calman014

I have been abroad a while and moved initially for work that actually left some money in your pocket at the end of the month.
Then I said " I'll give it 10 years! " and of course nothing has got any better in UK in the meantime..that was in 1979.
Moving abroad has given my Children many more opportunities and a much more stable environment for their upbringing besides other plus points like being multilingual.
All 3 of them are married, have good jobs and we now have 4 grandchildren to keep us busy as well.

This is a good forum for great information but also experiences of others around the world.
It has certainly helped me out of a few tricky situations when I had no clue.
In return I at least try to help out others based on my own skills and experiences.

One thing that still makes me laugh unfortunately the naivety of Brits just expecting to get on a ferry with a van full of furniture and expecting it to be a success at the other end.
Perhaps prior to Brexit this may have been easier but now it's completely messed up. It never needed to be like this. There is at least this forum for great tips and information.

I voted to join the EU in 1972...but was excluded from voting for/against Brexit like many others who lived abroad for a while already.
Thanks to the sloppy exit I don't even have any local voting rights any more in my country of residence.

Despite all this, I am glad I am where I am. The taxes and medical insurance costs may be eye-watering at the very least, but I have some quality of life and can only shake my head at how the citizens of the UK are being let down. We still have family there of course, but the state of the country is obvious despite the stoicism of the people.

Hoping for some kind of change of fortune in that respect.

christmasoompa

Hi, where is 'here' please? You've posted this in The Welcome Inn so let us know which country you're referring to and a mod will move it for you.

calman014

Actually it was just a general introduction but Netherlands is where I am located, thanks.

spouse of scouse

It's good to hear that you're enjoying the life you've made in the Netherlands, and that your children have done so well. You've been kind enough to give me advice a couple of times in The Lab and it helped so much.
Enjoy your grandchildren - they sure do keep us busy!

calman014

Spouse of scouse: you are very welcome!😀

Almost emigrated to Oz myself actually in the early 80’s but then a good job came up and so here we are.

EU.flag

You'll find that money and good health can buy happiness anywhere, even in UK.

Moses2013

True and it's not the system that counts, it's also the service you can personally get. You can have the most modern and best public healthcare system on paper but worth nothing if the treatment you get is crap.

calman014

EU.flag : stating the obvious I would think.

If there is no money over at the end of the month even though you have a good job, qualifications and average salary there is not much point in hanging around.
It's a position many find themselves in now, just as I did in 1979. I love the UK, just don't recognize it any more.

Red_Wine_Fairy

I remember you moving here Calman, that's quite some time ago now I'm glad you settled down and built a good life. Like you, despite the high taxes, we had more in my pocket at the end of the month than when we lived in the UK. I think that is partially due to the fact that there is a smaller gap between salaries of the mangers and those below is less, and that means someone working in an admin role already earns double that which they could in the UK, etc etc. We also found a culture where children were allowed independence and had a society that catered for their needs (not sure how having Wednesday afternoons off school to do sport or cultural activities would go down in the UK )

I'm surprised about the Brexit vote though - it is 15 years before you lose the vote. I was here seven years before you and still managed to cast my vote, having lost that right just last year - did you move here from a different country than the UK or did you not register as an overseas voter? Like you, I would have a very tough time returning to the UK now, I think that affects a lot of people who put down roots elsewhere and are content with the new life. Unfortunately, I want to retire somewhere in southern Europe (and far from the 'Full English' crowd) and so Brexit continues to haunt my future plans, as it has shattered them for so many wanting to start a new life on the continent. I am just lucky that I can get my Dutch citizenship and therefore passport at some point next decade via the optie process (thus retaining dual status). Still, we are in a better position here to obtain nationality when we reach retirement age for very little 'jumping through hoops' (after 65, no integration exams, cheaper, etc) compared even to other EU countries, so can't complain

calman014

Hi RedWine Fairy, I was not registered as overseas voter back then and my first port of call was Germany for 2 years before settling in NL.
I did however vote to JOIN the EU back in '72!
I had a great job in the UK, and for the time reasonably paid. Just that it was too close to London making it economically unviable to stay there.
I left my family in another part of UK and commuted once a week, but after a year I had enough of that and decided it was time to move on.