Do you live/work abroad?
Discussion
We are currently looking at how we might get to live and work abroad for a few years (or possibly even longer). Its not really down to "grrr labour" or "grrr managed decline" or whatever belly aching goes on in NP&E. Its just something we've always wanted to do and we realise everywhere has its own problems that aren't necessarily different or better than the ones here.
I'd be very interested to hear from those who do live/work abroad. How you ended up there, how you found the jobs from the UK, what are the good bits, what are bad, what had you wished you'd known ahead of time etc. Are you looking to come back to the UK? do you wish you could come back but can't?
We've not got much of a preference other than SE Asia. But are considering Australia, the US, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan. The company I work for is Japanese so potentially a decent length secondment to Japan could be arranged providing there is a need for it.
Interested to hear your stories.
I'd be very interested to hear from those who do live/work abroad. How you ended up there, how you found the jobs from the UK, what are the good bits, what are bad, what had you wished you'd known ahead of time etc. Are you looking to come back to the UK? do you wish you could come back but can't?
We've not got much of a preference other than SE Asia. But are considering Australia, the US, Thailand, Vietnam, Korea, Japan. The company I work for is Japanese so potentially a decent length secondment to Japan could be arranged providing there is a need for it.
Interested to hear your stories.
I’ve lived and worked in 5 countries other than the UK and loved it. We just recently moved back from Denmark and mainly it was my wife and daughter that were the reason for returning. Well, as well as brexit. It was hard to commit to Denmark knowing that my right to live there was tied solely to my job and that without a job I would be kicked out. Difficult to think about purchasing a house or flat without permanent residency.
I always found a job before moving. Apart from the first time, where necessary I learnt the language before going. Not fluently but enough to get fluent by only speaking it when I arrived.
Living and working somewhere is very different from visit on holiday. You really get to know it. That can be good and bad. At first the good things tend to stand out but you see the problems more over time. Nowhere is paradise. Everywhere has issues.
Moving is a major pain in the ass. A lot of hassle with bureaucracy, extra tax returns, getting set up in a new country and leaving your last one. Worth it but not to be underestimated.
I think a key thing is to consider the work culture of where you are going. I wouldn’t want to work in the US or South Asia. Any country (Japan) that has a specific work for “death through overwork” is one to avoid! Most other things about Japan (particularly the language and food) I love or I am fascinated by.
Do proper research on the cost of living and key differences. We didn’t do enough research on NZ and found that the housing there is expensive but also rubbish. I’ve seen better built garden sheds (and better insulated and heated). Paying £2 for a single parsnip not fun either.
Financially all the moving around has probably cost us dear. If I had stayed in the UK I probably would have ended up a partner in a big four firm. However I wouldn’t trade the money for all the experiences we have had living abroad for most of the last 25 years.
I always found a job before moving. Apart from the first time, where necessary I learnt the language before going. Not fluently but enough to get fluent by only speaking it when I arrived.
Living and working somewhere is very different from visit on holiday. You really get to know it. That can be good and bad. At first the good things tend to stand out but you see the problems more over time. Nowhere is paradise. Everywhere has issues.
Moving is a major pain in the ass. A lot of hassle with bureaucracy, extra tax returns, getting set up in a new country and leaving your last one. Worth it but not to be underestimated.
I think a key thing is to consider the work culture of where you are going. I wouldn’t want to work in the US or South Asia. Any country (Japan) that has a specific work for “death through overwork” is one to avoid! Most other things about Japan (particularly the language and food) I love or I am fascinated by.
Do proper research on the cost of living and key differences. We didn’t do enough research on NZ and found that the housing there is expensive but also rubbish. I’ve seen better built garden sheds (and better insulated and heated). Paying £2 for a single parsnip not fun either.
Financially all the moving around has probably cost us dear. If I had stayed in the UK I probably would have ended up a partner in a big four firm. However I wouldn’t trade the money for all the experiences we have had living abroad for most of the last 25 years.
One trillion % do Japan if you can. Its an option a lot dont get so defo do that.
The only -ve might be the work ethics but its slowly changing and perhaps working as a non Japanese you might get a bit of slack.
You also dont need to be in Tokyo, as most big cities are like mini versions anyway. So Osaka, Sendai, Fukuoka, Kanazawa etc etc all great places.
The south gets a bit better weather. IME.
