Re-locating out of the UK, as easy as re-locating in the UK?

[The_Abyss]

Been in NZ for almost 2 years now, slipped into life here like a duck to water, had no issues whatsoever, as some of you know, I even opened my first restaurant here last year (before i secured permanent residency )

I followed your restaurant thread keenly through all the developments, and the best thing about this post was you saying 'first restaurant'.

Good on you!

 

[MartinPrince]

As most people have stated, no it is not way as easy as moving to another city within the same country.
There is a steep learning curve that does get easier as more time passes but it can take a good few years to get to the stage where you feel relatively comfortable. Though even then there will be times when your lack of cultural knowledge will still surface.

 

[MartinPrince]

Been in NZ for almost 2 years now, slipped into life here like a duck to water, had no issues whatsoever, as some of you know, I even opened my first restaurant here last year (before i secured permanent residency )

Well done though for someone from the UK moving to New Zealand or Oz it is much easier than moving to an E.U. country with a different language and historical perceptions.

 

[.:MBK:.]

Some people adjust easily, others don't. Consider where you have been and where you are now and how you managed that. Me, I managed moving from Norfolk to Yorkshire, kinda easy and still suck at being "one of the locals" after 10 years. One of my sisters did Norfolk to Seoul, South Korea and has taken to it like a fish to water. Could I do that, nope.

 

[wez130]

Well done though for someone from the UK moving to New Zealand or Oz it is much easier than moving to an E.U. country with a different language and historical perceptions.

I spent 6 months in Ibiza back in 1999 if that counts haha

 

[skaif]

About to do this very thing. Moving from the UK to Qatar to teach! Leave next Saturday so I guess I'll let you know how I get on!

 

[MartinPrince]

I spent 6 months in Ibiza back in 1999 if that counts haha

No, it doesn't count.

About to do this very thing. Moving from the UK to Qatar to teach! Leave next Saturday so I guess I'll let you know how I get on!

My best friend did something similar, went to teach in the UAE. Six years was as long as he could take before heading back to cooler climes. Best of luck and don't forget your sun cream.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

If only there was a free market for movement within a large group of countries with a right to work in any of them, visa free, for as long as you like? That would be brilliant and make things so easy.

It wouldn't make things easy at all because all those countries have their own laws.

As in the laws of buying and selling property are completely different in portugal , spain, france than they are in the UK for instance. also their tax authorities will only deal with you if you speak the native language. so you will end up getting into bother because of that if you are self employed and buying / selling property and expect your lawyer and solicitor to sort it all out for you because many of them are corrupt and see foreigners as an easy target.

if you have lived here your whole life. moving somewhere else with different laws, tax implications would be a mess for most people without them even realising it. just because that is the way it is done in the UK and you are programmed to do it that way doesn't mean that is the way it's done in this new country.

so it's nowhere near as easy as re-locating in the UK. you will want to brush up on the laws of that country especially if buying property otherwise it's possible you will walk away with nothing. i've seen people lose £300K by moving to portugal, selling up to come back and they only went over with £400K. so now they have 1/4 of the cash they had when they left.

 

[Lopéz]

People massively underestimate the cultural differences of moving/working/living in another country.

Yes, at a surface level it's possible to move somewhere, work and live. But to truly "fit in" and live in a country properly takes masses of effort.

 

[Feef]

Possible? Sure, I guess. As easy? No.

I've moved around the UK countless times, Essex to Edinburgh to Hampshire to Yorkshire, never really thought it was any different, or at all difficult.

Moving to Taiwan wasn't as difficult as it could have been, as I'd already spent a year at university in China, which gave me a headstart with food/language problems, and I already had a friend there. He gave me a place to stay at first, and also introduced me to my (now) wife on only my second day there, so that was pretty much diving headfirst in to getting to understand local culture and traditions. I started off with mostly foreign friends, but spent more and more time with locals over the years, to the point where there's a group of retired guys who always call for me to come drink with them if I walk past. The staff in my local shops know me, I never having a problem getting stuff I need done, and, crucially, I have an extensive network of brilliant friends. This has meant hanging out with more Americans than I'd like, but you can't win them all

That said, I'll always be an outsider, and a novelty to an extent. I'm ok with that, I can see the generational shift in perception happening in front of me, so I just hope it continues to improve. For other people though, it contributes to a very us vs them kind of psychological barrier. Yes, there are annoying things, traffic, pollution, rituals, superstitions, but I don't then decide all locals are idiots as a result, which is a trap some people fall in to. I do know people who've spent 15 years in Taiwan without learning any Mandarin/Taiwanese beyond thank you and hello, some who even seem to wear it as a badge of pride, but I wouldn't recommend it at all, as you'd always be relying on someone else to help you fix/find/buy things. Guess that applies wherever you are.

I'm aware this is most likely about moving to EU/Aus/Nz etc Just a bit about my experiences.

 

[jon86]

People massively underestimate the cultural differences of moving/working/living in another country.

Yes, at a surface level it's possible to move somewhere, work and live. But to truly "fit in" and live in a country properly takes masses of effort.

Indeed. As a Brit, moving to an English-speaking country can negate what could be a significant language barrier, but it's still not easy. Differences in customs, laws, and even food can make for a steep learning curve. Having a significant other or family who is from the (new) country, or at least lived there for a while, can make things a lot, lot more manageable though.

