One of my closest friends went to an interview for a post at her current workplace in Peterborough. Didn't get it but got offered the same job in Norwich.

She's in a bit of a dilemma as to whether to take it. The main reasons for her not to is because of friends/family - she already lives at least a 2 hour drive from anyone she knows and moving would make it harder. She's also Indian and concerned re the ethnic mix (or lack thereof). Other than that, the job is perfect for her stepping stone to the next bit (which is a PhD), and it's a research based job which she is happy to gain more expertise in. There's a similar job in Nottingham which she's also thinking of applying for.

Sooooooo.............anyone know Norwich, or able to provide some advice? I've been as supportive as I can and gone through the reasoning but she doesn't know enough about the area to make a decent decision.

Don't know about Norwich but I loved living in Nottingham, a great diverse mix of people as well.

It won't give her a complete picture of a place but why not get her to go to both places for a day or a weekend, you can often get a quick feel for a place.

Had the interiew today and has to give an answer by tomorrow pm.

Going there isn't feasible, otherwise I'd have gone with her to check it out. I think she has been but for a course, so didn't get to look around much.

total nightmare to get there.

I know Norwich very well as the inlaws live there.

There's good shopping facilities, the nightlife isn't bad & the cultural mix is getting better (I assume they need outsiders to widen the gene pool a bit).

It's a pain in the ass to get there from London if you go during busy periods but the trains are good and it is possible to get a nice clear run in the car if you avoid "rush hour" (although nobody rushes in Norfolk).

Housing is rather cheap (the inlaws 4 bedroom house on a big plot of land costs less than my parents semi in London) but if you choose to live outside the centre then you'll need a car as public transport is crap (although I'm used to buses every 7 mins like they are in London so maybe it's just me being fussy).

Norwich? No idea.

Nottingham? I like it. Still here since 2003 so it must be doing something right.

*does a knowing nod*

My Dad lived in Norfolk years and I still go up there to visit step Mum. Everything Simon said is true lol.

He missed out it's very flat.

The only bit of Norwich I've seen are the train station and the airport. (If you can call a postage stamp like that an airport.)

She would be living in Norwich itself.

Strangely enough, my boss is planning to move to Norwich next year some time. Though he was going to live in a small place just outside it.

why

Basically he can't see himself working at the current place for ever. He's been there 7 years or so. I've been there 2 months and I'm already fed up with the clientele. So he plans to move to an area that's less demanding but where the pay will be better and he'll be in more control of how things work. He'll be working with a friend, which I think is what made him think about going there.

Night life in Norwich will definitely be a step up from Peterborough, although so would the inside of a dead stoat at times. Nottingham is even better - the benefits of having a large university.
If it's reasearch she's interested in maybe she should have a look at whether UEA or Nottingham uni's do work in her area of interest.

I would certainly echo what others have said about Norwich's relative isolation. If she's 2 hours from friends and family in Peterborough then, unless these people live further into East Anglia she'd be adding a good extra hour and a half, if not 2 moving to Norwich.

Norwich is the home of mustard. It also has a castle.

I was there in the summer for a friend’s retirement bash. Nice place.

I think she said that the boss in charge is also involved in admissions at UEA, and that everyone who's done her job goes on to do a PhD, which is what she wants. From what I can tell, the job is all +++ but it's the distance and remoteness that's ---.

I've broken down the pros and cons - the latter of which is all about friends/family. I've told her she can think of it as a year away and tough it out. Looking at Google maps, it's about the same distance and journey time from Birmingham to Bournemouth, though that was a relatively easy drive IMO. Going to Norwich looks like a load of A-road which might be congested etc at rush hour. Not really concerned about her mental health - she's generally a stoical girl.

No motorways heading into East Anglia. A lot of A roads are dual carriageways, but there are some countrified bits too. It feels odd coming into Norwich as it feels a bit like an island in the sea of countryside. Not far from the coast, you have places like Diss and Thetford nearby, Lowestoft and Yarmouth are reachable.

There is a decent rail service from London (Liverpool Street), and if she’s lucky, she’ll bump into Stephen Fry.