February 18 2009: Moving To The UK
I’ve been very emo recently, to the point where I’ve been writing emo notes on Facebook, then coming to my senses ten minutes later and deleting them, praying that no one sees them. The emo-ness has largely been centered around my desire to move to the United Kingdom after my short vacation there, and the sheer obstacles I have to overcome before it becomes a reality.
Friends have been worried about this desire of mine, counselling me and advising that what one feels on a vacation, mightn’t necessarily be the way one feels if they have to go through the 9-to-5 slog every day in the country. This is true. It’s also true that if I simply blame my desire on a post-holiday gloom and live out my life in Melbourne with sporadic overseas holidays, I may live to regret it for the rest of my days. I’m not prepared to take that chance.
Thus, I’ve made a plan for my move. I’m going to spend the next year in Australia. In this year, I’ll gradually work on downsizing what I own, so that I can eventually take everything essential over in just two large suitcases when I move. This means lots of eBaying of clothes, shoes, handbags. It means boxing up books and DVDs until I’m fully settled in the UK and can get things shipped to me via seamail. It means cutting down everything to the bare essentials – a challenge, but a challenge I’m willing to take up.
The year will also be spent building up my savings. While I currently have about $20,000AUD in the bank, it’s being steadily depleted as I’m still unemployed (and my babysitting gig on halt for a month as the family holidays overseas) without an income. Ideally, I’ll have $25,000AUD spare in my account by the time I move – e.g. I’ll need $30,000AUD by this time next year ($5,000AUD for airfares, shipping fees, settling in costs, etc.). So, job. I need one. Badly.
I need to work on my family – more specifically, my parents. Lying about a three week holiday is one thing. Figuring out how to break the news of your desire to move halfway across the world is another – I figure saying “You’re stifling me and I need to get as far away from you as possible” isn’t an option. A friend did suggest that I use the “my heart surgeon boyfriend has taken up a prestigious position in England paying ten million dollars a year and asked me to accompany him” excuse, but they might actually ask to meet the heart surgeon boyfriend, and that would present problems considering that he doesn’t actually exist. Eh. I’ll figure something out.
I also need to sort out issues with things like my Masters degree which I’m starting in a couple of weeks. It’s a three year course, part-time, via distance education (e.g. they mail me work, I complete it and mail it back), so I should technically be able to complete it while living and working overseas – though I should triple check this just to make sure. I don’t think there’d be a problem with it, though perhaps a problem with fees (and me having to pay higher fees for the course) as I may no longer be considered technically an Australian citizen.
And research! I need to do research! Jobs. Living standards. Average food prices. Taxes. Visas. Good areas to live in. Flatsharing. I need to be realistic about the whole day-to-day living and working a 9-to-5 job in the UK, rather than the carefree holiday lifestyle, and examine how much I’d need to earn each year in order to make the lifestyle I want feasible. Regular readers will obviously know that I’m frugal in my day-to-day life, but I do obviously enjoy travelling and don’t scrimp on my adventures. I’d still like to hop across the Channel every six months or so, and have a weekend away in Rome, Madrid, Santorini, Berlin, etc. Cheap Ryanair flights maybe?
In any case, I don’t know how long I’ll be in the UK. At this point, I’m thinking that I’m going to give myself a minimum of three years while I try to make a real go of assimilating myself into English society and creating a whole new life for myself. Anything less than three years, and any desire to return to Melbourne would just be homesickness and a desire to see my friends and family again. Three years is long enough to know for sure if becoming a Brit is the right thing for me.
36 Responses to “Moving To The UK”
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Uh. I can’t help but wonder why you don’t just tell them that you won the scholarship to study at the university you went to the interview at and you’re going to do your Masters over there?
Or am I reading the whole charade wrong?
Reply: Well the scholarship interview was okay as a charade because it wasn’t prolonged, but I don’t know if I could lie my way through two years of “studying at Cambridge”, especially if they decide to visit me…
Nellie on February 18 2009 #
It sounds like you’re being very sensible about your planning. Knowing how determined you can be, I have no doubt you’ll succeed in building up your savings and down-sizing before your move.
As for your parents… I think Nellie’s suggestion has potential.
Tanya on February 18 2009 #
Well, all I know is that in London, the rent prices are so high that entire families have to share flats.Buying your own place is not an option.
I loved in London, but I was there for a week, and I did spend a lot of cash and not doing any shopping at all. So you have to be aware of prices being a little stiffer than in Australia.
Are you prepared to give up the nice weather in Melbourne for the shitty weather in Britain?
All in all, good luck! I live two hours away by plane, so you can always come to Norway for a chat and a cup of coffee.
Cheers!
Reply: Yeah, at this stage, if I end up in London, it’ll have to be zone 2 or 3 of London in a share flat…certainly not a place of my own!
