Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 7959366)

Fair enough, parts of Canada offer something you can't find in the UK. It's worth noting though that the reverse applies, whatever Conrad Black wanted was offered there but not here.

Originally Posted by triumphguy (Post 7961195)

A peerage?:confused:

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 7961244)

High society. He could have gone to New York I suppose.

Originally Posted by Auld Yin (Post 7959256)

So, you have a nice middle-class or better lifestyle in a nice part of England/Scotland/Wales/NI. You own or are buying a nice house, you both have or one of you has a good job with an income(s) sufficient to support your lifestyle/family. You get 30-40 days vacation a year and take two or more family vacations each year. Two cars are on your driveway and you have all the boy’s/girl’s toys you want. Your children are happy in and doing well in school. You’re close physically to your families and value that greatly.

So why are you contemplating abandoning all this and travelling between 3,000 and 10,000 miles to move to Canada/Australia/New Zealand for, hopefully, a similar or perhaps slightly better lifestyle? The move will cost you a considerable amount of money to say nothing of the stress factors involved for all in the family.

There are a number of people on this site who have posted describing such a UK lifestyle. So what's in it for you?

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 7959348)

I see that as rather backing down. If your argument is that living in Whistler offers you more than living in London because you're keen on skiing, I can see that, but I don't see how it applies to living in Mississauga vs. living in Basildon.

Originally Posted by Auld Yin (Post 7959433)

I wouldn't know how to convince you. I am sincerely interested in what it means. If you'd said you enjoyed being a UK'er or a Canadian, that I can get, but an ex-pat?

Originally Posted by tracys (Post 7961850)

I live in Basildon and want to move to Nova Scotia to be nearer the (proper) ocean as opposed to Southend;) and hopefully have a larger house with a decent sized garden and better access to watersports.

Oh and you only live once so why not? If it doesn't work out there are plenty of other provinces/ countries to explore! Life aint just about money, which usually comes with a stressful job and not much family time. Holidays spent on a blackberry or laptop, no thanks. Less money,(maybe) but more real time with family wins every time.

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 7962068)

OK, if you really want my take, I think living long term in a country or preferably, in a variety of countries, other than the one you were brought up in, provides a real opportunity to recognize and evaluate your own preconceptions and prejudices.

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 7962328)

Or build up a really decent set of preconceptions and prejudices based on experience eh?;)

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 7962328)

Or build up a really decent set of preconceptions and prejudices based on experience eh?;)

Originally Posted by Atlantic Xpat (Post 7962324)

But this is almost entirely a myth about Canada vs. the UK. In business, people seem to work just as hard as in the UK. Who do you think invented the blackberry anyway? And in Canada the average 2-3 weeks vacation is a poor substitute for the 4-5 weeks in the UK. About the only benefit in terms of work life balance I have over my job in Basildon is my commute is 15-20 mins rather than the hour or so I drove from Maldon to Basildon and back each day. And if I lived in Toronto rather than Newfoundland, my commute would be just as bad as in Basildon.

Don't get me wrong - Canada can give you opportunities to do lifestyle type things that you can't do in the UK - but essential for the professional classes (and I include tradespeople in this) moving to Canada is generally about affording a bigger house and having more land and perhaps more toys.

Still, having worked in Basildon for 14 years off and on, I can see why you might want to get out!;)

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 7962338)

Possibly. But I did it my way. ;)

And on edit:^^ wot 'e said.

Originally Posted by Alan2005 (Post 7962340)

I said this once ... everyone denied it.