Seems like everyone is moving abroad now?

Posted by zjazzydrummer@reddit | AskUK | View on Reddit | 48 comments

I am in my early 30s and I am noticing a lot of folks are currently moving out of the country, I have 3 different mates that are going to move abroad in the next months, I know the economy is not great now and some people are really struggling to make end meets but I am genuinely concerned as I don't believe thing are going to get better any time soon and I can see more and more people going to move abroad for better opportunities.

do you have mates that moved abroad or are planning to move? where are they going?

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ExcitementBorn8727@reddit

Yes, people are moving around the world more and more for these reasons, 1) Better work life balance, 2) Better opportunities, 3) Better wages. People moving around the world is nothing new and has been happening since the beginning of civilization. If people had better work life balance, better economic stability, better housing in their own countries nobody would need to move.

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mrhippoj@reddit

Bloody emigrants! Going over there! Taking their jobs!

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Cookie_Kuchisabishii@reddit

I always thought it was weird that when people moved here from other countries we call them immigrants but when we moved abroad we call ourselves ex-pats

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nahnotgoingthere@reddit

So true. Such double standards.

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Cottonshopeburnfoot@reddit

It’s essentially a modern class thing it seems

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cyclingisthecure@reddit

If I had a safe wfh job I'd be out of this shit hole immediately purely for the weather alone

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VolcanicBear@reddit

HMRC would disagree unfortunately.

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_whopper_@reddit

You can still do it while keeping HMRC happy as long as your employer is happy with the paperwork (lots of third parties exist to do it for them too).

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HomelanderApologist@reddit

Deffo, why we had to have the worst weather in the world bar from a handful of countries lol

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cyclingisthecure@reddit

To add to insult it costs a fortune to live I'm such a god awful place

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NWTravellerUK@reddit

my daughter 30 lives and works in dubai been there 5yrs and no sign of returning. good place to go to get cash behind you. she took a risk and is livinga life much better than if in the uk. i dont expect her to come back to the uk, as why would you given the state of the country. world is a smaller place these days and i applaud anyone who leaves uk for hopefully something better!

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Elster-@reddit

In my 40s now and recently moved back.

A lot of my friends moved abroad in their 30s as well. Great time to go away, have kids & see the world.

Moved back for family reasons. Many friends have also started moving back as well.

We moved to France, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Brazil, Australia, USA, China & Canada. The world is your oyster when young. It's still really easy to work in most countries in Europe.

If I had no children I would have moved to the US, friends in the US have stayed there.

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HomelanderApologist@reddit

A dream to live in the US.

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P2P-BSH@reddit

I'm the only one left in my town now. So sad everyone has gone.

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Thestolenone@reddit

In the valleys of green and grey.

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cgknight1@reddit

Seems like everyone is moving abroad now?

Does not seem so:

For YE June 2024:

EU+ nationals accounted for 44% of total emigration (211,000)
non-EU+ nationals made up 39% (189,000)
British nationals made up 16% (79,000)

Overall a decline from pre-covid.

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zjazzydrummer@reddit (OP)

not sure whos mentioned the EU

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BarracudaUnlucky8584@reddit

This is the kinda data you really need to see in a line graph dating over 20years to really make sense of it.

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codechris@reddit

What are you mates doing for work by the way?

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zjazzydrummer@reddit (OP)

developers 2 out of 3 and the other works in finance

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MetalGearSolidarity@reddit

I can understand it, I've a few friends who've moved abroad for work. If you're qualified it makes perfect sense. Me and my wife met working abroad but came back mainly because tbh we miss our family and friends and our incredible wit is lost on some of our less fortunate foreign cousins.

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N30NIX@reddit

It’s a bit different for me in that most of my friends were EU nationals and most of them followed the delightful “eff off back home” initiative of 2018.

I am privileged in that my kids and i do have dual citizenship so we could jump ship if we wanted or needed to.

My bestie is seriously considering to move to Spain in the near future.

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Roylemail@reddit

Just waiting for my Irish passport to come through then am off to live and work in Spain can’t wait

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4malwaysmakes@reddit

I've moved to Portugal. The weather is the biggest factor but it's also a lot cheaper to live here.

