Move to Scotland for free training, prescriptions, education...?

Owain_Moneysaver

MovingForwards wrote: »

It can get very wet and oppressive, think waiting 10 mins for a bus being soaked through ...

10 mins! Oh I wish! Buses have been cut back to half-hourly here, and the next village only gets two-hourly.

MovingForwards

"10 mins! Oh I wish! Buses have been cut back to half-hourly here, and the next village only gets two-hourly."

That was at my old flat, the new one is 30 min wait which doesnt tally well with my finish time. I can only comment on Lothian buses as that is all I use.

Mind you before I moved up here my bus used to take over an hour to travel 7 miles. The last job I had before moving up was two buses, two companies and the timetable didnt work together.

The main thing is is it swings and roundabouts isnt it? There are positives and negatives to living in any area.

I can imagine the people living on some islands would be grateful to have a 2 hourly bus service

marlot

chipolatta wrote: »

...
Also have to ask the question as time is ramping-on and I might like to see my kids go to a University, but the thought of £9500 per year fees and starting them off in life in huge debt isn't really rocking our boat!...

Yes, but places are rationed. There was an extended piece on radio 4 this week where several universities were 'full' of Scottish students, but still had places for English students with lower grades than Scottish students who were being turned away.

Spendless

chipolatta wrote: »

Also have to ask the question as time is ramping-on and I might like to see my kids go to a University, but the thought of £9500 per year fees and starting them off in life in huge debt isn't really rocking our boat!

You need to change your mindset on this, because it is mostly psychological.

Yes, study in England and you'll pay £9,000+ per year, min of 3 years plus however much in maintenance loan. Then when they find a job and start earning enough they'll pay it back as a % for 30 years, at which point it will be written off. It therefore doesn't matter if they graduate with £30K of debt or £60K, they will pay back the same amount according to their earnings. Once 30 years are up the whole outstanding amount is written off, regardless of whether they owe £5K at that point or £50K.

Study in England become a very high earner and earn enough to pay it back and yes you'll be paying back more or over a longer period than if you'd studied in Scotland and got the tuition fee for free.

Not totally sure I'm explaining myself well, but there are a number
of articles about this on the site

chipolatta

Spendless wrote: »

You need to change your mindset on this, because it is mostly psychological.

Yes, study in England and you'll pay £9,000+ per year, min of 3 years plus however much in maintenance loan. Then when they find a job and start earning enough they'll pay it back as a % for 30 years, at which point it will be written off. It therefore doesn't matter if they graduate with £30K of debt or £60K, they will pay back the same amount according to their earnings. Once 30 years are up the whole outstanding amount is written off, regardless of whether they owe £5K at that point or £50K.

Study in England become a very high earner and earn enough to pay it back and yes you'll be paying back more or over a longer period than if you'd studied in Scotland and got the tuition fee for free.

Not totally sure I'm explaining myself well, but there are a number
of articles about this on the site

Hi Spendless,
I think you should change your mindset too, as paying back a loan over 30 years means that after graduating, earnings have remained low to have dragged it out so long!? Or having it written off after 30 years - so get a degree and then waste the next 30 years on such a low income that you don't have to pay it off just to have it written-off. Nah, I don't go for either option.
Studying anywhere doesn't mean the graduate will become a high earner. Seems that most of my neighbours kids who have gone to uni in the last 10 years-or-so have graduated with huge debt and either are unemployed and living down the street again, or landed the best job they can in a call centre earning below the threshold which is needed to start paying their loans back. Too many useless courses out there. Too many unis making too much money from these useless courses and kids that don't know what to do next.
But, on the other hand, my kids dont know what to do and will probably end up in a uni for a few years, so might as well not fall into such deep debt while doind it?
Chipper

chipolatta

Owain_Moneysaver wrote: »

10 mins! Oh I wish! Buses have been cut back to half-hourly here, and the next village only gets two-hourly.

Unfortunately an hourly service between the nearest bus stop to me and the next town here where I live in Northern England... 10 minutes would be just fine.

chipolatta

Stephenmac wrote: »

Hi. Water is not free, it is added as a seperate charge and collected via the Council Tax. Speaking of water, it seems to rain here an awful lot. Alcohol costs a bit more than what our neighbours pay.