Regine on February 18 2009 #
The wage you’d need to earn to keep up a particular lifestyle varies widely depending on where you want to be. In London, you’d have to earn a lot more than a village in Yorkshire somewhere, for example.
Feel free to drop me an email if you need someone in the UK to answer any questions :)
Reply: Awesome, I might just do that later on in my research. :)
Vixel on February 18 2009 #
The heart surgeon boyfriend cover story has promise, don’t be too quick to dismiss it! You just have to be a bit creative and work with an actual dude friend to make the story seem plausible. :P
Reply: I’m a good liar, but even I don’t think I can stretch that. :P
Jordie on February 18 2009 #
Move to Canada Amanda! We’re not that bad! Just the occasion snow storms and crazy Frenchies…
But in all seriousness, I’m really excited to see how you plan and execute this whole process. What a change in lifestyle!
Crystal on February 18 2009 #
Emonda. :p
Jordie on February 18 2009 #
Good luck with all this! I would personally just tell my parents the truth and remind them that I am over 20 whatever and that I can do what I want to do as long as I know what I’m getting myself into and am financially aware of it. But then again, I don’t know your parents. You know them the best, so I’m sure you will find a clever solution. :)
Reply: Well, I’m going to have to tell them I’m moving overseas. It’s more a matter of timing and approach I think.
Tara on February 18 2009 #
Sorry if I offend, but I’m not a fan of the status of immigrants in this country right now – it doesn’t need adding to. I vote conservative, beause I want our laws on immigration tightened.
The economic crisis is severe, hardly any of us have jobs (many are losing them), living expenses are outregeous, and I have a friend that came over from Switzerland (qualified with a degree in business) and he couldn’t find a job for months – eventually he managed to get something totally bog standard, and this was in Leeds!
Living here, at this point in time, is _not trivial_. In fact, I’m thinking of /leaving the country/. After this year, so many graduates simply aren’t going to be able to find jobs, and I’m dead sick worried about my own fate without even glancing toward the immigrants that are trying to get a foothold here. The country is overpopulated by a mile, and yes, I feel a resentment towards the cheap foreign labour many companies prefer to employ because of the lack of extra taxes that most other countries enforce – people take us for a free ride, especially residents of the EU who can live and work in Britain without applying for a visa – our higher quality of life is far too appealing for these people to just stay at home and leave us to it for a while. >:(
I don’t recommend coming over, not for now. Wait a few years ’til the economy picks up. Chances are, you won’t find a job now. The majority of my friends who are looking can’t. Justin has been looking for over 10 months for really crap, cheap warehouse work, with no luck (he’s only qualified as a printer, and no printing jobs are avail either). His savings are almost gone and the fact he’s having to live off benefits isn’t doing the taxpayers any justice either.
Again, sorry for the rant, and sorry if it’s offensive towards immigrants. I can only speak for myself, not the majority, but I know a lot of people who share my stance on tightening immigration laws in the UK. I guess you should know what our attitudes are before you move here, though, right?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7882767.stm — I applauded.
For the record, I have a room in a house share in London with 7 others in zone 3 and I pay almost £500 per month, as a student (i.e. no taxes, etc.). Hardly affordable.
Macca on February 18 2009 #
LOL @ Macca. :|
Oh dear.
Anyway… ‘Manda, don’t go with Ryanair. Cheap flights = LOTS of messing about.
Jenny on February 19 2009 #
Sounds like you have a lot to think about. I wish you the best of luck. Maybe once you get yourself settled I’ll fly out to England and try to meet up with all of my Brit friends ;)
Stephanie on February 19 2009 #
You have to do what makes you happy. I’m doing a similar thing since I’m moving from America to New Zealand this year. I’ve been downsizing and also working on my parents. They’ve come to accept it but they aren’t happy about it at all. In the end, it’s your life and you have to do what makes you happy.
Caity on February 19 2009 #
Blimey O’reilly Macca. This is a while away – the recession won’t last forever. Besides Amanda will be contributing to our economy, not leeching off it.
Anyway, to maintain relevancy, a few friends and myself are thinking of studying in Brighton for a masters since there’s not many jobs for creatives right now. I don’t see us working on it till we graduate in a few months time, but if you’re interested in renting a room I’ll keep you posted.
Lils on February 19 2009 #
I got such a well up of travel fever reading this. It’ll be a big move, but I think it would make you so very happy. Good luck with your research and scoping out the situation. If it works, more power to you in setting it all up.
Erin on February 19 2009 #
It hardly needs repeating, but London is not the UK and the UK is not London. Living in London doing a non-graduate job probably looks somewhat like Macca indicates – sharing a (probably not too nice) house with seven others and paying through your nose for it. A lot of professionals (nurses, police men) leave London, because they cannot afford to live there on their wages. You can live in London on any budget, but you might have to put up with really, really crappy accommodation and a more than frugal lifestyle. As for the rest of the UK, it is a totally different story. The further West or the further North you get, the cheaper life becomes (without ever getting really cheap).
