Anyone moved abroad recently and was it a good decision?

[Raymond Reddington]

Keen to hear where people have gone and the pros and cons of their decision.

A couple of work related trips to China, Russia and the UAE recently have really opened my eyes to how unsafe, run down and antiquated the UK is.

Using the Moscow metro late at night not feeling at all unsafe, compared to London or even the crappy town where I live in the midlands, this was a breath of fresh air. The parks in Chongqing are full of people at night doing tai chi or eating food, the city is full of people enjoying their facilities and spending money, not the communist dystopia we are told about in many ways here. I found the UAE extremely clean, I had to use the healthcare while there and it was lightyears ahead of any UK hospital.

Cost of living is out of control in the UK, transport costs a fortune, high taxes, stagnating wages, horrible people with horrible kids that I don't want my child going to school with, knackered infrastructure, riddled with crime and scummy people.

I guess I'm getting a bit fed up of the downwards trajectory that my home country seems to be on. Maybe I'll appreciate it more if I get out for a bit and come back, but most of all, I don't want to raise my family here with how things are going.

I hope this is a fair assessment and I do love the UK, but England in particularly seems to be going to the dogs, which is very sad indeed.

I'd be grateful to hear some stories about your thoughts and if you've emigrated where to and why.

Cheers

[shirt]

Sorry to be that guy but use the search function, this has become one of those topic that gets a new thread every month or so.

[Raymond Reddington]

My apologies.

Do you know where I find the search function? I use this on the browser on my phone.

Thanks

[Mr Magooagain]

Raymond Reddington said:

My apologies.

Do you know where I find the search function? I use this on the browser on my phone.

Thanks

Top of the page where it says ‘search’ but that is on my iPad.

For what it’s worth I’ve been away from the uk for over 22 years and there’s no plans to return. My circumstances were different as I left my kids in the uk along with an ex wife.
I’m only over the water in rural France but it’s a world away from the uk.

[Chauffard]

Not really a traveller myself but the thing I hear most from others is that small town centres abroad come alive after 7pm, shops, eateries, outdoor cafes, family spaces, all open till the wee hours, in the UK town centres are a wasteland of zombie teens and drunks wanting a fight.

[InformationSuperHighway]

Moved ten years ago to the US (So Cal) and have had no intention of moving home until very recently.

We visit the UK every year so get to see the various ups and downs of what is happening. Without becoming political about it.. I see some things that are true and somethings that are media / fear driven and not true.

Recently though we have become jaded by the US and combined with aging family back home that we don't feel like we're getting good time with we are considering moving back.

At the end of the day only you can decide what is important to you in your life.

[fourstardan]

Raymond Reddington said:

Keen to hear where people have gone and the pros and cons of their decision.

A couple of work related trips to China, Russia and the UAE recently have really opened my eyes to how unsafe, run down and antiquated the UK is.

Don't you get beheaded, sent to war or Siberian prisons if you commit crime in said countries.

[Whatever123]

fourstardan said:

Raymond Reddington said:

Keen to hear where people have gone and the pros and cons of their decision.

A couple of work related trips to China, Russia and the UAE recently have really opened my eyes to how unsafe, run down and antiquated the UK is.

Don't you get beheaded, sent to war or Siberian prisons if you commit crime in said countries.

I’m guessing thats why it feels safe.. obviously not a great place if you intend breaking the law..

Moved away 16 years ago and would never move back, though moving away from rural france now due to its decline, its still way better than the uk for us, soon we’ll have no family ties there at all and we’ll never step foot in the place again, i think your summary is pretty spot on, the growing number of undesirables and their off spring is crazy when we have to visit.

Id say try it, whats the worst that can happen? You dont like it and move back, nothing lost in trying vs the alternative

Edited by Whatever123 on Thursday 14th November 20:23

[Chunkychucky]

Mr Magooagain said:

Top of the page where it says ‘search’ but that is on my iPad.

For what it’s worth I’ve been away from the uk for over 22 years and there’s no plans to return. My circumstances were different as I left my kids in the uk along with an ex wife.
I’m only over the water in rural France but it’s a world away from the uk.

Always loved rural France, out of interest have you documented your experiences anywhere? Could you share what you've done for gainful employment etc. whilst over there? Heard the office culture in professional environments can be somewhat abrupt/blunt compared to average UK companies.

[RedWhiteMonkey]

Raymond Reddington said:

A couple of work related trips to China, Russia and the UAE recently have really opened my eyes to how unsafe, run down and antiquated the UK is.

How recent is recent? What the fk are you doing business with Russia for? Are you that desperate that you're happy to support Putin and his cohorts?

[x5tuu]

In the past few years I have spent an inordinate amount of time in China, the UAE, Qatar and the USA for work (and have a home in the latter).

I would be inclined to agree your comments about the safety and downward trajectory - I spent 2 evenings last week around Holborn in the early hours after retirement parties and the walk between there and the Doubletree down the road was not a comforable one (on either night).

I would certainly be inclined to move to the UAE / Qatar or the USA if I could easily get a residency visa, thats the fundamental thing holding me back (Im not going to get into the work / tax / etc, issue here as thats been done to death elsewhere on PH).

