Town and country
Source: The Guardian, October 27 2007, by Julie Ferry
What do you do if you can't stand the thought of living in the capital? Can you still take advantage of the job opportunities and retire to your own leafier patch of Britain at the end of a hard day's work?
Yes, is the resounding answer from Jonathan Wagstaff, an analyst for management consultants Accenture. The 23-year-old Oxford graduate commutes into London from his father's house in Kent and says that he doesn't see the point in living closer to work, as he is often required to spend extended periods working with clients around the country. "I can be sent to Newcastle one week and Reading the next," says Wagstaff. "While I am working away Accenture arranges accommodation for me, so it seems crazy to spend money on rent in London."Also, I am losing a quarter of my salary every month on loan repayments."
Money is, not surprisingly, a big consideration for many graduates. Fay Morgan, also 23, lives in Laleham, Surrey, with her parents and says that she can't afford to rent a flat closer to her workplace, the creative agency Incredibull Ideas, near London Bridge. "Having just finished university I've got a lot of debts to clear, so I had no choice but to live with my parents," says the University of Plymouth graduate. "I am planning to do it for about a year and then I want to flatshare."
Lifestyle factors are also increasingly coming in to play as graduates search for that illusive work-life balance. Being able to live in Ewell, Surrey, which was voted third best place to live in Britain in a recent Channel 4 poll, was central to trading risk analyst Neil Kaemena's decision to accept a position with Shell after he graduated from Kingston University in 2004. The 25-year-old knew that the oil giant's offices were based at Waterloo, which had a direct train link to the village. His journey time takes an hour, but that includes a "pleasant" 15-minute walk to Ewell station. Hobbies were also central to Kaemena's decision to chose the open spaces of Surrey.
Of course, there are the down sides to life as a commuter. Many Londoners will admit to feeling just that little bit smug when they are home within 45 minutes of leaving the office while some of their commuting colleagues are battling with the railway network.
