don’t do swap. just get your work visa, you’ll save loads of money. You can find work anywhere in the UK. London, the surrounding area, the Lake District and Edinburgh, and the Highlands are the easiest places to get stuff though.

Choosing a city to live in has a lot to do with finances and personality. I studied in England and will be moving there for 6 months in September, so I’m facing the exact same situation you are. I don’t want to live in London because it is the most expensive city in England (second most in the WORLD), but I do want to live in a big city. I’m leaning towards Birmingham, because it’s a big city and has all the nightlife and entertainment that I’m looking for.

I don’t know what you like, or if you’ve been there before, but there are places to suit any taste. If you want to be close to London without being right in the city, commuting is an option (not one I’d prefer). If you like to keep busy, Birmingham and Manchester would be good. If you like a slower pace and beautiful scenery, it’s hard to beat Bath. Plus, there’s a nice student population there. From personal experience, I’ve found that the city with the hottest guys is Oxford (and you know they’re smart too!). Have fun! Who knows, maybe we’ll bump into each other.

thanks for the advice so far. the reason i’m doing swap is because i heard they get u a better deal with the work visa than u could do on ur own. also, i’m a first time traveler and would like the support that swap offers. anyway, any more advice would be appreciated, thanks!!

There are other options other than SWAP too…. I think people are overconcerned with how easy/difficult it is to get a Working Holiday Visa. It’s not hard. If fact, it’s the easiest thing I did to prepare to move to London. As long as you have no criminal record, and the specific amount of money required, and you’re between the ages, you’ll get it. The form to fill out is simple, straightforward, and the hardest part is mailing of your passport (if you’re paranoid like me) but I got mine back within 3 business days.

I think it’s ludicrous to pay someone to do this for you. But that’s just my opinion.

If you decide to go to a certain city, like London for example, they have programs you can go through to help set up a bank account, find accomidation, a job, set up an appointment to get your NI number….. they have these programs in all major cities in the UK. The one in London is called 1st Contact London. Then you pay 35pounds instead of the hundreds of dollars you would shell out for SWAP.

I don’t know, maybe it’s not fair to judge considering I didn’t go through one of those programs, but everyone i’ve spoken to that has, didn’t think it was worth it.

Thanks for all the tips, maybe I will just apply for my own work visa, lol. I was thinking of going to Brighton because its just a little city by the ocean (I love the ocean) but am not entirely sure. Edinburgh is beginning to sound pretty good too. If anyone has any more tips and comments, then please feel free, it would help me out a lot!