Brits moaning about Britain

I think a lot of the younger generation have ample reason to worry. House prices are still bat **** crazy and the pensions that have been promised to people along with the NHS burdens are going to royally screw our generation in order that the old generation can get what they promised themselves.
 
oldbag said:
variable weather
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By variable weather, do you mean variable shades of gray?
The weather is one of the let downs in the UK, some people don't mind it but I think if their was a change for the better (seasons), people would be much more inclined to appreciate it. Besides this summer where there has been a mini heat wave (whoa 30c!!) it is a bit depressing most of the time.
I like hot in the summer, cool in the spring/autumn and snow in the winter :)

If you leave England, you miss it! :(
 
If any of you lot won the lottery say 20 million. And you had to choose one property in one location...where would it be?

Would you pick Surrey? :p
 
Dr House said:
My view is that you have to live outside of the uk for a few years to really understand how much better life outside the uk can be
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I agree with this, Britain is Great but there is so much out there in the world, too many things to see, places far more beautiful, countries that can offer so much more.

For starters, get to the continent and you already have many more desirable countries than Britain (just take France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria as a starting point).

I love the UK, it is a great country, but there are far better places to live. In the UK you have to contend with high house prices, high taxes, low salaries for skilled workers, average services, poor weather, poor infrastructure, high crime, chav culture. It is the combination of such factors which don't add up to the best, there are other places with higher taxes but you get higher levels of public service (Scandinavia), there are places with higher salaries and lower taxes for skilled workers (Switzerland, USA etc.).
 
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fez said:
I think a lot of the younger generation have ample reason to worry. House prices are still bat **** crazy and the pensions that have been promised to people along with the NHS burdens are going to royally screw our generation in order that the old generation can get what they promised themselves.
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Students finishing their courses with 25 - 30k of debt.
 
V F said:
Students finishing their courses with 25 - 30k of debt.
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Its not really though is it? Its taking out of your salary...If you don't earn over a certain threshold you don't start paying it back then its written off.

In most cases graduates who are on decent money don't notice it from their income. As they are already in a position to apply for graduate jobs and graduate salaries.

People scare monger and noobs feel the need to pay it off as quickly as possible. When in fact this is the last thing you should be doing.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/students/student-loans-tuition-fees-changes
 
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What is that meant to show Raymond?

and, as far as I'm aware no you don't pay upfront. Financial aid, scholarships and then student loans.
 
I love the country, I love the countryside

I don't much like the people, yes I have friends but I prefer America/Canada
 
I lived in suburbia Surrey / London for 30yrs. (what i consider the best parts of the UK) I've also had a dabble living in the south of France Cote De Azur..... But for the last 10yrs I'm now living in upscale part of the USA.

Can't say I'm missing England all that much. Apart from a drink of Ribena, a little socializing down the pub, with my old mates and the occasional spin around the countryside on a motorbike.

Things that annoyed me about England.

House prices
Idiot police force preaching to me all the time.
Boring boring politics
Being ripped off, where ever you went
Severe lack of customer service from retail.

Can't say I'd ever go back tbh.
 
Raymond Lin said:
Oxford fees

http://www.ox.ac.uk/feesandfunding/fees/information/universityrates/201314feerates/

Harvard fees (ignore living expenses)

http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/financial_aid/cost.html

And do you pay upfront for Harvard?
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The thing is pretty much no one pays the full price at Harvard.
My Wife is a professor at a private university in the US and their list price is around $60K but the average cost to a student is around $30K. For this they were getting trouble because the average student cost for the ivory league is actual only around $18-20K because their are so many scholarships and bursaries. So about 50K GBP for the degree at a top private school. One can also go to top rated state schools, e.g. Berkley and pay $2000 a semester. Part of the reason for the very high costs at private schools is to purposely allow subsidizing for students that cannot afford to study there.


Most UK universities also charge around 15-25K GBP a year for foreign students so if you want to compare apples to apples there really isn't a big difference. UK Tax payers pay heavily to subsidize cheap university education, with mixed results. I believe that every one should have a right to university education and not be excluded on the basis of cost (only ability). But people shouldn't go to university for the sake of going to university as Labour tried to sell. People should go to university because they have an ability and a university education would benefit them and the country, not burden the tax payers.

The US has a student loans system that runs very similar to the UK- low interest rates and payments taken form a salary (it is also tax deductible). Thus what really happens is students rake up some debt which they pay off once graduated. The student must decide whether the degree costs are going to be rewarded by increased salary. For a graduate of Harvard in something like Computer science they can walk into a job at over 100K a year in the Bay area and have their loan paid back in a few years. Other degrees may not be that financially dependable.



Edit: Being in the US the last 2 years and thinking of starting a family the university costs are really not an issue in mind (partly too distant and I doubt I will be in the US by then). What is more disappointing is the budget cuts to schools and the financial difficulties that reduces the quality of school education. E.g., many schools this year cannot afdord to hire all teachers for the full years so there are like 15 days spread out randomly where there will be no school to save money. That is more worrying. On the flipside I love the fact that sports and fitness are taken much more seriously in the US, proper sports facilities, clubs and competitive sports tuition
 
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Raymond Lin said:
It shows tuition fee is less for Oxford?
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Ah, I thought from the quote you were showing it was not 25-30k.
Yes, Harvard is dam expensive! Not in the top 3 in the States I believe for expense.
My friend is going to NorthWestern (one of the top 10 schools in the States) for her PhD, complete free ride, tuition + living expenses taken care of for 4 years! Then you have others going to the same school paying $40-50k a year! :eek:
 
D.P. said:
The thing is pretty much no one pays the full price at Harvard.


Most UK universities also charge around 15-25K GBP a year for foreign students so if you want to compare apples to apples there really isn't a big difference. UK Tax payers pay heavily to subsidize cheap university education, with mixed results. I believe that every one should have a right to university education and not be excluded on the basis of cost (only ability). But people shouldn't go to university for the sake of going to university as Labour tried to sell. People should go to university because they have an ability and a university education would benefit them and the country, not burden the tax payers.

The US has a student loans system that runs very similar to the UK- low interest rates and payments taken form a salary (it is also tax deductible). Thus what really happens is students rake up some debt which they pay off once graduated. The student must decide whether the degree costs are going to be rewarded by increased salary. For a graduate of Harvard in something like Computer science they can walk into a job at over 100K a year in the Bay area and have their loan paid back in a few years. Other degrees may not be that financially dependable.
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Even though "pretty much no one pays full price" for Harvard, the fact still remains you could pay that much where as the ceiling for Oxford is much lower.

I am not sure what the point about overseas student costing more (your £15-20k reference), thought I was comparing students from their respective countries going to school in their country.

I am sure any graduate from both Harvard and Oxford will be rewarded for their hard work, that's not really the point I was trying to make.

The point is Oxford tuition fee is less.
 
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