I always find the STW hive mind has some thoughtful and useful insights and perspectives on such things 🙂

I’ll try and keep this simple:
1. I moved to London aged 18 full of ambition and energy and have been here ever since – now 42.
2. My chosen career (marketing) has been crap. I’m too motivated by doing things well and being honest and nice to people. As an industry it’s not as nasty as its popular perception but the overall culture is about selling stuff to people in whatever way it can – forget means or the consequences. I’m also really struggling to find a new job at the moment.
3. So I’ve been thinking for years about what else to do. I still have ambition and I have talent but it’s not getting me anywhere in marketing.
4. One avenue I’m exploring is to be an executive coach – I’m already working on a formal qualification and feedback from practice clients is good. I also love it – it feels right. But income is not reliable and not necessarily that great.
5. Another option is to go and work for the Compliance team in a bank – essentially keeping an eye on the naughty kids at the back and stopping them from disrupting everyone else from getting on. I like the sound of that – it feels like being part of the solution rather than the problem. Pays very well too.
6. London is close to unaffordable to live – renting and certainly buying. Even on very good money – £60k there’ll not be a huge amount left over. It really is that bad now. Without a major crash I’ll be renting in retirement and my pension currently won’t go that far…

So…I had two interviews for jobs in Milton Keynes last week, one of which looks likely to end in an offer.
Even though it’s a marketing job, the role would really suit me and the people were really nice. It’s also in a more socially positive sector. I guess I could still find coaching clients at evenings and weekends.

I’ve always found it a weird place, but I gather the surrounding towns are better, although it’s all a bit middle-England and I love London’s mix and energy.
Pay will be lower than London but not by a huge amount and the fact that property is about a third cheaper means I’d be better off overall as well as living in a nicer area.
A lot of my friends have settled down with kids now so socially it wouldn’t be a massive wrench but I would be up there on my own. One of my best friends lives there but he’s pretty busy with his family and running his business.
I would join the local roadie club so that side of things would be sorted, and London’s only 30 mins away on the fast services…

Thoughts? Do it or not do it?

I’m wondering if I could ask for a 12 month contract but the point of the job being available is they’re trying to put together a perm team so this may not be that helpful for them

Do it. I worked in MK for 7 years. It’s not that bad. The surrounding area is nice. Rail links to London are very good indeed, Cambridge is not far away.

Sounds like you need a change.

If you change your mind or find you don’t like it, then you always have the option of leaving and getting a different job – in 6 months rather than 12 if you want – so I don’t see what a 12 month contract gains you. If anything such a thing is more beneficial to the employer, as they can simply choose not to renew it if they want rid, whereas you can just leave at 12 months either way.

brooess – Member

5. Another option is to go and work for the Compliance team in a bank – essentially keeping an eye on the naughty kids at the back and stopping them from disrupting everyone else from getting on. I like the sound of that – it feels like being part of the solution rather than the problem.

My experience was that they’re very much part of the problem.

As someone who has spent 30 years in banking I am bit worried that a compliance department is going to hire a marketing person to check for bad practice. 😯

As for the change, why not ? If you moved to MK or between London and MK and the MK job doesn’t work out you have the London option again. Not sure why you’d ask for a 12 month contract unless it pays better. Take the job full time and just quit if you don’t like it

If I was 42 and still renting with only modest pension, I’d have left London a long time ago.
I’d also echo Northwind’s comments, the compliance department will not be enjoyable, it is an admin job in every sense of the word, even at senior levels.

You’re thinking of changing your job, that’s all. Seriously, these are not “major” life changes.

Rachel

Do it – I would never regret the changes I made. You can always go back to what you were doing and where you were living later if it doesn’t work out.

I’m terrified of NOT making a change – I want to live abroad and have done for just about all my adult life. My wife doesn’t and it’s eating me up – I know a few more years of this, and I’ll have huge regrets from NOT trying out something new.

