Whether you’re a recent graduate or you’re looking to building up your career to that ever-elusive Managerial role, you will have considered working (or perhaps you already are) working in the big smoke?!

It gets said A LOT to anyone who lives in the Home Counties – “You’re so lucky to leave near London” or “It’s expensive round here due to being in the commuter belt…” implying you have to work in London to make it worthwhile.

And yes, we are lucky to be based near the best City in the World, visiting the sites and being able to go from leafy suburbia to the City at the drop of a hat (and train ride!)… BUT, don’t under estimate what is right on your door step – there are lots of benefits of working locally too…

1. The vast variety of local opportunities! Leatherhead alone hosts no less than 5 large business parks, several serviced offices and hundreds of businesses. You really don’t have to work in the city to get the variety of industry, company size and progression. Plus it’s all on your door step, which leads nicely to two..
2. The lack of commute!! You don’t need me to tell you that 2 stops on the train (or better yet, a 20min car journey) Being able to see the sky on your commute is better for the soul than just seeing the base of sky scrapers slowly go past as you toot your horn at the other million cars on the road.
3. And finally, the best one of them all… work life / balance! That elusive thing that only the lucky few truly manage to achieve. Ensuring that your work isn’t your world but that you’re not dreading Monday morning every week. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate this can be achieved whilst working in the city but the lack of commute (saving up to 10 hours a week plus) can only help to achieve the balance we all crave.

The bottom line is no matter where you work, if you live in the home counties the common misconception is that your paying for a premium for the ability and availability of working in the city… Or maybe, just maybe you’re paying for the privilege of living in one of the prettiest part of the UK, with all the heritage it brings and instead of seeing it whizzing past your train window every morning, you actually want to stop, sit up and smell the roses… in your local pub, at 5pm every weekday.