OllyK

It seems a number of people are planning to leave Blighty for sunnier (metaphorically at least) climes. So I thought I'd start a thread to discuss emigration, what countries are preferable and why, the job opportunities etc and how one goes about setting the ball in motion.

Anybody been through it all and prepared to provide an account of their experience?

The Zohan

In my case I registered with an agency who deals specifically with my sort of business, events/media. I did not expect to get an offer from abroad and had not really given it much thought until a really good job came up in Dubai for a great company.

I had an interview in the UK ands I have been offered a job subject to me going out to Dubai on an inspection visit. Not just me But Jenny is invited as well, this was the idea of the company and they are paying for this which I think is a really decent thing to do. Whilst out there we will look at nurseries, schools accommodation, job opportunities for Jenny as well as my work so hopefully a good useful trip not just shopping and lying on the beach

From my pov it is a huge step, the job is permanent so we will all be going, Jenny the kids and I will eventually end up out in Dubai assuming we like it.

It is being made easier by the decline of the UK at this present time. I have bitched about it (like you do not already know) for years. I now have an opportunity to see if the grass is greener in the other side.

I am now 41 going on 42 - This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and will be great work experience. From what I understand Dubai is clean, safe and pretty much crime free - they actually punish offenders out there!
There are very good schools and nurseries for the kids and a good chance for them to mix with other cultures and not just the dregs of society.

The money is good and UK tax free if I am out there for more than 13 months (and it fits with my tax year) so a great opportunity to earn good money and actually keep it!

I feel this is an opportunity not to be missed for me and mine

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

I did a similar thing 6 years ago, I stuck my CV on the internet with a description of what I was interested in and I got a reply from an agency ofering me interviews in Switzerland and Germany. I had a phone interview with a German then was flown over to do a day of interviews with different departments. A month later I was offered one of the jobs, I was put intouch with HPs relocation dept and they handled everything including getting a lorry over from Germany to pack up my house and ship it to Germany. The agency also sorted me out with all the work/resident permits, registered me in the country sorted me out a bank account and cell phone etc

They also found apartments for me to look at and took me to view them then helped me sort out the contract with the landlord.

That was all 6 years ago and now I have to do it all again as I am moving to New Zealand in the near future. Lets hope everything goes as well and smoothly as it did in Germany.

Freak

Want to go the new york to live NOW

Sadly, US visas are not easy to get....and my profession and degree are so specific and awkward, its making it a million times harder- not to mention its not the sort of job that is advertised.
Looking into starting a business over there now to get me a visa- will be there for good within the next two years max hopefully.
Failing that, Canada is the backup destination
Wont be coming back to live here!

As long as I take my records with me, Im happy..... no real ties here TBH- cant wait to leave.

Brendan Hughes

I got out as I've never fitted into the "get pissed on Friday night, complain about weird foreigners, we used to be wonderful but all of our country is going down the toilet" mentality that seems to come with being British.

I did it by choosing to study Russian at evening classes at a time when it was still much in demand (1992). If I'd done it 3 yrs later I wouldn't have been looked at due to the number of Russian degree students graduating. I sold my car and funded my own stay in Moscow for 4 months (living worse than a student, commuting 1.5 hrs each way on public transport) for no money, just to get a job reference that would start the ball rolling in another job.

After that, it's been "carpe diem". But I wasn't married, didn't own a home, and didn't have debts. For more settled people, it's a lot more of a challenge.

There is no way I could work in a little office in England any more, with the blinkered viewpoint that comes with it. Working in an international environment (and it is international) is always so much more interesting. I've just had some eye-opening discussions with French and Germans about the French protests - they couldn't understand why the Anglo-Saxons thought being fired after 2 years was normal.

But TBH I think it depends on the half-full, half-empty mentality of the person doing it. I know a number of people here and previously, Brits or otherwise, who get together in their little expat groups and just complain about the country they're in, moaning that it would be so much better in "their" country. Can you imagine the NSR/average young white Brit's response to that? "Well why don't you just **** off back to where you came from?" Be aware that if you do it, YOU will be the outsider immigrant that you previously complained about.

