Ex-pats

panthro said:
Youre living in the Czech Republic, but trying to learn Russian and Thai (couldnt get 2 more different languages!) at the same time? Mental! Why??
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Girlfriends parents don't speak English, when I meet them I would at least like to be able to speak to them and understand what they were saying :p Hence the need to learn Russian (her parents aren't Russian but it's their first language)

Thai because I started learning it before I went to Thailand and so it's just an ongoing things. Plus I watch quite a few Thai movies, always hilarious!!!
 
Messiah Khan said:
How do/did you guys find living out there? How is the job situation? Are you guys living on a visa, or do you have permanent residency. My GFs brother and sister-in-law are moving out there this summer, so we are hoping to visit them next year. What do you miss about the UK? Is anything miles better here, or anything miles better there? :)
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I found it fantastic out there, my only real problem was the heat (I was there summer 2006 which seemed ridiculously hot to me) but I'm much more at home in colder climes so that probably wouldn't bother most people.

Jobs didn't seem all that hard to come by at the time, I had a couple of offers of labouring/packing jobs just while drinking in bars - not skilled work but if you required something it wouldn't be that hard to find. Temp work is also pretty easily available.

I was there on a young persons visa which gave me up to a year and I would happily have taken all that time except that I had to get back to finish my degree. Probably your best way to get into Canada without that is on the Skilled Worker Migration Programme (or whatever it is called now), if your job is on the list of required occupations (and there's lots of them) then you get points towards a total which includes education, your partner, language skills etc which says whether your application for a visa would likely be successful.

The only things I missed about the UK really were my friends and family, some things Canada does better, some things the UK does better (banks and mobile phones spring immediately to mind) but neither is outstandingly better overall.
 
fifiov said:
I am indeed in Dalian, I'd kill for some sausages just now. The few places round here have all dried up lately, and I've got no more people visiting me in the next 4 months, so I see a lot of rice in my future...

What are you doing over here anyway? I've been considering what to do after graduating, looking for ways to get back to China which aren't just teaching English!
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I'm an engineer. When I first came here I was working in the shipyard in Qinhuangdao. Now my work sends me to a lot of different shipyards / fabrication yards around China and nearby countries. I'm working freelance, so work from home until needed to visit the shipyards. I mainly work for an English company.

My biggest problem here is getting a visa. Since my company is based in UK and not a Chinese company it's difficult to get a business visa. Last year I could only get a tourist visa because of the restrictions during the Olympics. It would be very difficult for me to get a working visa / residents permit (unless I got married).
 
regulus said:
What do you folks do for work out wherever you are in the world? I assume you can speak to local language?
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English is the required language for doing a PhD at EPFL Switzerland.

Many large multi-national companies have an English requirement only. Of course, if everyone speaks a different langauge (be it french, german, russian or whatever), then that is the language you will need to learn to survive in the company. And then of yourse if you want to actually have a life ina foreign country you need to speak at least a little.
 
Messiah Khan said:
I lived in Norway for 10 years, but fully intend to move abroad again in the not too distant future. Current plan is to move to Vancouver in 5 or so years time.







How do/did you guys find living out there? How is the job situation? Are you guys living on a visa, or do you have permanent residency. My GFs brother and sister-in-law are moving out there this summer, so we are hoping to visit them next year. What do you miss about the UK? Is anything miles better here, or anything miles better there? :)
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Vancouver is also on the top of my list of places to move to.

Some friends have moved out there already. This summer I will be over there to look around BC.
 
I am tempted to move abroad once I finish my education. I guess it is simpler that way. I visited Boston New England last year and absolutely loved it. I find America great but I could see myself ending up living in one of the smaller towns because I am not the greatest fan of cities in general, just don't like lots of people.
 
bass said:
Hey there I am just wondering if there are any other ex-pats on these boards ??
I left the UK Jan 19th 2008, and currently live just out side Vancouver B.C as much as I like living here I am really starting to missing the UK.

So were are you living now ??? do you miss the UK ??
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I have been Living in Rio de Janeiro for around 2 years now.
Miss the UK, in some ways but not completely.;)

Ricochet J said:
It's funny how they come back for our NHS.
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Not once been back for the NHS but if I get ill and I'm in the UK then I'm entitled to use the service my taxes contributed towards...
DanTheMan said:
For all you ex-pats, why did you decide to leave the UK?

Also, how hard was it to get a permanent residency in another country?
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For me it was boredom of routine and a woman;)
Residency was/is hard here as it requires an immense amount of red tape bureaucratic drivel to get anything done, needless to say I'm actually still waiting for the "official" word on it after 18 months after my initial application...
 
Ricochet J said:
It's funny how they come back for our NHS.
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Give over! Its free and thats about it but the NHS has swallowed over 1 trillion quid in the last 10 years I wouldnt call it free. Plenty countries in the EU have a far better health care and social system that this dump.

I would miss my family and the countryside thats about it.
 
panthro said:
Im living in Thailand, but only till next year. I wouldnt want to permanently relocate, I would miss my family and close friends. Theres a massive expat community here, but its not for me. It can get very clique-y, especially when it comes to Golf. I think its something everyone should experience once in their lives. Ive previously worked in Switzerland for just over a year which was excellent.
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I did two years in Thailand as an ex-pat and it was the golf which kept me there initially. No better place to play.
 
I've been living in Cognac for 2.5 years now and I do miss some things about the UK but not much.

I'm thinking about going back more and more at the moment but it's because we're having a new house built and are living with the French in-laws. The house should be ready in the next month or so and hopefully we'll soon have a life once again ...
 
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