The other option is Thailand. They just launched a new 5 year visa that allows you to work from Thailand so long as you get a regular non Thai income.
Once granted it extends to wife.
You can live a very nice standard of life in Bangkok, although it has its ups and downs but as an Asian city its fairly clean, has great public transport etc (BTS/MRT). I would want a much larger budget for Thailand though, plenty of rich westerners there which brings USD which is obviously super inflated.
The only -ve might be the work ethics but its slowly changing and perhaps working as a non Japanese you might get a bit of slack.
You also dont need to be in Tokyo, as most big cities are like mini versions anyway. So Osaka, Sendai, Fukuoka, Kanazawa etc etc all great places.
The south gets a bit better weather. IME.
The other option is Thailand. They just launched a new 5 year visa that allows you to work from Thailand so long as you get a regular non Thai income.
Once granted it extends to wife.
You can live a very nice standard of life in Bangkok, although it has its ups and downs but as an Asian city its fairly clean, has great public transport etc (BTS/MRT). I would want a much larger budget for Thailand though, plenty of rich westerners there which brings USD which is obviously super inflated.
I live and work in Saudi Arabia. Though (probably obviously) not for the different culture/ lifestyle reasons.
Good bits - the money
Bad bits - pretty much everything else.
I'll be home April 2026 probably.
My cousin lives in NZ and loves it, has been there around 7 years, had a baby and is getting married. It seems like a great place to live.
Good bits - the money
Bad bits - pretty much everything else.
I'll be home April 2026 probably.
My cousin lives in NZ and loves it, has been there around 7 years, had a baby and is getting married. It seems like a great place to live.
Skeptisk said:
...
Financially all the moving around has probably cost us dear. If I had stayed in the UK I probably would have ended up a partner in a big four firm. However I wouldn’t trade the money for all the experiences we have had living abroad for most of the last 25 years.
Agree re the cost - I have moved countries seven times now (between NZ, Aussie and the UK in the space of 15 years, been away from NZ for 30 of the last 35 years) and in reality spending that money set me back a lot compared to my peers who stayed at home. Having said that I have had experiences and met people that made it all worthwhile, and I don't think I would have felt settled in NZ if I had stayed there the first time I returned. Financially all the moving around has probably cost us dear. If I had stayed in the UK I probably would have ended up a partner in a big four firm. However I wouldn’t trade the money for all the experiences we have had living abroad for most of the last 25 years.
I never really had a career just found work where I could; the first time I went to aus and the UK I got jobs there, the 2nd time I went back to jobs that I had been at before which made it easier.
You need to also think about what you are leaving behind - support networks of friends and family are often not fully appreciated until they are gone, and practically, what are you going to do with all your books, tools, record collection etc. Would you take your furniture or store it etc? Edit to add - living away means you will miss out on a lot of friends and family events. This can also be a bad thing.
Having said that I would go if you can - if your employer could get you into Japan that would be amazing. I often make decisions on how I would feel in 5 years - would I regret not going, and be sitting in my semi-detached in Basingstoke wondering what it would have been like living in Tokyo or Sydney. I hope it all goes well.
Edited by some bloke on Tuesday 26th November 15:21
I've been an expat for more than fifteen years, pretty much continuously since 2009 plus a bit before then, and will be for a while yet. Mostly in Asia, with a couple of stints in Africa. Not really in the sort of places you are thinking of, but here are a few general reflections.
I always wanted an international career, and there was never anything that I wanted to do in the UK so much that it would keep me there.
On arriving in a new country, I've always known that I'll only be there for a couple of years, so never really applied myself to getting beyond the basics of the languages (some of which were only of any practical use in that particular place) and have never come close to putting down roots anywhere other than the UK.
On balance, I've preferred living in places where there are interesting things going on, rather than in quiet backwaters - mainly because in the latter I had a niggling sense that I was missing out on the action.
From time to time, I've wondered if I've frozen myself out of professional options in the UK, but concluded that I haven't.
Working almost exclusively with non-native English speakers has simplified my diction so much that, when I go back to the UK, people occasionally wonder if I'm having a neurologocal episode.
After all this time, I feel like I have less of a stake - or, perhaps a different stake - in UK society than people who are there all the time.
I've missed out on an awful lot of family stuff. And I've been largely disconnected from events back home. I was away when the pandemic started and didn't make it home until mid-2020. I was hardly aware of Brexit until it happened, because absolutely nobody else I saw every day was either.
