What is life like in the UK for expats?

Posted by QuantumNomad88@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 341 comments

I may have a once in a lifetime career oppertunity in the UK, but it would require me to leave the Australia, land of deadly animals and sunny beaches, to live in the UK for at least the next 4 to 5 years. What is it like living in the UK right now? Things are tight here too economically, but I am interested to hear the perspectives of people who moved to the UK and what they think? PS: I am obviously not worried about the wildlife, but will the local pub still allow us convicts in?! 😂

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TooBald@reddit

Fellow convict here. I’ve been living in the UK (on and off) for the last 10 years. Came here for reasons very similar to your own. The best bit of advice I was given before I moved was to live somewhere nice - at the very limit of affordability - as this will have a massive impact on your experience. I am in London, and yes it is expensive, but it is a wonderful city IF you can afford to live there. As others have said, make the most of your proximity to Europe and escape to warmer weather whenever you can.

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HerrFerret@reddit

Good tip. I heard of some south Africans that moved to the UK and were a bit skint. They moved to a tower block in Luton. Ended up alcoholics that never left the house once the depression set in. Move somewhere nice. Make nice friends. It's worth it.

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Distinct-Goal-7382@reddit

What places are nice? Everyone likes to call their hometown shit

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Straight_Ad5242@reddit

Happy to help. Where in the country do you want to be?

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Distinct-Goal-7382@reddit

anywhere that doesn't have teenagers thinking they're drug dealers and gang members

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Super-Berry3912@reddit

If you like a smaller historic town in the countryside, I would suggest Shrewsbury. Larger historic town: Chester. These places crime is v rare. My favourite city is Liverpool, friendly locals, beautiful city centre and despite the stereotype, very minimal crime, the scouse accent takes a while to understand but I lived there for 3 years and loved every minute. Obviously if you want a mega-city London is the only option but I think it's overrated & overpriced.

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rectal_warrior@reddit

Clapham needs a few more residents 😁

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Awesome mate, thank you very much 🍺

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mellonians@reddit

I wonder if living like a pauper and using all spare cash to see Europe every month is an option.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Don't tempt me! I'm holidaying accross europe in April and I'm hoping to use that time to scope it out.

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Significant_Cut_9485@reddit

I moved in the UK from France 6 years ago and it was the best decision I made. I chose a nice and quiet village in the countryside in Oxfordshire. I absolutely love it! People are so nice, it’s quiet, safe and beautiful. I feel at home and I don’t see myself leaving the country!

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JJY199@reddit

Having done the reverse move there isn’t a salary out there that would make me move back. The country is in hell of a mess , people are miserable and the weather is garbage for 8 months of the year

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Yeah i work with a couple of fellas who moved accross and they said the same thing. Scared me a little...

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EloquenceInScreaming@reddit

I used to live in Oz, and I noticed the poms out there often seem to talk up the idea that the UK's falling apart, like we're all trying to convince ourselves that we made the right decision to move. My take? Australia's a little bit richer, but in truth living standards are pretty similar. I prefer the UK on balance: I like being able to walk places, and found a lot of Oz pretty soulless. Great people and weather, though

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JJY199@reddit

No i can assure you it is falling apart Debt ridden , flatline economy, depressed society , ancient infrastructure, ancient public transport

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UnicornFartIn_a_Jar@reddit

Shockingly expensive. And I live in the North, so not even in London

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haybayley@reddit

Have you seen the cost of living in Australia though? It’s way higher across the board than the UK (albeit with generally higher wages).

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

Not if you have a family. In the U.K. you are either spending at least 200k Aud per anum, living in the middle of nowhere where, or living like you're in a houso suburb on the dole.

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haybayley@reddit

I do have a family and spend nowhere near that amount, living in a decent sized town in the Home Counties half an hour from central London. We bought our house in 2017 in our early 30s. So none of those things.

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

How big is your house? What does your town look like? Do you children go to private school?

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haybayley@reddit

It’s an average-sized semi. It’s a nice town, not as posh as some surrounding villages but more diverse. No. What difference does any of that make?

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

How big is average sized in sqft? 1000? A houso lifestyle involves non-selective public school (a state comp) for the kids, a small dated house (under 1500 sqft), living in an area that isn't very nice (not as many trees/parks, probably some social issues, maybe some litter etc.) Australians have much higher living standards. To live a middle class Australian lifestyle (mid sized house 1500-2500sft, private school for the kids, nice suburb with a decent tree canopy, some nice parks and clean streets, 1-2 holidays a year etc.) you have to be in the top 5% economically in the U.K.

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haybayley@reddit

I think what you mean is Australians have _different_ living standards. It’s not a direct comparison. Housing square footage is not given as much priority here (because our country is 1/32 the size). My house is less than 1500sqft but is over 100 years old with loads of period features (which are seen as desirable qualities here). “Tree canopy” isn’t a consideration because I live in an area of outstanding natural beauty, and we have an entirely different climate which means here trees and green spaces are a given in all but very few urban areas (and even then most cities have plentiful parks and trees). I holiday 3-4 times a year, camping in the UK 1-2 times and doing 1-2 weekend city breaks to Europe as well as a longer, usually European but often longer haul holiday. I also live and work within a short commute (by Aus standards) to one of the most richly cultural cities in the world and see world-class theatre (my personal interest) at least once a month. My other half is more of a music fan and he frequently goes to major and minor gigs less than an hour from our house. The Australian lifestyle of spending more time outdoors and having a large property is different (not better or worse, just different) to the British one on the whole. You can’t compare them directly. The cost of housing, groceries, public transport and some utilities (internet eg) are demonstrably higher on average in Australia, however.

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

I've lived in both countries, you can definitely make direct comparisons. Period features are also valued here in the housing market with plenty of heritage homes available. In my experience U.K. cities have less green spaces than Australian ones. Tree canopy is a really good indication of how much greenery there actually is in an area. I have also noticed a very marked difference in cleanliness. The lifestyle is certainly different but so is the access to services. I was *horrified* by the conditions in the health services in the uk (NHS especially but private faculties are often lacking in cleanliness as well), access to the NHS is a joke, schooling also tends to be of a really poor standard for most people as well while in Australia there is some investment in infrastructure for state schools and private schooling is far more affordable. Just really awful in comparison to what I was used to. This thread was asked by an Australian looking to move to the U.K., my comment was explaining how it feels from an Australian perspective. I know that many of your countrymen are perfectly to happy with life in the U.K. and that's awesome, but many Aussies find it hard because the middle class lifestyle in the U.K. feels like a poor persons lifestyle to us, especially if we're trying to raise children there.

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UnicornFartIn_a_Jar@reddit

This, I have 3 kids

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Glass-Evidence-7296@reddit

Saw an Australian guy tell a disabled homeless dude asking for money " you're fucking lying m8, lying c\*nt". Welcome to London

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Straight_Ad5242@reddit

Good on him.

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happyxhappy07@reddit

I moved over to the UK March 2023, from outside of Adelaide. Settled around Nottingham area. I currently work within the NHS, but also work privately and have recently started a business. Like anything - if you like shiny new shit and buying lots of it, you’ll find the moolah will dissappear. Being Midlands, rent isn’t too bad. The options for renting to suit your needs are here. Terraced, semi detached etc If you want to live down south then obviously it’s more expensive - how much I couldn’t tell you. Phone, internet is much the same Beers are cheap - back home before leaving an imperial pint of Furphy was on special for $10, but would normally pay $15 . Here £4 to £6 depending on what you are drinking. Had a pint of Extra Pale Ale at the rugby club, £3.30. And the glasses are all served according to beer - pour a Peroni and you’ll get a Peroni glass - the novelty for that is still strong with me Car insurance can be pricey. Unlike Aus - if you wanted to be tight and just have 3rd party and property, over here you need comp insurance. My current is £1400 a year including the wife’s car and home insurance included. You’ll have road tax to pay here also on top of that. I was SA so you don’t need to do a roadworthy unlike VIC and NSW, you’ll be able to carry over your license - you’ll be given an auto license unless you can prove you did your driving test in a manual. You’ll have to do MOT every year. Second hand cars can be cheaper - and if you love your European cars, it’s bliss. Alot of car financing over here too. I couldn’t tell you much about the trains - but coming from SA - it’s real nice have the train station around the corner here to go (when they are running) Working with the NHS and seeing for what it is - it’s different. Emergency care is top notch, the people working there are great (you always get a few dungas but that’s like anything) but chronic long term health conditions are a nightmare for people to receive the care they need. GP’s are different depending on your area. Our GP runs on a on the day booking system which is shit for if you need to plan in advance for an appointment but great for emergencies. You’ll need to get dentist privately - it’s difficult to crack into NHS Dentists. I don’t have private health care - if needed I pay out of pocket. BUPA is terrible here for paying out - but all I know is that from an allied health care perspective, so if you use private physio in Aus, they won’t pay out the same amount here. Another positive -relatively cheaps air travel to Europe. Except during school holidays, fuck that. And more options rather than QANTAS. Food - you’ll have way more choices over Woolies and Coles. Aldi over here is better but all the supermarkets are much the same, just depends what’s closer, if you need anything in particular etc. The dark days in the middle of winter can get to you, I don’t mind the cold, I enjoy it but the darkness on tbe drive home can feel like it’s 10 at night when the you’ve just knocked off at 4pm Mate I can hands down guarantee you’ll get with the ‘Why did you move over here? Everyone is going over there? How could you leave the sun and the beaches… Oh and public footpaths - can walk through private farm fields. That still gets me, feels slightly off and uneasy but perfectly (legally) fine. Any questions feel free to ask - unless youre a Victorian, then you can fuck off.

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VLM52@reddit

Did something similar. Not from Australia but somewhere else with perfect weather and sunny beaches year round. There's a charm to it. The countryside is super pretty, and London is a fun place. Apart from that - the weather is shit, English pay is abysmal compared to back home, the NHS while well intentioned is absolutely infuriating to deal with, and it feels like there's just this.....odd complacency everywhere that's slowly dragging everything down? Kinda hate my new employer, and I'll be heading back rather than staying in England and switching to a new employer.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Yeah i noticed the huge pay gap to home, it's a big difference. The NHS thing does worry me, I have read about it a bit and know it's a current issue, but was hoping private medical cover would make a difference there? I hope it all works out for you!

