Anyone on here a resident of Jersey?

[Manners14]

Hi all,

I have a bit of a crossroads situation going on, (sorry for the lengthy back story)

I am a mechanical engineer (fitter) working over here in the UK, with a well paid job + pension + own house and life. I met a girl 18 months ago on a skiing trip and hit it off instantly, she lives in Jersey currently and owns a surfing business, living with her parents and brother who co-owns the school.

Last year i spent most my life travelling to and from airports to Jersey and back again, and throughout the winter she did the same, however has just returned for the summer, this year i have managed to work out a 10 week sabbatical over July and August and i have booked my flights and holidays accordingly until that point to visit.

There is no doubt in our minds that we want to be together, however the situation is really starting to put some stress on myself and the relationship. We both have a life setup, however it doesn't allow for us to make any real plans for the future and at 31 / 28 we aren't getting any younger.

I was just wondering if there are any members that live/work out in Jersey that could possibly think of a way to help make this work, if there are similar jobs or roles that i could use my skills in and try to make a living over there so we could be together and not give up the jobs that we enjoy.

Cheers in advance!

James

 

[A2Z]

No idea about Jersey but surely if you have been over there so much you have had more than enough time to look at potential job opportunities?

 

[EssexBoy]

I would think it would be hard to find exactly the same job over there seeing how small the place is.

 

[BongoHunter]

Rent out your house if you own it? Or sell it and set yourself up as a mechanic / odd job man? It's a nice place to live, I did a couple of IT jobs there after uni, your definitely sacrificing financial opportunity for a slightly higher quality of life though I think.

Maybe compromise and both relocate to south coast UK, or somewhere in northern France?

 

[Manners14]

No idea about Jersey but surely if you have been over there so much you have had more than enough time to look at potential job opportunities?

I only spent the summer months going back and forth, and when i did i obviously wanted to spend some quality time with her, i spoke to a few people that i came into contact with but they have all been residents since birth and don't have the hoops to jump through such as qualifications and residency etc.

Rent out your house if you own it? Or sell it and set yourself up as a mechanic / odd job man? It's a nice place to live, I did a couple of IT jobs there after uni, your definitely sacrificing financial opportunity for a slightly higher quality of life though I think.

Maybe compromise and both relocate to south coast UK, or somewhere in northern France?

That's not a terrible idea, i'm just a little bit unadventurous and worried about the "what if's" in life, i have recently taken out a new fixed mortgage so i would be wise to wait for that to end again and maybe look at renting it. I don't really require much to keep me happy to be honest, i'm not drawn to promotions and extortionate wage packets, i have a nice house and car where i live now but its affordable and i live well in my means so i would definitely be ok with some sacrificing! the relocation thing is something we talked about however because she already has her foot in the door owning this business, she wants to grow it and remain on the island with her family.

Just out of curiosity how did you find living out there compared to the UK, was there any cabin fever you experienced being on a small island, or did the day to day life frustrate you in any way? when i visit, i only go to and from the beach and the bars/cafes etc, i'm a regular tourist basically so i don't see the in's and out's of living there.

 

[BongoHunter]

Just out of curiosity how did you find living out there compared to the UK, was there any cabin fever you experienced being on a small island, or did the day to day life frustrate you in any way? when i visit, i only go to and from the beach and the bars/cafes etc, i'm a regular tourist basically so i don't see the in's and out's of living there.

It's peaceful and quiet, definitely a slower pace of life compared to a city - I thought it was great, but I'm from the sticks and hate big cities, if I didn't need to work in London and had the cash I'd move to somewhere like that at the drop of a hat

 

[Manners14]

I'm not a fan of big cities either, I've always enjoyed the outdoors and peace and quiet but find myself getting sucked into the rat race a little.
Thanks for the honesty mate, I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place but might have to find some courage and just go for it at some point.

 

[Deleted member 77746]

I'm not a resident but I have visited there when my aunty lived there. Lovely place mind. You might not get status over there to live permanently anyway. I believe you have to have a state qualification. You are talking about the one next to London ain't you?

 

[Eurofighter]

There are probably boats. Could you work on those maybe?