But, absence can make the heart grow fonder. I love coming back to the UK and if I retire I doubt that I'll ever leave the country again.
I always wanted an international career, and there was never anything that I wanted to do in the UK so much that it would keep me there.
On arriving in a new country, I've always known that I'll only be there for a couple of years, so never really applied myself to getting beyond the basics of the languages (some of which were only of any practical use in that particular place) and have never come close to putting down roots anywhere other than the UK.
On balance, I've preferred living in places where there are interesting things going on, rather than in quiet backwaters - mainly because in the latter I had a niggling sense that I was missing out on the action.
From time to time, I've wondered if I've frozen myself out of professional options in the UK, but concluded that I haven't.
Working almost exclusively with non-native English speakers has simplified my diction so much that, when I go back to the UK, people occasionally wonder if I'm having a neurologocal episode.
After all this time, I feel like I have less of a stake - or, perhaps a different stake - in UK society than people who are there all the time.
I've missed out on an awful lot of family stuff. And I've been largely disconnected from events back home. I was away when the pandemic started and didn't make it home until mid-2020. I was hardly aware of Brexit until it happened, because absolutely nobody else I saw every day was either.
But, absence can make the heart grow fonder. I love coming back to the UK and if I retire I doubt that I'll ever leave the country again.
We moved to Spain in 2007. We imported our at the time Mercedes E430. The paperwork is a pain but you can always find someone to help with it. Headlamps need changing of course. It cost us approx €1500 to import. That included the fee for the guy to go to the traffic office and get the paperwork done. I thought you could only keep your English plated car in Spain for 3 months before it has to be changed to Spanish plates but I may be remembering it wrong. The car lived in Spain for 5 1/2 years until we returned to uk. Car then went back onto its original number plate with no cost. We loved our time there, house took an age to sell, we came back because my partner was travelling back and forth every week to London and Birmingham for business and it became a pain and very tiring. We never met more alcoholics in our entire lives, we had husband and wife teams. Just be careful most of the ex pats we met seemed to be constantly “on holiday”. Would I do it again yes, miss the weather, our swimming pool and just sitting outside when the weather was nice which was most of the time. Learn the lingo, partner is fluent in Spain so always told shopkeepers not to speak to me in English as I was learning. This helped a lot and the Spanish on the whole are great. Just do it
Worked in Singapore, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and UAE.
No easy ride in any of them for a UK person, prejudice/racism was quite common in every place I have worked, blatant even, despite the fact I was in a multinational company.
I am not in my 20s any more but my advice to anyone in that age range is to find the right job and go and try it, see if the employer will help you to find somewhere to live so that at least you have somewhere to live on arrival.
Think about your return if you are on a fixed term contract, it can be difficult.
No easy ride in any of them for a UK person, prejudice/racism was quite common in every place I have worked, blatant even, despite the fact I was in a multinational company.
I am not in my 20s any more but my advice to anyone in that age range is to find the right job and go and try it, see if the employer will help you to find somewhere to live so that at least you have somewhere to live on arrival.
Think about your return if you are on a fixed term contract, it can be difficult.
I studied languages at A levels and university, spending an undergrad year in the Middle East. Once back in the UK, most jobs I had involved a fair amount of travel to German-speaking Europe and/or various parts of the Arab world. I was then offered a job in Switzerland by a Geneva-based supplier of my then UK employer, which meant resuscitating my A level French... As a family we leapt at the chance, not just for financial and/QoL reasons, but for the opportunity for the children (then 7 and 9) to grow up in a multicultural and multilingual environment. And of course the climbing and skiing are a lot better than in Surrey 
That was 25 years ago and I never once considered returning. After 3 years of being here my employer was then bought by UK group (a competitor of my previous London employer) and I was essentially TUPE'd into a new role in the revised structure, a job I've had for the past 22 years and hope to continue until retirement in 18 months time. 10 years ago I became a citizen, so feel pretty much integrated into Swiss life, though will of course always remain a foreigner to many people here. After so many years away, I often feel just as foreign on my rare trips back to England, given how much everything has changed in the meantime.