Can’t comment on the job side of it but Milton Keynes really isn’t that bad.I arrived here from Devon 19 years ago!
I live in one of the villages on the edge and it’s really nice, yes it’s nearly all cookie cutter housing but you’re bound to get more for your money that that London.
While some say the shopping centre is soulless, you’d have to ask what people want from a shopping centre… If it’s anything like this weekend just gone, having every conceivable shop you can think of under one roof has a lot going for it.
The villages have plenty of choice for the more traditional high street.
Getting around is easy due to the grid as I’m sure you will already know.
Cycling clubs all over the place to cater for every need.
Some great mountain biking to be had too. I’ve recently rediscovered my love for mountain biking and love the fact I’m about 2 mins ride from the woods!
Any other questions, I’d be happy to help and if you want a taste of the riding I’ll point you the right way!

You’re thinking of changing your job, that’s all. Seriously, these are not “major” life changes.

Rachel

Well… moving house, leaving the place which has been home for 15 years which was my dream place to be growing up, and the friends I have here… (not being rude, but these feel like big things to leave behind)

Keep it coming – some useful insights as always 🙂

I walked away from a ‘Marketing’ job. Been a lot happier since.

I’m afraid (well certainly in Agency land) most marketing is complete and utter Bjorklets, so everybody creates an artificial sense of urgency and importance which means working late because of a media deadline which in reality if it didn’t happen nobody would actually care.

Agencies rely on young and ambitious people. Almost everyone bails out in their early 30’s when they realise they’re being screwed just for the sake of some ‘glamour’. Shame. I worked in a small agency of 25 people 15 years ago and we had so much fun and were such a strong team… I’ve never enjoyed work that much since.

new job is still a marketing job but for something I believe in and a team of people who come across as also believing in something socially positive. Being out of ‘London’ marketing culture helps I suspect

You’re thinking of changing your job, that’s all. Seriously, these are not “major” life changes.

Rachel

Have a heart. It’s all relative, for the OP, this is a major life change. For someone else with a different set of life experiences, emigrating, or coming out maybe be their major changes.

As for the OP, it sounds like you are ready for change and moving out of London yet staying in the same business sector may be a good way for you to start initiating your as yet, slightly hazy new direction.

Sometimes, holding one’s nose and leaping, in a figurative sense, is all we need to do 😀

move even more north and be even more loaded, house prices are a lot cheaper past brum and the salaries aren’t much lower, if at all (obvs they are compared to landan) Also we have more hills in the north 🙂

new job is still a marketing job but for something I believe in and a team of people who come across as also believing in something socially positive. Being out of ‘London’ marketing culture helps I suspect

Sounds like you’ve made your mind up.

What are you going to lose if it doesn’t work out.

Seems like a no brainer, + you could always contract into London it’s not that far.

Yeah, sorry brooess – maybe I was being a little simplistic there. I guess it’s all relative.

I guess it seems from the outside that the changes you are talking about are manageable and also reversible – try it – if you don’t like it, go back.

Rachel

Spend a weekend in MK and see what it’s like?

Evening life will be very different to living in London no doubt. Rent will be oh, so much cheaper though and MK really isn’t the worst place in the world, prepare to burn through fuel and brakes in the car though, roundabout to 60, to roundabout, to 60, to roundabout!

Rent will be oh, so much cheaper though

Well one of the benefits would be that the amount i’ve had to save as a deposit, which would still leave me paying £1k/month for a small 2-bed flat in the outer reaches of London, would allow me to buy a nicer/bigger place in MK and be mortgage free in around 10 years… and that’s a massive saving over the long term.

Yeah, sorry brooess

No worries. tbh I overthink things so your challenge was actually quite useful!

It’s only 30 mins away from London and if the work’s enjoyable and I can ride my bike in sunshine then I’ve got all the basics of what I want anyway.

London’s changed a lot in the last 5 years – it’s not what it was. Overrun by foreign money which is tearing communities apart.

Bank jobs? Leeds and Edinburgh are ace places to live, cheaper and have more than a few banking jobs going…

After living in Bedford for a couple of years, I struggle to think of any good reason to live in or close to MK. Especially for a mountain biker!

Do it. But once you’re convinced you are leaving London, have a think about the other alternatives. Only visited MK a couple of times, but seems to me a bit of a dormitory commuter town relying on London. Jump a bit further and consider Bristol, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Manc, Brum, Glasgow or Edinburgh. All have their own feel, all have big Unis so culture and nightlife are active. Or pick somewhere unfashionable where houses can be had for well under £100k, find a steady job and not worry about the ratrace too much. Good luck whichever way you jump, though.

