If you wanted to move abroad would your OH?

iolanthe07

I moved to California in 1994 but had to come back 5 years later for family reasons. I had no trouble getting a Green Card (work sponsor). I loved it there; a much better quality of life and a much higher standard of living. Medical care was first class and paid for by employer. I would move back in a heart beat if I could.

gabyjane

iolanthe07 wrote: »

I moved to California in 1994 but had to come back 5 years later for family reasons. I had no trouble getting a Green Card (work sponsor). I loved it there; a much better quality of life and a much higher standard of living. Medical care was first class and paid for by employer. I would move back in a heart beat if I could.

Hi thats great (not about your family) i'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you manage to go back someday x

gabyjane

Hi thanks for all the replies you have given it has been useful to see. I have decided to start a blog to log each day and how i feel what life is like etc as it may help compare things and make things clearer instead of going on on here.
Thanks again guys!

donglemouse

just my 2p, as someone who did it moving from uk to canada to live/work for a couple of years - there's a lot to consider

i) on a practical level you need to look at what the entry requirements are for a country, for most that immediately limits your options especially if you don't have specialist or 'in demand' skills

ii) you need to think seriously about what you will do in terms of employment & have realistic expectations about your prospects in a new land

i know a few people who have emigrated to nz/aus, for some it worked brilliantly others not sou much and they returned

usually if they returned it was work related either because they struggled to find work, or they felt they had taken a step down the career ladder versus the uk and couldn't handle that, or perhaps they just didn't feel at home with the office culture

the british expats forum already mentioned in this thread is very good for first hand accounts of all types

my advice would be research thoroughly so your expectations are realistic & think about the worst things that could happen - that way you are mentally prepared if things aren't working out as planned

i would add even for most people i know who returned they still felt better for having tried rather than spending their whole life wondering but not doing

dm

NoahsPennilessMummy

I have lived in france and in Spain and loved it.
I could already speak French but didnt speak Spanish but I can now. It is amazing how quickly you pick it up when you are immersed in it.
As someone else said Brits have this idea that the Spanish can all speak English but no one spoke English where I lived.
I think the problem a lot of people have when it comes to moving abroad is the fact that they think it is going to be like it is when they are on their hols.......no it isnt like that.....it is very different living in a country to being on holiday there with no worries or cares.

hartcjhart

All I can say is make sure that whoever is going to emigrate is 100% for it,99% is not good enough,

for every 1 family that have done it and been succesfull/happy there are 100 that are not and either ended up moving back or breaking up,

dont forget that the further you go the harder it is to keep 'properly' in touch with family,

a couple of scenarios,

you move to france a family member is taken seriously ill,you can be back in the UK within 3 hours,

if in US that would be the next day

living the dream is great,BUT enduring the nightmare is terrible

Kazipoo

Have you considered moving within the UK, or perhaps to Europe? I know that for us, up there with emigrating to NZ is moving to the Lake District. This seems like a good option for us as it means we will not be leaving our girls, but will have the lifestyle we yearn for on our doorstep. The only difference would be the weather I would imagine, but I will take views over the weather any day of the week, and to be honest, I could imagine us sitting by an open fire, with our homemade blankets, eating our homemade bread with homemade jam lol.

We holiday in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District as often as we can, and have recently been watching the series on ITV, its certainly given us something else to look at. We will still save, that way, regardless of where we go, we could rent for a while before we buy. The added bonus of moving to the Lakes would be the reduction of costs. We figure around £10,000 for us to move to NZ (at least), whereas it would only cost around £500 for removals to the Lake District.

Ok, so the weather couldn't be different, but in the grander scheme of things, it might be the better option for us as a family.