The vast majority of my friends and colleagues are also from very mixed backgrounds (linguistically, culturally and geographically, and Mrs B is the child of Chinese/Indian immigrants who came to England from Calcutta in the 1960s), but this leads not so much to a feeling of rootlessness but one of big melting pot of differing knowledge and experiences. A few UK-based friends have refused opportunities over the years to work/live abroad, often for fear of disrupting their children's education; personally I would see it as a nettle to be grasped rather than a threat to be feared, but everyone has their own idea of comfort and risk, I suppose.
That was 25 years ago and I never once considered returning. After 3 years of being here my employer was then bought by UK group (a competitor of my previous London employer) and I was essentially TUPE'd into a new role in the revised structure, a job I've had for the past 22 years and hope to continue until retirement in 18 months time. 10 years ago I became a citizen, so feel pretty much integrated into Swiss life, though will of course always remain a foreigner to many people here. After so many years away, I often feel just as foreign on my rare trips back to England, given how much everything has changed in the meantime.
The vast majority of my friends and colleagues are also from very mixed backgrounds (linguistically, culturally and geographically, and Mrs B is the child of Chinese/Indian immigrants who came to England from Calcutta in the 1960s), but this leads not so much to a feeling of rootlessness but one of big melting pot of differing knowledge and experiences. A few UK-based friends have refused opportunities over the years to work/live abroad, often for fear of disrupting their children's education; personally I would see it as a nettle to be grasped rather than a threat to be feared, but everyone has their own idea of comfort and risk, I suppose.
Michael_B said:
I studied languages at A levels and university, spending an undergrad year in the Middle East. Once back in the UK, most jobs I had involved a fair amount of travel to German-speaking Europe and/or various parts of the Arab world. I was then offered a job in Switzerland by a Geneva-based supplier of my then UK employer, which meant resuscitating my A level French... As a family we leapt at the chance, not just for financial and/QoL reasons, but for the opportunity for the children (then 7 and 9) to grow up in a multicultural and multilingual environment. And of course the climbing and skiing are a lot better than in Surrey
That was 25 years ago and I never once considered returning. After 3 years of being here my employer was then bought by UK group (a competitor of my previous London employer) and I was essentially TUPE'd into a new role in the revised structure, a job I've had for the past 22 years and hope to continue until retirement in 18 months time. 10 years ago I became a citizen, so feel pretty much integrated into Swiss life, though will of course always remain a foreigner to many people here. After so many years away, I often feel just as foreign on my rare trips back to England, given how much everything has changed in the meantime.
The vast majority of my friends and colleagues are also from very mixed backgrounds (linguistically, culturally and geographically, and Mrs B is the child of Chinese/Indian immigrants who came to England from Calcutta in the 1960s), but this leads not so much to a feeling of rootlessness but one of big melting pot of differing knowledge and experiences. A few UK-based friends have refused opportunities over the years to work/live abroad, often for fear of disrupting their children's education; personally I would see it as a nettle to be grasped rather than a threat to be feared, but everyone has their own idea of comfort and risk, I suppose.
We left CH after 15 years and didn’t manage to get citizenship. We were in the German part.That was 25 years ago and I never once considered returning. After 3 years of being here my employer was then bought by UK group (a competitor of my previous London employer) and I was essentially TUPE'd into a new role in the revised structure, a job I've had for the past 22 years and hope to continue until retirement in 18 months time. 10 years ago I became a citizen, so feel pretty much integrated into Swiss life, though will of course always remain a foreigner to many people here. After so many years away, I often feel just as foreign on my rare trips back to England, given how much everything has changed in the meantime.
The vast majority of my friends and colleagues are also from very mixed backgrounds (linguistically, culturally and geographically, and Mrs B is the child of Chinese/Indian immigrants who came to England from Calcutta in the 1960s), but this leads not so much to a feeling of rootlessness but one of big melting pot of differing knowledge and experiences. A few UK-based friends have refused opportunities over the years to work/live abroad, often for fear of disrupting their children's education; personally I would see it as a nettle to be grasped rather than a threat to be feared, but everyone has their own idea of comfort and risk, I suppose.
Do you have many Swiss friends? We went back recently for a friend’s 60th and there was a lot off b
hing about the Swiss. The group was quite diverse but not many Swiss! Skeptisk said:
We left CH after 15 years and didn’t manage to get citizenship. We were in the German part.
Do you have many Swiss friends? We went back recently for a friend’s 60th and there was a lot off bhing about the Swiss. The group was quite diverse but not many Swiss!