4. One avenue I’m exploring is to be an executive coach – I’m already working on a formal qualification and feedback from practice clients is good. I also love it – it feels right. But income is not reliable and not necessarily that great.

If you don’t mind me asking, which company have you chosen to provide your training/qualification?

I pursued a similar journey 10 yrs ago and learned a lot about not only how different companies operated, eg the excellent CTI / Coach U etc vs the dubious ‘acadamies’ that marketed themselves on the number of ‘qualified’ coaches they produced blah blah. I also worked with a lot of excellent coaches (corporate, career, personal, entrepreneurial, education etc) and there were patterns regarding what made them great, what motivated them and where/how they were trained.

Those that take on the corporate sector often succeed early on by working their trusted network. If people you work with (or have worked with) believe in you and your authenticity then they will be more open to your intentions.

The money is great provided you get on the ladder and move up. If you struggle to market yourself then you may be lucky to hit £5k, let alone £10k or £20k. However, if you turn out to be bloody good and market yourself effectively (also off the back of WOM), then you could either supplement your income very well or replace it with £50k full time in year 2 … and move upwards from there.

If you don’t mind me asking, which company have you chosen to provide your training/qualification?

AoEC – academy of executive coaching. Recommended to me by a friend who’s an HR Director and trained with them himself. he said they’re well recognised.

Everything you say below re the ££ is what my research with current coaches (I have quite a few friends working in that area) is also telling me. If you’re great and working at corporate level the ££ is very good, but generally it can be very uncertain.

I’m also conscious that UK economy isn’t really that strong (whatever the headline figures say) and the chance of corporates or individuals having money to spend on coaching may not be that high for quite a few years yet. Doing it on the side in addition to a secure perm income is therefore attractive as a way to exploring the financial reality

The Practitioner Diploma has this level of accreditation:

EMCC Qualification
Practitioner level
Equivalent to UG degree / NVQ5

ICF Qualification
Represents 60 Accredited Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH). The ICF requires 60 Coach Specific Training Hours when applying by Portfolio Method for individual coach accreditation for ACC (Associate Certified Coach).

Middlesex University / Professional Development Foundation
20 level 6 credits through Middlesex University

Association for Coaching
AC Recognised course

I’ve lived in MK for 15 years and I think it’s brilliant. You can live a totally bike focussed life here. Great MTB in the Brickhills, great road stuff out just to the west of the town, great club if you like competition and, crucially, you can cycle to work / shop/ whatever/ wherever traffic free. You can live car free.

London’s 30 mins away. I can finish a beer at the Euston tap and be back at home in 50 mins (I live very close to the station).

Do it. We moved here from London, from a tiny flat to a detached house. Never regretted it. My wife works with a woman who lives in Ealing. From central London, my wife will often get home first !

If you’d moved location or jobs a couple of times in your twenties you’d probaly know that actully, it’s not all that hard, and theres not too much upheval – especially if you’re renting. I wouldn’t dash into a purchase in MK straight away – I’d find a short term lease (sometimes tricky – but ask around at work) or maybe even become a lodger or house share for 4-6 months – you’ll get to know the area better, and decide if the job is going to work for you long term. You might have to spend the first fortnight in a Travelodge, Alan Partridge sytle.

There are a lot of costs associated with buying the wrong house – even outside of London so renting for a bit isn’t wasted money

Yeah – Flap Jack’s last point is strong.

I moved back to a job in London about 13 years ago after a stint down in Poole. I didn’t want to live in ‘town’ again, so got a place in Dorking, pretty close to where I grew up. People I worked with thought this was hilarious. Until I compared notes with someone who lived in Leyton (at the time a bit of a war zone), and found my typical commute was shorter than his.

Move the hell out. If you can work local, or work remotely, the quality of your life will be a ton better.

You can live a totally bike focussed life here. You can live car free.

