vh3

We are in BC

Elnino05

I moved to a town in Warwickshire. I just avoided the big cities really. There are loads of schemes available for first time buyers at the moment. I don’t live in the cities so crime rate is low. I am on a £10 contract with 3. My utilities are lower compared to Canada. I find groceries cheaper than Canada no doubt. I don’t want to be biased but I love England.I wish I could have some things from Canada here I.e Dentist! You have no family yet and a Canadian citizen , take the leap. You might end up regretting not taking the chance. Trust me, you would question your decision at some point.

LuxetVeritas

I remember food in the UK is not only cheaper but better quality; glad to hear that's still the case. I hate the big cities as well that's why I'm avoiding London at all costs.
I suppose I could return to Canada if things go wrong but I doubt I'd get as good a job as the one I've got now. I agree with you that if I pass on this job I might regret it- it's a great job I found also in the UK. It's just every time I read the Guardian and the BBC I get scared- stories about crime, stabbings, etc. Perhaps I'm over-reacting though; it just seems this is happening more frequently than when I lived there a decade ago. I'm leaning towards taking the leap.

Helen1964

The British media is terribly negative. Here in France the country could be teetering on the brink of collapse and the local news channel would still be wittering on about milk yields in the Vosges and showing rosy-cheeked peasants gathering cherries.

Just ignore the press and take the leap. Sure, you’ll have regrets. But you’ll have far more if you never give it a try.

Elnino05

The media has always been negative if you allow them get to you. There is crime everywhere. You will struggle a little bit. Think of the reason you wanted stay back and the reason you want to give this a chance. Have it at the back of your mind, you left a long while ago. People have moved on. You will have to build the life you want all over. It will be frustrating sometimes trust me. Comparing Canada to England is like comparing apple to a banana in my opinion. It would be down to preference. What you really want and what’s best for you. You will miss the scenery and cleanliness a lot and some comfort attached to Canada but then there will always be a trade off. A lot of people here would ask why? And think you are probably crazy. Only you know what you want. The popular saying you only regret the chances you don’t take. Follow your heart . Be sure it is what you want. You will be fine.

Tumbling_Dice

I read the Guardian quite a lot (for a different perspective) and I genuinely wonder if most of their journalists, and a lot of the BTL commenters, have any joy in their lives. Yet the reality is that many people are living happy lives in the UK. The problem seems to be that only bad news, or the worst possible spin on good news, sells. Most of the British media are awful with this. I grew up in Northern Ireland and what I saw on the TV, read in the national press, and my daily life were as chalk as to cheese.

I have reached a cross roads with Canada myself - I feel if I don't return to the UK I may do irreperable damage to my career. When I find a good opportunity in the UK, I will be going for it.

Moses2013

Although in Ireland myself, I have stopped watching Irish/British news. Let's face it, you are only a 4 hour drive from Detroit but it probably doesn't bother you that much. Helen1964 mentioned France and people have this romantic picture of the country. If you've ever been to Marseille at night you probably won't find many British places worse.

LuxetVeritas

Cheers Elnino05. So it seems all these doom and gloom stories about crime, Covid and Brexit are just that. My mates tell me that all the time and are telling me to man up! I miss the place so much so my heart definitely says go for it. I just have to convince my mind, especially since things have plateaued in my career in Canada and this opportunity in the UK seems very good.

LuxetVeritas

That's how I'm feeling also- now it's not just about missing the UK it's also career related as I feel I hit a plateau, even though my boss just told me today he's very happy with me and I'm covering for him next week! That said, I just have to convince my mind as my heart is fully settled on making the move. I'm struggling to find a place to rent but otherwise everything else is in order.

LuxetVeritas

Never been to Marseille but I also hear bad stories coming out of France. That said, reading Le Monde it's not as negative. The one thing I'd say about the UK though is I'm not sure it's the best place to grow old- there are better places out there. But that's something I can think about when I get to that age/phase of my life.

Twitcher1958

I’m also in Ontario but feel we’re doing much better than the UK at present.
Rolling 7 day average of new cases here is less than 300 in population of 13m, compared to current UK daily cases of about 30000, 50% of Ontario adults fully vaccinated and over 75% with at least one dose. Also Ontario is now vaccinating teenagers which I don’t think is happening widely in the UK yet. I would say Ontario is doing significantly better at present but it’s important not to get complacent I know.

christmasoompa

Don't forget you need to look at testing rates too though to get a true picture. No idea how much they're testing in Ontario, but it's around 7.5million tests a week in the UK as a comparison.

Twitcher1958

No - you’re correct in that I didn’t mention that particular measure, as it’s not so widely reported here, and those were just examples of comparisons. They tend to quote a positivity rate instead which is currently 0.8% but I suspect the UK test far more pro rata than Ontario.

Tumbling_Dice

Pro-con list I think. Actually write it out. I did that this last weekend and I have many pros (for the UK) and only a few cons (mostly things like the litter and dog crap that is everywhere, some of the aggression from people, the feral scrotes that rampage around at times, and the unreliable summers). The cons I have lived with in the past, and are mostly avoidable. The pros, such as career, travelling to interesting places, friends and family (my family), presence of interesting history, football etc. and Europe on the doorstep. To name but a few these are the pros for me and the page simply doesn't lie.

I suppose the only caveat is that numbers in each column many not mattter so much as the weight of each entry. You may have 10 pros but one insurmountable con. Anyways, my ramble is over. I wish you the best with your deliberations.

Moses2013

I actually drove to Enniskillen today and must say that there was no dog crap and hardly any litter lying around. You do see it out the country roads now and then but not bad overall. No idea what the people do there for a living and although far from perfect, you have so much on your doorstep if you like the outdoors. People were out on their boats and no aggression to be seen. Of course everyone's situation is different and when we came to the Republic house prices were a lot cheaper and wages in certain sectors (Sales/IT) double what you earn up there. But again every situation and location is different and the UK one person talks about is not the same UK for another person.