This being Geneva even if many of my friends have Swiss passports, most of them are of French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Serbian, Greek, etc., origin, often Swiss by marriage, or children of first generation immigrants.Do you have many Swiss friends? We went back recently for a friend’s 60th and there was a lot off b
hing about the Swiss. The group was quite diverse but not many Swiss! That said, two of my closest friends here are Swiss probably for centuries, both from the canton of Valais… so we Genevans consider them foreigners anyway
Perhaps it’s purely anecdotal, but I could believe it’s a lot easier for outsiders to integrate into the French-speaking area, than the generally more conservative ‘Suisse alémanique’ region. I regularly go to our Zürich office, and people are on the whole very friendly. But I wouldn’t want to live there
I moved to the US 24 years ago. I was offered a transfer with a software company that I started with out of college. Arrived with just three suitcases and I now have too much to move again at least under I retire.
I would consider going back to the UK after retirement for the people and the language. Or maybe somewhere in Asia or southern Europe for the weather. Why I moved? I felt like there were better opportunities in my field and in general, you get to keep more of your income. I'm not sure if that's the case anymore but I'm here now and still like living in Texas.
I would consider going back to the UK after retirement for the people and the language. Or maybe somewhere in Asia or southern Europe for the weather. Why I moved? I felt like there were better opportunities in my field and in general, you get to keep more of your income. I'm not sure if that's the case anymore but I'm here now and still like living in Texas.
I worked abroad for a number of years. N/S America, Africa, Asia and M. East. Mostly rotational gigs in oil but also lived in Angola and Qatar for a bit.
Money was good, lifestyle was ok, divorce was expensive. Missed a lot of birthdays, Christmas, etc.
I’m back in the U.K. full time now. If you’re only thinking of a few years then don’t raise your lifestyle to the usual expat spend and brunch levels. Try and keep at your current levels until you decide if you’ll come back. It’s harder to reign in the expenses once you get used to the lifestyle.
Money was good, lifestyle was ok, divorce was expensive. Missed a lot of birthdays, Christmas, etc.
I’m back in the U.K. full time now. If you’re only thinking of a few years then don’t raise your lifestyle to the usual expat spend and brunch levels. Try and keep at your current levels until you decide if you’ll come back. It’s harder to reign in the expenses once you get used to the lifestyle.
Lived and worked in East Africa for 2 years around 10 years ago; 1 year in Romania ‘22-‘23, and last year and a half here in the Netherlands. Just signed my contract to put me on the local Dutch payroll starting Jan 1; all of it thanks to my employer (Oil Company).
I’m in the North East of the Netherlands so not the usual AMS/Haag/Utrecht location; beautiful place to live and great people, but there are some small nuances to get used to and the 60mph limit everywhere is annoying; at least I’m 30 minutes from the autobahn. Here on my own so can’t comment on the family aspect.
I do miss UK life, but the job/salary offered here is like nothing I’d get back in the UK, so it was an easy decision.
I’m in the North East of the Netherlands so not the usual AMS/Haag/Utrecht location; beautiful place to live and great people, but there are some small nuances to get used to and the 60mph limit everywhere is annoying; at least I’m 30 minutes from the autobahn. Here on my own so can’t comment on the family aspect.
I do miss UK life, but the job/salary offered here is like nothing I’d get back in the UK, so it was an easy decision.
Edited by parabolica on Tuesday 26th November 20:31
I had always wanted to live abroad. My first jobs were with an Anglo Dutch organization and I was trying to make the move to the continent with them. When mass redundancy nixed this option I volunteered for the axe and went freelance whilst I finished renovating my house so I that had no ties.
Whilst doing so, I got a call from a recruiter which led to a role in Dubai. I’ve been there 14yrs now, although I’d say over half has spent in other countries from Latam to Asia, but mainly Africa.
I used to enjoy those postings. Covid brought a permanent office based job, which I ended up hating. I did start a business during this time though which I still own. Lots of Dubai bashing on here but it’s a completely different place to live (esp as a base) full of interesting people some of whom have become truly great friends.
Typing this from West Africa as another mass redundancy a year ago led to some tricky times. I felt tied to Dubai given the business I own, yet wasn’t involved in it day to day. Whilst trying to work out how to solve that puzzle I ended up being offered a job out of the blue which was too good to turn down, so I didn’t and here I am. Too early to call it home but I will be establishing a base here.
