Has anyone thought of leaving the UK for good?

[miniman1983]

Ive done a lot of thinking about this myself and basically I haven't got the balls! However, if I was approached to go, I dont think I could resist it!

My friend moved to Brisbane, along with his wife and child approximately 6 years ago. He divorced, married an Ozzie and has a new baby girl.
He made a move to come back to the UK for 12 months recently so his parents could enjoy his new born daughter, they lasted 6 months and went back to Brisso.

Mate, if you get the chance, do it, you always have a home here in the Uk and its not as far as everyone is telling you!

[snowman]

Never been to Australia, or really felt any great desire to. I know quite a few Aussies and most are great fun (A few seem to have whining down to a fine art though...)

I don't hate the idea of visiting, but it seems an awfully long way to go without a real desire to and there are a lot of places, closer, I'd rather go. If work sends me there I'll be happy to go, but I'll spend my own money elsewhere.

If the opportunity came to live somewhere outside the UK and all the conditions were right, I'd certainly consider it, but the myth that everywhere is better than here is true everywhere

I had the opportunity to move to San Francisco once and it seemed great at first (I do like SF), but the job was 'based' there but all the work was somewhere else, so there seemed little point uprooting my family to live in the US, when I'd spend most of my nights in hotels in shit American cities...

M.

[jwg663]

I live in Scotland. If (and that's a big "if") the SNP have their way, I'll have no choice

[Nt016]

I live in Scotland. If (and that's a big "if") the SNP have their way, I'll have no choice

Funny that... I've been in France for almost 10 years now, love the place. You do miss some things but to be honest, the quality of life I have over here is by far better than anything I get in the UK. I do get back 3/4 times a year to the UK and fill up on the nice things:
- irn bru
- sausages
- good curry
- pubs & real ale

The only way i'd move back to Scotland would be to an INDEPENDANT Scotland...

[Captainhowdy]

It's on the cards for us, France or Spain are the most likely destinations.

[tiny73]

I mov ed to Germany two years ago for work. Fantastic job (in my opinion) in a beautiful location (small town in the middle of North Germany). No kids, 1 wife.

I don;t miss England at all. The Daily Mail, celebrity culture, high stealth taxes, constant rain etc.

BUT...

This is not home. I miss English pubs where you get a choice of foods, usually with something other than Wurst and Schnitzel. I miss choice in supermarkets, I miss "banter" in the work environment, I miss friends who just get you and you don't have to explain everything to a non-Englander (or try and translate into a language that takes no prisoners ).

Will I stay here? Not for ever. Will I go back to England? Maybe, maybe not. I never imagined Germany as a likely destination so who knows what's next?

What I would say is that if you're in any doubt just do it. You don't like it? Come back. Life is for living, not wondering about what might have been. Going somewhere else also gives you a cultural appreciation that you don't find just from meeting other people of different nationalities. (e.g. Du/Sie, informal and formal ways of addressing someone in German. To call a German Du before they allow you to is the height of rudeness to them. To me it just seems a bit forward, no big drama).

[Gareth-W]

Think of leaving the UK everyday and will do it in the next 4-5 years....not saying the grass is always greener but there are a lot of reasons/motivations to look overseas and not stay here for good.

[KavKav]

I am also fed up of the way this country is going, what with the shambolic crew governing our country, unfettered immigration causing ridiculous overloads on our education , health, and social housing with the government not giving a stuff, bankers, chavs and dole dossers, crap railways, rip-off Britain, crap weather, crap savings rates, shitty potholed roads, stupid petrol prices, I could go on and on.

I am now retired and pleasingly I can afford to clear off. Having travelled pretty widely, I know what it would be like to live in Australia or America, but..... I know I will not emigrate. WHY? Because this is bloody England, I love it and there is simply NOWHERE to equal it, despite my whinging.


I thank you.

[valleywatch]

Id love to live and work abroad. As Im now of an age and personal circumstances wont really permit it. When I was younger I travelled lots, mainly around Asia, but also to the States and Aussie too. I would have loved to have been able to work in Australia, but when I went there in the 80s (im 53 now by the way!) it was a "no go" as I had no trade so wouldn't have been able to get in! I was lucky enough to get a working visa to live work and travel around Aussie though.(6 months visa) I would have given my left arm to have been given the chance to work and live in Australia! But it wasn't to be! When I was there it was also really cheap. apparently its expensive there now? I assume though the salaries would match their style of living.