I disagree with Jenny about Ryanair. It’s my favourite airline. They don’t mess you about. They get you from A to B. And nothing else. Nothing at all. But they do so for next to no money. I am flying to the continent with them next month for the princely sum of GBP 4.76 – and that includes all taxes and charges.
Hope you’ll have a ball over here!
Maik on February 19 2009 #
Wow that certainly sounds like quite a task.
I had a really great desire to return to Israel after I came back from a three week holiday… but then I stayed at my aunt who took me everywhere… so I decided that maybe that’s not quite the best experience to build something upon.
What can I say? I wish you the best of luck with moving and hopefully you can complete it. Maybe you can get some scholarship to the UK? For a masters degree? That should be two years I think (well most European masters last two years AFAIK). Or I’m assuming you tried and nothing?
Vera on February 19 2009 #
I think you would do great in the UK (and not just because you’d get to hang out with me). Have you considered Birmingham at all? It’s our second city, has great nightlife, and isn’t entirely extortionate. Great train connections all over the country, and cheap frequent buses. If I could live in any city in England, I’d pick that one.
Rachaely on February 19 2009 #
Maik, blah, I guess it just depends. I’ve heard about a LOT of shitty experiences recently re: Ryanair. =/
Jenny on February 19 2009 #
I’ve moved around countries quite a bit, and I know that it’s tough to downsize what you own and bring only the necessities/what you can’t give up with you when you move to a new place, but it’s definitely do-able if you are determined. I wish you the best of luck as you plan your move to England!
Manda on February 19 2009 #
Ahhh, how exciting! I plan on moving overseas as soon as I finish college.. Or well, as soon as I finish college and find a feasible way to support myself.
I think it’s more than just “home from the holidays” gloominess. There’s so much of the world to see.
Shen-Shen on February 19 2009 #
I think you’re really brave to decide to do this. You’re a resourceful person, so I’m sure you’ll manage fine in the UK, even with the recession.
But are you aware that you’re giving up consistantly good weather for chronically bad weather? I mean, the people who live in this part of the world aren’t even used to it… :P
Mari on February 19 2009 #
Good luck! Ignore the people who are pissed off because the economy is not so great right now. 1) It’s going to pick up and 2) it’s not like the REST of the world isn’t in the same boat! So ignore them and you’ll do just fine. Good luck on getting everything together!
Rebee on February 19 2009 #
Go for it! You’ll love living in Europe – being able to just duck over to the continent for the weekend is awesome. And you’re doing it at the right time of your life, what with the working holiday visas etc.
And while yer wan Macca is right about the job situation, on a working visa you can’t claim benefits anyway, so the point is somewhat moot. If you find a job, fantastic, and if worst comes to worst and you can’t, you can always come home and at least know that you’ve tried. If you don’t go you’ll always wonder what would have happened if you had gone.
Rebekah on February 19 2009 #
Addition after reading the article Macca linked: stuff like that is referring to Polish workers, who have EU passports, allowing them to work in the UK without special visas.
That’s the key thing – as an Aussie, to receive a permanent working visa which would allow you to remain in one job for longer than the 3 months allowed by the temporary working visa, the company hiring would have to prove that they have advertised the job locally, and that no-one else can fulfil the job requirements or perform the job as well. It also costs the company money to sponsor you, so you’re in fact going to be less likely to get a permanent job than a native Brit.
In short, Macca, get your facts straight before you start spouting off.
Rebekah on February 19 2009 #
@Rebekah: I did say, and I quote, “especially residents of the EU who can live and work in Britain without applying for a visa”
Just because it’s more to do with EU workers it doesn’t mean that bringing more immigrants in from elsewhere in the world is going to help the situation. In fact, it makes it harder for precisely the kind of person Amanda is to get a foothold. Which is why I don’t recommend trying to come over until we, the Brits, have sorted our shit out and start taxing employers of EU residents so that other people have a fairer chance of finding employment because there will be no such thing as ‘cheap foreign labour’.
Macca on February 19 2009 #
I think you can stay 2 years on a working holiday visa, but there are time limits on how long you can stay in a job, it may be easier to go over on that visa and then maybe apply for a work visa when you are over there to stay longer. I guess it depends how the economy is going, as I have heard of people going over there and using up all their money before finding a job and having to go home after a few months.
iago on February 19 2009 #
Making a move from one country to another is always a stressful period – and in this economic climate it’s even more stressful. :S
Regardless, I wish you all the best, and I’m sure everything will work out in the end (with or without the 10 million dollar heart surgeon :D)
Ivy on February 19 2009 #
Three years sounds like a good amount of time. It took me that long to like living in Seattle :P
And you do sound like you’re really planning this out. Most people just move because they feel like it but I think it’s really impressive that you’re researching a lot about the place.