Not sure yet as to what’s happening medium or long term. My role is made for me, I get a lot of leave and they have offices all over where I can work from remotely, including UAE and Switzerland which are both handy. The short term plan is to keep my apartment in Dubai for the next 10mths and then think about where I’m living at rent renewal. I have options here but also added complications. My serious other lives in Switzerland and we want to buy a house together in Italy. Her family are in India, mine are in the UK, it’s going to be a fun one working out a solution but looks like I’m playing flight ping pong for a bit. First world problems and I enjoy the chaos, only it was much easier when I was younger as that also meant my parents weren’t so old..
Some things struck true from a previous post. 1) that i always felt the urge for international adventure and 2) that I felt the more I followed a ‘career’ path towards the things I found interesting the further I felt I was getting from UK employability. Whilst I no longer think the latter is true (current role is a door opener), I do very much think that I would feel constrained working in a traditional environment. Also, whilst I do enjoy my visits, when I think about where I want to live long term the UK isn’t on the list. The only ties I have there really are family ones.
Whilst doing so, I got a call from a recruiter which led to a role in Dubai. I’ve been there 14yrs now, although I’d say over half has spent in other countries from Latam to Asia, but mainly Africa.
I used to enjoy those postings. Covid brought a permanent office based job, which I ended up hating. I did start a business during this time though which I still own. Lots of Dubai bashing on here but it’s a completely different place to live (esp as a base) full of interesting people some of whom have become truly great friends.
Typing this from West Africa as another mass redundancy a year ago led to some tricky times. I felt tied to Dubai given the business I own, yet wasn’t involved in it day to day. Whilst trying to work out how to solve that puzzle I ended up being offered a job out of the blue which was too good to turn down, so I didn’t and here I am. Too early to call it home but I will be establishing a base here.
Not sure yet as to what’s happening medium or long term. My role is made for me, I get a lot of leave and they have offices all over where I can work from remotely, including UAE and Switzerland which are both handy. The short term plan is to keep my apartment in Dubai for the next 10mths and then think about where I’m living at rent renewal. I have options here but also added complications. My serious other lives in Switzerland and we want to buy a house together in Italy. Her family are in India, mine are in the UK, it’s going to be a fun one working out a solution but looks like I’m playing flight ping pong for a bit. First world problems and I enjoy the chaos, only it was much easier when I was younger as that also meant my parents weren’t so old..
Some things struck true from a previous post. 1) that i always felt the urge for international adventure and 2) that I felt the more I followed a ‘career’ path towards the things I found interesting the further I felt I was getting from UK employability. Whilst I no longer think the latter is true (current role is a door opener), I do very much think that I would feel constrained working in a traditional environment. Also, whilst I do enjoy my visits, when I think about where I want to live long term the UK isn’t on the list. The only ties I have there really are family ones.
Thanks for the responses.
I hadn't contemplated the cost of moving. I guess you think you won't need much but the reality is different!
If I were to get a secondment either to Japan (Kyoto) or the US (this is the other main option and that'd be either Troy or An Arbor, MI which I do like and have visited several times) then the company normally sorts you out with moving stuff and also things like paying school fees for kids etc. They'll also find you somewhere to live and sort rent for a bit.
We've got a 4 year old but not really concerned with moving her. She's already used to seeing most of her relatives via a screen as everyone is spread out across the country/world anyway. Also my wife spent the first 10 years of her life moving about Asia and she turned out alright. Kids adapt, they're more resilient than we give them credit for sometimes.
We don't have a mortgage so I don't know what we'd do with the house. I mean we could do nothing with it. Or rent it out. I would be a little unsure of selling it to fund a move mind you. But if work are paying... happy days.
I hadn't contemplated the cost of moving. I guess you think you won't need much but the reality is different!
If I were to get a secondment either to Japan (Kyoto) or the US (this is the other main option and that'd be either Troy or An Arbor, MI which I do like and have visited several times) then the company normally sorts you out with moving stuff and also things like paying school fees for kids etc. They'll also find you somewhere to live and sort rent for a bit.
We've got a 4 year old but not really concerned with moving her. She's already used to seeing most of her relatives via a screen as everyone is spread out across the country/world anyway. Also my wife spent the first 10 years of her life moving about Asia and she turned out alright. Kids adapt, they're more resilient than we give them credit for sometimes.
