Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

:eek:

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I think I'm going to share this thread with my OH after he's been back there for a month or so (he was going to be leaving ahead of me anyway to sort things out) and see if it's ringing any bells. It's funny because when I met him he said he'd never move back there, now 4 years on he's certainly forgotten why he left!

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I also lived in a village in the UK, but there was still a population of 'underclass' that is no longer a minority. I have to ask how long ago you lived in this rural area? I moved here just over a year ago, and due to work had lived in numerous places in the UK. Settle in North Yorkshire to name one.
I was answering in response to the original thread. I was putting myself in her position where she obviously does not have half a million pounds to throw at a 2 bed cottage in a 'rural village setting' therefore is more likely to be living in an area that will be subjected to 'crime, drugs, vandalism etc...'
Yes there are extrememely beautiful places in the UK, some of which I miss tremendously (Settle being one of them), but, I am also speaking from experience. My family moved to Canada more than 30 years ago, my sister missed Scotland so much she moved back 10 years ago, but her Scotland was what she remembered from late 60's early 70's and when she went back, that was not what she saw. She lasted a year and a half before she moved back to Canada. I did the same, I moved back and resigned myself to living in the UK due to work, family etc... but I am so glad I am back in Nova Scotia. I have watched my beloved country (UK) degenerate into something that is not pretty. And it makes me sad.
Being in Canada is not for everyone, but neither is being in the UK. Surely moving to another country is to make life better. I don't think this person would be doing that in this case.
As to the weather, mostly sunshine is a rarity. Yes someone may go back and strike it lucky, but try living there for a few years and then tell me how many 4 week stretches do you get without rain.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Is it full of immigrants?

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Actually - NO

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

That is surprising given all your other views are polarized nonsense. Your experience of the UK is not the majority, it's certainly not mine. Maybe where you lived was shit, but don't extrapolate your poor experience onto the entire country.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

To the OP:

Don't be taken in by people whinging about Britain, by asking on an expat forum you are biasing the results because respondees will have left, or be thinking about leaving.

I left Britain in December for the 2nd time, and while I love living in Vancouver, London is still my favourite place on earth. Yeah there's crime, drugs, and whatnot but most people experience them vicariously through the media anyway. In fact, the absolute worst thing about Britain IS the press, and the hold it has over politics, public discourse and society. I lived in Toxteth, Liverpool for 3 years and nothing happened to me at all. A year in East Glasgow: nip, nada, nowt.

I've lived in Sweden, and now Canada and can tell you that 90% of life in most countries around the world is the same; get kids to school, go to work, nip to the shops, go out for dinner etc. and so on. Moving abroad is as easy as getting a visa, getting on a plane, and looking for a job and don't let whiners on here bemoaning exchange rates and house prices on here tell you different.

BUT,

I suspect this is not about whether you will cope in Britain, because you will easily, but rather about looking for reasons to justify a decision i suspect you might already have made, in your heart of hearts.

The question is not whether Britain is right for you, but whether this man who by co-incidence is British, is right for you.

I think you already know the answer.

Good Luck.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

depends where - the north west has terrible weather. It reminds of vancouver in the winter - but summers aren't much better. We used to say in Manchester, "summer was on a wednesday last year." But the south east tends to have nicer summers.

I think weather tends to be something people attach too much importance on with respect to quality of life. It's like everything else there needs to be balance.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I don't think you read what I wrote. I said I lived in numerous places throughout the UK. I certainly did not polarize anything, was there something specific? Or do you live (lived) in a place without crime, vandalism, drugs, then you must be living in a bubble.

I guess you are not allowed to voice your opinion on this forum without idiots having to react with something nasty.
The place I was born and lived in for most of my life in Scotland was beautiful, but there was crime. I didn't live with my eyes and ears shut. I know there is also crime in Canada, but it is not blatantly in your face every time you are out in public, in Nova Scotia anyway.

I think all the people on here that say that Canada is garbage and that the UK is so amazing should go back there then.
British abroad behaving like the news portrays them....

