Should I be paying for a relocation package to London?

So you've made the momentous decision to uproot your life from the safety and security of home and head over to London.  The only problem is you don't know a hell of a lot about the place other than it's cold in winter, there are heaps of old buildings and it's on the doorstep of Europe so travel is a breeze.

Yes, that is another 'Keep Calm' poster

There are certain things you'll need in London when you relocate. A bank account, a mobile phone sim card, an NI number to name a few.  If you Google relocating to London, it's likely that you'll find some the first things to pop up will be companies offering soft landing packs to London.  These start from about £35 ranging all the way up to a couple of hundred pounds depending on what services you require.

There's no doubt that you need things like bank account, sim card, National Insurance number etc, but here's the big secret YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM!

Global can actually provide you with all of these things for free.  Not just that, but we provide genuine assistance with finding you work in the UK.  Many other packages being offered by companies are full of things you don't need.  Things like 3 day gym passes, free entry to a nightclub or the chance to join a pub crawl are all surplus to requirements.  If you're looking for social interaction, Facebook pages like Kiwis in London or Aussies/Ozzies in London can hook you up with all sorts of functions.  If you have a phone and an ear, you can organise your own NI number, you should never pay anyone to do that for you.  Global can hook you up with a referral for a bank account and can give you a Lebara Sim so you have a number before you depart.

We are also the only company with a proven track record of helping professionals find their dream job in London.  Get in touch with us and see how we can help you...for free!

Pub Review - The King's Arms (SE1)

Some pubs you go to because they've got cheap drinks, others are popular with the opposite sex and others just have a certain ambience.  The Kings Arms has what I consider to be one of the best reasons to go ever; outstanding ribs at a knock down price!

I was first introduced to this pub a couple of years back and it was on the recommendation of the Tuesday night £10 ribs night.  My first thought was the pub looked like it was past its best.  The interior was pretty tired and it looked like a place on the down slope rather than on its way up. Then I tasted the ribs and all my misconceptions disappeared.  The serving size was excellent, the stickiness of the sauce was just right and the chips were top drawer.

Now you see them

Now you don't

It was not that long after that the pub actually closed and I was momentarily worried that I may never taste their ribs again.  The good news was that it was closed for a refurbishment and when it threw its doors open the refreshed pub was excellent.  Yes, the ribs were £1 more expensive, but the pub had improved significantly.  There is a good range of lagers on tap and the wine list is reasonable.  The big draw card here is the food though, the chefs are really doing a great job here.

Given it was shabby for a little while, but the refurb and menu are fantastic, it gets a big one thumb up from me.

This seems appropriate on St Paddy's day

Pub Review - The Old Doctor Butler's Head

This is the first of what will be a regular feature on this blog; pub reviews.  The UK is famed for its pubs and in London you'd be stretched to walk a couple of hundred metres without passing one.

To open things up, I'm reviewing an absolute cracker, one of my favourite places to be in the City of London; The Old Doctor Butler's Head.  This is an old school boozer, don't expect an extensive wine list here, but do expect a great range of ales as well has a handy array of lagers and what I think is the most important feature of a pub, genuine atmosphere.

While I could take or leave the fact that you've got a fruit machine and a golf arcade game flashing in the corner somehow it doesn't detract from the rather compact floorspace of this pub.  The dark timber interior helps to add to the ambience and feeling of cosiness and history.  It serves good quality pub grub over the counter and there is a restaurant upstairs if you're down for a bit more formal dining.

The crowd that is constantly in the lane outside speaks volumes, particularly on a Friday arvo.  This is a pub to come to with some mates for a chat and debrief, there's no music inside and not the type of place to chance your arm with the opposite sex.

As far as I know, it's just about the only place in the City of London that doesn't have 'Weatherspoon' in its name that you can find a pint of lager for under four squid.

So how do I rate this pub?  I give it a solid two thumbs up.

Transport Etiquette for New to London

One thing any Londoner (or people who have been in the city long enough to no longer be classified as tourists) loathe beyond anything else is transport obstruction. Yes, you may say the nature of London transport lends itself naturally to the glut of humanity and obstruction occurring. But everything has a particular flow, that when adhered to, ensures you avoid the rapid eye movement and passive aggressive glares in your general direction from fellow commuters.

Fortunately for you the natural state of London is severe repression. It will be rare anyone will actually say anything to you; rather they will shoot you death stares, mutter, occasionally shove, but most often wait to get in Wi-Fi range and have a furious rant about tube idiots on their chosen social media platform.

Don’t stand in the way of any small spaces when people are sardined. This is London- we may not look you in the eye, but we sure as hell will squish up against you on the commute. Any space is fair game, and expecting any personal space is just a mad dream.

Don’t walk on the pathway and then stop suddenly, unless you wish to be railroaded by someone who is bound to be walking only inches behind you. A 3 person pile up is not pretty, and will certainly result some barely audible profanity utterance.

On that note, any dawdling along the footpath when commuters have the ‘London stomp’ on will be likely to illicit those stares we mentioned earlier. An icy aggression that will chill you to the bone and best avoided. Your languid rambling and tourist gazing at everything is enough to drive one to wild maniacal twittering!

In the end most of us are usually irrationally pissed off about going to work anyway and we appreciate avoidance of inciting your fellow commuters to transport rage, or any form of homicide that may ensue. Albeit imaginary. You have been warned.