Anyone thinking of doing it - you might find it a lot more limiting if you have your heart set on a particular country from the outset.

The Zohan

I thought you where a drug baron?

Brendan Hughes

Yeah, but if I advertise that and other people copy it, I'll lose my market share

Markus

Olly,
I am typing this from a rather nice condo in Toronto, it's sunny, but a bit chilly outside, but I love the place. I have been here since April 2003 and I've no intentions of moving back to the UK, sure, it's not perfect and there were a few hurdles, but I like it.

Our company had just opened a Canadain office and I was asked if I'd like to relocate out there. I was told that if I didn't like it, I could still return to the UK and have a job. I thought that it was too good an opportunity to miss so I relocated, and I don't think I've ever looked back.

Things are different here and some information we were given by various places, including the British High Commision were/are complete tosh. For example, we were told we could exchange our UK driving licences for full Canadain licences with no issues, this was, in April 2003, a complete lie! There was no direct exchange programme.

We were also told that if we had proof of motor insuance history from the UK, this too would be respected by the Canadain insurance companies, again a lie and still is until this day, unless you are very very lucky and find a good insurance broker. Then we have credit history, again not respected by the Canadian banks. This makes purchasing and insuring a car somewhat difficult. I ended up paying more for a 92 Passat than I did on my 94 Modified WRX Wagon!

However, niggles like that asside, I do like it here. Yes, it can be very cold in the winter, which feels like it lasts for an enternity, but it's a dry cold rather than the UK's wet cold. Put it this way, it can be -17 here (without windchil) and it's not too bad, it can be -3 in the UK and I'll be moaning about it being too cold! The summers since I have been here have been wonderfully warm, a bit of rain here and there, but nothing like the UK.

I am looking into permanent residency and also, once that is done, I'll apply for citzenship, yes, I like it that much!

Would I recommend relocating to Canada, yes, I would! more so than the US, partly as getting into the US is very very difficult. One of the reasons we have a Canadain office is that they welcomed us in, whereas the US have a serious issue with people wishing to work in the US, they really do see it as "stealing" a job from a US Citizen.

StickyMicky

am i the only person who likes the UK?

Brendan Hughes

BTW, just to add, I was not motivated by the "worsening" political situation in the UK - when I left, people were complaining about thirteen years of Tory rule, mismanagement, sleaze, etc. The only thing that's changed is the name of the party

stevencotton

I was offered the chance of an interview for a job in Copenhagen in 1997 by a friend that worked at the company that was hiring. They flew me out for an interview, I was offered the job and moved a month later.

Second job abroad was in Oslo, I'd responded to an ad on the Usenet no.jobb.ledige.stillinger I think, sent them my CV, they flew me out for an interview and I was offered the job a week later, two weeks after that I was there.

It really helps if you already speak the primary language of the country you'll be moving to, and if you have friends there that can point you in the right ted-tape direction, although any company you end up with should help you out with that.

Next stop, I don't know. I'll go anywhere where there's a good, interesting job, although I must say having been to NZ the past couple of years, and heading out there again in ten days time, I quite fancy spending some time there. Fortunately I have family there so that will help my search for a job, I'll take my CV with me and contact some agencies whilst I'm out there perhaps. The problem will be having interviews

Steve.

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

If we all leave who is going to pay for those poor folk who dont feel like working benefits?

Karl 227

I did it nine years ago (sounds like a Desperate Housewives ad), lol - Sorry I moved to Germany with my wife and two girls (6 & 24months old at the time). I had experienced life in Germany to a certain extent as a teenager so knew what to expect, ie. less crime, less chavs, more beer, a nice one way toll road, etc etc. I actually used to scour the Telegraph etc looking for UK companies that wanted to expand into Germany, after about three months I had found one and been offered the job of setting up a sales office over here. I arranged the sale of our house, removals and everything else but the company footed the whole bill including all of the legal fees etc. It was difficult for my wife at first with two small kids and no German language, but we now have a standard of living that is far better than it was in the uk, bi-lingual kids, and are very happy indeed, my wife says she'd never want to move back to the UK (which is fine by me as that's where the MIL is).