What ever you decide, you will be made most welcome I am sure. Good luck and best wishes from me in Scotland. :-)

Hi Stephenmac,
Yes, just talking to a Scottish pal who once told me his water was free, but his wife cleared it up and said it was added to their council tax, just like you said.
Thanks for the well wishes, appreciated.
Chipper

chipolatta

MovingForwards wrote: »

You have to live in scotland a couple of years to qualify for funding to pay for courses, previous education (eg degree) will rule out funding. Search the net for the info.

Free scripts - yes

Free eye tests - every two years (but many vouchers are given out by specsavers in England so you can get a yearly test for free if you time it right).

Free dental - is it f*** but slightly cheaper than England (google the fees)

Free water - is it f*** it's billed with the council tax so on par with England

We pay a slightly higher tax up here than England (do a salary calculator and compare your current wage to ticking the box for scotland)

You want a job on the rigs? You got someone working there who can put in a good word? Happy to do about 4 weeks on the rigs/ 4 weeks (i think) off and live in or near Aberdeen? My OH has muttered about going back on the rigs but the cost is too much and it isnt a way of life if you have family.

Look at the cost of property and the way the offers over thing works up here, hope you got a fair bit of spare cash to go over the valuation in some areas.... somw properties are fixed price but never are they ONO.

It gets bloody cold up here so more gas used = higher bills = more money needed

Gets dark early, stays dark longer in Autumn/Winter and the start of spring. Means more electric used.

Mobile phone signal - get the wrong provider and you hang your phone out the window to make a call / receive texts.

A pint or three in the wrong pub will cost you.

Getting taken on by a doctor is hard as a lot are up to capacity. Wait time for booking an appointment is 2 - 4 weeks if you get registered.

Depending on the area you pick it could be a high student / tourist area and so not really family friendly.

There are a lot of flats up here and old ones at that.

It can get very wet and oppressive, think waiting 10 mins for a bus being soaked through and sitting in your soggy clothes all day at work, just as they are bareable it's time to go home.

Various bus companies up here, all have their own fare rates (lothian are one of the cheapest £1.70 for a single and £4 for a day ticket, monthly pass is £56ish).

So for the sake of saving £8odd per script, £10 for an eye test and free parking at hospital and about £1ish for dental plus uni fees, offset against everything else is it really any cheaper?!

Phew, thanks for the explination. More interested in wind farms than rigs, although I hear government changes on grants for windfarms means they might not be the growing industry they once were. Mind, at the moment, any quids saved would be quite beneficial, and getting free training courses for myself and wife would be quite a bonus.
But I'm thinking of the kids futures as well, starting them off without a life-long debt problem sounds attractive.
Chipper

chipolatta

MovingForwards wrote: »

Mentioned this thread to my OH after posting and he corrected me on a couple of things (i've been up here nearly 2 years, he is a native):

Free funding - only if the parents earn under 25k, aside from that it is student loans that are needed.

Rigs - 2 or 3 weeks on with 2 weeks off, courses are self funded or sponsored (cannot use funding up here for them), there are several courses needed and rig jobs are difficult to land.

The job market is the same as anywhere in the UK, there are jobs not not in all areas and it may take a while to secure one. Have a look at Reed/S1 jobs and see what is about in the area(s) you are thinking of.

Hi MovingForwards,
Free funding when parents are low earners - yes, and we are - incredibly low earners! Things have gone awry over the last few years and working cash-in-hand doing odd-jobs really doesn't pay as well as these "give up your day job and live your dreams hustling" bloggers would have you think, (I didn't give up my job, changed job then got made redundant not long afterwards, so only got one weeks worth of redendancy), add to the fact of being middle aged and suddenly its nigh-on impossible to 'get a job'! Hence the attraction of grants for training for myself without risking thousands in the process...
Some interesting stuff on here about the funded education if anyone else is intersted too: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/grants-education/

chipolatta

marlot wrote: »

Yes, but places are rationed. There was an extended piece on radio 4 this week where several universities were 'full' of Scottish students, but still had places for English students with lower grades than Scottish students who were being turned away.

Hi Marlot,
Rationed - really? I'll have to look into it thanks.
Chipper