We don't have a mortgage so I don't know what we'd do with the house. I mean we could do nothing with it. Or rent it out. I would be a little unsure of selling it to fund a move mind you. But if work are paying... happy days.
shirt said:
...whilst I do enjoy my visits, when I think about where I want to live long term the UK isn’t on the list. The only ties I have there really are family ones.
This.I made the move to the UAE at 24 years old where I was offered a similar position to what I was doing at a Company looking to improve processes, efficiency and quality. Turned out to be the best move of my life.
I'm now 35, married, with a 7 month old and honestly thought that the arrival of the little one would instill a desire to move back closer to family, but it hasn't.
Work in the Middle East is very different to back home and took a while to adjust. There were times where the money just wasn't enough to justify staying, but, the sun was always shining. The thought of returning to the daily commute in the dark, wet, cold UK just isn't appealing and after having made that first initial decision to move away at an early age, I feel that should the opportunity arise to live and work anywhere else in the world, I'd entertain it.
parabolica said:
Lived and worked in East Africa for 2 years around 10 years ago; 1 year in Romania ‘22-‘23, and last year and a half here in the Netherlands. Just signed my contract to put me on the local Dutch payroll starting Jan 1; all of it thanks to my employer (Oil Company).
I’m in the North East of the Netherlands so not the usual AMS/Haag/Utrecht location; beautiful place to live and great people, but there are some small nuances to get used to and the 60mph limit everywhere is annoying; at least I’m 30 minutes from the autobahn. Here on my own so can’t comment on the family aspect.
I do miss UK life, but the job/salary offered here is like nothing I’d get back in the UK, so it was an easy decision.
Groningen ? Working at NAM in Assen ?I’m in the North East of the Netherlands so not the usual AMS/Haag/Utrecht location; beautiful place to live and great people, but there are some small nuances to get used to and the 60mph limit everywhere is annoying; at least I’m 30 minutes from the autobahn. Here on my own so can’t comment on the family aspect.
I do miss UK life, but the job/salary offered here is like nothing I’d get back in the UK, so it was an easy decision.
Edited by parabolica on Tuesday 26th November 20:31
Fantastic place , I was there from 88-97
Otispunkmeyer said:
. We don't have a mortgage so I don't know what we'd do with the house. I mean we could do nothing with it. Or rent it out. I would be a little unsure of selling it to fund a move mind you. But if work are paying... happy days.
Personally, if your contemplating on moving to Europe, do not rent it out for the 1st 6 months as it gives you a chance to see if you like it or not. You can also keep the uk house as a bolt hole or storage unit until you decide on the future. If you don't like Europe, you can easily return home without having to turf out a tenant and any legal procedures it entails.
If you like it in Europe, then rent it out and enjoy the '2nd' income.
Ah just seen your first post again, and it's not Europe. My point still stands though. Look into how much rent you could get then subtract storage unit costs, insurance etc. And see if the 'profit' is worth it or not for the first 6 months.
Edited by Trash_panda on Wednesday 27th November 13:15
spent nigh on 20 years living and working overseas in south-east asia, (Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Hong Kong)
We moved back to the UK in 2019 purely to have stable education for our daughter (and now son too)
Living and working in a country is a very different experience to being on holiday, somewhere that seems cheap as a tourist, can actually be quite expensive to live in.
Don't give up property in the UK, its very useful to have the base and the asset in mother country.
Make sure that all the necessary Tax forms are submitted before (and you have records of them) before you depart to make sure that the HMRC know you are expatriated, this is especially important on return, as they can be very awkward if there is not a clear paper trail to justify your lack of tax to pay
In General, Do It, i still look at overseas jobs every week, and should the perfect match come up, i would definitely be off again, (a bit of buyers remorse in coming back here )
We moved back to the UK in 2019 purely to have stable education for our daughter (and now son too)
Living and working in a country is a very different experience to being on holiday, somewhere that seems cheap as a tourist, can actually be quite expensive to live in.
Don't give up property in the UK, its very useful to have the base and the asset in mother country.
Make sure that all the necessary Tax forms are submitted before (and you have records of them) before you depart to make sure that the HMRC know you are expatriated, this is especially important on return, as they can be very awkward if there is not a clear paper trail to justify your lack of tax to pay
In General, Do It, i still look at overseas jobs every week, and should the perfect match come up, i would definitely be off again, (a bit of buyers remorse in coming back here )
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