Advice on getting set up / started in London?

Hello. I am new to this forum.

I am an actor originally from the United States, but currently living and working in Madrid, Spain.

I am a member of the Screen Actor's Guild / AFTRA in the USA.

I have both US and EU citizenship and am bilingual in English and Spanish.

I am interested in moving to London next year and am beginning my research now.

I am hoping that someone here might be able to point me in the right direction.

I have only been to London once and would really respect the input from people who are there now and know more about it than me.

I would need to find a reputable talent agent or talent manager.

I would need to find a fairly reasonable place to live and some other stuff.

Sharing a room in a flat or house or any other type of cost effective student housing would all be okay.

I plan on working as an actor and taking theatre classes.

I do not drink or form part of the rowdy nightlife, so any neighborhood with cheap housing and good access either by walking or metro will be fine. Maybe inside zone 1 or 2.

So can anyone here help me or tell me where to post these type of questions?

Thank you for your time and consideration.
Rocco

when are you planning on arriving?
i might know a one bed second floor flat, available for rent for twelve months, from about May/June time

Thanks for the offer, but I will probably not be in London that quickly. I will be visiting for at least a week in July and then making the bigger move in late September or early October.

Right now I do believe the focus of my search should be on getting to know London better and finding the right places to stay.

First a short term place I can use as a base for visits and then later to get myself situated.

My first visit should be to get to know London better and to find better housing. There is a lot of walking around for me to do as well as local press for me to review.

I will be joining Equity and visiting talent agencies once I am there full time or possibly on my second visit.

This will also give me a chance to read the local press and go deeper into the neighborhoods than where you would normally go if you were just a tourist.

If you are planning on taking a course then the college you will be attending should be able to offer you advice on where to stay, at least in the first place.

I will be taking acting workshop classes only so I will have to sort out my own housing.

So far I am wondering if it is better to try and find a place North or South of the Thames?

Also, for 300 pounds a month should I forget about getting my own studio and just concentrate on a single room in a shared flat?

It looks like the places I will go to most are on either side of the Thames near Westminster and Lambeth.

Afraid so, roccosalata, £300 a WEEK is probably closer to what you'd pay for your own place. We of course recommend our area (The Borough, South Bank, Elephant & Castle, Bermondsey) as the trendiest and coolest and most convenient place in the town. Look at your map.

oh bless him jackie,makes me wish i could help him...

Most sites like www.gumtree.com offer housing on a per week basis. Are there any similar sites with per month prices or discounts?

I hear a lot of complaints on how expensive public transportation is.

So is it better to try and live 20 to 30 minutes away from the center and travel in often or is it better to raise your housing budget and live closer to the center?

how about st christophers backpacking hostel....or driscoll house, new kent road...or Dover Castle pub backpackers.

Maybe I could consider some of these for my short visits, but I would want my own room in a shared flat or house for 300 to 400 pounds a month as close to a zone 1 tube stop as possible.