I have family and friends in the U.K. of course..............but I wouldn't let that put me off going to live abroad. Nowhere in the word is really more than a day away. Plus you have Skype internet etc etc! Of course there are people who rarely see their family...who may only live just down the road! So for me the distance wouldn't put me off.

I do like the U.K, but?????/ I would have loved to have been able to live in Australia................or as a second choice in Canada! Of course you will miss your family/friends and other aspects of the U.K...............But the U.K. will ALWAYS! be here ! Just my opinion and I hope you make the best decision for you!




ps When I came back form Aussie, my best way to describe the work experience etc was! In the U.K. we live to work whereas in Aussie they work to live! Much better life style in Aussie too ! (or at least it was in the late 80s! lol

[bartle]

My wife's cousin moved out to Brisbane a few years back. It's a great city and he doesn't seem to have any regrets.

[chrisdobson45]

I moved to Alberta 19 months ago on secondment. The move looks to be permanent by the end of the year and my family (wife and two teenage children) will join me in September, having been shuttling across from UK when possible.

My only regret? My father is dying and I have seen him infrequently. I'm flying back to UK this week for three days for what I feel will be a farewell visit, he's currently in hospital with a "days not weeks" prognosis.

FaceTime / Skype has made speaking with my family easier than when we were based in Saudi Arabia in the 90's.

Advice? Try it, the world isn't so big anymore

[andrew]

I live away but come back from time to time. What's most noticeable when coming back into the country (esp from Germany) is the general filth and shabbiness unless you walk around only in extreme-wealth areas. The pokey, rabbit-hutch houses that Britain specialises in (the smallest in the developed world) are pathetic for the amount they cost, and driving standards are poorer than ever. Forget BMW drivers who don't indicate, what about the bloody rest of you?

[Glamdring]

We're far too busy thinking about how great we used to be to worry about little things like that.

[CmdrBond]

We moved out to Calgary nearly 3yrs ago and not looked back. Our standard of living is far greater than it was in the UK and have made some great friends. Without going over what has already been said, I would wholeheartedly recommend it if you've got the chance.

[tintin]

Lived in Sweden, South Africa and Germany (twice), loved every moment, lucky enough to work for a company that makes it easy and brings me back. Eldest at high school now so have to wait a few years until I go again. Would I go again, definitely (kids schooling notwithstanding), would I go for good? Probably not, for reasons already stated but I understand the people that do.

[ryanb741]

Interesting conundrum. I have lived in several far flung places (UAE, Thailand, Australia as well as France) and whilst I'm not a huge fan of the UK, on the other hand London is the greatest city on earth.

Asia would be a good choice in future (Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok). I would say go for it while you can - it's only a flight away.

Just remember that people will criticise the UK for bad weather, declining social standards and so on but in reality the Uk is no better nor worse than anywhere else. For every Brit lamenting the wet weather there will be an Aussie wishing they had proper seasons. For every Brit moaning that society is declining there is an American wishing they had access to a free healthcare system. For every Brit wishing they could head to the beach after work there is a Californian wishing they could snuggle up in a cozy pub on a winter evening with a cracking pint of ale in their hands. People tend to forget about the good things they have.

I always raise an eyebrow when people say they are off to Canada too. It's great if you want to freeze your t*ts off but having lived in countries both hot and cold, I actually think the UK weather isn't that bad. You can't actually get much done in hot weather - no coincidence that most of the undeveloped countries in the world are hot ones. Likewise who wants to head off to work in -25 degrees with 2 feet of snow outside your front door?

[Hewjardon]

I left about 18 months ago.

I had a good job but was bored after 6 years, no wife, no kids. Met a girl from Norway and decided to jack it all in and roll the dice with her. Sold my flat, put everything in storage (where it remains today) and piled what I could carry on, and in, my Cherokee and drove onto a commercial freight ship to Norway.