The Zohan

You do raise a good point, the people leaving are the tax paying bread and butter of this country and are not being replaced like for like imho.

I have paid tax and ni since 1980 without a break or claiming anything. When business was bad i found out about benefits. As i had been self employed between april 2004 and June 2005 i was not entitled to unemployment benefit. so no benefits for me even though i had paid in all of my working life.

Fortunately i did not need it not would i have been entitiled to it if i had needed it. Tell me why scroungers and others are entitled to it having never paid in and i am not - if you can!

Brendan Hughes

I thought it was obvious? It will be the influx of Poles and Lithuanians that are continually discussed on other threads.

Freak

Oh boy is that true.........

OllyK

I assume you speak German? I suspect that would be my biggest problem, apart from a smattering of French, my linguistic skills suck, so I expect I'd have to look to an English speaking country?

OllyK

I don't have a problem with johnny foreigner that tries to integrate, and that would be my concern about moving, my ability to do what I would expect of others. Not due to a lack of willingness, but due to my crapness at speaking other languages.

Drunken Bungle Whore

Nope - I love it here too! I have a job I love and I am genuinely proud to be British. Of course there are scum and dodgy politicians here - but the rest of the world is really no different. Plenty of people leave the country for genuine reasons - and good luck to them - but lots of others just believe all the doom and gloom the media feed us and think the grass is greener, when it never is.

I've also known people emigrate to escape personal problems - another mistake as you can't escape yourself.

I'm staying here - and loving every minute!

Brendan Hughes

Olly, you can sometimes twist that to your advantage by becoming the English editor for someone else's publications, for example. As for local integration, that's up to you, but of course the level of language required is so much less than trying to close a complex business deal.

Karl 227

Olly, one thing I would say is that being able to speak the language is very important and will become more so in the near future. The Germans for example are talking about tightening immigration laws (as are many other EC countries) even to the point of taking language and general knowledge tests, ie. name six mountains in Germanys mid region?

Brendan Hughes

Claudia Schiffer, Giselle Bundchen, and can't think of another two...

Karl 227

LOL

Heidi Klum

OllyK

Indeed, which, being honest, pretty much excludes Europe for me.

Karl 227

OK, so that narrows it down to what? America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Wales? Tough choice, especially the last two lol

OllyK

Indeed, although I'd probably be OK in any of the former commonwealth countries (not sure I'd want to stay in too many of them mind).

Brendan Hughes

Not sure if this applies in Olly's case. Surely there is free movement of workers throughout the EU?

Markus

I saw your comment about you thinking of starting a business in the US. Good luck! I trully mean that too! They are *******s when it comes to foreigners wishing to work there. We opened a US office and needed to move over five people (2 sales and three technical/development). We're a niche company, and so it's not like just any old tech support or development chappy could do the jobs we do. The boss wanted to pay US taxes and be all above board, but basically they would not let us.

Interesting thing is that the office was based in st louis, which isn't exactly known for it's technical prowess, it's more of an industrial city, and we did look for employee's but they simply were not there, that didn't matter to the immgration chappies though.

Wurzel

iTrader: (1)

When I moved to Germany 6 years ago I could speak about 4 words of German, however the company gave me German lessons which didn't last long as my teacher got pregnant and left

But I am the only Brit in my team so I am subject to German all the time, we speak mainly English at work with it being an American company but with the exception of a handfull of Brit mates, most of my mates are German and I hang out with them. Not being able to speak German is not a problem as the majority speak English but you will need to learn some German to get by for when you go shopping or need to speak to someone you don't know, you can not automatically assume they speak English. However if you try to speak German to them and are making a tit of yourself they will speak English to you if they can.

I would not let the language barrier stop you trying in a non English country, as aragant as it might be, most foreigners speak enough english for you to communicate with them.

Markus

Am pretty sure Australia is fairly difficult to get into, not sure about NZ though. As mentioned, the US is a complete pain in the **** to get into. Canada is, I think ok, I came in as an intra-company transferee, so I've not actually been through the whole job hunting and visa application thing, so can't comment. However, there is a good expat meetup group that can offer advice