to come to UK?

[whitney85]

So lately I wonder whether to come to UK. I'm from Poland. Live in a big city, have a job I like. I'm a mother of 2. My husband works too. We have 3 badroom apt, 2 cars and live a pretty stable life. On the other hand I want something more. I need a new experience. I'd like to live in a country wwith more opportunities. Before the kids we lived for a while in US, where we worked and traveled. We speak english but it's not as good as I wish. Not yet. I'm about 30 and it's been almost 6 years I haven't used the language. But anyway, I would like to make a change and go to UK. But I'm scared a little too. I was in London and Oxford once, I liked it there. But being a turist is way different than trying to settle down.
And finally I go to the point. Do you think its resonable? What do you think about so many immigrants in UK? Do you even want us there? A tough question I know. But I need to know how it really looks like before I make a final decision. Its not only about me. I don't want my children to feel any worse.So pleasy give me an answer and help me make my mind couse I don't know what I should do...

[WeirdCatLady]

I live in the Black Country which is near Birmingham. We have a large Polish community here, lots of little Polish supermarkets and lots of Polish foods in our local big supermarkets (yummy pickled veggies)

My thoughts are that people who want to work and contribute to local life should be welcome. I personally wouldn't move somewhere unless I'd got a job to come to though.

Hope this helps a little x

[MrsTerryPratchett]

Could be a wind up. If not, I wouldn't think about London or Oxford as they are very expensive. Agree with Alpaca to think about education. The system in the UK is very weird and confusing.

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

Your written English is very good OP!

[Mabelface]

I'd have a long, hard think about whether you'd be able to find work which will give you the lifestyle you're used to. The UK is quite expensive and rents are high. Wages haven't risen at the same rate as inflation. You sound like you have a good life where you are, just be sure that you are able to sacrifice stuff. If you can speak to people who have moved from Poland and are living in the UK to get more of an idea, that would be useful to you, I think.

[flipflopsandcottonsocks]

My mother in law moved to the UK from Poland almost 40 years ago and has never moved back, she loves it here. Your English is fine by the way, better than a lot of people who live and work here, so I think you'd be fine on that front.

Personally I can't see why you'd want to leave, I think Poland is lovely, such beautiful cities! Though I do understand feeling like you need a change.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

[CarbeDiem]

Gdzie w Polsce mieszkasz?
Jestem angielska i mieszkam w Warszawie w niepe?nym wymiarze czasu.

Mój j?zyk polski nie jest tak dobry, jak twój angielski :)

[whitney85]

Tanks 4 your answers. If I would't know english, I would't even thing of mooving. I know what Daily Mail writes about Polish (our newspapers reprint it), I know what Cameron says too. So here, in Poland, we kind of think we are not welcome there.
I can find a job earlier and come straight to work. But there are offerts mostly for carers and it is not what I'd like to do. If we come, we rent something. We would have money for 3 - 6 months of living.
I don't really know UK. I am searching an internet to find a town I would like to live. I'm little scared of London, it's too big and busy ;-)

[LuisSuarezTeeth]

Carbe are you showing off?

[Mabelface]

Carers are not well paid. The Daily Mail is an awful paper. If you go north, it's cheaper and a bit more chilled.

[CarbeDiem]

And the rest in English because it takes me too long to write Polish.

It depends where you want to move to and what kind of work you'd be able to get here.
My husband has many friends here and probably around 50% love it and would never move back to Poland but mostly they are graduates with good paying jobs here and don't live in area's that are hugely expensive.
The ones that would like to return can't really do so yet as they'd never survive on 2000zl monthly which is roughly what they'd be paid for doing the same work.

[CarbeDiem]

Luis I wish - I've more than likely made a grammatical pigs arse of it, but the thought is there :)

[whitney85]

CarbeDiem - I live in Warsaw.
Madlizzy - I know people who moved from Poland to UK and they don't regret. I wanted to know your opinion. I wanna know if it's true British are tired of immigrants and don't really like Polish (this is what we can read in polish newspapers). Our government don't want us, young Polish, to moove away. But they don't do anything to keep us here. Polish wages are almost the worst in Europe and the prices are average. Some stuff are even cheaper in UK, like clothes and cosmetics. There is no place for children in kondergardens (my kids are 1 and 3). And there is way more...
I agree Poland is beautyfull. But it's not the most important.