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cyclingisthecure@reddit

This is the way, I truly believe uk weather is the cause of mental health problems, it damn sure is with Me

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Chunderdragon86@reddit

Sad sucks I agree

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cyclingisthecure@reddit

People are like have you tried taking vitamin d and going for walks? AYE A WEE VIT D PILL AND A WALK IN THE PISSING DOWN DARKNESS IS JUST WHAT I NEED MATE

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Chunderdragon86@reddit

Take the D everyday it helps a bit but I'm stuck in a wheelchair so I get bored if I can't go out

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cyclingisthecure@reddit

It just makes all the difference in the world being able to sit outside. People in warm countries have absolutely no idea how lucky they are to just be able to sit outside with their food or spend time outside at night or literally ever

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Chunderdragon86@reddit

Stuck in a chair in wind and rain is miserable

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POGO-DUCK@reddit

No, you already had them and the weather didn't help.

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cyclingisthecure@reddit

Happiest guy alive in the summer sun for the whole 4 weeks we have a year, I'm ready to jump by January

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iMightBeEric@reddit

Was it easy to get to stay, now that we’re out of the EU?

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Horrorwriterme@reddit

I just returned after living in Australia. I don’t intend to stay here for the rest of my life. I want to end my days in Barcelona, but I’m enjoying been around family again. People move to Australia and forget it’s the other side of the world. Especially in the pandemic, my dad was close to dying and I couldn’t leave the country. Australia had very strict laws around travelling. We couldn’t even go to the next state let alone anywhere else. I know a lot of people who moved out but then moved back after a short time. I’m married to an Australian I was there for over ten years. I had a stroke where we living was very rural it no Longer worked for us.

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R05579@reddit

Unless you earn way above average salary, you will probably be just as miserable overseas as you are in the UK.

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Chemical_Film5335@reddit

I’m in the highlands so as trends go I’d say that statistically not that many from here are moving abroad compared to the past couple hundred years… at least those that do now are moving because they want to

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LilacRose32@reddit

No, I don’t know anyone planning to leave the UK, or who has recently left.

I know a few people who have worked abroad but these have been temporary contracts.

Reddit is over egging this topic

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mrhippoj@reddit

People in this sub are always taking circumstances very specific to them and extrapolating it to the whole county

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JumpyWolverine@reddit

Loads. Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Portugal, Philippines.

Can't blame them. If my wife wasn't so bothered about being near family I'd have gone years ago.

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Shawn_The_Sheep777@reddit

Both my nieces have emigrated. One to New Zealand and the other to Switzerland. Ones a doctor the other is a teacher. The pressure of working in public services in the UK being a major reason for leaving.

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ZookeepergameDue3184@reddit

Multiple friends have moved to Thailand, one has gone to Australia, one to Singapore. Not surprised really. Things in this country are pretty bleak, much better offers and quality of life elsewhere.

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xwell320@reddit

If I had the right to live and work in the EU I would leave, but for now I'm stuck. The middle east doesn't interest me.

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Mountain_Strategy342@reddit

Honestly? I am a Dutch resident and a UK passport holder. Spend time half and half in the EU and UK.

If I was going to move somewhere it would be for lifestyle above everything else and I would go to Scotland.

Beautiful countryside, lovely people, great infrastructure.

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Fun-Garbage4882@reddit

If you struggle in UK with terrible weather, why not struggle in Spain or somewhere sunny!

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oudcedar@reddit

I was fortunate enough to graduate around the time that England, and London in particular, seemed to be on a huge ride of increasing prosperity and optimism so like minded people were coming to the UK and it was the place to be in your 20s and 30s. Alas I wasn’t in time for boomer style cheap properties but with the big salaries at the time (well they felt big to us but would seem silly now), it was still just possible to own a place.

So almost nobody left. The country’s prospect and mood since 2007 has just tumbled a tumbled and I’m losing a lot of younger colleagues to Australia or (if their parents came from Europe) to European countries.

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