Hi Jennifer! Not a rogue question at all, the cost of living in London is a really stressful topic for most/all of us SQE students. I am wrapping up my SQE year at BPP, so I understand the stress personally.
You're right that most firms only offer £12,000-£20,000 for the 12 months you'll be studying, which is hard to cover rent in Central, let alone pay for additional expenses. If you're a UK student, the easiest way is to take a post-graduate loan of up to £12,500, which has allowed most of my peers to pay their rent and use the remainder for personal expenses and additional SQE resources. This unfortunately isn't an option for international students.
Another practical tip is to houseshare or house hunt with 3-4 friends and start early. London renting is a painful process and as you get closer to September homes get pricier and fewer, so start early. Make sure that you check the travel costs to your SQE provider in advance as well to avoid a heft TFL or rail charge daily. If you have time before your SQE, firms are eager to hire paralegals who are currently future trainees and this has been a great work experience and way to make money before the course starts.
Towards the end of your SQE year, City firms will also begin offering interest-free loans, which they will deduct from your salary once you start. This can be a good stopgap before your TC starts and from personal experience very handy when the bursary starts to run dry!
I hoped this helps a little bit!