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snarkycrumpet@reddit

my sibling has private medical cover but didn't help when she suspected leukemia and the NHS doctor online appointment request system wouldn't give her an appointment. Private insisted she was the GP as next step. Turns out it was leukemia and now nothing more can be done so she will die, maybe a prompter response by the NHS would have made a difference? We shall never know.

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Dirty-Handicap@reddit

NHS is really sad. Think about it. Ironically NHS worker are moving to AUS now.

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uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

I don't think private medical cover is quite as robust as it is in Australia and certainly not the US. I've anecdotally found it pretty difficult to get specialist referrals covered by my insurer despite it the referrals being made by their own GPs which is a pain. Private hospitals here also don't really deal with emergencies AFAIK - not sure they do in Aus? The NHS definitely deals better with emergencies than other stuff and it depends a lot on where you end up living. I think wait times generally are better in London than much of the rest of the UK. Whereas in some more rural areas you might have to wait 24+ hours to get seen at A&E, they treat people in beds in corridors because they don't have enough rooms, etc. Tbf public services here in general are a bit bare bones and seem to be getting worse and worse due to lack of government funding.

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GreenCache@reddit

The funny thing about medical care here in the UK is that there is a randomness factor sometimes in how fast you can be assessed or even treated (that’s ignoring the initial fight to get an appointment). Our GP surgery is rated very poorly yet I’ve received both a quicker and more effective service then I ever did from my old doctor in a highly rated GP surgery.

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textbook15@reddit

The best way to integrate into British society is to join the rest of the country in the daily race at 8am of getting through to the GP. I managed first place yesterday, felt like an Olympian. Pro tip is to remember the numbers you have to press on the keypad to get through so you don't have to listen to the options in the morning.

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7148675309@reddit

For historical interest - when I lived in London in the early 2000s (£ was stronger and before 15 years of no wage growth in the UK) - we would have people from Australia come to the UK on short term secondments. They stayed on their local salaries and they weee paid rather less than London folks - and conversely our people lived like kings in Australia on their UK salaries! For me I moved to the US in 2003 - and has the UK office not agreed to pay me the difference I would have had to take a 25% pay cut. If I ever returned to live in the UK now - I’d easily be taking a 50% pay cut.

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AntiDynamo@reddit

NHS is still (mostly) okay for emergency type things, it’s chronic conditions, long term conditions, and non-emergency where you’ll struggle. If you have a long term illness or condition that requires active management I’d recommend against it, just because it is such a postcode lottery

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anotherMrLizard@reddit

Depending on the sector, their job might come with private medical insurance.

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AntiDynamo@reddit

It’s an apprenticeship that pays <£20k, so probably not

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anotherMrLizard@reddit

Ha, I just assumed it'd be a well-paid position. OP will definitely struggle on that anywhere in the country, unless the company is contributing to expenses, accomodation etc.

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ChampionshipFar4279@reddit

Honestly it depends where you are. I’ve lived all over the UK (never London) and have always found the NHS to be excellent. Never had any issues at all. If you’re old or have a chronic condition that requires a lot of care it’s a different story. It’s a health service, not a care service. That’s why it’s struggling.

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BlackJackKetchum@reddit

If you are young and in good health, private health insurance will not be terrifyingly expensive - assuming you are earning serious money.

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JAKFRY@reddit

If you're on good money, UK is a great place to live. Without trying to pry, how much will you be in and where?

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asmiggs@reddit

Private medical cover allows you to see a GP faster and you may be able to skip the line for a few treatments, but private operators are not setup to deal with everything. That said assuming you are young this isn't going to be a problem for a while, and you can take a view on it when approaching retirement age if you still want to live here.

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textbook15@reddit

If you don't have any serious long-term health conditions and aren't on any waiting lists for treatments etc etc you'll be fine.

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Distinct-Goal-7382@reddit

You from the US?

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Flangepacket@reddit

Curious where you have perfect weather, sunny beaches and a where the health system, pay and social oomph is better than the UK? I’m ready for a move, sounds ideal ;)

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VLM52@reddit

Southern California. There's caveats ofc, cost of living is high and the US healthcare system has its own issues, but i'd be making 3-4x what I make here, and if anything I was paying less for healthcare in the states than I have been paying the NHS here.

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Flangepacket@reddit

Sold.

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Serious-Goose-8556@reddit

I’m from Aus and this is similar to my experience. I had so many fun adventures, lovely times, and made fantastic memories and friends which I will literally cherish until I die. But overall the 12 months I spent in uk was some of the hardest in my life. And some moments were god awful. I think if the salary was even half of my Australian wage it would be different but everything was a struggle. Maybe I had whatever the opposite of rose coloured glasses were but when I wasn’t travelling and stuck in Exeter everything just looked grim and every minor inconvenience was a nightmare. Even the commonly mentioned benefits of uk like the euro trips didn’t apply to me as a) I couldn’t afford it on my uk salary and b) there’s no good flights from Exeter so I’d have to spend 3hrs on a bus, 2hrs at the airport then another 2on the plane. In that time I could get from my doorstep here in aus to any stunning beach, rainforest, coral reef, city break, skiing, whatever.

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Proletarian1819@reddit

My pay is not great and I have a couple of holidays in Europe every year. Can get all inclusives for a week in various places for £600 no problem.

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TableSignificant341@reddit

Well firstly we are immigrants - not expats. So overall it's pretty grim here. But you'll always wonder if you don't do it. We came for the money and we're leaving because life here sucks in comparison. But we couldn't earn this kind of money in Aus/NZ so now that we've earned enough to retire early, we're moving back to that side of the world.

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Glass-Evidence-7296@reddit

Australia pays more across the board, but indeed in some sectors like Finance or Big Tech, London salaries are only beaten by America

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TableSignificant341@reddit

> but indeed in some sectors like Finance Exactly this.

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Glass-Evidence-7296@reddit

I'm a student currently looking for a full time role....... do you mind if I DM?

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TableSignificant341@reddit

You're welcome to but not sure I'll be much help tbh. Took an unusual route in when first entered the market.

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Ch33seboys@reddit

What makes you an expat and not an immigrant?

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Secure_Mission6931@reddit

They say “for the next 4-5 years”, which implies they may intend to leave and go back to Australia. Which makes them an expat and not an immigrant.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Correct. Australia is my home, and I would always come back. But the career opportunity is only available in the UK so it's where I would need to be for at least the term I agree to.

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Ch33seboys@reddit

Still an immigrant. Absolutely nothing wrong with it but it’s quite jarring to see how some nations consider themselves “expats” vs considering others immigrants

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broken_freezer@reddit

It absolutely is a nationality issue. I have never heard of anybody talking about Pilisb or Romanian expats in the UK despite many of them going back home eventually

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Confudled_Contractor@reddit

It’s not. Expat is temporary. Immigration is permanent. Simple English, but nuanced enough that even good non-native speakers may not know the difference.

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broken_freezer@reddit

In theory it might be, but let's be honest, I have already said in my previous comment - have you ever heard of Polish, Romanian or Slovakian expats?

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JohnnyRyallsDentist@reddit

Yep..Same with French, Spanish, Dutch etc. Colloquially "Ex pat" tends to often be reserved to describe those from UK, US, Aus, SA and New Zealand - skilled Professionals moving temporarily between English-speaking nations. It's often the same in those countries, too, as far as I know. Just the way it is.

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lil_timmzy@reddit

Tell that to the media and right-wing politicians

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broken_freezer@reddit

Exactly that. Until both terms start being used interchangeably and randomly as most linguistic nuances are, I won't believe that it has nothing to do with race, politics or economical status of countries

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lil_timmzy@reddit

A simple survey of mainstream news and how these terms have been used would unravel the arguments of those hiding their heads in the sand

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JohnnyRyallsDentist@reddit

I guess my point was we don't hear of "German ex pats" or "French ex pats" much either - is that race or economic status?

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broken_freezer@reddit

Not sure pal, I've never heard of any Nigerian expats either

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welshdragoninlondon@reddit

People can call themselves whatever they want. If someone from Poland wants to call themselves an expat they can.

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broken_freezer@reddit

Brilliant, I'll be calling myself an expat from now on

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welshdragoninlondon@reddit

If you move to another country you can. It's not really that controversial a statement.

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broken_freezer@reddit

I am from another country and never once have I been called an expat. I guess I can call myself one but what does it matter if the public opinion is already decided on the matter?

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welshdragoninlondon@reddit

OP is calling himself an expat which is in his right to do. Similarly if a polish person wanted to call themselves an expat they can aswell. As the definition of expat is someone who lives outside their place of residence. Ive never heard of anyone calling someone else an expat or seen government officials refering to expats. So it's nothing to do with public opinion. It's just a term to refer to oneself if you intend to only stay and work in a place temporarily until move back to country of residence.

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textbook15@reddit

I know what you're getting at, but 'expat' generally implies an skilled worker/industry professional moving to a different country for a few years before returning. Whereas immigrant implies anyone, skilled worker or not, moving to another country with the intention of permanently (or at least for the very foreseeable future) settling down. OP is an expat and not an immigrant in my eyes because they're only looking to come for a few years, but if they wanted to settle down, they would be an Australian immigrant.

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lil_timmzy@reddit

Semantics

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Ch33seboys@reddit

Like British expats in Spain?

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Exita@reddit

They are mostly *not* expats. If you’re not going somewhere to work, with the intention of moving home after, you’re not an expat.

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textbook15@reddit

If they fit the definition I gave? Yes. If they don't? No. I'm not trying to defend the way it's used in every context. But this is such a stupid talking point in the context of OP lol.

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nfoote@reddit

Good plan but remember life changes. I came here for three years, since here 16 years later. Wife is English, kids in school.

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glasgowgeg@reddit

Would it not make them an "economic migrant"?

