Hiya, any advice on moving to a new city such as London for work. Junior designer.
Replies8
- Plug into groups, forums of like mionded people by defining your interests. Find your tribe and the city will find you.
- Hi Kyle,Lots of great advice for you here. I agree with Rob Wright and Elliott Starr, make the best of all contacts you have, perhaps even consider taking on a part-time job in a bar, shop or museum that you admire, in order to broaden your experience and meet new friends and more contacts.I worked part-time (only a couple of shifts a week for a short time) as a waitress in Sydney, Australia, whilst also starting my first design job as design assistant for a publishing company. Also, I worked for 1 or 2 evenings in a wine bar when I first moved to London to work as an art editor, I made some great friends this way and I gave up the bar job once I became extra busy as a designer (be sure not to burn yourself out).The new friends I met this way introduced me to people in the music and film industries and I soon picked up random design work through these friends too.Wishing you much luck and have fun too : )All the best,Mandie
- Hi Kyle, I moved to London as a midweight art director and here is what I learned (warning: it was 9 years ago):- Save about 3 months for rent. bills and transport. I know that seems like alot but sometimes job conversations can take a while if you don't already know who to talk to.- Register with lots of recruiters and go direct. This should be easier to do ahead of time now that everyone is working from home.- Register with Yuno Juno ahead of time. It's great for Freelance.- Join groups like International Creatives on FB to get advice on your portfolio or to check out other people's portfolios for inspiration.Hope these help. Tamryn
- Great advice already below but I would say on more of a practical level that it takes approx six months to a year to feel 'at home' in a new city. So it's ok to feel overwhelmed at points and not weird if you need to constantly look at the tube map to find out where you're going ;)
- London is a series of villages. And particularly over the past year this has been amplified. When I first moved here (about a decade ago) I researched galleries, agencies and restaurants I liked the look of and got a room near where so many of them were (Hoxton). I ended up taking a job I loved in London Bridge, but the colleagues from that agency who I am still good friends are the ones who were also living in Hackney at the time. There are so many wonderful pockets of this city in which ever direction you look, pick one you think might suit and you'll have a community there in no time.
- Hi Kyle, brilliant advice from @Elliott Starr. I'd also recommend replicating your profile from The Dots on LinkedIn and fully optimising it as much as possible with content that showcases your experience and training so far. As a professional networking site used widely across multiple industries, it adds another layer to your network and is another great place alongside The Dots, to seek and be found. Check out groups that are also aligned with your goals and follow companies you are interested in working for. You can also turn on industry-specific job alerts.
- https://www.coolcousin.com/is a great way to discover a new city, avoid the tourist traps, and make friends. Professionally, maybe tap up people doing the role you want, who's work you like, in that city, lead with compliments, kill with kindness - ask for their opinions on good companies in that city, and if they know of anyone who is hiring, or if they know any good recruiters.
- Hi Kyle,Can I suggest that you tap your network? People you know will want to see you do well. So let them know what you're doing & ask for whatever it is you think you need to get you some momentum.And I would ask those contacts if they can't help, would they consider introducing you to someone they know who might be able to. Research suggests that weak ties (people we're not in direct contact with in our network) can be stronger & more helpful than direct ties.Does that sound like something you can make work, Kyle…?
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