After 12 months or so things weren't really progressing as we had hoped. I was sitting at my desk one day (I remember clearly, it was a miserable day in February) and I looked up and thought why am I here, doing this? I looked at a colleague and thought, 'I know why your here, you've got 2 kids'. I looked at another, a young newly wed, and thought I know why your here, 'your building a career and life forn you and your wife'. I couldnt think of anything equally compelling to justify giving up the best years of my life to stare at a computer screen. Plus, my time is done. I'm not going to learn anything new. I'm the guy that shows people how it is done.

I'm not loaded, but I'm not broke, and I've got a transportable profession. I slept on it and the next day quit. The only condition I gave myself was to keep moving and not move back to Britain (lived there all my life, 20 years of it in the belly of the beast, sorry, 'London').

I'm lucky to be able to do my job via email, telephone and the occasional F2F so I am pretty portable. So far I have managed to keep moving. With a bit of determination I managed to build a small network of friends, family and friends-of-friends who have holiday homes over-seas. My service is simple, house sitting while you are away, at no charge, save the cost of the amenities (electric, internet etc). And its f'ing great.

I still see friends, more than when I lived down the road, mostly due to pressures of work etc. Skype and Facetime are great. Plus I get snow in the winter, sun in the summer (sometimes the other way round) and some insane stories on the meantime. I'm currently in the desert in south east Spain, where Laurence of Arabia was filmed. Prickly pears, dust and lizards. I started work with a coffee at 8am and was done by 1pm. I swam in the ocean after lunch and had a pan full of freshly fried fish (from the fishmonger, I'm not a castaway or anything) for my dinner. And a glass of cheap Rioja. Followed by a couple of work calls and a Skype chat with a buddy in Surrey.

I don't know how long it will last but right now its nigh on perfect.

A nice 'incremental benefit' of this nomadic existence is that by making sure I don't over stay in any one country, I am 'non-resident' for tax purposes. And that means that if the tax man isn't taking half your wages away, you only have to work half as much for the same money. Factor in no rent/mortgage and I am actually saving more than when I was on the hamster wheel in London. I won't go into it now, but I have been developing a theory of how we are all effectively conditioned to stay in our 'little box' and not venture out too far. Stay where you are, its scary out there, you won't survive without 'security'. Security is an illusion folks, its just a means of control.....

In a few weeks I will drive up to south west France, Basque country, and stay there for a while. Its beautiful. If you haven't been, you must (its not that far!). The food is amazing, the people are so warm and it has the best surf break in Europe.

Oh, and the girl I left it all for? she's the love of my life, and we are still very much a part of each other. Give it a year or so and she'll have a ring on her finger. That will be my eventual anchor.


For god sake man, GO!!!!!!!

[MattG]

You can always move back if you don't like it. I've lived all over Europe and I wouldn't change any of it. Personally I used to feel quite sorry for all my friends in the UK, the majority of whom had lived in the same house for all of their lives. It seems like such a boring existence.

[kungfugerbil]

I had a good job but was bored after 6 years, no wife, no kids. Met a girl from Norway and decided to jack it all in and roll the dice with her. Sold my flat, put everything in storage (where it remains today) and piled what I could carry on, and in, my Cherokee and drove onto a commercial freight ship to Norway.

Please write a book of your memoirs :)

What a great story. Good luck with wherever you end up next!

[Hewjardon]

Thanks guys/girls (...who knows!)

[michalko82]

Quote Originally Posted by vRSG60
Living in Lancashire the thought does cross my mind every minute of every day.

Fully agree and my brother has lived in Brisbane for the last 14 years.

Fully agree and my brother has lived in Brisbane for the last 14 years.

Yep, I'm thinking about it every miserable rainy day ( nearly every day)

[ahandle]

Very definitely yes. We (my wife & I) first left the UK in the mid 80s, lived in Sydney (where we became Oz citizens), then Toronto, then Singapore and then returned to the UK in the mid-late 90s.

We left the UK for the second time (for good this time) in 2008 to move back to Australia, this time to Brisbane.

The first time it was all just adventure - bored at staying in one place I suppose. This time it is to settle for good and I can't think of a better place for the kids to grow to adults.

