I’m from Peterborough but always knew I wanted to live and work in London one day. Both of my older brothers moved here and I came to visit quite a lot.
I went to Brunel University in Uxbridge and then did my teacher training in Birmingham before moving to Oxford for my NQT year. My girlfriend at the time (now wife) was also training to be a teacher and she got on to the PGCE course in Brighton so we realised we could probably live in south-east London and she could commute.
I managed to get a job at a school in Bermondsey and ended up working there for six years.
At that time we were renting in a flat on Balham High Road, which was great. It was tiny but one of my favourite places I have lived. We really embraced London and there was so much going on for us (we were in our early 20s) so that was fantastic.
During that time I got a good promotion and so my salary increased by quite a bit. My wife also got a job around then so we had a reasonable income – enough not to feel the London pinch too much.
Best of both worlds
People often assume that commuting in London means being crushed on the Underground with an armpit in your face, but that doesn’t have to be the case. In 2014, I got my new job at my current school in Norwood, which at the time was walking distance from my flat, so that was ideal.
From Norwood Park you can see the landmarks of the city, such as the “Gherkin” and the London Eye, so walking to and from work was a pleasure.
After we had our first child and began thinking about a second, we realised we needed a bigger place so we moved to New Eltham in the borough of Greenwich.
We love it here and it really is the best of both worlds. We can get to London Bridge or Waterloo East in about 20 minutes to get into London when we want, and the M25 is only about 25 minutes away, which means we can get out of London quickly, too.
Growing up green
We are both really excited about our children growing up in London. Some people say they wouldn’t want to bring a child up here but there is so much going on and there are great schools.
The way we enjoy the city has evolved over time. We used to go out more to bars and so forth but now it’s more about nice restaurants and the theatre.
There’s lots for us to do close to London as well. We’re members of the National Trust and there are lots of stately homes nearby, as well as places for country walks, with even more rural countryside, such as Sevenoaks in Kent, which is just a 45-minute drive away.
We're spoiled for choice for green spaces and things to do.