in the Isle of Dogs in the Tower Hamlets borough, this borough is one of the most deprived in the UK, but the Isle of Dogs in particular was undergoing a regeneration of sorts which may be affected by the credit crunch. The living areas are very mixed, you have public housing in big apartment blocks which tend to have a bad reputation, but also have fenced off riverside developments for the better off, in both cases you will see families going and coming.

Close to Canary Wharf you have also Greenwich (a short ride by DLR) where you could find housing better suited for a family with the added bonus of Greenwich park, great for children any time of the year.

In the Greenwich Peninsula where I live there is a modern housing area, the Greenwich Millennium Village, that seems to be popular with families and is only one underground station away from Canary Wharf. 

Shopping is great in Canary Wharf, there are several supermarkets, restaurants, a cinema complex close by, a very good museum, one tube stop later is the O2 dome which more amenities and that frequently has activities for children.

So in a nutshell I think it is doable, but I have to add that most families prefer to follow the countryside dream and have a house in the suburbs (in which case the working parent has to invest a substantial amount of time commuting). The rising price of petrol may bring a reality check to this attitude since you are highly dependant on the car in the suburbs, while in London it is actually achievable to live without a car.


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