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SeatSnifferJeff@reddit

No, that's still an immigrant lol. Regardless, talking about "expats" in a UK forum, would mean people who left the UK, not moved to it.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

My ancestors were stuck on a prison transport out of the UK and onto a big ass uncharted island in the southern hemisphere back in the early 1800's. You call it immigration, i call it just coming home 🤣

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SeatSnifferJeff@reddit

The home office calls it immigration, so you can argue the toss with them.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Or apparently with "seat sniffer jeff" on a public forum.. thanks for your abundance of advice and help 👍

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blacksmithMael@reddit

Bloody hell we've been a shit lot to you this morning. I'd call you an expat and you're welcome in our village pub anyday. England's a bit weird at the moment, but my only knowledge of Australia is from when our children watch Bluey, so I'm a bit ignorant.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Haha thanks mate, never know i might take you up on that if it ever goes ahead. Us Aussies are tough, I live around 'nope ropes' (snakes) with more bark and bite, and I can give it as good as I get it 😅🍺

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Ch33seboys@reddit

You’re so cringe

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Not as cringe as that username, jesus...

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AskUK-ModTeam@reddit

Don't be a dick to each other, or other subreddits, places, or people. Don't be a dick to each other, or other subreddits, places, or people. AskUK contains a variety of ages, experiences, and backgrounds - consider not everyone is operating on the same level or background as you. Listen to others before you respond, and be courteous when doing so.

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Ch33seboys@reddit

Still immigration - and nothing wrong with it

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Savingsmaster@reddit

That’s literally the definition of an expat. Also, why would talking about expat in a UK forum only refer to people leaving the UK? Anyone from any country can be an expat in any other country…

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SeatSnifferJeff@reddit

>expatriate ***noun*** >someone who does not [live](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/live) in [their](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/their) own [country](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/country): Literally the same definition as an immigrant. >Also, why would talking about expat in a UK forum only refer to people leaving the UK? Anyone from any country can be an expat in any other country… Because it's implicit. If I asked the question, "what do you UK emigrants think about the UK?", who do you think the questions would be directed to?

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Savingsmaster@reddit

Immigrant noun a person who comes to live permanently in a foreign country Completely different definition to expat. No idea what your example question is supposed to demonstrate. The question asked by OP (title of this thread) is “what is life like in the UK for expats?”. I think you need to work on your reading comprehension if you struggle to understand who the question is aimed at (I.e expats in the UK)

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SeatSnifferJeff@reddit

Mostly countries give you permanent residence after 4 or 5 years, so that definitely counts as "permanent" (that's ignoring that fact that most countries will consider you "permanent" for social security reasons after 6 months). It's not like they are coming on secondment for 6 months.

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Savingsmaster@reddit

Most countries absolutely do not just “give you” permanent residence after 4-5 years, that’s an ignorant statement to make. Firstly it’s something you have to actively apply for in basically all cases. I can’t think of a single country where it’s just handed out automatically. Secondly, allowing someone to apply for permanent residence after 4-5 years is very much a Western European thing. Most countries outside of Europe require much longer than 5 years, with many countries actually not offering any form of permanent residency at all. Lastly, “permanent residence” is not really permanent in most cases because usually there is a rule that basically says if you spend x number of years outside the country you will lose your status. In the UK this is 2 years. If OP is not intending to stay beyond 4-5 years then they have no reason to go through the process to obtain this.

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SeatSnifferJeff@reddit

> I can’t think of a single country where it’s just handed out automatically. Good job I never said that then >Secondly, allowing someone to apply for permanent residence after 4-5 years is very much a Western European thing God job then UK is in Western Europe then >Lastly, “permanent residence” is not really permanent in most cases because usually there is a rule that basically says if you spend x number of years outside the country you will lose your status. In the UK this is 2 years. And? So what you are saying is that the UK considers you to have permanently left the UK after 2 years?

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Smugness1917@reddit

Are we interviewing all the people coming in boats to ask how long they're staying for before calling them immigrants?

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textbook15@reddit

Don't think they're coming just to spend a year or two

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lil_timmzy@reddit

So you think all immigrants are people who came in on boats ?

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textbook15@reddit

How could you possibly reach that conclusion that from what I said? The entire thread is about the difference between ‘immigrant’ and ‘expat’. The fact that OP is deciding to return to Australia after a few years means they’re an expat. The commenter I replied to is saying that we don’t ask the people arriving on boats how long they’re staying before calling them immigrants or expats. My point is that if they’re risking their lives arriving on boats, they’re obviously not going to just stay for a year or two, they’re coming for life. Therefore that means they are immigrants. I’m not being political, I’m literally just talking about the meaning of the word. I’m of Indian heritage and am only in this country because my parents immigrated here, and I am grateful for it. Literally nowhere did I insinuate all immigrants come on the boats.

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nfoote@reddit

Tell that to the media and everyone banging on about the UKs immigration problem given a huge portion of the problem immigrants are students who return home after their studies.

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Captainpinkeye3@reddit

I don’t think the people are angry legal immigration though. I certainly see the benefits of immigration. The country (and Europe) would be a lot worse off without them. I think what really makes the people angry, is the sheer amount of illegal/undocumented immigrants that make it across the border with no repercussions and the government’s historically spineless approach to tackling it coupled with the media stirring shit instead of just delivering facts.

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Dry_Action1734@reddit

Yeah but tbh people didn’t call Polish builders expats when complaining about them sending all their money home (and thereby not buying stuff in the UK).

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ThunderousOrgasm@reddit

They are both. See my other replies in this topic. Immigrant and emigrant are used to describe a person moving from one country to another. The “direction” of travel determines which word to use. You emigrate **away** from one country by immigrating **into** another. Expat is just an old slang term for emigrant, it comes from the Latin “exspatiari*. People using expat are just using a British English slang term to refer to an emigrant. If you move to another country, you are an expat **from your home country** and an immigrant **into** your new country. Interestingly, emigrant is present in almost every language on earth. And in almost all cases, people from those other countries refer to themselves with their equivalent to emigrant/expatriate. But only English speaking people seem to trigger responses of offence like yours, because you think the very basic rules of language are somehow some deeper thing, white supremacy, or delusions of grandeur. And it means you get triggered when you see English speakers using the exact same language literally everyone else does, probably because you don’t speak any other languages and so don’t realise it’s basic language rules lol.

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Smugness1917@reddit

Colour of the skin, level of development of their country of origin. A few factors. /s

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JohnnyRyallsDentist@reddit

I dunno. We don't tend to refer to French, German or Dutch Ex pats much either.

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MakeshiftBodyBag@reddit

Money

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somnamna2516@reddit

If you’re a ‘footy’ fan over there (NRL) there’s plenty of RL up north to enjoy too. games a bit more open and off the cuff in superleague.

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idontlikepeas_@reddit

Another Ozzie here. Pros and cons. Summer is the same as winter in Oz. Too many people. Driving 20mph. But we weekend in Greece. Meet in cosy pubs. Live in historic places. You have nothing to lose. Australia will always be there. If you hate it you can go back (but give it 2 years as that’s how long it takes to find your feet).

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Patient_Risk9266@reddit

‘we weekend in Greece’ - I’m gonna need that explaining to me.

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BritishBlitz87@reddit

OP is very posh

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HaveFaithxInMe@reddit

I was looking at flights to Malta for the weekend and it's £40, Oslo was £30. Just take a backpack and watch for deals!

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Illustrious_Study_30@reddit

Budapest for £36 in Feb.

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HaveFaithxInMe@reddit

There's just so many options it's overwhelming 😂.

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Patient_Risk9266@reddit

Unless this guy is posh enough to helicopter and private jet it to Greece it seems like an insane way to spend most of your wkd travelling to grab a bit of sun and some gyros…

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slip-slop-slap@reddit

It's not that difficult if you snag a Friday evening flight out and a Sunday evening flight back. I've even returned to Gatwick early on the Monday morning a couple of times and taken the train straight from the airport to my office

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phatboi23@reddit

probably not, a mate of mine does 2 weeks in Germany or somewhere in Europe every 4 months or so and he's the social media guy for a group of airsoft sites in the UK. flights are cheap and he can live out of a single checked back and hand luggage that is mostly his camera kit.

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BritishBlitz87@reddit

Anyone using weekend as a verb is posh

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AmaroisKing@reddit

Three hour flights, there and back.

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Patient_Risk9266@reddit

Plus an hour to the airport plus need to get to airport 2 hours early especially bloody Heathrow.. 2 hours on the other side getting through airport plus transfer… Hard pass.

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idontlikepeas_@reddit

Then don’t go. I’ll enjoy Greece while you slum it in… whatever

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AmaroisKing@reddit

So, some people are happy to do it, they didn’t say every weekend. Just because it’s too hard for you, does mean it is for others. YMMV, champ.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Cheers mate! I appreciate that, I really hoped I would hear from some fellow convicts on here about how it compares.

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MattGSJ@reddit

Mate on mine was in your situation and we worked together for a couple of years. He visited more places in those two years than I’ve been to in my 50. The UK has great options for living and exploring but it’s a springboard to see so much more. Most of Europe is within a 4 hour flight and most served by budget airlines so you can spend every weekend in a different country / city and still not run out of places to go while you’re here. Salary might not be at Aussie levels but his feedback was that costs of living was still slightly better in the UK. Most people are very friendly and there are a lot of expats from ANZ, depending on where you’re based.

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idontlikepeas_@reddit

Actually I did miss this. Salary drop to be expected. That was a huge shock.

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tinned_peaches@reddit

I was gonna say, it might be a nice opportunity to visit the rest of Europe whilst you’re on this side of Earth.

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snoopy558_@reddit

Who weekends in Greece 🤣

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idontlikepeas_@reddit

…. Everyone I know?

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cmdrxander@reddit

Certainly very few Brits! It must be a shock though, moving from Australia - where everywhere is like 8 hours away or more - to Europe where flights are a lot shorter and cheaper. I’d probably want to make the most of it if I knew I was only spending a few years here.

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

That's not fair, the last summer was bit some years it gets warm.

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idontlikepeas_@reddit

Buddy…. In Brisbane it “gets down to 25” in winter. Sit this one out

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uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

The weather really depends on where you live as well, in the South summers are surprisingly warm even at lower temps because of how incredibly humid it is. Our winters aren't too much colder than in Melbourne or Tasmania either for the most part.

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Perpetua11y_C0nfused@reddit

Warning: your first winter back will be a kicker!

