UK living

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yorkshire_Jon

My personal opinion is that Yorkshire, Lake District and Scotland are the nicest areas, although not necessarily in that order!

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Yeah, I'll second that. I'm a Londoner and spent 30 years there, then moved just North of Yorkshire, and the countryside is stunning and the people very friendly. Scotland is lovely too, as are the lakes, and most similar types of areas (Cotswolds, etc.). Trouble is, they're usually not where the well paying jobs are, but their prices can be up there with the cities because they are just such nice places to live!

You need to give serious thought to where you want to live compared to where your job needs you to be, as this will have a significant bearing on any financial incentive offered to you.

If it's anywhere near London, and you're on any type of NHS salary (Except maybe very senior management) then make sure the package includes rental accommodation!! £400k+ will just about buy you a 3-4 bed semi in an average outer London suburb these days. 1 bed London flats are £200-300k (And I'm not talking Docklands luxury apartments either)! :eek:

George.
If you are into health care/hospital work then Saudi Arabia is the place to be. The hospitals there pay much better and you get better benefits than both UK and UAE. Normal contract is with flights, housing, end of service awards are very good.
I lived in Saudi for ten years before moving to Dubai and unless the job you get is a real corker then you'll find it hard to make your objectives work.

I can never understand why people want to move to UK...everyone I know wants to leave the place!
These days you'll find much cheaper professionals from Poland, Philapines and South Africa doing all of the work that people like yourself used to do & at half the price!

Regards.

S.

My first post after watching for a long time before commenting......I live in the 'Cotswolds'....a beautiful area about 1 hour train ride from london paddington....i have also live in california for 15 years and Perth WA for 1yr.....

The UK is a great place to live if you are willing to accept the fact that we are a tiny place with 60 million people. Everyday costs are rising fast and most people would say that the Gov inflation figure of 2.5% is BS as we believe it is closer to 10-15%, when you include all the stealth taxes.

Diesel Fuel is now $2.57 A per LITRE, and food costs are rising quickly. Monthly Council property tax is $352.00 A on my home, and the average cost of a 4 bed home around this area is $1Million A. Then if you work in London, the train costs keep rising and are now $9000 per year for commuter times.

Notwithstanding the costs, the place is so damn crowded, the roads, trains, countryside. There are just so few places to escape, unlike the US or Aus.

Then you have our famous weather. From Oct to May it is winter...not usually cold, just damp and an average temp of 10 C and often gray for long periods. We all pray that spring/summer show up from May until late Sept.

I love the UK, but am also happy to travel to the US, which i do monthly, which keeps me sane, as the winters are getting much grayer, wetter and warmer. Our village has been flooded 3 times in the last 12 months, our house twice.....2 feet deep.....the weather has changed so much in the last 20 years.....

Anyway...I hope it helps you. It helps me to vent!!!

on the plus side...you do not have to wait 4 months for an 08 defender....but when you get one and go off road, all the walkers complain.....

Edd,
don't be put off by all the bother, living and working abroad will broaden your horizons enormously. You don't have to calculate the finances, you will most likely make a loss anyway, but the experiences and insights you will get are something no money can buy. As usual, there are advantages and disadvantages compared to your present situation.
I have lived in the UK (although this was a while ago), been there many times and still have a lot of contacts there (some of which I should have visited already :angel:). Furthermore, I have worked in the NHS, so if you need some information, drop me a line.

Cheers and good luck!