Djuro

Hello everyone,

I may be in a position to move to Jersey (potential job offer). I have done my research on basics such as housing (including the qualified/licensed issue, that will be fine), healthcare, cost of living but what I am more interested in is how easy or difficult it is to blend in for an outsider and make friends? I had lived on an island before and experience has showed islands can be a bit closed towards outsiders (logically enough if you are separated from the world by a long stretch of water). This is especially an issue for my spouse, she isn't a native English speaker (nor do we currently live in an English speaking country) and she may not be getting work immediately so she is worried it may be difficult to make friends there. Does it get boring after a few years given how small the island is? We aren't outdoorsy types so beaches and the like would be nice to have but not something that would make us want to move on its own.

We don't have to make the decision yet but want to be ready when/if we do but we are really struggling. We are fine where we are now but the move should result in financial benefits and probably would be good for my career and at no detriment to spouse's (she dislikes her job so wouldn't mind leaving it).

Anyone from Jersey or who has moved there and stayed on? I found an old thread but would love to hear about fresh experiences. It mentioned the binge drinking, is this an issue if you do not live close to bars and pubs? Wouldn't want to be kept up by sounds of drunken louts on a Friday night.

Thank you so much for your replies!

Pollyana

Got a good friend who worked on Guernsey for a while. He liked the peace and quiet but after 18 month cabin fever set in and he started to get annoyed with being "trapped". He made a few good friends through a common interest, but they had all grown up together and so he was always a bit of an outsider. Money was good but in the end it really was too remote and too insular, with everyone on the island knowing everyone's business. Also when it came to work there was a large culture of "Its always been done like this, don't try and change it" even when practices were outdated and dangerous. The Islanders always thought they knew best.
Jersey may be lightly better, being larger, but definitely be prepared to fight to establlsh your place there.

sid nv

I spent a few years in Jersey. At the time it was described as "50,000 alcoholics clinging to a rock". I fitted in just fine.
There are plenty of other outsiders (grockles) and you will soon make friends in the pubs. Good weather, good surfing, if you are OK with the housing situation it is all good.

Moses2013

It really depends on the person but Jersey can get very boring at times, especially if you prefer larger cities. I'd say people are still welcoming but since the population exploded and housing got worse, it's not like it used to be. My family still have friends there and now you have over 100.000 people on the island. A lot of the old attractions also closed over the years. If you like walks along the coast and good pub grub it can be an option, but most people struggle during the winter when you've been up and down King Sreet several times. The biggest challenge remains the high cost of living and limited housing options for non quals, so it really depends on salary. If you have enough to live on and can escape to France every now and then it could be OK. You also have big Polish and Portuguese Communities if that might help your spouse.

Djuro

Thank you all for your replies so far. You have more or less confirmed what I thought. Meaning the decision will remain very difficult. At least there is no financial issue to worry about.