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tahmid133712@reddit

What's the difference between an expat and an immigrant

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Broccoliholic@reddit

Just do it. If you’ve got the job offer, then make the most of it. Enjoy it while you can. If you don’t like it, bugger off back to Oz. Easy peasy.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

See, now you and I, we could have a beer together 🍺 I like the attitude

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rectal_warrior@reddit

Will jump up here and dump my thoughts as a M36 pom to aus immigration of 6 years. Obviously the main thing is the weather, for some Aussies they love it, if you need regular sunshine and time outside not wrapped all up, you will not enjoy winter at all. There was over a month straight where the sun did come out in parts of the UK this winter. Right now the sun rises at 8 and sets at 4, it will only be gray 80 the vast majority of the time. Do not underestimate how much of an effect this will have on your mental health, social life and hobbies. But hey it's snowed this week so that's the silver lining on the weather. And people really make the best of the summer, parks are full of people, festivals are going off, good times. You probably have a fair idea on how much you'll be earning and rent prices, and in general the cost of living is less in the UK, but wages are lower so it's harder to get by, I find hospitality usually more expensive in the UK. There is no RSA and it's very obvious in the evenings, people get really smashed and cocaine is rife, this is great for a lot of Aussie backpackers, it makes it hard for people who want to socialise without skulling pints and sniffing gear though, YMMV with age groups and hobbies. Being close to Europe and having loads of amazing live performances easily attainable is a major bonus, other than that the UK is just Australia with a funny accent or vice versa, any culture shock you'll have will be minimal, we've had Tim tams for decades and our pasties smash your pies any day. It'll be the family+friends/climate/nature you'll miss from Australia.

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Particular-Bid-1640@reddit

Tim Tams suck compared to Penguins. I know Aussies love Tims but seriously the Penguin is easily twice the chocolate and quality, I'm not even trying to push it from a nationalist view, I just think the Aussies would really enjoy them!

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rectal_warrior@reddit

I'm sorry, I came to Australia with the same attitude, but it's very, very wrong. Tim tams have some insane flavours, they are undisputedly the superior Chocolate biscuit. If you haven't tried a Tim tam slam I suggest you give it a go, alongside a penguin so you can compare.

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Particular-Bid-1640@reddit

Genuinely didn't know about the other flavours so happy to concede that. But I'm still firm on the base milk chocolate contender: it's Penguin city all the way baby

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Flaky_Yard@reddit

You can’t compare the likes of London/paris/madrid as cost to live is ridiculous. Prices generally worldwide are increasing , just the shit end of the stick we all get it seems

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InfectedEllie@reddit

“a” beer together? As in just one beer? Maybe the UK isn’t for you.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

It always starts as one... it never ends there 🤣

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Depth-New@reddit

Based on what my friends have said, who are currently living in Aus, things are far better over there economically than they are here. One friend specifically told me that his Australian friends complain about the economy, and that they have no idea how good they've got it. Lots of young people are leaving the UK for Aus, including myself in 2 weeks.

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RevolutionaryTale245@reddit

When are you coming back?

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Depth-New@reddit

No plans to return, but I’ll inevitably want to come back to be closer to family. I’m sure I’ll also miss being surrounded by people of my own culture. But I just want to live a little whilst I’m still young.

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mrvlad_throwaway@reddit

he'll come back when he sees a huge huntsman spider on the bedroom wall! in all seriousness though hope it works out for ya bro, I been telling lots of youngsters australia is the place to be to experience a better lifestyle. the UK has seen better days!

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Depth-New@reddit

No idea what I'm gonna do work-wise; I'm planning to travel around first, and I'll plant some roots in the place I like the most. I've got quite a bit saved up. Freelance 3D modelling work I was doing to survive at university took off in my first year, so I dropped out. So, financially I'm in a really good position for my age, but the years of working from home has gotten very depressing! Feel like I need to shake things up, so any work that involves meeting people is good enough for me

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mrvlad_throwaway@reddit

sounds good. just be careful as australia can be really expensive (especially sydney my favorite place) - your savings can be soon ate up with no income coming through. other than that, good luck with everything! worst thing about uk to aus is the excruciatingly long plane journey (I hate plane journeys) funnily enough the first one I did I jumped into the deep end and did a 12 hour flight non stop. I was on edge the whole time - when I landed my legs felt like jelly and hands were sweating profusely - my blood ran cold! I'm a bit better now though.

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

Is it legal to buy flamethrowers there?

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mrvlad_throwaway@reddit

[Australian huntsman spider - might look nasty but they're harmless and eat the bugs in your house](https://www.reddit.com/r/AbsoluteUnits/comments/k1dok8/this_australian_huntsman_spider/)!

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dmmeyourfloof@reddit

I don't care if it's harmless, I am getting ze flammenwerfer. It werfs flammen.

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Ok_Investigator7568@reddit

Working in London UK. Dont bother moving. The weather is bad 70% of the year. You will then become a hermit with no social life. It is only worth sightseeing

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Shaper_pmp@reddit

The best thing about London is that there are groups and communities and subcultures and events for pretty much *anything* anyone can ever be interested in. The bad thing about London is that because it's so large and diverse and populous there's no one "natural" community that's handed to you on a plate, like there is living in a rural village where you see the same faces every day in the local shop, on the street, in the (one!) local pub, etc. The point is that in a small village you barely have to put any effort in at all to feel a sense of community because it's handed to you on a plate, but if you don't like something about it you're basically S.O.L. In London you have to personally put some effort in, but there are *multiple* communities for literally anyone if you only do the work to find and join them. There are a lot of people on London who find it lonely and isolating, but with respect that says more about them than it does about London itself. You're bang-on with the weather, though. In the dictionary under "dreary" it just says "see *weather, UK*".

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bix_box@reddit

I'm sorry that is your experience, but it's absolutely not mine. I've lived in London for two years and have a wonderful social life year round. So many things to do every single week. I love this city.

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Erebus-C@reddit

If you become a hermit in London, that is a you thing. London has pretty much every kind of hobby group you could ever want. You just need to actually put yourself out there.

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Professional_Elk_489@reddit

When I first moved from Melbourne to London in 2012 I was amazed at the economic set up. Back in Melbourne I was on $23 AUD an hour stacking shelves at Coles which was worth £15 per hour at the time. I earned $31.40 on Sundays (£20.40) and $40 on Sundays (£26) after 8pm. On public holidays I was on 2.5 X around $52 (£33.80) think. In London I think people stacking shelves at Tesco were on about £7-8. They were also not paying any penalty rates and lucrative Sunday opportunities after 8pm & public holiday work was practically non-existent - apparently too cruel I was told My rent was $530 for a double room in Carlton 750M from Melbourne Central and my meat & groceries were from Queen Victoria Market. Going out to a club cost $10 entry. Pints were pricy but there were apps with lots of 2 for 1s and some $5 pint happy hours. Didn't need trains as I lived so close to everything and could bike. In London my rent was £610 ($938) for a tiny bedsit with no living room in a squalid council house shithole and later £780 incl bills ($1200) for a normal sized room. My train fare was £265 per month to get to work ($408). I was on a £22K salary ($33.8K) and my friends were asking me how I would survive. They thought it must be cheaper in London and were incredulous I was reporting everything was so much more expensive except wages. One day (last day before pay day) I almost had to fare evade to get to work because my bank balance nearly hit zero and I didn't have a credit card. Alternatively I would have had to lie that I was sick and take the day off work. Fortunately I had about £2 left after my ticket

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ShameSignificant3916@reddit

Coles is only $25 an hour in 2025

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Professional_Elk_489@reddit

Wow didn't go up by much. I never went back to AUS. How about general prices?

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kindaadulting87@reddit

I'm an Aussie, have been living here for seven years and just spent two years back at home - returned here in June. My British partner and I are finally buying a house here. I would have no chance in Australia currently (unless I settled for a flat or went more remotely), and rents are screwed. I know it's the same here but I felt it much more over there. I guess it's tough everywhere for 30 somethings buying/renting but for me personally, I have a better shot here at owning.

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Depth-New@reddit

Out of curiosity, where in Australia did you live, and where in the UK have you moved? Me and my mates are all from south east England, so the most expensive part of the country. They’ve moved to Melbourne, which is comparatively better according to them

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kindaadulting87@reddit

I lived in Western Sydney, currently rent and will be buying in the Midlands.

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

The Australian economy is what? Mining?

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Professional_Elk_489@reddit

Yep. Mining is 13% of gdp - sizeable

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itsmetsunnyd@reddit

A girl I knew was making plans to do exactly this, she's a nurse and the pay is way better there relative to here.

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Arch_0@reddit

I just talked to someone that said it was the opposite way round!

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Broccoliholic@reddit

Sorry my friend, I’m actually living in HK now (and previously Japan) following the same philosophy. ✈️

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LHMNBRO08@reddit

Not sure if your comment about being a convict on the edit you made is a joke or not 😂😂😂 but if you are a convict, that could significantly reduce the possibility of being able to move to the uk. Uk, pubs are good and fine, big cities have a lot going on, more rural is quiet. Weather is terrible compared so Aus, especially when you move further north in the uk. Past say Birmingham it really is a noticeable difference in how much it rains, west coast of England gets an obscene amount of rain (nearly daily). Food is good, in big cities massive variety. Option to travel to other countries from the uk is almost unlimited, want to go to Prague for the weekend? £100 return flight, or sometimes as low as £40 return. People are nice on the whole. There’s an immigration problem at the moment, this has strained public services significantly, so you should get private medical if possible otherwise getting a drs appointment could become a really issue for you. There is of course the normal issues that come from mass migration from terrible countries too, but those issues are acute to the location those people reside. Generally it’s a nice place, depending on where you live you will probably find other Aus people, London has a big group of Aus/nz people in.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

It's a running joke. Australia was started by sending UK convicts by ship to the land down under to populate the lands in the early 1800's. So a good portion of us are descendants of convicts. So the running joke is we are all convicts if we go back to the UK. Sounds like it's still a cool place, I'm fairly sure I can integrate with some friends well enough. Thanks!

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LHMNBRO08@reddit

Hahahahaa nice, that makes sense! Nice, enjoy it!

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AccomplishedGreen904@reddit

So you’ll be returning to the scene of your Great Grandfather’s crime

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SeraphLink@reddit

You've served your time, welcome back to the UK on probation.

