I have just come back from 6 months off travelling. I am currently freelancing as an account director but since I have come back, my boyfriend and I are thinking of moving back to Bristol as after the space of travelling we are feeling claustrophobic in London. Is this a good time to look for a job elsewhere? My boyfriend is not convinced.

I haven’t worked in Bristol but have worked for London agencies with a Bristol office. Also I have clients in Bristol and funnily enough an old colleague has just moved there. You are the best to decide depending on your circumstances but you should bear in mind the following:

1) The chances of you both getting ideal jobs will be quite small just because the opportunities are more limited as you know.

2) I don’t know whether you have worked in Bristol agencies before and where you are now but my ex-colleague’s experience is worth mentioning. The agency he moved to was very interested in his big agency experience but not having worked in a small agency before, he did not realise that he would be not only fulfilling the account director role but an account manager role too and also changing the photocopier toner when necessary. Which is more typical for a small agency.

3) Bristol has a wealth of financial services companies so previous experience will be invaluable.

4) You need to seal contact with the recruitment consultants in the area. I hear good things about Direct Experience so this may be a starting point.

5) I hear at the moment that there are probably more client jobs going than agency jobs so you should give this consideration.
I have a lot of time for the companies I deal with in Bristol. For example Unigraph I think is a really strong operator. So there are some quality companies there but back to your original question, times are tough –particularly for agencies for less critical mass than those in London so you may have freelance to get a foot in the door.

Good luck.