About Escape the City
Escape the City is a global community for people who want to 'do something different' with their careers. We help talented people escape or avoid corporate jobs.
Our Story
Escape the City was born in London where the three of us were working in the heart of the corporate world - 'the City'. Two management consultants and one investment banker. We realised that the conventional path wasn’t for us. Bored and ambitious - we wanted change.
We wanted to move on from our jobs but we were struck by how hard it was to make the leap. Where were all the genuinely viable, exciting alternatives? It turns out that most of our friends and colleagues were struggling with the same challenge: "If not this, then what?"
Escape the City helps you answer that question. We are on a mission to help talented people escape or avoid unfulfilling corporate jobs. We believe there is more to life than doing work that doesn't matter to you. If you feel the same way - we’d love you to join us.
An Aspirational Network
We have built this platform to match you with the escapes, connections and inspiration you need to make the leap. Whether you want to find an exciting new job, start your own business or go on a big adventure - you are in the right place.
We see ourselves as a discovery engine. There are masses of people, opportunities and resources out there that you should know about but don't. Our job is to meaningfully connect you with information that helps you figure out what you want to do with your life.
Most career networks just ask you to share your past experiences. We believe that this is a mistake. They are missing the point. You don't want to do what you’ve already done. Our platform is built around a simple insight: not 'what have I done?' but 'what do I want to do next?'
Tell us what you’re looking for, we’ll help you find it - join us »
Do Something Different
Life is short. Really short. Too many capable and passionate people spend far too long doing work that doesn't matter to them in big faceless corporations. What a tragedy. There are so many fights worth fighting, so many problems worth solving. We deserve more.
The conventional corporate path is seductive. Money, the perception of security, structure, hierarchy, bureaucracy. We believe that comfort kills ambition. We believe that no one wants to wake up in a couple of decades having missed the chance to do something amazing.
You're not crazy if you've got that nagging feeling that there must be more to life than your current employment. You are definitely not alone. All around the world people are waking up to the fact that there is an alternative. We are the beating heart of that alternative.
A Global Tribe
Escape the City is a business but first and foremost it is a community. Our bible is Seth Godin's book Tribes. Since the end of 2009 we have been building our own tribe around this shared idea that life is too short to do work that doesn't matter to you.
In July 2012 we crowdfunded the future of Escape the City. We raised £600,000 investment from our own members in just 14 days. We now have 395 new shareholders who are invested (literally and emotionally) in helping us turn our vision into a global reality.
We started this website in London via a simple blog. It spread quickly and within months we were getting emails from people all over the world saying 'we need this here!' We now have a base in New York and dozens of new cities have been requested. Join the revolution.