Why I decided to move to Manchester.

Moving to Manchester, blogger | www.itscohen.co.uk
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Whoops, I did it again. Long time readers of this lil blog might know I've got a rather annoying particular habit of tending to up sticks every once in a while, and this is a perfect example of me having itchy feet and thinking "I know exactly what will fix this". So, here I am, roughly 230 miles away from home, making a new start in a new city, and doesn't it feel great?

Why change is good

I'm not the kind of person that takes kindly to being tied down (I can hear my good friends howling at that comment as I type it, they know). An overpaid psychologist would probably put it down to my home breaking up when my parents divorced a while ago leaving me with no real base on which I can manifest nostalgia, or I can work it out for free and say that was something of a wake up call. Shortly after, I moved schools, went to uni, moved house, moved abroad, networked, interned all over the place and worked my arse off to wind up in what I've had people tell me was a "dream job". As someone determined to make the most of things to stop life being a bit crappy, falling into a job that required using Greater Anglia every day (insert sicky emoji a thousand times) seemed a bit... lame. The insane amount of train delays gave me some rare time to wonder what the hell I was doing - when I wasn't working on my phone, of course. The real turning point for me was when I was out for dinner with three friends in similar jobs, and I just... crumbled. It may have been over dessert, but there's no pun intended. It had reached the point where I was working so much I'd made myself ill, and it was the combination of incessant work and not being able to afford to live in London which had driven me to that point. So, instead of whining about it, I decided to give myself a kick up the arse and use LinkedIn for something other than seeing what my old schoolfriends were up to. I found out about the job I'm currently at when it was retweeted onto the work account's timeline - it'd seem I'm so good at my job I see everything, what lark!

Why Manchester was 'the one'

"But... Manchester? Really? That seems a bit extreme" said every southerner ever. It's really easy to fall into the mindset that London is the be all and end all of the world when it captures so much of the media's focus, it's a busy ball of amazingness and generally it is bloody fantastic. But, and this is a big but for people who've never stepped north of Watford, that doesn't mean the rest of the UK is a grey landscape to be Avoided At All Costs.

When I was feeling a bit out of odds at the beginning of university, I decided to (surprise, surprise) go somewhere else. I'd spend pretty much every weekend in a new city, trying out Sheffield, York, Cambridge and, you guessed it, Manchester. But, when I got into things in London, it honestly felt like I'd have to put up with it forever, because the job I did simply didn't exist outside of the M25. What a pickle. So when I saw that tweet come up, I sent an email that very evening, arranged an interview the next day, had two trips to Manchester (even I'm amazed I managed that one in peak trade) and in the new year I had a job offer. I do love proving myself wrong, it's very satisfying.

Preparing to move

I've treated moving to Manchester exactly the same as I treated moving to Munich, just minus the 4am alarm. I've booked myself into an airbnb for the meantime, and am viewing flats with a view to rent for the immediate future. I've been asked a fair few times if I'm intending to buy while I'm here as houses are considerably cheaper than their southern counterparts. There is that possibility (because whatever it may look like on instagram, I don't actually spend all my money on crap, just a little bit of it), but I'm going to stick it out for a bit and see how I get on with this city before making such a massive investment. And a pretty permanent commitment, at that.

Living in Manchester

In a slightly different attitude to Munich, I'm taking things a bit more slowly this time round. Rather than throwing myself into nights out and discovering every bit of town, there's definitely a much more chilled vibe (that, or I'm getting old). Getting used to a new company and their way of working is always going to take a little time to adjust, but I can already tell that this was a good move - and I'm not saying that just because they bought pizza for us on Friday (but maybe a little bit). I've found myself a great place to stay in a really convenient location, and things are looking up on the new flat front too - keep those fingers crossed for me! I'm not sure whether Manchester will be my forever place, but I'm not ruling it out completely...

Have you ever moved cities? I'd love to know if you've got any tips for me in the comments below, or you can just say I'm cray like 95% of my friends, but I've definitely heard that one before.

14 comments:

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  2. I've moved cities like 3 times in the past few years (because my job requires me to). My tips for moving is go for road trips around the area and set up a comfortable base wherever you're staying, because in the end, if you're surrounded by things that you love, moving around becomes a lot easier.

    Saskia / girlinbrogues.com

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  3. So excited for your shiny new start and move! I'd never seen myself as a flighty person but my move to Hong Kong did me the world of good. Whilst I'm ridiculously excited to be surrounded by family again, I'm already itching for new adventures in new cities! Best of luck with the move gal, I have no advice, simply go forth and conquer ;) xx

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  4. I am moving to Manchester this week too! I moved cities many many times in my life (born in Buenos Aires, moved to Spain, and already been in 3 cities in UK) and it is always exiting and scary at the same time, but usually good! I do have my flat in Manchester sorted, and I am currently packing (not that exited about it). Maybe see you around there! All the best in the new adventure!

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  5. this has all the 'independent woman of the 21st century vibes' going on.. go you girl! hope it all turns out wonderfully and hope the new job is going well! xx

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  6. Best of luck in your new role! Manchester has a really nice vibe. I haven't moved cities (done a few spots of travelling & lived in Oz for a bit) but it sounds as if you made the right decision for you!

    T xx

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  7. Welcome to Manchester! I'm just across the river in Salford, but it's only about five minutes walk from Deansgate, and the city is honestly the dream. If you're looking for somewhere to live, obviously Manchester and Salford in the centre is ideal but Didsbury and Chorlton are dead nice too. Hope you find a home you love xx

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  8. Wow! I saw this really great post I've been asked a fair few times if I'm intending to buy while I'm here as houses are considerably cheaper than their southern counterparts. Articles About Education Issues

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  9. I definitely move about a lot! Love a new city. I go to Manchester all the time as I am originally from there a very long time ago. The weather is definitely average but it's definitely improved a whole lot in terms of culture!

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  10. How exciting to have a new start and a new city to explore - one of my best friends from school lives in Manchester so I get in a visit every year and love it (and that I get change from a £20 for a round!). I've never thought seriously about moving - I grew up, went to uni and now work in London but actually wrote a post recently about how I'm starting to think that it's not the be all and end all, especially when working 12-14 hour days isn't seen as strange and everything is so expensive, ugh! X

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  13. The next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought you have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.

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  14. Manchester was right at the heart of the Revolution, becoming the UK's leading producer of cotton and textiles. Manchester is also famous for being the first industrialised city in the world. Manchester was responsible for the country's first ever working canal in 1761 and the world's first ever railway line in 1830.

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Hello, I'm Rebecca: social media exec, new-ish coffee drinker and loafer-wearer.
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