If the girl who is thinking of moving to the UK just has to look at the comments on this website and the arguements and upset that it causes by people who just write verbal diarrhoea, then she should seriously think again about going there. I rest my case about the people of Britain, hence why I left.:frown:

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Where in Scotland did you live HS8?

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Excellent. Been a few weeks since we have had a thread like this. Care to elaborate a little?

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Ayrshire

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

How bad is it in UK? i've often considered returning.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

You are certainly welcome to have an opinion, but there is no need to be such an ex-pat cliché. The "UK is full of crime, vandalism and drugs which you see every time you go out in public" is just bollocks. These are your words - so either you lived in some really shitty places or you are lying as that is far from reality for most people.

You can accuse me of living in a bubble and resort to ad-hominem if you like, but that won't make your viewpoint correct. The fact is that the UK is not "overrun with crime", is not "a shit hole", is not "going to the dogs", is not "full of drugs". It's a wealthy western liberal democracy where most people enjoy a fairly decent standard of living - much like Canada in fact.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Would you return Al?

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

That would seem to reflect the experience of the family and friends I have left in the UK, spread the length and breadth of the place (well, from Surrey to Fife anyway). The one thing they do all have in common though is "professional" level income to support living in relatively nice areas.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I left the UK last year and have been thinking about returning - mainly because a rather interesting job opportunity appeared in a nice place. I probably won't pursue it for a range of reasons but have no doubt I would be very happy there. This is not to say I am unhappy here. In fact, as I posted before I think my life would, on the whole, look quite similar in either place.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I agree with that. I think, even after being away 11 years, I could quite easily slide back into the way of life and at a similar (or the way the pound is right now slightly better) comfort level.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

If the exchange rate went to $1.30 or something then I'd seriously consider it... I could buy a big house;)

The thing is I'm not here because I think the UK is some crime infested rat-hole, but because I like it here. In truth, living here has actually given me an appreciation of how good the UK is in some ways - now this doesn't mean I think Canada is an awful place cos if I thought that I'd already be on the plane. I like it here - BC is a beautiful place to live.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I hear ya;) if the pound continued to drop I think it may tip the scales for me.
Like you, we did not leave because we hated UK, just as if we were to leave Canada, we would have loved our experience in a wonderful country.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

The exchange rate was something that was sort of tempting me. Get current CDN salary matched in GBP, sell condo here (that it appears might have appreciated significantly - which would be a first as I have always lost money on places I have bought), convert to GBP etc. However, I was looking at SW London so it would still mean I could buy another small flat, albeit in a nice area.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Yeah, areas we'd look at would be Cambridgeshire, Hampshire or back to Edinburgh. None of which are cheap:( when we go back on hols this summer, we will look more seriously with potentially returning eyes.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I think you'll find that at no point did I use foul language, did not say it was going to the dogs, and did not say it was 'overrun' with crime, but it sure is heading that way. And if you have gone out into public places anywhere in the UK and not seen litter in the street, graffitti on walls, damaged property, heard about petty theft, etc... then I want to move to where you live (d).
My job brings me into contact with the public every day and I was appalled in the UK at their behaviour.
It is not in my nature to lie and I do not take kindly to slanderous remarks and I think it is you who are living far from reality mate.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I used to live in Edinburgh. Rented in the stockbridge colonies near the botanical garden - was a really nice old stone building, but bloody freezing in the winter. Lovely in the summer though.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Did you? I like Stockbridge - we lived in Corstorphine. There are 3 or 4 areas I would consider in Edinburgh but I need the pound to take a nosedive:lol: We may have met in a pub or two.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Litter and graffiti - is that it? That's not experiencing crime, that's just living somewhere where there is a enough of a population density - I see plenty of that here (I could say I see graffiti every day if counted the same graffiti each time). What about all the drugs and drug crime - or is that only second hand "heard about" like the thefts you've "experienced". Have you ever been a victim of crime yourself?

Your perception of crime in the UK is wrong - the statistics do not agree with you and neither do I.

(and I didn't accuse you of foul language, I accused you of ad-hominem - i.e. attacking me personally rather than my opinion).

