[giuffsalvo]

Hello everybody,
on the 24th of August I will start working in Linlithgow, for a big IT company located there. I'm moving from Italy (southern Italy, Sicily to be precise), where I recently graduated with an MSc. in Computer Science, and I should arrive in Edinburgh on Friday 21st or Thursday 20th...
Do you have tips on life in Linlithgow? I was thinking if looking for accomodation there would be better/cheaper than in Edinburgh, and having to commute everyday (I will also work on night shifts, that's the problem)...
I like my privacy, and I've never shared a flat (I worked for 6 months in Switzerland last year, but I was living in a small studio near the place of work, like many of my colleagues), so I'd like to know if finding a studio/1-bedroom flat in Edinburgh or West Lothian is very difficult, and a lot more expensive than sharing a 2-3 bedrooms flat with other people (strangers, at least at the beginning)...
Also, do you think it's ok if I look for accomodation on the first days of work, and in the meantime I live in a budget hotel/hostel? Would it be better to try to postpone the first day of work on August 31st, and have a completely "free" week to look for accomodation? I wouldn't want however to look like unreliable, by asking for a postponing...
Finally, do you have some cheap bank to recommend me, with low fees?
Thanks a lot

[Bluey]

I know this is the accommodation board, and therefore a good place for this post, but I recommend that you also post in the Edinburgh forum as there will be lots of locals there who can give you advice.