Felisa on February 19 2009 #
Ohhhhh, that me with you!!
I would love to just move somewhere (anywhere), but my financial situation doesn’t allow it at the moment. But best of luck on planning your move out. I’m sure it’ll be both exciting and challenging.
Kiera on February 19 2009 #
It’s very good that you take your time with moving, and not rush into things. I see that happen a lot and 99% of the time it ends up in a disaster as people don’t go prepared. They don’t do research and than it ends up that whatever they had in mind is not going to happen, but they would have known that if they researched it first.
One thing you have going for you also, is the language, so many people move to countries on the other side of the world without speaking the language, how they plan to survive over there without being able to communicate with the locals isn’t even on their mind. You don’t have to worry about that ;)
Ryanair is cheap, and good, from my experiences anyway. I fly to London regularly and generally always with Ryanair.
Good luck preparing, just remember that a lot can happen in a year and you might have changed your mind by the time you are about to move. Just go with whatever feels right at that point, don’t push it through because of all the work you put in.
Chans on February 19 2009 #
To me, it sounds like a great idea. You’ll plan for the year and then maybe move to the UK. You’re young. People in their 20s are at the perfect age for moving about.
I have a friend who moved to London from the US. She doesn’t like it very much (because the culture is different in ways she doesn’t really like), but financially she’s doing fine. She has a great job and her own place. So, if you put your mind to it, I’m sure you can find a good job etc.
Chantelle on February 20 2009 #
My turn for a rant…
I’m from the UK and I say go for it! I love the mixing of cultures and learning something new. I also believe in immigration, as it is necessary to maintain the style of life we want.
Xenophobia is mostly perpretatred through the media, as are a lot of things, who are quick to sell a story about immigration to sell papers and make people watch their news. Most people don’t realise that it’s sort of a shield for irrational fears over security and, as widely reported, racism.
Like your cheap veg from Lidl/Tesco/[insert supermarket here]? It’s because of cheap labour. Also, most immigrants take jobs that not many people want if they want a job badly enough. I live with a Polish guy, and he speaks better English than I do (and I was born here!)
I’m originally from near Manchester (also an amazing city in the most part) and now I live in Cardiff (fantastic place – capital city of Wales. [I believe it may turn into a bidding war from the cities of the UK to get you to come and live there!!]
My boyfriend is currently struggling to find a job, but that isn’t because of the number of immigrants, it’s because he isn’t trained in a field which has a need for jobs. And because of this? He’s taking a job in a fast food place. Yes, it’s minimum wage, but it’s better than living off the dole, at least in his mind. If someone wants a job badly enough, they will get one. It’s just a case of stepping out of the comfort zone and being willing to travel further, work harder and in an industry that isn’t your first choice. If you have the skills, you’ll have no problem (to be honest, you could probably do anything you put your mind to).
Different cities have different living costs, I personally wouldn’t advise living in London. My mother lives there. It’s overly expensive. However, it is a very cosmopolitan city, as is Manchester, Cardiff and Birmingham. :D
I love Australians. The accent is amazing. I hope everything works out for you!!
Kelly on February 20 2009 #
I think some people are quick to read “recession” as “depression.” And, apparently, not so good at reading the fact that you plan on staying in Australia for yet another year. This isn’t the dustbowl, a chunk of the economy hasn’t been wiped out completely, it’s just faltering a bit. People are getting really down, but… I mean, the government here is predicting we hit rock bottom near the end of 2009, and start to regain stability in early 2010. That’s a year of bad economics, and you’re staying home for a year, so…? Everyone just needs to stop with the melodrama, honestly. Sure, people who sit around and go “I can’t get a job because of the recession *sigh*” aren’t going to get a job because they are asserting themselves. Or they are holding themselves to some stupid standard. I know of a guy who has been unemployed since October, and refuses to work at McDonald’s because it’s an “undesirable” job… umm… HELLO?! You don’t have a choice, get off your high-horse and WORK. Gah.
Anyway, you’re super resourceful, you have savings, etc. It shouldn’t be a problem. I sometimes tell people “Oh, it would be nice to move to England…” and they tell me “London’s expensive.” … Like I don’t know that. Like there aren’t loads of other places I could live, lol. Everything’s, what? A 3 hour drive from London anyway? Like I couldn’t do THAT once a week if I had to. ;)
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Well, you certainly have a lot of courage. I can’t imagine myself doing something like that, no matter how much I would want it, because living alone in a big town without any family and friends is sort of scary for me. But I think it will be a fantastic experience for you, and you should really go for it if it is what you really want!
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