No..the trick is to find some sort of network of friends before you go.

I went to London with about 500 pounds of cash and no concrete job, on a one-way ticket.

For a start - renting is out - you have to find someone who is willing to lend a couch. Living the highlife is out - no pubs for you. Your only status is to (1) clean the flat for the people who let you stay there and (2) look for jobs. This should be a full-time occupation until you find a job - any job. Your ability to continue to sponge off someone else is tied to how they feel when they get home tired and find you sitting on their couch, coupled with how quickly you can find employment and vacate said couch.

Locking in a well-paying job before you get there is like saying you should find a good looking girlfriend before you start university. It's not going to happen unless you are very established somewhere already and get a transfer, or are internet famous for something. Or you are going to get sold a pup and end up locked into a crappy job in a crappy part of town.

I found my first job within 10 days of landing, worked that for a couple of months, asked to be paid after 1 week and then spent the entire cash amount on a deposit for a short-term one-room flat, which took all my money so I ate pot-noodles for a week. Stayed there for 4 weeks until I amassed enough cash for a proper flat. By that time I found two other people who wanted to share and the three of us rented a decent place for a decent price. After that it was better jobs, more fun and a great time. I passed it on by helping other people out with time on the couch, coupled with strict rules on what goes on.

In case you think that was a fluke, I repeated the same thing about 4 years later, only this time it took 8 weeks to find a job because the economy was more strained. I had (marginally) more savings this time but it was more tense.

The hack for housing in London is finding a borough with low council taxes with the lowest transport zone you can afford, and if you have an established job, one which offers a short commute. And don't blow all your weeks surplus on a big friday night out including an expensive cab ride home.

The only trick is being hungry for success in a city that doesn't seem to want to give it to you unless you fight for it.

That's very start-up-y of you. But honestly, just interviewing at a few banks will get you a decent paying job before you move to town. (If you can bear that kind of work.)

People are good at different things.

Some people are good at creating and utilizing social networks.

Other people are good at finding high paying jobs.

Don't know much about other stuff but from what I experienced in England (London area especially), the public transport is unbelievably expensive. I went there for 2 weeks and maybe the biggest part of my expenses was spent on trains/buses/the tube. Especially trains.

This from the point of view of a tourist, though. I guess English citizens have some preferences/reductions?

No particular reductions, though there are a few railcards for certain groups (e.g. <25s, retired) that generally offer a 33% discount. The best way to save money on trains is just to know your way around the labyrinthine system. For example, if you're going to Birmingham, don't catch the crazily expensive Virgin service from Euston; take the London Midland semi-fast, or the Chiltern line from Marylebone.

You use an Oyster card in London and you buy train tickets in advance and after peak hours or arriving to less "main" train stations (like Liverpool Street instead of King's Cross). If you can, you take a National Express/Megabus coach. English, British doesn't matter unless you are an OAP.