₦airaland Forum

Aphrodite007:
I don’t agree. CELEBRATE everything. You left a country with no opportunity to a foreign place, why shouldn’t you celebrate your first call, or interview or second interview?

We get more with thanksgiving. Also, my friend that grew up here and is a head of his department celebrates being called for interview, just because he is happy to be interviewed, even if for just the experience.

Let’s learn to not be entitled. Tech is great, tech is easier to get into. Also, you’re human, celebrate your little wins.

Aphrodite007:
The civil service is happily hiring DS et al. They should check there.

jtech17:
Thanks for this though... well will see if I can switch to the civil engineering or construction .. .. ive been researching and researching about these job sponsorship possibilities though..... but Mr code breaker are you currently in the UK... can you recommend IT courses.. will do research on them and see which is easier for me to switch to if I cant do the civil or construction

jtech17:
I knew experience will come into play in all these... man na God go help person... maybe I.will just stick to what I studied in my first degree... na God hand I dey

jtech17:
Thanks... What about Artificial intelligence....

jtech17:
well, I felt since my first degree is in MECHANICAL ENGINEERING,... would make sense to be on the Engineering line... also would have to check the requirements to study BIOMEDICAL SCIENCE if I'm qualified

Ebonybiuty:
Thank you so much for your prompt response. This has actually been giving me sleepless nights, I thought it’s just hubby that can get sponsored, since he’s the one schooling.
Thing is, I have quite a number of qualifications (ICAN,ACCA,Msc and almost done with CFA too ) and I’m eyeing some top Audit firms where my friends work in UK…So I thought since I’m just a dependant, I might not get a sponsored job

Thanks once again

seunajia:
This thread reminds me of my time in the UK - studying full-time and working as a porter in Lang Stracht just to survive. I worked from Fridays to Sundays because there were no classes on Fridays. Although the restaurant I worked with offered more hours, I had to stick to the 20 hours PW term time quota because I was dead scared of flouting the visa rule and ending up in Lagos. I knew so many guys who did 40 hours PW and nothing happened to them, but mahn, I was a good lad To balance my account, I worked hyper during the holiday periods.

At the minimum, I earned 600 GBP PM, my rent in a single room shared apartment was around 210 GBP PM, living expenses was low because I always had food from work and I lived with a wonderful Nigerian lady who worked part-time as a chef. In all, I worked as a porter, a ticketing agent in a club, cashier, service at events and as a kitchen hand.

For me, it was back breaking work but it helped pay the remainder of my tuition, my monthly rent and bills, the money I sent home and the land I bought in Lagos. And against all odds, I still graduated with a first and with the class prize.

The story still plenty Shout outs to ABZ!

Ticha:
Lived there for a long time and it's our UK base. Needing help?

deybholar:
Hello all.
Can someone please help? I have an urgent decision to make.
Where is the best area to live considering jobs and affordable housing.
I need to choose between Bristol, Glasgow, Bradford, Birmingham and middlesbrough.

I am tilting more towards Bradford because it is cheap, but I heard it is rural and unsafe.
Please help.
Thank you

samadajet833:
Good afternoon
I'm applying to Glasgow Caledonian university, the tuition fee is 13,500pounds but I can pay it instalments by spreading it for 8 months, but the first fee to be paid is 3,500pounds.
My question is are there jobs I could do 20hours per week and in order to pay off the 10k debt within 8 months in Glasgow
Please reply me

izyblaze:
Good morning everyone. I think this is the best place to ask this question. Is it possible to live in Dartford, and attend University of Hertfordshire? Because I’ve free accommodation in dartford, and was hoping to stay there to save cost for at least my first 3 months. I checked the distance online, and it’s about 2hrs 33mins by train. How feasible is this? And what’s the estimate I’ll spend on transportation in a month.

marylandcakes:
More or less you’re looking for a town house.

LagosismyHome:
Have you stayed in 3 floors to be sure you like such a house , all that stairs might make 2 floors better and easier to sell later on

Also townhouse tends to be the ones with 3 floors, I hardly seen detached with 3 floors expect those that have loft conversion

Ticha:
Have you looked at the 95% mortgages? The cap is 600k

Ticha:
Using our latest family home purchase as an example - we bought a 5 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 garage semi-detached in 2017 for £225k. We put down a 15% (£35k)deposit as we were buying as a family home. Interest was 2.18% so monthly payments just under £700pcm.

