Advice on where to move in Europe
Posted by Effective_Seesaw_215@reddit | expats | View on Reddit | 16 comments
British-Italian couple in our mid 30s (both owning both passports) living in the UK for 10+ years, and thinking to relocate to mainland Europe. We both have engineering degrees (PhD) and would like for at least one of us to find a job before relocating. We wouldn't like going back to Italy, rather experiencing a new country, with more international vibes.
We're mostly considering: Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands and France as possible destinations.
Our constraints: we need a good healthcare system, good job prospects for our degrees (we both need jobs), and we need to relocate with pets. An open minded international environment is preferred, to build a community once we move. We're happy to learn the local language too!
Any advice based on your experiences would be so appreciated!
Ok-Charge-9091@reddit
Op, are you being “driven” out of the UK by Nigel Farage and the (inhospitable) situation there?
Effective_Seesaw_215@reddit (OP)
Not really, despite the current political environment (which is gloomy in most of the world), I’m grateful to the UK for all the opportunities it gave me, and I love it as my own country. I’ve always seen most of the Brits I’ve met as welcoming and friendly. But as I knew when it was time to leave Italy, now I know it’s time for a new experience, which is why I want to move right now!
bjorn_kvitravn@reddit
What about considering norway? - good healthcare - very good opportunities - amazing nature - open minded
If you don’t mind colder weather.
Effective_Seesaw_215@reddit (OP)
we're not considering Scandinavia just because it's a bit too far away from southern Europe where we have family, and we'd like to move closer. Also, we'd be looking for a weather improvement from the UK (even ever so slightly...)
newbie_trader99@reddit
My vote is for Spain as well. You would be miserable in Netherlands, especially if good weather is important to you
Effective_Seesaw_215@reddit (OP)
We saw that in the Netherlands it may rain more, but there're more hours of sun compared to where we currently live. A marginal improvement is enough for now, if accompanied by better job prospects and overall life!
Glittering_Echo_7963@reddit
Don't know why you're being downvoted. I find the weather thing so relatable. I've lived in the Costwolds and in Scotland’s central belt and you would be amazed at how much colder it gets just a 6 hour drive away. Every time we've done the drive you feel it SO much as you head north/south. Netherlands would certainly feel hotter. Downvoters must be looking at it very black and white, Spain is bloody hot.
InformWitch@reddit
Probably Spain or France then. NL weather is not the greatest (from a fellow sunny-place expat)
Tiberius666@reddit
NL also has one of the most stressed housing markets in Europe.
Crop_olite@reddit
If you go Dutch (pun intended). Sort your housing BEFORE coming here. Housing market sucks. My 2 cents, good luck and have fun!
Effective_Seesaw_215@reddit (OP)
Yes, we know of the housing situation, thanks for the tip :)
Is healthcare good? I read mixed opinions about being among the best in Europe and utterly horrible!
DJfromNL@reddit
I think our emergency care is a bit better than in the UK, but that’s about it.
And we don’t have private insurance that can put you on a fast track at private clinics; the same waiting lists apply to everyone. An jnsurance company may be able to help you find a facility with a shorter waiting list, but that goes for everyone.
Effective_Seesaw_215@reddit (OP)
I see... so similar to the UK. So what if you want to do a preventive check? Can't you even pay for it to get it privately, if you can afford?
DJfromNL@reddit
There are some preventive check programs for various types of cancer for various age groups.
And yes, there are some private clinics for scans.
But the general idea is that we don’t scan without a reason, because those scans often result in false positives, which negatively impacts both the patient (stress) as well as our healthcare system (further tests to turn the false positive back to a negative).
FMB6@reddit
Crudely said specialist care is great, GPs not so much.
Crop_olite@reddit
Well we have overall reactive healthcare. So you go when something is wrong. I'm sure it's similar to the UK quality wise. But i also don't work anything medical related and also don't have a lot of experience with medical (luckily ofcourse).
Insurance is kinda expansive monthly though....