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Zealousideal-Key7953@reddit

The round is on me! 🍻

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MinimumIcy1678@reddit

Yeah don't overthink it. You can always go home if you hate it.

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little_odd_me@reddit

Just got here 5 months ago from Canada and we’re settling in! I’m not in London and am happy with my small historical town (being in a train line makes life easier). I actually found a local doctor easily who was rostering new patients but getting an apt is a bit of another story (mad dash to call at 8am) I will say I’ve got a kiddo with some allergy issues and 111 which is a number you can phone that connects you with a medical professional has been great for getting the little one into out of hours apts. specialists are a wait though, were being told 16 weeks at least for a Pediatrician/allergist but it’s not much better (if at all) back home in Canada. I find cost of living high here compared to average household income. Gas and Electric can get high, rent is a higher percentage of their income, council tax, gas for the car is about 1.40 gbp litre where I am right now. I’ve got a lovely farmers market near me and I’m always shocked at how cheap I can get produce, cheese, and bread there. Over all I don’t find groceries too bad. The Canadian dollar is trash compared to the pound and I believe the Australian dollar is too so fair warning the first time you go to send money to a British account and watch what happens your going to want to have a pint. Good thing they are cheap. So far I’ll take the British winter over a Canadian winter but I think I’ll miss the Canadian summer but I can imagine the Australian weather difference will be much more jarring. I can confirm though no bugs or animals have tried to kill me yet and I suspect what I’d call a “giant spider” camping out in my bathroom would make you laugh. We’ve already done some traveling, holy cow you can see so much so quickly. We road tripped over to mainland Europe in less time than it takes to drive to the cottage back home. England has so much to see (I haven’t made it to the rest of the UK yet). So many beautiful towns so full of history. I also find there is way more to do here for kids and over all I feel like England does more to include families than I’m used to. I think as long as your making at least the average British family income or if your work is subsidizing some costs you can make it work (depending on where you live) I’ll be honest I don’t know how Brit’s making the average or below are making it work. I do find it a little harder to make friends here but also I am in a small town, I think most of the people here grew up here and stayed and I am not working locally so that doesn’t help. All in all, it took me about 3 months to really feel settled but we’re heading into month 6 and I’m feeling really good about my choice.

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Magpie_Mind@reddit

Damp. Life is damp. But that’s not just for the expats to be fair.

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27106_4life@reddit

Especially as they'd be an immigrant

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cuppachuppa@reddit

Expats? Do you mean immigrants? Or are you British, moved to Australia and are now looking to move back? I'm confused by your terminology.

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ThunderousOrgasm@reddit

Here’s an opportunity for you to learn. There is two directions that migration can occur, yeah? A migrant can be moving **out** of a country, or they can be moving **into** a country. Every migrant is simultaneously doing both, because they move from one country, into another. Now. We have language we use to describe which direction the movement is going in. **Immigrant** and *emigrant**. Along with words like immigration/emigration respectively. Immigration/immigrant refers to a person **coming into** a country. So OP, if they move, will **be an immigrant to the UK**. Emigration/emigrant refers to a person **moving away** from a country. So OP, if they move, will **be an emigrant from Australia**. Simple enough yeah? As for why people use expat. That’s because it’s short for expatriate which is was an old fancy slang term for an emigrant. If you get offended over people using slang or different words to mean things, then I hope you go on French subreddits and attack them for saying “émigrant/émigrante“, or German subreddits for saying “ der Auswanderer or die Auswandererin”, or Russian subreddits for saying “эмигрант”. Do you get what I’m trying to convey here yeah? Only English speaking users get attacked by people like you, for using well defined words in their own language which mean emigrant. Only British people seem to get viciously attacked anytime they use their own language, and get painted as if by using that well defined word which every single other country on earth has a version of, is somehow delusions of grandeur, is somehow an attempt to try make themselves not seem like an immigrant. And it’s because people like you don’t seem to understand the basic rules of language that mean OP is both an immigrant **and** an emigrant (or expat, as it is colloquially referred to by many).

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27106_4life@reddit

There are actual expats. Those are people who are employed by their home country in a foreign country. These are people like embassy workers, journalists on long term assignments, people on international intracompany transfers while paid in their home currency. These are all expats. What OP will be is an immigrant

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mikiex@reddit

'Expat' isn't just a colloquial term, connotations tied to privilege, race, nationality, and socioeconomic status. Personally, I don't like it because it makes "immigrant" seem like a lesser or more stigmatised term.

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cuppachuppa@reddit

TLDR

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Tricky_Routine_7952@reddit

White immigrants with money are called expats. It's just another way to describe immigrants, but let's you know they aren't the daily mail kind of immigrants.

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HDK1989@reddit

>Expats? Do you mean immigrants? He's from Australia, we don't call predominantly white countries immigrants otherwise that would be confusing to all of the racists that want to spend all day bashing immigrants.

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YardReasonable9846@reddit

Expat??? You mean immigrant? Only the British moving abroad are expats. /s

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PabloMarmite@reddit

White = expat Black = immigrant

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27106_4life@reddit

I don't think that's sarcasm. That's really what people in the UK think

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Mambo_Poa09@reddit

Why the /s ? That's what people do

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PabloMarmite@reddit

Just in case anyone randomly accused me of racism

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Shitelark@reddit

I thought the title was about ex-expats forced to move back here from Spain. Bit nippy.

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27106_4life@reddit

I think you mean, Immigrant, not expat

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mikiex@reddit

OP If you want to swap houses you're welcome to come and live in my freezing cold house. You won't need Air-con.

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Relative_Sea3386@reddit

Love meeting Aussies and there are lots here, mostly in the southeast. But i can't for the life of me fathom why one would leave sunshine for the endless drizzle and grey.

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Ok_King2970@reddit

Pay can be a thing to discuss. If you are in tech/finance/law/fintech, it's 100% worth moving, you'll get a good pay rise (if you target the right companies) and get way more opportunities than you could get in Oz. But if you're in healthcare, engineering, marketing and all that stuff, no point moving. I work for Meta London and I know many Australians working in the 4 sectors I mentioned who moved to London. Especially if you are in healthcare, just avoid moving. No point moving to the UK for a career in healthcare/engineering (except software engineering)

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MapleLeaf5410@reddit

If you don't, you'll always be wondering, what if?

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BOLTINGSINE@reddit

Oof, unless your making over 50k a year, i wouldnt reccommend it. This country has gone down the shitter.

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Secure_Mission6931@reddit

Moved here from South Africa 3 years ago. It’s tough with the weather - coming from a lot of sunshine and a beach culture to cold and wet and grey over here takes some getting used to. Otherwise, it’s been lovely! There are SO SO SO many expats here that you’ll find people from home quite quickly and will have an easy in to making some friends (obviously depends on where in the UK you’re going). Things are expensive, but like you say, times are tough everywhere. My family have no regrets about coming over :)

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codeduck@reddit

Hello, fellow beach-towel-flag person! 🇿🇦

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Secure_Mission6931@reddit

Hello 👋🏻 🇿🇦 we’re bloody everywhere, aren’t we?

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Particular-Bid-1640@reddit

We just had some south Africans move to my parents village in Derbyshire too! great sense of humor, love all the SA words too

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codeduck@reddit

slowly assimilating the country into the boerewors and biltong brotherhood!

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Cat-Cuddler1@reddit

Fellow saffa here! We're all over 🤣 I seriously regret moving to Manchester. The weather is insufferable and if I had the means I'd move back home. Planning a move to the South this year in the hopes that it's better. If that doesn't work out, probably Portugal haha. Don't underestimate the effect of the weather. Also I write this from a rammed tram that stinks of BO, weed and damp, so maybe I'm just in a bad mood haha 🤣

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Awesome, sounds like it's not as rough of a place to find friends in as a i first thought. Glad you and the family like it! Cheers!

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ThinkAboutThatFor1Se@reddit

Try not to get stuck in an expat bubble though. Make an extra effort to make friends with English locals as it will help give you a different perspective. I know plenty antipodeans that stick that don’t bother and their experience limited to the same things

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roywill2@reddit

UK weather has the advantage that it wont kill you. No deadly heat or cold, no wildfire or drought. Cool rain and mist, surprise sunshine, rainbows. BTW I really hate it when the air is hotter than my blood and the sun beats down like brass rods.

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glitteryrainbows88@reddit

You’re an immigrant like the rest of us pal…drives me insane when people call themselves an expat cause they’re from a certain country

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

My parents migrated here permanently from mainland Europe. Their perspective is the following - • The job opportunities are diverse and the economy is diverse. If you have skills and qualifications you should be able to get a decent job. • The UK is very expensive though so don’t come here without a job offer • Weather is very mild and stable which is reassuring, though the summers could be better • Always close to the coast which my dad likes as he grew up near the beach • Very good history and preservation of heritage and culture. My mum is a bookworm so she feels right at home here • While it does feel crowded in many parts, there are many surprisingly quiet areas in the UK and generally more peaceful than their home countries • Expensive country but worth it overall

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eventworker@reddit

>Weather is very mild and stable Meanwhile in the real world, here's the nations top news story at the exact moment u/coffeewalnut05 posted this codswallop: [https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c2ex8gpwwvpt](https://www.bbc.com/news/live/c2ex8gpwwvpt)

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

My mother grew up going to school in -10C weather and snow that lasted until April or even sometimes May. Take a seat.

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DrinkBen1994@reddit

If it's just 4-5 years, it might be worth just sucking it up. But longer term, or as a place to potentially retire, absolutely not unless we completely overhaul our political system and economy. No-one can afford anything, there are massive cultural and religious tensions, parliament is full of pricks, illegal immigrants often get preferential treatment in everything from housing to abysmal NHS waiting lists, and you can get arrested for facebook posts. We're probably like 10-20 years away from seeing major civil unrest.

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Shep_vas_Normandy@reddit

I can say from experience that in most cases it’s not a decision you can’t undo if you hate it, of course unless you do what I did and go and have a kid with a Brit 😆 only thing that bothers me is how anti-immigrant people can be, but a lot countries are like that so it’s not unique to the UK.

