{"id":21499,"date":"2017-12-12T22:05:51","date_gmt":"2017-12-12T22:05:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevoiceoflondon.co.uk\/?p=21499"},"modified":"2017-12-12T22:05:51","modified_gmt":"2017-12-12T22:05:51","slug":"london-student-quits-uni-house-for-a-boat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.westminster.ac.uk\/thevoiceoflondon\/london-student-quits-uni-house-for-a-boat\/","title":{"rendered":"London student quits uni house for a boat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Being a student in London is tough. Sure there\u2019s the nightlife, restaurants, galleries and more – but how are you supposed to enjoy any of it when you\u2019ve got no money?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back in 2010, the NUS published figures indicating that the average annual cost of living for a student in London was \u00a313,388. And with inflation, this number will only have gone up. <\/span><\/p>\n

So what did UCL student Claude De Rijke-Thomas do when the contract for his student house in Camden expired back in June? Naturally, he started renting a boat. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone from the house had different ideas and different budgets so, and this sounds really strange and crazy, I kind of wanted to live either on a boat or up a tree.\u201d De Rijke Thomas said, enthusiastically, \u201cI do a lot of climbing so I thought it might be feasible living in a portaledge but I\u2019m incredibly glad I didn\u2019t do that!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

The ‘living room’
Copyright \u00c9tienne Fermie<\/p><\/div>\n

The second of four very different siblings, De Rijke-Thomas is in a difficult situation. He gets the minimum student loan, as his parents earn just above the threshold, but with four children to pay for, this isn\u2019t always easy. When asked about the extra student loan London-based students receive, he is unequivocal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say you\u2019re getting more student loan because you\u2019re in London, but \u00a3600 a year, it\u2019s like a joke. It really is. I think I spend that on transport alone. It\u2019s drastically different.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

His university life started conventionally enough. He spent his first year living in Schafer Halls, Euston, paying \u00a3175 a week, before moving to a five bedroom house in Camden, where, with bills, the figure was a similar amount.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMoney is insanely tight, even after all this time I\u2019ve really tried not have an overdraft, to the extent where I\u2019ve had to borrow \u00a3400 from friends to pay my rent.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Having left Camden, another option caught his eye. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAn old babysitter of mine had an empty boat on Canada Water available, so I thought why not?\u201d he says, deadly serious, before adding, \u201cThe rent is \u00a3100 a week, everything included, it helps a lot, it\u2019s really nice because it includes mooring fee as well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It must be shocking, for students based in cities like Cardiff or Newcastle, that \u00a3100 a week in London gets you a small boat, but Londoners will know that this is a bargain. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not a city where \u00a360 a week gets you a nice room in a five bedroom house, when this opportunity became available, I had to take it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Those of you picturing a yacht, capable of sailing the mediterranean – don\u2019t. This boat is small. As I walked in to meet Claude, it was clear to see that this place is full to capacity. But everything has its place. Every nook and every cranny is occupied by one of Claude\u2019s possessions, and this doesn\u2019t bother him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI actually really like it, if anything I\u2019d have it slightly smaller! I\u2019m the opposite of claustrophobic. It\u2019s nice to look at the space and think, everything is mine.\u201d he beams, \u201cEverywhere you look there are things. Everything\u2019s got its place and there is a place for everything. Only I know exactly where every single one of my possessions is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

De Rijke-Thomas’ kitchen
Copyright: \u00c9tienne Fermie<\/p><\/div>\n

The De Rijke-Thomas family home is situated in a picturesque little village called Downderry, located on the south coast of Cornwall. Their back garden leads out onto the beach, and this childhood connection with nature stood their second eldest child in good stead ahead of moving to his new, unconventional home. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt sounds strange but perhaps even more so than my family, I missed the sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those indescribable things when you\u2019re missing something you\u2019re so used to. You can Skype with your parents, and I did, it\u2019s not so much that you have to see them in physical form, whereas with the sea it\u2019s different. It doesn\u2019t feel the same.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

If any student can survive boat-life, it\u2019s this one. But this life may not be for everyone. First of all there\u2019s no shower aboard, let alone the luxury of a bath. Washing has to take place in a communal shower block nearby. The toilet is cramped, and the bedroom is a bed with space for nothing else. But these are the compromises De Rijke-Thomas is willing to take to be in the heart of the city. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s something about London, it\u2019s a 24 hour city, you can do anything at anytime, with anyone, anywhere – it might just come from a fear of missing out – but I definitely wouldn\u2019t trade this for a bigger place and an hour\u2019s commute every day – not a chance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This is a very real example of what some students have to do to stand a chance. Claude De Rijke-Thomas still by no means lives in comfort financially, but he gets by. Our meeting brings home the reality of what people will do to succeed, it\u2019s not easy. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI see myself here for the long haul.\u201d De Rijke-Thomas finishes, \u201cI want to attain a master’s degree in physics, so it could be me and my boat in it together for a while. I can\u2019t really see myself anywhere else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Words: \u00c9tienne Fermie | Subbing: Reuben Pinder<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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