I love the UK but always wanted to experience life elsewhere when I lived there. As a result of all that travel, family and friends are all over the place rather than just in one area in the UK and we see them pretty frequently.

Quoll, curious to hear your experience and how you would compare Toronto to UK, Oz and Singapore? thanks

[quoll]

Quoll, curious to hear your experience and how you would compare Toronto to UK, Oz and Singapore? thanks

My opinions and experiences are personal to me of course, so won't necessarily reflect what others think. How much you enjoy living anywhere is really down to you: as a friend said to me when I started globetrotting "You'll take your problems with you, you know.." True, but I relish the change and diversity that all that new experience gives - and simply facing up to the challenge of settling in new countries and cultures does change you for the better in my opinion.

In order of preference of places to live, I put those in this order: Oz, UK, Canada, Singapore.

A few words on what defines each (in my opinion):

Australia - is optimistic. That doesn't sound like much, but it defines the country and makes it a great place to live when nearly everyone has a positive outlook on life. Then there's all the great weather, open spaces etc that the country is known for. Also, the 'Australia is a cultural desert' stuff is just nonsense. Most 'unsuccessful' migrants end up not liking it because it is not like the UK. It is far more US-like than it is UK-like these days.

UK - is actually a great place but is pessimistic. So many people are miserable and unhappy with their lot that it rubs off on everybody. Like I said, a fantastic country (and I was born there) but that single fact is what puts me off. I still think the UK sense of humour is the best in the English speaking world.

Canada - I can only comment on Toronto as I didn't live anywhere else. Canadians are amongst the most decent, polite and courteous people that I have ever met and Toronto is a world class city. Great entertainment and work culture. But - and it is a big but - the climate is absolutely horrible.

Singapore - a fantastic place to visit but only great to live in if you are obsessed with money and status. A very good place to accumulate some wealth short term, but personally I found the place claustrophobic, boring and totally one-dimensional. Most people I know who also lived there think I am nuts.

[sean]

We moved out to Calgary nearly 3yrs ago and not looked back. Our standard of living is far greater than it was in the UK and have made some great friends. Without going over what has already been said, I would wholeheartedly recommend it if you've got the chance.

I'm in the process of moving to Canada. My Canadian fiancee made it quite a compelling move. I know there are things I'll miss, but I'm looking forward to it. I don't see it as 'a new life' or 'starting again' because practically it's just a 6 hour flight away from here (and it can take that long driving to Heathrow airport if the traffic's bad!), so it's more like a continuation...

[langtoft lad]

If you need reasons why you should do it - you won't.
If you have the opportunity and start planning how to do it - you will.

In the 80's I had the opportunity to go to Australia, and dragged my feet.
With hindsight do I regret not going, sort of but not really.

I have a mate who emigrated to Brisbane about 10 years ago, who has now built a great life for his family & himself (although currently out of work!).
He has never regretted his decision, but did wonder if he knew just exactly how hard work it was going to be, whether he'd make the same choice again.

To change your life, you have to believe.
To ask opinions of others is not believing.

[Bibbs]

Australia! But it wasn't to be! When I was there it was also really cheap. apparently its expensive there now? I assume though the salaries would match their style of living.

I'm in Perth.

The average household salary is $92k .. and the average wage is over $80k.

So in pure numbers, that's about x3 the UK averages?

But a pint will set you back over $10 easily, often $12. So about x3 the cost of a pint in the UK.

Somethings are cheaper, some more expensive. It all depends what you do/want.

[andrew]

I'm in Perth.

The average household salary is $92k .. and the average wage is over $80k.

So in pure numbers, that's about x3 the UK averages?

It's a little under twice.

But a pint will set you back over $10 easily, often $12. So about x3 the cost of a pint in the UK.

Somethings are cheaper, some more expensive. It all depends what you do/want.

True. Additionally as someone else pointed out, Australia is not a cultural desert, it's just a different (and considerably less rich) culture. However I did find domestic life pretty boring (pub, barbie, pub, barbie, Chinese takeaway if wet) even in its most cosmopolitan city.

[Bristolian]

Leaving the UK for good? - Make that move to Jordan. Land of opportunity, broad horizons and torture-free justice system. This guy cant wait to hit the high life...