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ComprehensiveMetal62@reddit

It's good here. Everybody moans about just about everything. But ultimately if your a good boy then you won't ever see the police. If you get hurt or ill the NHS will sort you out. The streets are safe as long as you don't do stupid things at stupid times with stupid people. Most people are friendly and ultimately everyone will think you are barmy for leaving the good weather. The UK and Oz sense of humour gel fantastically and you will make friends in no time. Further north you go the friendlier it gets. If it's a good opportunity give it a crack. Better to give it a go than always wonder what if? Hey what's the worst that can happen?

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Taken_Abroad_Book@reddit

As long as you're not using a Vic driving licence and are called Bret Clifton you'll be fine, cobbah

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justmeinthenight@reddit

We moved from Syd to the UK 15 years ago, settled in straight away, found great friends, multiple holidays to the continent and around the UK, absolutely love it! We're not big 'summer is the best, beach is life' people, which is hard for your average brit to understand, so we're very at home here. I'm sure you'll settle in nicely!

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LeatherConfusion8675@reddit

horrible weather, Horrible people and an even worse goverment, but hey our music is good and so is our Banter n beer so theres that

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Former-Tangelo426@reddit

I moved to London from New Zealand, love it here and will probably never move back Antipodeans are treated like locals

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DirectDelivery8@reddit

You are locals just round about

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dotharaki@reddit

Awful

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_Ghost_07@reddit

I wonder why you don’t call yourself an immigrant?

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Smooshydoggy@reddit

Aussie in UK. Came on a 2 ye YMV, here 5 years later, bought a flat last year, plan would be to return home in the next 3-5 years because I’d want to be home for aging parents. I wouldn’t move to the UK unless moving to a big city - I’m in London and there’s always plenty to do. The flip side is that it’s very high cost of living despite very low quality of living. The lack of sunshine does hit hard but I try to get away to mainland Europe or the Caribbean a few times each year to counter that.

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

Big cities don’t offer everything the UK is good for. Plenty of nice small towns and villages, as long as you have a job.

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Smooshydoggy@reddit

If they’re concerned about HCOL, they’re probably considering a city. Very few Australians come over to live in a village or small town.

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ProfessionalCar2774@reddit

People got harsher Standards lowering Prices going well up Standard terrible weather that, somehow, catches everyone by surprise everytime Essentially in managed decline mode Tldr: if you gotta end up tight,might as well stick with "the devil you know" so to speak.

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tobotic@reddit

I'm Australian and moved to the UK when I was 15. I'm a dual citizen. Culturally, the two countries are pretty similar. Same language of course, though slightly different slang terms. Overall, should feel pretty much like home, just with disappointing beaches which you probably wouldn't want to go to anyway because of the weather.

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KoBoWC@reddit

If you're paid well it's great.

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codeduck@reddit

Stick it out for 6 years, get the passport, then fuck off back Down Under if you want your Ute and your thongs and your tinnies and your dropbears. Of course, you will likely have taken to wearing a squire's cap and tweed by then - a common transmissable condition amongst the aussies I know here. P.S brits generally love aussies. You'll get a bit of piss-taking on the old "g'day mate" but apart from that she'll be right.

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iwaterboardheathens@reddit

If it's only 4-5 years, why not You can buy cheap houses in some cities Weather can be shit and depressing Countryside and European flights can mitigate that

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LongjumpingRest597@reddit

They’re not ex-pats. They are economic migrants.

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Few_Broccoli9742@reddit

From my industry, I see a lot of colleagues moving to Aus from the UK. Not so much the other way round. I was on a training course a couple of years ago, with a few guys from Aus, who laughed at me for still living in UK. “Are you only staying for the weather”, etc.

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Even_Menu_3367@reddit

You’ll probably make more friends if you call yourself an immigrant rather than an expat.

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Strong_Mushroom_6593@reddit

Are friends that get upset over correct terminology even worth having?

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Even_Menu_3367@reddit

I speak from experience. Whether the OP likes it or not “expat” is a loaded term and plenty of people will think ill of them for using it. I’ve lived abroad. In a European capital city where there were immigrants from all parts of the world. I had to be proactive to make friends, so got involved with immigrant and expat groups. It soon became clear that those who clung to the expat label only spent their time with other British people and most of the conversation was general moans about the country they’d moved to and how Britain was much better. I’ll never forget being asked which part of the city I lived in and being told “but isn’t that where the immigrants live?”. I replied “well I’m also an immigrant so that’s perfect then”. I was there for 3 years, proudly called myself an immigrant, and socialised with people from 30+ different countries. It was wonderful.

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FlashyMajor1675@reddit

Absolute garbage mate.

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Op2097@reddit

I'm not an expat but: Living outside of London/south east: The weather is always crap. Year round is just plain wet these days. Winter just has more added windy bits. Average working people are skint. Things have got pricey. The infrastructure of the country is poor: poorly maintained roads, mobile phone signal/data like it's 2002, postcode lottery to get an NHS dentist, rubbish public transport if you live outside big urban areas etc etc. There is joy to be had. There is lots to see and lots of beauty.

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andytimms67@reddit

Just make the move. Perception is a weird thing. If it’s an opportunity of a lifetime you have an advantage, you are more than likely going to be in the upper 10% of earners and your on the doorstep of Europe where you could take a weekend break once a month and explore 20+ different countries flying 3 hours or less. The world is your oyster just get oystering.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Haha I love the attitude, but unfortunately not. The pays crap, and the location is crowded. But I'm a sucker for punishment and I'm going to have to work my way up. But it's an avenue I can't pursue in Australia and I am not moving to the land of measuring in bald eagles per school shooting.

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AliAskari@reddit

What is the pay?

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Sub £20k a year

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jimmy011087@reddit

No chance would I do it for that sort of money, especially to have to live around London. Maybe if they provide accommodation costs and that is just pure fun money but even then it won’t go that far. You’d earn way more stacking shelves in a supermarket. Why do you want to leave Aus behind?

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BrummbarKT@reddit

I'm just gonna have to say that's not going to cut it to sustain one person even in a cheap area of living, never mind anywhere within an hour of London. I guess it depends how much you can get from your other investments but it's not uncommon for rent to cost upwards of 10k a year for the most basic accommodation/house share without even considering bills like 1.5k a year council tax and \~3k minimum for other bills

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Eyupmeduck1989@reddit

Ooof. Please say some of your other bills will be taken care of?

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Luckily yes. My wife and I despite being young, are lucky enough to have got ahead in life and have a self sustainable investment portfolio here at home, that allows me to explore these opportunities without risking too much.

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AntiDynamo@reddit

Keep in mind that your wife won’t automatically have the right to work, and neither of you will have the right to access public funds. Also, Australia taxes on worldwide income. So you’re gonna have to support two people on that wage, and you’re going to be very skint. I’m not sure if you’d even be allowed to bring your wife, you’d have to check.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

This is all very valid points, alot of which is haven't thought about. I have been short-listed but not recieved an offer yet. But it looks hopeful. However I have applied to a few similar places. I do need to look into the process more.

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AliAskari@reddit

>However I have applied to a few similar places. I do need to look into the process more. You definitely do. It sounds like you haven't been offered a job and instead have just applied for a few positions. The thing you need to realise is that you can't just come and work in the UK. You need to be sponsored for a visa and a role with a salary of less than £20k is not going to be eligible. So you'll need to think of an alternative arrangement.

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uktravelthrowaway123@reddit

Alright, it'll depend on where you're living tbf but I would expect things to be ridiculously tight on that kind of pay, sorry... is this after tax? Will you have accommodation and food etc provided? Minimum wage is more than that here and people seriously struggle to get by on it, even if they just rent a room, only buy essentials etc.

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AliAskari@reddit

That’s less than minimum wage. How are you getting a visa for that?

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

It's technically an apprenticeship, so i suppose it comes with the territory... I'd have to study while I'm doing it, but I've started that study here so transferring accross is another whole hurdle I have to cross.

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AliAskari@reddit

Are you sure this “opportunity of a lifetime” is legit? That salary wouldn’t ordinarily qualify for a visa. What kind of visa is it?

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andytimms67@reddit

That’s going to be hard. You can’t live on that. You’ll need a side hustle. That’s going to be very hard. The future had better be bright for that amount of pain.

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more_beans_mrtaggart@reddit

And yet last summer the south east had 3 rainy days in 2.5 months of pretty good summer, with 7 days over 33 degs c. Winter is 5 months long with temps around 5-10 degs, and a week or two below zero. It’s okay for a temperate country. If you need to get some sun, Spain/portugal is a couple of hours flight and £80-£100 return, Italy is 2.5-3 hours.

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Iammysupportsystem@reddit

The South doesn't only include the South East, specifically east of London, unfortunately. Oxfordshire and Berkshire got flooded these past 2 years, same as Cornwall. No need to discredit what OP said.

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Iammysupportsystem@reddit

I don't know why you got downvoted. This is absolutely 100% true about where I live.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

So basically if you're rural, expect less current services? How's it for medical access and housing in those remote areas? Rental prices alright in some smaller towns?

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idril1@reddit

I live in rural Northumberland, better services except buses than you get in most cities. Remember reddit skews heavily to London and kind of projects it onto the whole country. Recent example - Sons gf visiting for Xmas. She had a tightness of chest and some difficulty breathing overnight. He phones GP at 8, appointment at 10, despite not being registered, turns out she is allergic to cats and didn't know it

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RattyHandwriting@reddit

I live rurally in the south west, and honestly it’s fine. It is more expensive in terms of council tax and getting around, but that’s to be expected when you live somewhere with 5 people per square km… I have no issues getting a gp appointment and my last hospital referral took 10 days. House prices in this part of the UK are nuts, however, having been pushed up by the holiday home buyers. The further north you go, the cheaper you’ll find things like house prices, rent, fuel etc. I grew up in the north west and it still surprises me when I go back for a visit.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Sounds like home! I live in one of the most remote areas of Australia. I call it one snake bite from eternal sleep. Nearest big city is 15 hours away. Yet same issues, council tax is high because of lower population and the hospital is small and over crowded. But pay is literally 10x better so it's offset. Unfortunately it does sound like I'm stuck in the south/south west. The furtherest north i can be placed is Brixworth.