I would be cautious about Russia or China though personally - nice to visit, but long term residency, no thanks!

[fourstardan]

RedWhiteMonkey said:

How recent is recent? What the fk are you doing business with Russia for? Are you that desperate that you're happy to support Putin and his cohorts?

Maybe he's a perfume importer from Russia?

[Shaoxter]

Raymond Reddington said:

A couple of work related trips to China, Russia and the UAE recently have really opened my eyes to how unsafe, run down and antiquated the UK is.

I visit 2 out of those 3 countries pretty extensively and it's interesting to see just how wrong most British people's perception of those places are.
However visiting somewhere and actually living there are quite different things so you do need to look at things through a non-rose tinted lens.

[stu67]

I don't get it, apart from warmer weather.

I've been lucky enough in my career to work about everywhere UAE, Australia, US, Singapore you name it. At absolutely no time have I ever thought anywhere was far better than the UK. I will caveat that and say I'm actually Irish and apart from living in the home counties have a house in Ireland if I want to get away from it all.

All of those places mentioned by the OP are hell holes of the highest order. The one place that interested me when I was younger of all my places of work was Hong Kong. It was interesting and sort of edgy, but now under Chinese rule not a chance. The US, can sort of see the attraction of parts of it, really like the people but don't think I could live there all the time

Moscow, jeez what an un-interesting dump, Australia you can keep that also, been there done that.

[Spare tyre]

stu67 said:

I don't get it, apart from warmer weather.

I've been lucky enough in my career to work about everywhere UAE, Australia, US, Singapore you name it. At absolutely no time have I ever thought anywhere was far better than the UK. I will caveat that and say I'm actually Irish and apart from living in the home counties have a house in Ireland if I want to get away from it all.

All of those places mentioned by the OP are hell holes of the highest order. The one place that interested me when I was younger of all my places of work was Hong Kong. It was interesting and sort of edgy, but now under Chinese rule not a chance. The US, can sort of see the attraction of parts of it, really like the people but don't think I could live there all the time

Moscow, jeez what an un-interesting dump, Australia you can keep that also, been there done that.

I’ve worked in the uae, apart from the flash cars and essentially zero crime, I can’t see a single advantage.

Too hot, hard to do anything outside, poor non locals being taken advantage off. It’s just grim

If you like marble and shopping it’s probably ok

[havoc]

Shaoxter said:

Raymond Reddington said:

A couple of work related trips to China, Russia and the UAE recently have really opened my eyes to how unsafe, run down and antiquated the UK is.

I visit 2 out of those 3 countries pretty extensively and it's interesting to see just how wrong most British people's perception of those places are.
However visiting somewhere and actually living there are quite different things so you do need to look at things through a non-rose tinted lens.

This.

The rule of law in all three is very different to (even the current mess in) the UK. None are democracies, none have 'civil rights', in all 3 you can end up in jail for things that would be a long way from criminal over here.



But ignoring the affluent semi-police-states that have been listed, there probably are better places than the UK...or at least PARTS* of the UK. But all have their headaches and compromises (below is just my understanding / some examples - grass-is-greener may be true for a given person's priorities, but you'd need to go into it accepting that you'll have a lot to learn and need to adjust / fit-in):-
- France is just as Paris-centric as the UK is about London. And the rural areas aren't known for welcoming foreigners, especially Brits.
- In Germany and Switzerland they're very rule-bound, e.g. you can't wash your car on your drive. Minor example, but we're petrolheads here. Oh, and Germany has as big a far-right and anti-immigration problem as we have, so don't go thinking it's all order and roses over there. Austria is worse.
- Scandanavia is genuinely supposed to be a lovely place to live and work. But the latitude means winters are long, dark and cold, so if you suffer from SAD they're NOT a good move.
- The USA seems almost bipolar - the nice areas are genuinely great, and the people in those areas are warmer and more welcoming than your average grumpy Brit. But there's a much bigger underbelly / underclass there than the UK, and crime is notably worse, while the safety net if you lose your job is pretty slender. Oh, and I'm told 2 weeks annual leave is the norm - hope you like working a lot.
- Canada I've not heard any bad things about, but YMMV.
- Australia, culturally, is supposed to be about 30 years behind the UK - still a lot of bigotry, while their roads are a literal car-crash even compared to UK driving standards.
- NZ is thousands of miles from most of the rest of the world, in case that matters to you. Probably got problems there too if you lived there.

(etc. etc.)

...so all the above is a roundabout way of saying "you probably just SEE the good stuff when visiting, and may be completely oblivious to the problems underneath" / do your research first.



* Let's be honest, comparing Holborn, Birmingham or Coventry to rural France or a decent town in Germany is a bit of a joke. And IMHO there are still some very nice parts of the UK / we're not quite the st-hole or st-show the (sensationalist) media portrays us to be.

[Skodillac]

Russia and China. Haha, yeah mate. Have a nice life.

(For the avoidance of doubt, I have lived in Russia myself. If I never visit again it'll be too soon.)

[fourstardan]

fourstardan said:

Maybe he's a perfume importer from Russia?

As if by magic, was this the OP LOL https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c39n4wdzdy4o