When you decide to move to the UK and move to a new city it is most likely you will move alone or with a partner. The logistics of being able to move there with a group of friends at the same time is difficult at best. However, the UK experience is so much better when you do have a good group of friends to share adventures with and to explore Europe. This means after arriving in the UK it is time to meet new people and to make new friends! This can seem challenging and intimidating but with a bit of effort it is actually very doable.
Here are 8 ways to meet new people and make friends in the UK:
1. Reach out to old friends who now live in the UK
It is time to login to the old Facebook and Instagram accounts and find out who from Uni and school live in the UK now. It doesn’t matter if you haven’t talked for years. Send them a message and see what happens. You might be quite surprised and the best thing is, not only will they know a lot about moving to the UK, but they will likely have a whole group of friends you can get to know too.
2. Join Aussies in London, Kiwis in London and/or other Facebook groups
The people on there are really friendly and if you live in London, it is a good way to meet new people and go to a few social events.
3. Join a team sport
If you like to keep active there are a few AFL teams, like the Wandsworth Demons, in London who are always looking for new players. They also organise a lot of social events. If AFL is not your thing then you can also try some Oz tag with Trytagrugby or join another sports club.
4. Go to a Meetup
Meetup is not a weird place for old odd balls to meet up. In the UK it is very popular and can be a good way to meet a lot of new people with similar interests or hobbies. If you are in London, try joining the London Social Exploration group to meet new people while exploring the city.
5. Make friends with people at work
It depends on your work but this is one of the best ways to make friends with the locals. Make sure to make an effort to go out with your workmates on Friday nights.
6. Move into a share house with flatmates
Most people are going to be moving into share houses due to the costs of living. When you are using SpareRoom try to look for flatmates who are outgoing, who like socialising and who have similar interests to you. It is still very much luck of the draw as there is a lot of competition for share houses so you cannot be too fussy with flatmates. However, you are going to get to know them very well and many of them could become good mates.
7. Join a local gym and go regularly to classes
After a while you will get to know people so you might as well start chatting…
8. Make friends with people in hostels while you are backpacking and swap socials
Backpacking is an amazing way to talk to people from all over the world. Sometimes you meet great people who also happen to be living in the UK too. You might spend some time with them on your travels exploring another country so why not do it in the UK too? I met a couple of German hikers while hiking in Slovenia who were kind enough to show me around their home town in Berlin. I also met a great group of people in Bosnia who lived in London and we ended up becoming quite good friends checking out London’s markets and visiting the museums.
Important Advice!
Having some Aussie and Kiwi friends in the UK will make things a lot easier especially in the early days. These people will know what you are going through and can help you out a lot. They are also likely travelling a lot so you might even be able to organise a few group trips to Europe.
However, don’t fall into the Aussie trap! This is mainly an issue in London where there are so many Aussies. You are going to the UK for a new experience. It is good to have some Aussie and Kiwi mates but make sure you make friends with people from the UK and Europe too! Otherwise you would be wasting a good opportunity to meet with people from around the world.