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RattyHandwriting@reddit

Ooh, Northants? I worked in a tiny village there for a couple of years. Loved it! People were great, nice pubs, pretty good transport links, better weather than you get in the west… well, drier anyway. If our positions were reversed (and I was a bit younger) I’d be packing already. Give it a go, what have you got to lose really? Good luck!

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Op2097@reddit

You have access to medical services the same as everywhere else. NHS Dental is a problem at the moment. But you can pay private and be seen just fine. Rent varies on postcode and area of the UK. If you live in a rural area you'll need a car if you need to get about, for example my work is 16 miles away from home. Would take me 3 hours either way on public transport with little to no hope of getting to work on time if at all. The trade off is hills, woods and less people.

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Secret_Claim_9518@reddit

The UK is a bloody mess at the moment mate. Good luck with the job

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andyone1000@reddit

You’ll find the weather much cooler and won’t need aircon. You’ll be able to visit lots of towns in a weekend as the whole of the U.K. is only about 6-7 hours from anywhere. You’ll be able to get cheap flights to anywhere in Europe for 4-5 hours, often less. You’ll find the British humour similar to your own, and while local salaries are generally a good bit lower than what you’re used to, outside of London, most things will seem much cheaper than you’re used (fuel and energy being the main exceptions).😊

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SteelSparks@reddit

That’s a fair point, the lower salaries aren’t necessarily the end of the world if money goes further. We like to moan in the UK that everything is dead expensive but I believe things like clothing and groceries are still pretty cheap compared much of the western world. Housing and fuel is where they rob us blind.

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andyone1000@reddit

Housing in Oz is even worse.

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

I almost died (from suicide, it was too hot to move though so didn't go through with it) without aircon a few years back. I was living in an over insulated new build in the middle of a housing estate though.

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Sudden_Fig1099@reddit

You mean immigrants?

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Weak-Box-3812@reddit

You would be an immigrant

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Nexus1111@reddit

If it’s not London, don’t bother

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

Why?

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DukeOfMania04@reddit

Who in their right minds would want to willingly move here?

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

Me

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Joshthenosh77@reddit

Going from Australia to England seems insane to me, the country is currently freezing flooding everywhere snow all over the place , the Bonney is fucked and getting worse gas electric water bills going up non stop

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

Australia has some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and 80% of Australians have experienced a natural disaster. Our weather is tame and relatively stable, and we’re incredibly lucky for it.

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ChemicalBison5856@reddit

So I'm a Brit who's been in QLD for just over a year and have a few thoughts on some differences: - cost of living is high in both, but I think the UK is more expensive. Fuel and public transport are very expensive in the UK. Utilities also higher in UK. Rent and food I would say roughly the same. - you've mentioned the NHS a bit. The healthcare I've received in Australia has been significantly better than anything I've experienced in the UK. In saying that, if I broke my leg or had some injury in the UK, I'd be confident the NHS would be fine and take care of me! - UK pub culture is significantly better than Australia. pokies aren't a thing and pubs are more about social interaction. Convicts included ;) - I knew Australia was big, but I don't think I quite grasped the scale of it or how different states have different rules and ways of doing things. In the UK, European travel is accessible and affordable. So many options for you. Like with anything in life, it's what you make of it. If you do go, I hope you have the time of your life :)

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Significant-Leek8483@reddit

Dont make any decision based on what you read on reditt. Talk to real people.

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Salt_Description_973@reddit

This greatly depends where you live. I moved here from Canada. I absolutely love it. I was in experienced with way worse weather. I moved to Scotland met my husband and then moved to England. Big cities have all sorts of new people and I think everyone has been so lovely. I didn’t find it much of a culture shock or anything like that

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phatbrasil@reddit

"endure" pretty much sums it up. but I would have done it all over again given the choice.

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bored_toronto@reddit

Mate, you won't be alone in London. Plenty of other Aussies/Kiwis to meet and hang out with if you're homesick. To get to know the locals, go for after-work drinks. Try to visit other bits of the UK if you can - Wales, the lakes, Bristol, Manchester, Brum, Liverpool, have a kushdie time gannin oot in Newcastle, Glasgow, Belfast etc.

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racalavaca@reddit

I've never actually heard anyone except Brits refer to themselves as "expats" 😂 Seems like everyone else ranges from immigrants to "wet backs" or worse That being said, I'm pretty happy with my life here as a South American... It can be hard at times but I've been here 6 years and wouldn't go back yet

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Shoddy-Reply-7217@reddit

Oh my god, how are you even wavering about it? Life in the UK, like most other developed countries, is bloody amazing if you have a job and a decent income. You have a safe and mostly open minded society, access to culture and history beyond your wildest ozzie dreams, including the whole of mainland Europe literally one hour away. Most british people moan because either they're skint or they want better weather, it's a national passtime. If you have an income you can have a wonderful life here and you'd be mad not to give it a go.

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tuffety@reddit

I've lived here for over 10 years now, grew up in Australia. As people have already mentioned, it's the weather that's the biggest downside - but learning how to properly dress for it has helped me to overcome it. Buy the best thermals, insulated coats, waterproof shoes etc. that your money can buy and you will learn you can still be reasonably comfortable and continue to enjoy life :)

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riverY90@reddit

Only 4-5 years and not long term? Just do it, no matter the good or bad said in this sub. I went the other way, UK - Aus and on year 3 of Aus now. Well worth living in another country if the chance comes up. And if within the first year you truly hate it, it's hardly a reversible decision, just jump on a plane back home. That's how my dad talked me out of my cold feet before Aus. Don't like it? Just come back, you can say you tried but you won't regret and wonder what if

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Trace6x@reddit

Cold, grey, miserable, expensive.

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Aeysir69@reddit

Cold. Mostly cold. Alright otherwise. TBH if you bring a jumper you’ll feel at home 😁

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punekar_2018@reddit

I am leaving the UK for my country (not Aus) in three weeks and I am sad. This despite 11 months of grey cover. This is a very good country to live in despite what you read online. People are very nice, polite and helpful. And though I was here a little under two years, I could go to mainland Europe visiting historical places and that experience will be with me forever! This on top of historic places I visited in the UK. I wanted to do more but can’t. I am hoping to return

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ancapailldorcha@reddit

Came over from Ireland. It's pretty good, honestly. I've some concerns about property prices and healthcare but housing in Ireland is much worse than here. You speak English and it's very easy to get set up with the state bureaucracy. Gov.uk is really, really helpful. Be careful with the news and the internet as there is a lot of doom and gloom. Much depends on your personal situation. If I were living hand to mouth, I'd be miserable but fortunately, I am not.

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Valisksyer@reddit

Pubs have been closing steadily for years and feral squirrels are hunting in packs. As for the convict remark, well that should get you into politics or the House of Lords if your job doesn’t pan out. Come on over cuz.

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kateeee_pants@reddit

Where abouts in the UK will you be? I moved in March, and so far it's perfectly fine. We live about 1.5 hours west of London so easy access to most of southern England. Heck of a lot to see and experience if you enjoy history, architecture and scenery, and all much easier to travel to than Aus. Quick flights to EU even just for a weekend trip. The multiculturalism is fantastic and lots more exposure to different cuisines. The roads are frustrating (state of them is not great and often in disrepair), the weather is kinda miserable, paths are too small or non existent (things get squishy) and public transport is expensive, but there's a lot you can get out of living here with the right mindset.

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manksta@reddit

I love it here, much more to do and my income is double what it'd be in Canada.

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IndividualMaize1090@reddit

Not from Oz, but another country where I grew up with sunny weather. Love, love, love the travel to continental Europe (great group on Facebook called 'Extreme Day Trips' where people share experiences of taking dirt cheap flights to Europe in a 24-hour period as an example), amazing walks, wonderful architecture (I am in Edinburgh) and nice food shopping at reasonable prices in Waitrose. I also love having a pedestrian lifestyle (I do not need or own a car here). In all honesty, it took me about 3 years to transition to the weather - but that was before I knew to supplement with Vitamin D (for lack of sun), B12 (for energy), and C (for flu type bugs) in winter - this vitamin cocktail mix does the trick! All the best to you on this exciting decision/opportunity.

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racks_long@reddit

If your new job is to be in London, I'd say go for it! It's a great experience and you'll experience a true global city. You will be highly sought after when you go back down under. UK winters are really rough so do plan to take some days off then to see your family for Xmas, and some in the UK summer to go to Spain or Greece.

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WelcometotheZhongguo@reddit

I used to live outside of UK as an expat. The number of opportunities and experiences it opens are incredible (and sometimes overwhelming) but I wouldn’t have changed it. Generally these things are a once in a lifetime opportunity so (as long as the package is ok and you have a level of trust in your company and support of family) just go for it. Sure you will experience some shit weather. But you can also fly to Milan to eat pasta one weekend. Or take the train to Paris for a glass of champagne. Or you can rent a 200 year old cottage over Christmas. Or access some of the best museums and art galleries for free. Or you can go to a pub filled with only Aussies and moan about whinging Poms while you drink Fosters together.

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

He's a Pom! Get him!

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WelcometotheZhongguo@reddit

…technically in the UK, *you’d* be the Pom! 😜

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fartbraintank@reddit

If you are earning good money you will love it. Best of luck to you, whatever you decide :)

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ILoveBrunoFernandes@reddit

We love Aussies here so if you do come, expect a warm welcome at the very least.

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ReformedWolf@reddit

Whereabouts would you be living? Or do you get to choose? Either way if you don't have stuff that'll be hard to leave/let go do it! It'll be an adventure for you, worst thing that happens is you'll go back home. I travel around for work mainly Uk but also abroad and this is still a stunning country. Sure there problems sure we moan but come and sit in a 300 year old pub while it's pissing down and moan about it with yer pint! Oh none of your scooner or pony shite over here!

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Hahaha I love the banter already 🤣 I'm not 100% sure yet, it seems I do need to travel to work but it will be in the south. Close to London I assume. Well, Australia version of close to London.