[Foxyadam]

I have been offered the chance to move to Brisbane and although i have just come back from a 2 week trip to look around the place I am still unsure.

Whats stopped others leaving the uk?

And for those who have left any regrets?

Thanks

id go in a heartbeat!!!!!!!

[thieuster]

I've been reading this with great interest. Although not living in the UK (in Holland), leaving the country is a topic in our daily conversation. My wife has been offered an interesting job at a large international company. One of 'side effects' is a very generous / financially interesting expat scheme. The company is largely based in the NE part of the USA and that would imply living north of NY. My kids are 10 and 12 y/o and for now, that's the only thing that's keeping us from moving across the ocean. Mind you, they don't talk English, which is an disadvantage compared with those who travel from -let's say- the UK to Aus or Can.

To be continued, I'm sure!

Menno

[NJH]

I used to think about this a lot but honestly not so much these days as my income went up, got married and pretty much settled in the south west.

This has to be one of the best places to live in the world if you have plenty of money, and it seems pretty grim if you don't and end up stuck in one of the more 'unsavoury' parts of our island.

[Bibbs]

It's a little under twice.

Thought the average salary was about 25k GPB? And here is about 80k AUD.
Ave Salary 26,664 GBP

My point was that roughly GBP x3 = AUD .. and a pint is 4GBP and 12AUD.

It's only screwed by the exchange rate, so living here earning & spending local, it's not an issue.

Additionally as someone else pointed out, Australia is not a cultural desert, it's just a different (and considerably less rich) culture. However I did find domestic life pretty boring (pub, barbie, pub, barbie, Chinese takeaway if wet) even in its most cosmopolitan city.

Depends. I've been to more concerts, sporting events, motor racing, festivals, museums, art galleries, comedy shows, wildlife parks/events etc. since I've been here, compared to the UK.

What is "culture"? I didn't go to castles, or the theatre or ballet when I lived in the UK for 20 years. So I don't go here either.

[hako]

It makes a lot of sense to leave, and a lot of sense to return.

If you don't leave, you will miss a huge amount of life-changing learning and experience.

If you don't return, you will miss a lot of true friends, a lot of ability to read the finer points of culture, a lot of ability to give back.

I have lived in the UK and other countries for long enough to appreciate the different approaches to life, universe and everything. I will keep on enjoying the variety. Just remember Albert Einstein's non-famous last words. The American nurse could not speak German... People have roots.

[andrew]

Thought the average salary was about 25k GPB? And here is about 80k AUD.
Ave Salary 26,664 GBP

My point was that roughly GBP x3 = AUD .. and a pint is 4GBP and 12AUD.

It's only screwed by the exchange rate, so living here earning & spending local, it's not an issue.

That sounds about right - both earnings and spending (at least on beer) is a little less than twice.

Depends. I've been to more concerts, sporting events, motor racing, festivals, museums, art galleries, comedy shows, wildlife parks/events etc. since I've been here, compared to the UK.

What is "culture"? I didn't go to castles, or the theatre or ballet when I lived in the UK for 20 years. So I don't go here either.

They do the imported thing pretty well these days, given the distance (and especially considering how far the Aussie dollar goes today). Sporting and wildlife activities have always been very good. But I was reflecting more on the fact that from my experience people tended to focus on enriching the contents of their stomachs more than anything else, which surprised me.

[johnnyb]

My sister's family live in Cornwall, a 350 mile drive. Even that, with the best will in the world, is too far to go more than a couple of times a year. I only see them when the come up here (for reasons I won't go into I can't make that drive).

This is relevant to me as my wife and I are planning to move to Cornwall in the next couple of years. We were down there last week having a casual look at properties to see what we could get for our budget which isn't huge although we won't have a mortgage. The job situation is dire down there but we don't have many outgoings or expensive taste and would rather have the Cornish lifestyle than earn 50k a year.

The journey takes us 4hr45m non stop cruising at 75 on the motorways so although it isn't horrendous I wouldn't want to do it too often. Both sets of parents are retired and have hinted that they would like to follow us down there too. I had an aunt and uncle who did the same thing in the seventies and they never returned. My uncle manned the car park at Sennen Cove in the summer and signed on in the winter!