I moved away from the UK a number of years ago and really enjoy my (new) life. My wife, young son and I visited the UK earlier this year and I took my wife and son to the main places where I grew up. I was slightly surprised to find that while there was some nostalgia in visiting those places again, I had zero interest in ever moving back. My life here is much more interesting and enjoyable to me. My younger brother, however, feels the complete opposite to me. He loves to visit us on holiday but could never leave the UK and kudos to him for that. He enjoys his life in the UK.

 

[silk186]

Relocating is not particularly difficult, the language may or may not be an issue.
Socially, it is another story. Do you have a large circle of friends, do you make friends easily, do you have a lot of international friends, do you need to see family regularly.
I'm fine seeing my family every two years. When I moved to the UK more than 6 years ago, I already had a hand full of friends that had moved/relocated to the UK before me.
This made a big difference in the beginning. I would say that a social network is the most important thing when you are starting out.

 

[malachi]

Possible? Sure, I guess. As easy? No.

I've moved around the UK countless times, Essex to Edinburgh to Hampshire to Yorkshire, never really thought it was any different, or at all difficult.

Moving to Taiwan wasn't as difficult as it could have been, as I'd already spent a year at university in China, which gave me a headstart with food/language problems, and I already had a friend there. He gave me a place to stay at first, and also introduced me to my (now) wife on only my second day there, so that was pretty much diving headfirst in to getting to understand local culture and traditions. I started off with mostly foreign friends, but spent more and more time with locals over the years, to the point where there's a group of retired guys who always call for me to come drink with them if I walk past. The staff in my local shops know me, I never having a problem getting stuff I need done, and, crucially, I have an extensive network of brilliant friends. This has meant hanging out with more Americans than I'd like, but you can't win them all

That said, I'll always be an outsider, and a novelty to an extent. I'm ok with that, I can see the generational shift in perception happening in front of me, so I just hope it continues to improve. For other people though, it contributes to a very us vs them kind of psychological barrier. Yes, there are annoying things, traffic, pollution, rituals, superstitions, but I don't then decide all locals are idiots as a result, which is a trap some people fall in to. I do know people who've spent 15 years in Taiwan without learning any Mandarin/Taiwanese beyond thank you and hello, some who even seem to wear it as a badge of pride, but I wouldn't recommend it at all, as you'd always be relying on someone else to help you fix/find/buy things. Guess that applies wherever you are.

I'm aware this is most likely about moving to EU/Aus/Nz etc Just a bit about my experiences.

I find it so ignorant and rude when people are like that. If you are going to live in an different country, make the effort to the speak their language.

 

[jpaul]

it's not easy moving out there, but depending on your personal interests (eg if you are an outdoors person and adapt to a warm climate... mountains, sea ..) , with a judicious choice, you can find a quality of living that outstrips the UK, less materialism, .... potentially your true vocation
... but ... the problem may become what happens if you have to move back to UK for career reasons. ...

- when you eventually get the language its a true by jove she's got it

 

[craptakular]

I'm moving to Australia in late August so i'll let you know!

Sponsored TSS visa, but its still stressful.

 

[Hagar]

If you are suitably qualified, obtain a job with an employer who needs your skills, it would still be relatively easy to work in most countries in the world. If you just want to tend bar somewhere hot and have no tangible or transferable skills, probably a bit harder.

I think you should go with at least an understanding of the language and basic communication skills otherwise as you say, not very respectful expecting the other party to do the hard work for you.

 

[Terminal_Boy]

Is it possible to move abroad and only speak English? Yes. It's not something to take lightly though and the differences are far more than just language.

I can’t speak for other countries, but in rural France, you’re going to need some basic French to get by as very few of the locals speak any English.

 

[Efour]

I think you could live in Sweden with only English. Especially down south. Swedish language isn't even a requirement for citizenship.
Would you want to though? It would be bloody weird.

 

[arknor]

I agree.

I've been living here in Switzerland for two months and still trying to adapt but I am having no issues. Started taking German classes within a few weeks of moving here. I am finding the language hard but I am understanding it more better now compared to last year when doing a German course back in the UK.

You can live a UK life in a foreign country.....look at Tenerife. But its not the sort of place you go if you want to achieve better things in life, career wise anyway.

Switzerland is easy but they don't speak high German so learning German is only the first step.
often the people on checkouts look at you confused if you speak German with a bad accent like you probably do as an english person.
but if you speak swiss german dialect with a crap accent they seem to understand every time lol

Where abouts do you live?

hardest thing to adapt to in Switzerland is the sound laws/quiet hours, and neighbours literally complaining that you had a pee standing up at night, or dared to flush the toilet.

also get an SBB halb tax if you didn't already
costs around 180chf annually , usually 50% on train journeys, around 30% on buses.
pays for itself really fast
https://www.sbb.ch/en/travelcards-and-tickets/railpasses/half-fare-travelcard.html

 

[Terminal_Boy]

I think you could live in Sweden with only English. Especially down south. Swedish language isn't even a requirement for citizenship.
Would you want to though? It would be bloody weird.

You could certainly live in Finland speaking only English, especially in and around Helsinki. Finns don’t expect any foreign visitors to even attempt speaking Finnish as only they speak it and it’s apparently very difficult to learn as a non-native.