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

The south is decent

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ReformedWolf@reddit

From what i remember of Australian commutes when I was there you could be anywhere in the UK with that attitude! As much as us Brits moan about London being expensive and the UK being London centric it is a cool city (for 5 years) genuinely a global city and you'll never get bored, super easy to get trains out to see the rest of the country (which I'd recommend while your here) and a couple hours to oretty much the rest of Europe! As a northerner it felt wrong typing that but I think it's like you guys moaning about Sydney really.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Haha, yeah I live in the middle of nowhere, it's 15 hours to the nearest capital city. I'm good on the big drives 😅

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ReformedWolf@reddit

Fuck man, if you're willing to do that go live in Spain and commute from there 😆 I remember talking Truck logistics with guys in Sydney for my job. I was moaning about a 5 hour turnaround in the UK and they reminded me that would barely get you out of town let alone to the next city... Its a smaller scale up here in the old world 😆

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Yeah you can famously drive for 32 hours in Australia and still be in the same state (WA). It's an enormous country. Where i live, people on holidays drive to Adelaide which is 15 hours away to go on holidays, and often do it in a single day swapping drivers. Our highway speed limits are 130km/h so we can hoot along nicely.

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ReformedWolf@reddit

Mate all that was wild to me. One of the Aussie truck moves is Sydney-Perth which we worked out was pretty much the same as London-Moscow! Easy to forget you've pretty much got a whole damn continent to yourself. Just remembered your 15 hour drives when you're grumbling about being on a train for an hour when you're over here 🤣

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IOnlyUpvoteBadPuns@reddit

>Whereabouts would you be living? Clapham, the law requires that all Aussies live in Clapham. It's the same with Brits in Bondi and the Irish in Coogee. (Hopefully not necessary, but /s)

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el_dude_brother2@reddit

We have cheap flights to near every major European city. Come, take advantage of it. Travel round all of Europe, it's all very different and cool. Places like Bupapest are so cool and not accessible from Oz but a 2/3hr and $100 flight away from London.

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HactuallyNo@reddit

You're an Australian? I think the only thing you need to know is that the cocaine is cheaper here.

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dnnsshly@reddit

Just move to Clapham and you'll think you're still in Australia!

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Extension_Drummer_85@reddit

I really struggled personally. I struggled with how fucking tiny houses are, how expensive houses are, how ugly everything even remotely built up (like even slightly suburban) is, how shitty the healthcare is (don't go if you aren't healthy and don't get private health cover with you job/get paid enough to have it), how run down a lot of it is etc. etc. If you are getting paid over 100k in London or 60k outside of London (as a single person, if you're couple up add on 20k, if you have kids add 35k per child, the state school system is shocking and private schools are insanely expensive) don't bother. That said it's a fabulous base for euro travel (especially if you are in London) and some food tastes better there like dairy and berries. It's also super easy to get to cool places in the countryside, well worth investing in a car to this end although many places have a bit of public transport coverage too. If you have to opportunity to live rurally do it! IMPORTANT: if coffee is important to you buy a decent espresso machine and make sure your housing situation is big enough to fit it. Otherwise you are at risk of throwing a hissy fit and flying back in a caffeine withdrawal induced rage.

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peachypeach13610@reddit

You’re Australian, the cultural difference for you is going to be minimal, if it exists at all. It will be a very smooth transition once you cope with the colder weather which you are aware of. I wouldn’t worry at all.

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Sjmurray1@reddit

Economic migrant you mean. And that’s ok, but use the correct wording.

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Oli99uk@reddit

All the Australian I've known that come here get laid a lot. So far from home they kind of go wild with no judgement. Party culture is similar. Great pubs and clubs. You will never run out of party things to do. Lots of culture, theatre, arts, concerts, gigs, festivals. Edinburgh Fringe is a training ride from London and excellent. No good beaches. Best we have is Newquay if you hope to surf. Rents are high like Australia as is cost of living. There are larger companies so you can build your career before you go home, kind of like our FILTH do (Failed In London, Try Hong Kong). Ww have plenty of brogans too. Most of the low level crime doesn't really impact anyone any more. In the 90s you might get mugged at knifepoint for the change in your pocket (high risk, low reward). These days, phones are snatched (high reward, low risk) so chance of being hurt is low, just don't be a phone zombie. The cold here is a damp cold. I find it can chill to the bone worse than a lower dry cold somewhere like a ski resort. So you will need some warm layers abd good waterproof coat. Do it - you'll have a great time. Bring so far away from home can br tough for some but you won't know until you experience that

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coldbeers@reddit

We came back from 12 years in Queensland and definitely miss the weather (mostly). But what the hell, if it’s a good job give it a go and see the country and take advantage of the short distances to Europe too. The natives are mostly friendly and Aussies are well liked. Just make sure to buy some thermals for winter. Fun fact, for some reason 20C feels pretty cool where I lived, here it feels balmy, no idea why but I’ve heard a lot of folks say it, maybe humidity? Also, on the odd sunny day the English countryside is absolutely beautiful.

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durkbot@reddit

Had a friend from NZ move to Europe for a few years and ended up moving to Aus because she was too depressed by the weather here. On the other hand, she used the opportunity to visit lots of European destinations she never would have otherwise seen, because the time and cost from NZ would have been too prohibitive. So if you view it as a one off opportunity to gain a bit of life experience, see some things whilst you're not tied down, it's a great idea.

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Hendersonhero@reddit

To be honest for an Ozzy the real benefit is having the rest of Europe on your doorstep (compared to Oz). With a 2 hour flight you can be in the Alps, on the Med, strolling the streets of Paris or Prague.

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OssieMoore@reddit

To be perfectly honest, it's great if you have money. Don't move over here for a minimum wage job - if you've got a good job, make sure you do your cost of living research as things have spiked here recently and make sure they're paying you enough.

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KamauPotter@reddit

Confusing, I expect

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Artistic_Data9398@reddit

you're white, you'll be fine

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Dxbgeez@reddit

can we swap? Ill come live in your house for 5 years you can have mine, but bring lots of blankets and warm clothes as its always fucking freezing no matter how much I put the heating on

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Consistent_Feed9309@reddit

We dont call you expats here. Immigrants or dinghy people

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Lanky_Beautiful6413@reddit

I’m American, living in Bristol I like it here! Economically it does feel like things aren’t great and it seems like they’re still trending the wrong way, but if that’s not an issue for you/your job, there’s just a lot of really nice things about living here. It’s cozy.

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elom44@reddit

I think the experience varies depending on the country you are coming from and the part of the UK you are moving to. Hence the expat/immigrant thing. OP would 100% be included in the UK immigration figures, no matter what visa they are on.

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Fit_Cicada7954@reddit

Been living in the UK for 4.5 years now and somehow I like it even though objectively almost everything is just a little bit worse than it is back home haha. Wages are lower but rents are disproportionately higher. The NHS is being run into the ground. The weather isn't too dissimilar to where I'm from, so I don't mind it too much. Every time I think about these things it makes me wonder if I should go back. But every time I do go back, I realise "home" is here now. Odd feeling. 😅

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PhantomLamb@reddit

Life is an adventure. Go for it! (The crappy daylight hours of winter may surprise you if you are not already aware of them)

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Fatkante@reddit

I had the opportunity to move to Australia from the UK but didn’t . The reason .. I travel a lot and living in the UK makes it so easier . There is like 40 countries within 4 hours flight time . I think you should try the UK for sometime for the exact same reason .Come here , travel around Europe , make the most of it . And when you are done u can always move back to Australia.

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RandomJottings@reddit

I was lucky enough to move to Australia, from the U.K., in 2000. I became an Australian citizen and proudly hold an Au passport. I had to return to the U.K. in 2015 after the best 15 years of my life. Despite the sharks, snakes, spiders and billions of flies, I live Australia and hope to return sometime. If I hadn’t had to return to the U.K. I wouldn’t have. The lifestyle here bears no comparison, pubs/bars just don’t have the same atmosphere and the workplace is completely different.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

We aren't called the lucky country for no reason! Thanks mate, hope you get back here some day 🍺

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RandomJottings@reddit

Thanks, I hope so too. It might be a sunburnt country but it truly is a lucky country too.

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daekle@reddit

\>but will the local pub still allow us convicts in?! The local pub is \*run\* by you convicts!

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PM_ME_UR_TIDDYS@reddit

How much is the salary, where will you live? Can't have a productive conversation without that information. I'm from the UK but have lived in WA for a while now. If you think it's tough to get on here, you're in for a surprise when you get to the UK. Aussies don't know how much better they have it.

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mumwifealcoholic@reddit

The more you're used to decent services, healthcare and weather...the worse it will be for you.

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t90fan@reddit

This was my wife's experience, she can't believe how shit the quality of the NHS is here compared to what she is used to in France.

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musicistabarista@reddit

As someone from SE England, who studied in London and now lives in London, I regret not taking the opportunity to study abroad. Discovering new places, cultures, learning a new language (not applicable in this case, but could be in the future!), experiencing living somewhere as a foreigner are all things that really enrich your world view. I would say do it, especially if you really can't pursue this avenue in Australia. If you go back, I assume that will give you quite an edge. And that's on top of the edge you already get from having worked/trained abroad and come back, there's something about that that people love, both in terms of social cachet, but also career success.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Love the positivity. You are right, it's certainly a bonus. Thanks!

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Pat8aird@reddit

Depends heavily on where in the U.K. you’ll be moving to really.

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malin7@reddit

I'd start with how much you're being offered and which part of the country as the answer will largely depend on that

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liamp1603@reddit

I wouldn't come here ... if you're ill on a Monday you have to wait a week or longer for a doctor .... if you break a bone you have to wait over 8 hours in hospital for treatment ... food prices are high wages are low rent is high living conditions are poor .... the streets are dirty the city's are full of zombies ... the uk is dead ... if you come here and cannot speak the English language and respect english culture you get more rights than a native to the country .... uk is fucked

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MiddleAgeCool@reddit

Come! Don't look at it as coming to the UK, although you'll have plenty to see. The distance between places is much smaller than Australia so you can have a weekend sightseeing in Paris or Amsterdam or Madrid or Krakow or Prague etc. as most of these flights are cheap and only a couple of hours in the air. Your 4-5 years in the UK becomes a jumping off point to see Europe. As for pubs letting convicts in, there are plenty where a conviction is as important as your age ID at the door!

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nfoote@reddit

I'm from NZ, been here 16 years. It's all the same as back home except strangely different, is that makes sense? Different people, same problems. Except winter, it's pretty shit.

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QuantumNomad88@reddit (OP)

Kia Ora! Appreciate it bro 💪

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