fidobsa

Are there any Brits in Croatia? I am thinking of moving from Hungary to Croatia and it would be good to hear from any expats who are already in Croatia, especially Zagreb or inland locations rather than at the coast.

Rural Hungary

No, that was my idea.....
Copycat

Ray51

Home office's estimates say that some 40 , up to max. 60 known Brits live in Croatia/Hrvatska ;
N.B. Anyone but the below-age of 20 Croats are still openly suspicious or even-anti British ,
partly 'cause what their long-indoctrinated perceptions dictate
( rightly ?? or mostly Wrongly ! )
as GB's rule the Balkans' wars ,
partly 'cause huuuuge ignorance in their insularity and their common admiration for ONLY all things German ,
partly also : poisonous Jealousy + critisms where it often is not due , again , from 20-odd years of anti-UK propaganda in all public ( read : Gov't controlled ) media .
Although the Brits I know of there all claim that they love their new lives , I also know that virtually all of the position to keep a property in U.K. or somewhere outside CRO , also : they travel abroad , to shop and keep sane
( a little ! ) more than most of us , in NW EUrope...

HVO_1111

What perceptions would those be? That the UK (at least at the start of the 90s) colluded with those attacking Croatia (namely the Serbs). The Tory government very much did and many of its members had business interests in Serbia. Some of those perceptions are valid, but you're right re appreciation of all things German.

La_LuNa

hey guys

just found this thread, and since I'm from Croatia (Zagreb), I'd like to say few facts about it:
this is small but very, very beautiful country! we have great highways so you can travel almost anywhere in a matter of few hours, and you'd be astonished with landscape and diversity this country offers.

but... that's pretty much everything I can say when we speak about nice things....

thinking 'bout moving to Croatia? ONLY if you have solid "Plan B" (ie property and/or job waiting for you in your country of residence); only if you have enough money to support yourself if you can't find a job (most likely you won't) and if that amount of money is enough to cover your medical expenses - 'cause our public medical care sucks big time - if you need to run some tests for example, you'll wait for months; or you'll go to some private clinic and pay for it.
And, only if you're not afraid of evil, rigid and grumpy people

No, seriously, this country is a ruin (which is really sad 'cause it's potential was HUGE!!), our economy is almost non-existent, our public services are a joke and waist of time, public health care and educational system are outdated and way under capacity needs - especially in big cities.
Unemployment rate is really, really high. there's almost no middle class left - only the few rich ones and lots of poor people rummaging through waste containers in search for plastic bottles ('cause we get some money back for plastic bottles).
People are desperate, depressed and lost all the hope.
Oh, and also, they are very conservative (ie our Gay Prides are events of high risk, other nationalities, especially visible minorities are often verbally (and sometimes physically) attacked.)
Politics are deeply rooted in every aspect of life, there is a lot of corruption. Bureaucracy - oh, God, I could write about it for months!
Basically, we're an EU member with EU laws and regulations only on paper, and with EU prices and costs of living but Eastern salaries and enormous taxes.

I lived in Zagreb my whole life, I'm Early Childhood Educator and work in a public daycare and I'm so revolved and disappointed with everything in this country.
In past two to three years hundreds of thousands emigrated (which is really scary fact when we know our population is a little bit over 4 million) due to unemployment and no perspective for our children.
We're on our "mission - Canada", too, and will soon leave without any hesitation.
So, it really astonishes me when I see someone's considering living here

Oh, and yes, people really are obsessed with everything German, but it's not because we don't like Brits or sth, it's just historical - we have lots of people with German origin (my family, too), we were a part of Austro- Hungarian empire for quite a long time; and in the '70s and '80; and then again in'90 (because of the war) lot of people emigrated to Germany, Austria and Swiss

And people usually don't speak English well. Younger ones do, because of school, tv and internet; but people over 40 - not so much.

So, if you have any questions, feel free to ask, I'll be glad to help with information.

Closure of this giant post: you all know about Greece, right? Crisis, debt, bankrupt? Well, Croatia is on the same way, to become new Greece. We all hope it won't happen, but the prognosis aren't optimistic

mrjonah

I live in Split and have done so for just over a year.
Employment - Yes unemployment is very high, so either come here with means to support yourself, i.e. Pensions, rental income from your home country. Even if you do manage to find employment wages are pretty low. At the moment with the tourist season about to start there are plenty of hotels upping their staff. However for example a receptionist working 6 days a week on 8 hour shifts is likely to earn between £300-£450 / month.
Do not despair though as most of the expats here either have the pensions/rental income so lead a nice relaxing life without the worry of work, or have their own business'. With joining the EU there are many grants available with a little research.

Language - In the coastal regions I have never found a problem with the language, most speak English, enough to get by and get what you need. Italian and German are taught from early ages and English is Mandatory from year 1.

People - I found the majority of people are friendly and willing to help. They love to sit around drinking coffee and complaining about money, but don't we all

Security - I personally feel very safe. Children walk the street and goto school by themselves from a very early age. During the summer they have all the beaches and enjoy life outside. Moving from the UK we lived in a small town and yet children were walked to school, the teachers wouldn't let the children go until they were handed to a parent, here the bell rings they leave. Simple. they use the buses by themselves, they cross the roads and the nervous ones are even helped by other children or adults that happen to be crossing at the time.
There appears to be no major crimes in the area I am in and this is the 2nd largest city in the country, not some village.
Money - I have about 25% income to that of what we were earning in the UK and yet we seem to be out more and enjoying life. I don't think twice about walking out the house with less than £5 and yet I can go get a coffee and some food, enjoy the sun maybe an ice-cream and come home with some change.
Does the country have issues, yes, but if you plan properly then you should have no worries.

I live just outside an Roman Emperors palace, where over 3000 people live, in their various little apartments. During the summer the population must double or even triple with tourists from all around the world. There are numerous islands to visit, ferry prices vary from about £3-£5 for a foot passenger depending on which island. Its certainly worth a look and not I don't work in the tourist industry trying to recruit you, I am just an ExPat relaxing in the sun, most of the time.