[Lezprechaun]

Whitney - I am English and have many polish friends who love it here, my area is very friendly to immigrants though I know others do not like it so much. I think the media attention has moved on to Romanian immigrants as opposed to polish ones however. Send me a message if you want to speak to my close polish friends or ask any questions about living in this area (cheshire).

[Mabelface]

The daily mail is a right wing paper and not representative of our country at all. Right now, the national minimum wage for someone over the age of 21 is £6.31 per hour. Why not spend a couple of weeks with some of your friends and see what you think then?

[Attheendof]

British people don't speak with one mind, so not really possible to answer your question. Some people are out-and-out racists. Some believe everything in the DM, but quite like the Polish people they know at work. Others have no issue with it at all and have lots of Polish friends.
You could move to one area and have a great experience, another one, less so.
I don't think carers type jobs would get you a three bed flat and two cars though, not where I live anyway. Research seriously whether you'd be better off or not.

[CarbeDiem]

Our apartment is in Kabaty.

You'll get people who don't like immigrants (and often don't like themselves sometimes) in any Country and in any area but I wouldn't say the majority are like that.
All this ''they stole our jobs bullshit'' is exactly that - Gowno :)

Like the Daily mail and remarks made by David Cameron - TVN24 if that's which Polish news station you watch - scandalise things and blow things out of proportion. I completely agree with you in regard to Polish politics and not wanting people to move away but they do nothing to encourage them to stay or to bring them back. Mr Tusk has lengthened the maternity leave for mothers - Wow!! He's a joke.
I'll regret saying this and my husband will tape up my mouth shut but Kaczy?ski makes some good points about this very issue.


As I spend a lot of time between both Countries I can tell you that Poland is much much cheaper to live than the UK.
Ok for some things like - Watermelons (is all I can think of at the moment :) ) in Warsaw Tesco it costs like 4zl per kilo so totals like £3 for 1
Here from the fruit shop I can buy one for maximum £2 as it's priced per watermelon. A basket of grapes is the same.
Fresh fish is cheaper in the UK too but that's obvious - we are an Island, Poland only have 1 coast.

What I miss from the UK
Primark (sorry but I do) or even access to similar shops.
Sports clothes are really expensive in Poland.
The NHS - although I am entitled to use Polish equivalent of nhs I don't, I pay for private because the waiting lists are crazy for some things, even like emergency Gynaecology visits.

[SuperScrimper]

I think the majority of people are happy with highly skilled immigrants, but want the huge numbers of unemployed British people to do the unskilled jobs.

We can't sustain a country where people come from abroad, often with a family to be a carer when a British person should be doing that job.

[greeneggsandjam]

Does Poland have many immigrants from other countries out of interest?

[InSummer]

I don't think you'd be getting a better quality of life if you came to do a caring job. I would only emigrate if I had an actual career and prospects.

[EhricLovesTheBhrothers]

I am immigration positive but I wouldn't advise you to move here. Life here on a middling income is hard and stressful and not a dream of culture and fun. If you have a good quality of life then stay where you are.

[Perfectlypurple]

Im thrilled I could read practically all of the polish post. I have been learning but have not had much time lately so pleased I remember it!

I don't think you would get a better quality of life being a carer here.

[BMW6]

Southampton has a huge Polish community (and has since WW2, so not a new thing). Anyone who comes here to work is welcome in my opinion FWIW.

Could you train as a nurse - your English is excellent so it would be a shame to restrict your career to working as a Carer (and the wages are terrible).
What is your husband's occupation?

[CarbeDiem]

No not really green mostly some Asian, some Ukrainian and others too. Lots of foreign students but not anywhere near the UK level. And that's just in the larger Cities. Some smaller Towns don't have any at all.

Perfect - Well done but seriously don't count on my Polish grammar being correct because it's very far from after 3 years of learning :)

I don't think that carer's wages would give a better quality of life here. Not unless your husband had a very good paying job.
Even if you moved to a cheaper area of the UK - Say Newcastle. You'll pay somewhere in the region of £500 -£600 (2,600 - 3,200 PLN) monthly in rent alone for a house, a little cheaper for a flat in a reasonable area.
Carers full time monthly wages would be roughly £1000 (5,300 PLN) before tax.