202009 - Priced Out of My Own City
London feels built for tourists and investors — not the people who were raised here
Letter ID: LON-202009
Dear London,
I finished university thinking I would find a job not straight away, but soon enough. That there would be a period where things felt uncertain and then something would click. Instead I am still looking. Still applying. Still waking up and checking emails that do not say much.
It is hard not to compare yourself to other people. You see friends travelling all the time. Dubai. Canada. Places that feel far away from this stress. Some of them are doing really well. New jobs. New lives. Some have moved out to Kent or the Midlands and bought houses because it is cheaper there. They talk about space and quiet and feeling settled.
I do not blame them. I get it. I just never pictured that life for myself.
I always wanted to work in London. I grew up here. This is where my friends are. Where my memories are. Even when London is difficult, it still feels like mine.
But it feels harder to stay. Rent keeps going up. Jobs feel out of reach or badly paid. Entry level roles expect too much. Sometimes it feels like London only really works now if you already have money or someone helping you.
It starts to feel like people like me are meant to leave. Like London is for tourists, investors, and people passing through, while the people who grew up here are slowly pushed further out.
I do not want anything extreme. I am not asking to be rich. I just want to work and live in the city I was raised in without feeling like I am falling behind for wanting that.
I am still trying. I just did not expect staying to feel this hard.
Regards,
S
Occasionally we shape real stories into letters, so every voice is heard.
Source: Letter sent by writer
Photo Credits
Images are sourced to enhance the reading experience and do not depict the original writer
Letter image: iStock.com/Ekaterina79