“From a young age, I knew I wanted to be a nurse. I once went to hospital to have my tonsils removed, and one particular nurse looking after me made it sound like the best job in the world – she was right. I wanted to help patients the same way that nurse helped me. I studied in London and, after graduating, got my first nursing placement there too. I would get pretty frustrated with the cramped daily tube journeys and the annoyingly high prices for everything, but all cities are the same, right?

Last year, one of my uni friends invited me to Manchester to celebrate her birthday. Having never spent any time up north, I leapt at the chance and hopped on a train that same weekend. My friend was an RGN in Manchester, and I couldn’t believe the difference in her daily life from mine. Over some drinks, she told me how she walked 15 minutes through a stunning park to get from home to the hospital where she worked. But surely, the rent must be ridiculously high living that close to the city centre; how could she afford it? She told me what she was paying for her one-bed flat, and I almost spat my drink back out over the table. I was astounded. What she was paying for an entire flat was less than I paid for a small room in shared accommodation!

My friend then went on to tell me about life in Manchester and how much she missed it whilst studying in London. The more we talked, the more I craved the lifestyle she had. The hospital she worked in had amazing facilities, far more modern than where I worked, and she had significantly more money to spend outside of rent and travel (not that travel to work cost her anything).

Over the weekend, she showed me around the city, and I couldn’t believe how much I liked it. The tourism, shopping and bustling streets reminded me of London but a cleaner, calmer and prettier version. I could easily have been wandering around a city somewhere in central Europe. Everywhere I went, people would smile and say hello. Back home, you would be lucky if someone even apologised for knocking you down.

That weekend changed my view of London completely. It didn’t take long for me to start researching a hospital career in Manchester. Your World Healthcare’s Nursing Team were amazing and helped me to find something faster than I could ever have imagined possible; they even assisted me with finding somewhere to live near my new hospital.

I’ve been living in Manchester for just over six months now, and I don’t plan on returning to London. Manchester has everything that I love about London: shows beautiful architecture, great nights out and plenty of work available for nurses like me. Manchester is well and truly my home.”

Do you crave the lifestyle that Kathryn lives? Contact Your World Healthcare on 020 7220 0811 or email [email protected] to find out how we can change your life too.