“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.”
My first trip to England was in November 2014, a family vacation with my mother, her husband, and my sister Caroline. It was my first time out of the US in 8 years, and we were scheduled to be in London for 4 days, and Bath for 2.
Things didn’t really go according to plan, though, because I fell in love.
The moment I arrived at Heathrow, I felt comfortable. At every pub, Tube station, and monument or museum, I felt at home. When the week was up, my family left for home, but I stayed an extra week with one of my oldest friends, only returning to the US because I had Thanksgiving plans. From that trip on, I knew that London was a place where I could comfortably live and work, and decided to try to move there. However, at the time I was unemployed, with only one job under my belt, and faced an uphill battle just getting an interview, so it became a lower priority than my career.
Now, though, I find myself unemployed again, this time with more experience under my belt, but also a different perspective on what I want out of my career. I’ve been chewed up by my past career stops, stressed beyond the point of normalcy, and subject to living wherever I could find work. In Portland, I was very happy where I lived, but since then the city has become unaffordable on a sports salary in Maine; meanwhile, I’ve now been living In Connecticut for a year longer than I’ve worked here, unable to move without current employment. My passion for sports has never waivered - sport’s passion for me is certainly up for debate - but where I live has become more and more important to me as I’ve re-examined my career and applied for new positions.
Another large factor is my personal life, something that wasn’t as settled back in 2014. My girlfriend and I have lived together for two years, and have dated for more than 5 - back in 2014, my first priority was finding a place to work alone, not finding a place to work and live with her. For this past Christmas, Brenna and I went on a trip to London for 10 days in February, her first trip to Europe. As a vegan, she loved the food options - especially the many places that served both vegan and conventional fare. We both can see a life together there - more so than any US city that we’ve both visited. Add the fact that many of our friends from summer camp - the same camp where we met and worked for many years - live within the M25, and the idea isn’t so far fetched.
I love the United States, and could see myself living in a number of places here - I have absolutely no problem living and working in America to continue my career. If you’re a potential employer in the US, PLEASE READ THOSE SENTENCES AGAIN. But my connection with London - first in 2014, and again this past February - transcends my career goals. I’d even be willing to work in a different career sector to do it.
Obviously, an overseas move is complicated - besides the costs of moving, I need an employer to provide a Tier 2 Visa sponsorship to give me the right to work in the UK, and I’ve had no luck so far. I’ve tried multiple times to get in touch with the MLB office and staff there, with no reply yet, and haven’t fared very well with other avenues either, save for a brief attempt to volunteer for the London Marathon. For me, this is a fight worth fighting though - I see myself as a future Londoner, and I’ll be damned if I don’t try everything to do it.
So, an ask if you’re reading this - please share this if you know anyone hiring in sports (or travel!) marketing or communications in London if you think they can help. My resume is here. My email is cknoblock@gmail.com, and you’re on my website already. Maybe this works, maybe it doesn’t, but I’m happy to try.