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I agree wholeheartedly. You probably have put very well, what I really wanted to say.
I really miss lots of things from the UK -
free healthcare
greenery all year round, (the scenery)
family & friends
no tax return forms to fill in
chocolate and other foodstuffs
British television
the accent
the history
the security of knowing everything about the country you live in and how it works.
And those are the things I gave up to give my children a BETTER life.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

how so?

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I am guessing this is the kind of thing you are referring to?

"Residents say unruly patrons spill out after closing time and they have complained to the city about the noise, public urination and vomiting."

"when restaurants and bars close, "there's a lot of noise, issues with vandalism and people peeing and vomiting in the doorways.""

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

and that was just you right?:lol:

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Possibly if you were there in 91/92 which was when I was.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I was there then, didn't leave until 99.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I can't say how bad it is in the UK as everyone has their opinions on what makes a place bad, but when I first moved away from Scotland it was almost 7 years before I went back, and in that time the place had changed dramatically for the worst.
I was completely shocked at how people were behaving. There seemed to be a complete lack of respect for everyone and everything. And as I have said before I lived in various places throughout the UK from small Hamlet to large city.
My mothers council house neighbourhood had gone severely downhill. Few people seemed to have respect for their property (or anyone elses) When you went into town there were always 'neds' (chavs in England I think)or gangs of youths hanging around and making a spectacle, upsetting the old grannies etc... people seemed to have a more negative attitude to everything and moaned alot. The weather was also worse than I remembered it to be (but maybe that was just because the summer really is the summer here)
For alot of adults their only form of recreation and being social was getting drunk. There were few opportunities for my children to thrive and the cost of living was higher.
We didn't plan on moving back (to Canada) initially, it happened on a whim, but now I am so glad we have.
My 21 year old, who still lives in Scotland (finishing Uni because it's free there) came over for a holiday recently and hasn't stopped ranting about how polite people are here. For the first time in a long while he felt safe going out and walking down the street on a weekend night by himself. He said he felt more likely to be attacked by wolves or bears than by other people.
I think anyone who is planning to move or to go back to the UK should take an extended break there and experience 'life' and not just a holiday.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Good bait that mate.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Are there no dodgy areas in Nova Scotia? there must be - It is good to hear others views on the UK. Can't take more than a vacation there due to work, time and commitments.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Yes I know what it means, and no I was not attacking you personally, I was attacking the comments you made which if you care to read back seemed to be directed at me.
And as for the recent post...
I work in an emergency department and I deal with crime, drugs, theft and mindless violence every day. My friend is a police officer in Paisley and yes I have been a victim of crime. I have had my purse stolen. house broken into as has almost all of my friends (from numerous places around the UK) my car windows have been smashed and items stolen. My husband had the windows of the car smashed as he drove along a quiet street in a small town in the UK. A neighbour of ours in the village we lived was repeatedly stabbed to death by youths whom he had asked to get out of his garden just prior to us leaving the UK. (One of the many reasons we left)
You never seem to answer any of the questions I ask, therefore my next one is where did you get the information on the statistics you are talking about? And why exactly are you living in Canada?

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

There sure are dodgy areas in Nova Scotia, as working in the ER in Halifax will testify to, but Halifax is a city and I used to live in a small town (for the UK) and the ER there was horrific. Nurses, doctors and other patients were assaulted on a regular basis. Britains underclass were right there in your face. The seats in the waiting room were ripped or written on, and yes, as someone put it earlier, people were vomiting on the doorstep and making a nuisance of themselves.
That doesn't happen so much here. The Nova Scotia of today reminds me of the UK of 20 or so years ago.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

I am going back soon.

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

Having been outed by Novo, (not that the post was exactly subtle) I should post the full link:

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/arti...lly-just-a-bar

I found the bit I have bolded rather amusing:

"Six years ago, this neighbourhood would be completely unrecognizable. There were more crackheads and prostitutes on the street, but they were quiet," said resident and activist Misha Glouberman. Now when restaurants and bars close, "there's a lot of noise, issues with vandalism and people peeing and vomiting in the doorways."

Re: Advice for a Canadian moving to England?
 

You're not painting a pretty picture:eek: I'll see how I feel when I go back. Hopefully I won't be visiting the ER:)