Goochie

I think I read a thread on here some months/years ago about someone that had relocated to the South West.

Having been stuck in a dead-end job fr a while I've decided to start looking for a new one. I live in Oxfordshrie so the initial thought was to look around fairly locally.

However, my wife suggested that we could use the opportunity to advance our long term plans and relocate to the west country!

So I have 2 questions.

1) Has anyone else done the same, or relocated to somewhere miles from where they used to live.

2)For those who live down there...... Generally speaking, what are employment levels like in Exeter/Plymouth? I've applied for 2 jobs (mechanical design) in Exeter but what if I got made redundant or something, is there much work to be had? My wife would be looking for something, possibly part time, in a shop or office admin.

Jap2Scrap

I've relocated from Southampton to Pontefract (225 miles) in the last 6 months. Some of it's easy, some not so. You do tend to feel a little outside the loop if you're working with locals. Fortunately I work in a university so more often than not I come across people from all over the world. As for job opportunities that far South West, a couple of years ago I was tempted to move to Yeovil and I have to say that job hunting (I'm also a mechnical design engineer) was not particularly fruitful. OTOH get yourself far enough into the sticks and there are plenty of grants available to help you set up on your own.

HTH

Goochie

Thanks.... we're used to feeling a little outside the loop where we are, and that was after moving just 30 miles from where we were bought up. Its amazing how you learn about a place when you're a kid but dont have the time/inclination to do so when you're not!

Jap2Scrap

I still struggle with the concept of not being able to turn off the main road on the way home from work and using a shortcut. I did it once and headed off in completely the wrong direction. You do take for granted how well you know your local area and the position of the towns around your own so you never get lost!

Iain Young

I've lived in Swindon for all my life (33 years) and I still get lost if I try and take a short-cut which I haven't tried before !!!!

Goochie

Apparently people with good geomagnetic sensitivity never get lost, I find I'm one of those most of the time. I see the point with Swindon though

Scoobychick

iTrader: (1)

I relocated over 200 miles from the South East (Herts) to North Yorkshire nearly a year ago to move in with my boyfriend who's Yorkshire born and bred.

The things that took the longest to get used to were:

Not being able to pop in and see my family & friends whenever I felt like it which was really hard although I'm used to it now
Having to drive everywhere with a map open beside me.
Finding the best places to shop (Was fun looking tho' )
Finding the best places to park.
Getting used to the different climate.
Being surrounded by strange accents.
Learning that bread rolls are called tea cakes

The hardest thing was not being able to find a job and wages are much lower here than in the south east. After six months of unemployment I set up my own business so that solved that

Nearly a year down the line I feel like I've lived here all my life and don't feel like the stranger in town any more. I don't even notice the funny accents now, in fact it seems strange when I go down south and am surrounded by southern accents

I'm really glad I made the move, it was a huge step at the time but completely the right one for me. I absolutely love living up here now and know that if I moved back down south I'd miss this place like hell.

BOB.T

Even with me in the car!

papascooby

Is your wife your sister?

Can mechanical design be applied to tractors?

If your answer to the above questions are both yes then you'll do just fine

Goochie

nope... my wife is not my sister, nor is she a tractor

deano

My advice is to do it. I relocated my business from Manchester to Devon in December. If you are looking for industrial space then there's loads to choose from and it's very cheap. Houses are pricey but at least they have stopped rising.

Be prepared for a slower pace of life, this takes some getting used to. We have an Indian restaurant that shuts at 10pm and the burger van on my industrial estate closes for dinner! On the upside, everyone is very friendly and I don't see any rubbish, graffiti of smashed bus shelters anymore. Crime is very low, in fact our town had 29 reported crimes in the whole of December.

Exeter is a growing rapidly, but it wasn't for me. The whole point of my move was to get away from all that. There is a big demand for care workers, builders, plumbers etc. If you have a trade then you will be o.k.

Good luck.