This is appealing. Whilst the ‘sport’ aspect of cycle commuting in London can be fun, and certainly the cycling culture which has grown massively in the last few years, riding in the peace and quiet would be very welcome…

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tvp97SMZc6M[/video]

😆

So true

I think you may have had a pop at me once before when I said I worked in marketing? It’s gets a bit boring after a while, especially when the thread is about asking for some help…

Just moved to MK from London, but we’ve got young kids so it’s been brilliant for them

Don’t worry about driving, the entire place is linked by amazing segregated cycle routes, we’ve got a trailer to tow the kids and use it loads, after 15+ years of weaving thru traffic in lobdon, my pootle round the local lake and over the cycle bridge to the station is a bit of a revelation, I now have to dodge a family of ducks or maybe a jogger as opposed to black cabs doing u turns or artics turning left

Lots to do, watersports, Snow dome, mtbing, cinemas, shopping !!??

Pubs and clubs are absolutely awful compared to what’s on offer in lobdon tho

I moved to London aged 18 full of ambition and energy

And here you’ve just described pretty much the root of your problem; everyone and his dog wants to come and live in London, seduced by the bright lights of the big city. People think the answer to their dreams lies in London. And then they realise it isn’t quite like that. Dick Whittington was a mythical character. The reality is, that unless you are very lucky, have real saleable talent/ability, or have a sound economic backing, it is extremely difficult to climb the ladder. It’s you against millions of others; the odds certainly aren’t in your favour. If you weren’t fortunate/far-sighted enough to get on the property ladder before it went properly crazy, then you’re on a loser, as you’ve said yourself, you’ll need to earn way above the London average even, just to be able to get one foot on the rung. And I’d say such income opportunities are actually decreasing.

Perhaps it’s time for you (and many others) to actually start looking elsewhere for future opportunities and adventures. The foreign money buying up all the properties will dry up once they realise no-one can actually buy anything, and the market will drop once more. That could be quite a while off yet though. But there’s loads of other places in Britain that could do with that ambition and energy; it’s about time people tried their luck in other parts of the country, instead of expecting the streets of London to be paved with gold.

Move to Scotland. Or… to the countryside. It’s really a much nicer life.

But there’s loads of other places in Britain that could do with that ambition and energy; it’s about time people tried their luck in other parts of the country

I have a theory that pumping the London market is a gambit designed to do exactly that – get loads of taxes in from stamp duty and capital gains whilst giving businesses and people the incentive to move out – a rebalancing of the UK economy without having to spend anything. HSBC have already announced they’re moving the retail bank to Birmingham on account of commercial rents being so high and employees needing to be paid so much to afford to live…

Meanwhile all the European youth who can’t get jobs at home are pouring into London, willing to work for low wages (even in the professional jobs) and live in shared accommodation which replaces the more established indigenous who’re leaving. In time London will be a hollowed out shell of superrich and badly paid middle classes and the all the working class who keep the city running being bussed in from outside (Police, Ambulance, even Doctors at this rate).

So it used to be a city for the ambitious and you could succeed – many have. But now the outlook is lousy IMO… you still work all hours under massive pressure but for very little reward.

Move to Scotland. Or… to the countryside. It’s really a much nicer life.

He might need a job, in order to pay the bills. I doubt someone who’s worked in Marketing for so long would be best placed to make an economically successful transition to a rural area.

So it used to be a city for the ambitious and you could succeed – many have. But now the outlook is lousy IMO… you still work all hours under massive pressure but for very little reward.

It depends on what you want to do, what skills/talents/abilities you have, and what you want from life. I grew up in relative hardship, yet have been lucky enough to end up in an extremely comfortable and privileged situation, compared to what I experienced when I was younger. I appreciate not everyone is this lucky, and do not take anything for granted. But even now, we live well within our means, and aren’t chasing rainbows like many others seem to be doing. Why ‘upgrade’ to a bigger house in a more fashionable neighbourhood, and give yourself that extra stress and pressure? Even in London, many people are able to live at a comfortably sustainable level. I think many people are deluded, and want gold for the price of brass.

Quote: prepare to burn through fuel and brakes in the car though, roundabout to 60, to roundabout, to 60, to roundabout!

You do no it’s not a prerequisite to drive like an arsehat don’t you?
I know it may not seem that way when you’ve had to cycle the mean streets of MK but really it is possible to drive properly…

Really people ? Is nobody going to comment on the irony of a trainee Life Coach asking on an internet cycling forum about a mid-level life decision ?? What happened to this place.

I say do it – it sounds like you know you want to.

London is just a train ride away if you miss the restaurants, shows, galleries, crowded trains, rude people, terrifying drivers and third world toilets in Chinese restaurants.