I've finally a managed to get a job. It looks great, never thought I'd get it and should be a fantastic start to my career. I start in the new year, and soon after starting should be sitting my Viva as well.

I can't wait to start but I feel like I'm in a bit of an odd position. The gap between the end of my PhD funding and the job means what little savings I've had have dried up and disappeared into the ether. I can claim relocation expenses back (which is great) but obviously only after I've paid for them myself. Which makes sorting out a deposit, the first months rent, sundries etc a little tricky.

I'm looking at various solutions (extending the over extending overdraft, small personal loan, family taking even more pity on me than usual) but I was wondering if anyone had any advice? Rather than finding somewhere to rent permanently straight away and getting settled in before my official start date should I move into temporary accommodation. And how temporary is temporary? Has anyone gone down that route and found it to be a good/bad/ugly solution?

It just feels bizarre. I know that soon I should be recently financially secure (much more than I ever was as a student) but there's this final hurdle.

This is just a guess at advice and is contigent on you working for a Uni, but it may be worth contacting your new Uni accomodation office and see if they would be amenable to you temporarily staying at some Uni accomodation. I say this because I've seen some poor visiting Researcher being housed in a first-year accomodation block that is soon to be mothballed.

Not sure if it'll happen, but it's worth a shot.

Thanks Slizor :) Yeah it's for a uni, a lecturing post.

I've gotten in touch with the accommodation people but there's not much in the way of dedicated housing available due to the current size and development. They've given me some good contacts in terms of estate agents and companies that have been helpful in the past. Gathering the deposit and funds to move upfront is just going to be difficult though. A month or so earlier and it would have be totally fine. Or if I could find somewhere that'd hold off on taking the deposit for a month.

I was thinking more maybe a short term B&B or something along those lines if I don't manage to scrape together the funds to move in permanently straight away. I'm worried about how effectively I'm going to be able to work, and settle in, if that's the case though.

I'm off to the bank tomorrow to see if they'll give me a little bit of wiggle room. I don't mind living off noodles for a bit if I have to!

Did you speak with your new boss? Maybe they can give you an advance. It's not so uncommon.

Thanks Blue. :)

I hadn't really thought about an advance. I might talk about that to HR once everything else is ironed out. If that's not doable then I might go for a small personal loan. I've found one with my current bank that I can pay off ahead of time without too much in the way of a huge penalty. So in theory I could get it and a little extra to make moving easy. Claim back my expenses, pay off the majority of the loan and then just be left with a couple of small managable payments to make.