We then spent £55k (cash reserves) on the renovations. It included taking it back to brick internally, putting new windows (was single glazed), central heating, kitchen, re-wiring, created a 2nd bathroom by splitting the garage, carpeted it throughout. It took 5 weeks because we know people in the industry and also had somewhere else to stay so weren't living in a building site. Remember we have 3 children (they were 3, 1.5 and 1.5 then) so we're a family of 5.

All completed - we had spent £90k cash to include the deposit upfront luckily the money came from the sale of our previous family home. Let's imagine that we did it on a budget we would have needed at least a 10% deposit (£22.5k) and another £15k min for a cosmetic renovation (central heating, double glazing, new bathroom, and kitchen) and if we were living in it then it'd be a room by room reno - taking longer and most likely costing more. That's by the by. Our total expectation was that the value would be at least £300k. As it's now a 5 bedroom, 2 bathroom house. If we had taken a bridging loan for the £55k for 6 weeks, interest wold be around 8%, application fees about £1,500, broker fees around £500.

We then left the UK, asked for consent to let and put it in Airbnb for 1 year and did make quite a substantial amount of money from that because it can sleep upto 12 people. CTL was granted for the duration of the rest of our fixed period so 5 years and we were expressly told at the end of that, we would have to revert to a BTL mortgage. CTL cost £199 and we have to re-apply annually.

In 2019, we broke the fix and refixed it for 2 years at 1.8%. The bank did a valuation and the value came back at £265k. Remember adding all our costs means we need it to be £315k to break even. Anyway refixed and rented it out properly. Tenant was paying £980pcm. Mortgage was now just over £600 a month but a repayment mortgage. Meant we could square away £280 ish a month (agent fees and commission is 10%) Luckily, we're not working in the UK now so no tax but if we were working in the UK then £980 - expenses = whatever is left is liable for tax.
That tenant left Dec 2020 and we spent about £5k tarting it up for the new tenant. New tenant is now paying £1250pcm. The mortgage is still just over £600 pcm and it's repayment.

Now 2021 - we have overpaid that we now owe about £150k on the house. So have equity of about £100k. We are remortaging to refix again and take some money out to buy a house in Glasgow. First and foremost, we have to come off the CTL cos we want to leverage the existing equity. It means higher interest rates however it also means lower payments because we will move to an interest only mortgage.

The house is now valued at £290k 4 years later. We must leave a 25% equity in it and have a 25% deposit for the Glasgow house (Looking at max £80k (£20k deposit). It means we need £75k as deposit for the existing house and £20k for Glasgow. The equity just about covers it. Mainly because it's a cheaper house. Much more cheaper. Then we need solicitors fees, stamp duty (2nd home so 3% of purchase price), survey fees, application fees (all BTLs charge it) and the house must be in walk in condition otherwise we need reno costs so maybe another £5k/6k ish. Our new re-fix is for 5 years at 1.3% and interest only so our payments will around £360 ish a month. Remember the rent is £1250pcm. Then iya Charlie takes her cut re tax.

Now compare that to the very first house we bought in the UK in 2010. 2 bedroom leasehold flat - paid £105k in Bristol. It's now worth almost £300k. When we rented it out in 2012, the tenant was paying £280pcm. The current tenant is paying £650pcm and we've almost paid off that mortgage. 11 years. property is a long game.

Recycling cash out of property is the way to go however it pays to know exactly what you're letting yourself in for. Buy right and hold. Property is a long term game. You buy and sit on it and you make the gains. We haven't had to front up a cash deposit in a long time.

You want to go into property? Ignore all those property gurus on YouTube.
Do not pay for any training courses! Join a PIN (Property Investor Network) group in your area - they usually meet monthly and network.
Join Property Tribes.
There are some useful UK property groups on FB.
Get clued up on financing property.
Find a very good broker and lastly, have a source of income no matter how little.

Property goes through lean and good times. In 2015, 2 of ours were empty at the same time, one with extensive pet damage. It's also incredibly hard to remove a tenant. You have to go through the courts and in the meantime, they can stop paying rent. It currently takes at least 14 months to remove a tenant through the court system.

But it is by far the best investments we have done. So my advice? Do it but with eyes wide open.

Terminalbond:
Thanks to everyone who has shared one or two on here. Your tips were helpful.


Picked up my spousal visa yesterday (90 days vignette)
Biometric day 5th Feb
Pickup mail April 13