To emigrate, or just move down South...

Yeah I won't be trying to have what I have here. The social side will be easier there than if I had moved elsewhere in the UK because a lot of the people there are expats from the UK and Europe but if I moved within the UK everyone in that area is settled with friends/family.

Looking forward to the holidays now, 10 days off - then come back to work in the new year and the moving process will be set in motion.
 
think of the leisure activities, breathtaking landscapes, true get away from it all wilderness, best in the world sea and fresh water fishing, take up new hobbies, meet new people..real life volcanoes you can go and see erupting

I would never ever get tired of it
 
blitzwing85 said:
Well...I'm starting my new job in Iceland on the 1st Feb :)

It is kind of exciting and daunting at the same time but I asked them to wait a couple of weeks so i can just enjoy the Xmas hols with friends/family and not have to start getting ready to move until the new year.

I'll be moving over w/c 25th as I'll be taking my final week at current employment as a holiday thus getting paid to the end of the month while I move.

Not going to lie, it feels really weird to think in 6 weeks I won't even be living in this country any more!!
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Fantastic news, congrats. Enjoy it!

You've made the right choice IMO - at least, its the choice I'd have made too.
 
What ever you do, dont move to Harlow, trust me I was born there, parents moved away (luckily)

Not a place I would go back to

Essex has some lovely area's, just not Harlow


Of the two Iceland is clearly the winner
 
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kiteloopy said:
Nice one! Ram it Harlow!

Can you do a write up about the transition? first week, first month...etc etc. ?
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I'm sure I can do that yeah. I'm always interested to read others experiences about these sort of things so I'm sure I can follow up on my own for anyone that may care to read it.

The company will assign a relocation expert to me to sort a lot of it out and they put me up in a flat for 4 weeks so the move shouldn't be too stressful.
As long as I'm set up with internet I'll be good.

Not sure what the estimated times are for the shipping container to go over but I can take essentials on the plane so shouldn't really matter. They sort it all out and pay for it so really all I need to do is turn up initially then get involved when flat hunting.
 
I'm seriously considering emigrating myself. Its a difficult one, but I've never truly liked it here and I always take opportunities to meet new people and new places.

I dont plan on living here for the rest of my life I know that.

I would be on that plane in a heartbeat.

Jealous on momentus levels.
 
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One of the world's highest alcoholism rates, and suicide rates. So drink responsibly and don't buy a gas cooker.... ;) Spot the burkha is a challenge, probably more volcanoes to be seen :) Spot the Pole is probably far easier. An interesting and apparently fairly harmonious ethnic mix. Buy a decent coat... Have fun, your opinions when you get there would be fascinating.
 
OP, I was in a similar position to you a few years ago. TLDR; I regret not taking the opportunity when I had it.

Weirdly enough I too looked at moving to Iceland. A quick google search will give you a insight into other peoples experiences moving there and the differences to the UK.

The thing is, if you go and don't like it, I doubt it would be difficult for you to move back and take another job back here.

If you decide not to take it, you may end up like me, wondering "what if" and whether or not it would have worked out/been the best thing to happen.

Whatever you decide - all the best.
 
blitzwing85 said:
[..]
Even moving 300 miles down south will be a big change - I do not know the area at all so would have to find where the nicer places to live are [..]
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They're not in Harlow.

As far as I can tell from your post, you want to take the job in Iceland but are worried because you see it as a big change and, crucially in this context, as a much bigger change than moving to Essex.

But is it really?

Iceland is a stable, civilised, developed country that's not very far from the UK and there is frequent travel available between the two countries at a reasonable cost. There's also complete modern communications between the two countries. Iceland and Essex are effectively about equally distant from where you live now. Not in terms of geography, but in terms of travel times and communiction (which is what matters on a practical basis).

The level of technology available is pretty much the same. You're not looking at going somewhere with uncertain water, sewerage, power, healthcare etc.

The weather is somewhat different in Iceland, but not staggeringly so in many areas (it is staggeringly different further north, where temperatures as low as -35C have been recorded - whereabouts in Iceland is the job?) and in any case you know about it and the weather in Iceland appeals to you. The weather in Harlow would be somewhat different to what you're used to as well - it's significantly warmer and less windy in Essex than it is in northern England.

The only significant difference I see is language. There will be plenty of people in Iceland who can speak English (almost everyone, as far as I know), but obviously it's not the default language there.


I think that taking the job in Iceland would probably not be a bigger change, risk or inconvenience than taking the job in Harlow. That's based on the info in your post, since I don't know what the jobs are, whereabouts in Iceland the job is or what differences might exist between the companies involved. Maybe the one in Iceland is in trouble and might collapse leaving you without a job. Or maybe the one in Harlow is.
 
Cleisthenes said:
And the rest I would've thought :(

My local town was featured in the Guardian as one of the least affordable places in the country for first time buyers :(
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Iceland isn't necessarily cheaper than Harlow, though. Rejkjavik would very likely be considerably more expensive.

It's long been the case that living costs and especially housing costs in large, wealthy cities are extremely high. There's a famous complaint that a hovel barely worthy to be a dog kennel in Rome cost as much as a nice house in a pleasant town.
 
Harlow itself is for the most part a tip with shocking facilities unless you can afford an exclusive house. The surrounding area is largely nice, but even more expensive. The people in Harlow are no different from other people in that area of Essex and Hertfordshire. In fact when I was growing up in Harlow there was substantial trouble between youths in the town centre because others from Stortford, Ware, Hertford etc came looking for it (admittedly it was gladly accepted). The saving grace for me was the Lea Valley, London and Cambridge all being in close proximity.

Either way, the choice between Iceland and Southern England is a no brainer. Especially as (at a guess GSK) is perpetually downsizing and making redundancies from Harlow sites.
 
Iceland or down south? There's no decision here. Iceland is beautiful and full of friendly people. Harlow is...well, it's not like Iceland.
 
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