As told to Dawn Morrison

A volunteer with the London chapter, Kaylyn Fraser graduated from Dalhousie in 2009 with a BA (Hons) in Economics and French. She currently works as a London-based economic consultant, where she specializes in agricultural development in emerging markets. She chose Dalhousie initially because her parents are both Dal grads and originally from Nova Scotia. She has lived in London for five years.

Best networking advice

“I strongly recommend that all newcomers subscribe to the e-mail newsletter of the Canadian High Commission, as well as connect with the Dalhousie London UK Alumni Chapter. Many Canadian universities operate chapters in London and their events tend to be great spots to make friends and network professionally. The events hosted by the Canadian High Commission are also great networking opportunities. In addition, for those working in finance or related fields, the Canada-UK Chamber of Commerce also runs interesting events that cover a range of topics and sectors for both Canadian and UK businesses.”

What’s it like to live and work in London?

“Living and working in London is fun but also challenging. The city is fast-paced and intense – as is its working culture. Entry-level salaries are on average lower in London than in Canada, and the cost of living is significantly higher. As a result, many recent graduates moving to London to work often find that it is near-impossible to save – let alone invest in any property.

The British working culture is also quite different to the one in Canada and some of the differences come as quite a shock to newcomers – I still struggle with some after being in the UK for more than five years. Still, I would recommend London as a city to live and work. The city offers a wealth of unique professional opportunities and serves as a great place to meet interesting people from a range of backgrounds and cultures. London also offers an excellent social scene.

London is also a magnet for a wide range of artistic and cultural events. You can spend a Thursday evening with friends in a small bar in Camden watching a Hey Rosetta! performance, a Friday evening watching world-class opera at the Royal Opera House, and then Saturday afternoon at a lecture on Marc Chagall at Sotheby’s before meeting friends later that night for a ‘Michelin star quality’ dinner on Abbeville Road in Clapham.”

Best volunteer opportunity

“London has a plethora of charities, many of which offer interesting volunteer opportunities. Through volunteering with two charities, I’ve met a number of great people and attended events I would have otherwise not known about — for example, running a 10k through an English vineyard and supporting an abseiling event off a London hospital roof with Marie Curie Cancer Care, and attending a Christmas carol service with Farm Africa.

The Dalhousie London UK Alumni Chapter is always looking for volunteers and ideas for new events. Currently, there are four of us that have been operating as the Executive for the Chapter, but an extra pair of hands will always be welcome! In recent years, we have organized brunches, walking tours, day trips, pub nights and boat cruises.”

Best spot for a lunch meeting

“London has an excellent restaurant scene, however, the vast majority of London restaurants are very noisy so it can be a struggle to find somewhere that is appropriate for a lunch meeting or business conversation. Four of my go-to spots are:

Indigo at One Aldwych: Great food and service, but it’s on the pricier side.

The Modern Pantry: Beautiful house serving equally beautiful food.

28-50 in Marylebone: Although a wine bar, it serves excellent food. They have three locations but the Marylebone one is my favourite.

The Vaults: An award-winning restaurant for business lunches in a great venue.”

Getting the full London experience

“I’m not sure there is one single thing that delivers the ‘ultimate’ London experience. However, what I often recommend is that people take the river boat cruise of the Thames from Westminster Bridge to Greenwich and back, stop off in Greenwich for a walk around Greenwich Park and grab a pub lunch before making the return trip. The river boat is affordable, and an excellent way to see London and how different the city is from borough to borough. Sundays are particularly great days to visit Greenwich since the Greenwich Market is usually in full swing with food from around the world.

For a less touristy/more ‘local’ experience, I would recommend a late brunch at the Modern Pantry followed by a visit to the Museum of London, then dinner at one of the many great restaurants in Exmouth Market (Paesan is a personal favourite and has a great bar downstairs), and end with a concert at the Barbican. All of these things are in Clerkenwell/ Farringdon – one of my favourite neighbourhoods in London.”

Best place for Friday night fun

“Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell is my go-to place for Friday night fun. The street has an excellent bar and restaurant scene and is usually heavily populated with an eclectic but fun crowd. In the summer time, another favourite is Friday night drinks with friends at the Thames-side patio of Somerset House.”

Best local delicacy

“Most people would tell you that London’s ‘delicacy’ (if one can call it that) is curry of the Indian or Bangladeshi variety. In recent years, an excellent restaurant chain called Dishoom has popped up around London. They make excellent and affordable Indian food and all of their locations are very reliable for great food and excellent service – although, be prepared to wait an hour in line or at their bar to get a table since they are very popular and don’t take reservations. Another ‘delicacy’ is the bacon butty (or sandwich). Fleet River Bakery in Holborn and St. John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields both make great ones that are popular with morning commuters.”

Best place to eat on a dime

“TimeOut Magazine publishes a list annually of London’s “Best Cheap Eats” and the list tends to be quite reliable. A personal favourite of mine though is Tuk Tuk on Old Compton Street in Soho. They make an excellent laksa for roughly £6.”

Best neighbourhood for newcomers

“Each London neighbourhood has its own culture and so will appeal to people in different ways. I’ve been lucky enough to have lived in four different neighbourhoods over the past five years and have come to favour Wandsworth as a borough and particularly Battersea/Clapham as my favourite neighbourhood (specifically around Battersea Park, Clapham Common, Clapham Junction and St. John’s Hill).

The area is young and vibrant, has a great food and drink scene, and although not in Zone 1, there are a number of transport connections (Underground, Overground, National Rail, bus) depending on where one is based. Battersea Park and Clapham Common are both great places to go running or for organized sports, and there are a number of gyms/yoga studios in the area. It’s also nice to live so close to the Thames. East London and particularly Shoreditch and Hackney (especially around Broadway Market and London Fields) are very popular among 20- and 30-somethings but rent prices have sky-rocketed in recent years such that most of the residents these days need to work in banking/ finance to afford life in trendy East London.

Battersea/Clapham offer all the perks of East London while also having slightly more green space and feeling more residential. And, for those needing a dose of East London, the London Overground takes you there in 30 minutes. Unfortunately, rent is increasing very quickly in Battersea/Clapham but that is more-or-less the same story for anywhere in London these days.”

For inquiries on Dalhousie’s alumni chapters, please contact Bill Chernin at volunteer@dal.ca.