To think leaving UK is the best Option now

YANBU. I am in a similar position to you and it's just shite. You're held back in every which way when it comes to earning potential here.

If you earn over £100k then you can contribute money to your pension to bring your total taxable income to below the threshold for 30hrs free childcare.

You'd be utterly mad to with either of those choices OP.

Nothing, of course. 🙄

Yes. It's very safe, great restaurants.
Also, it's under UK jurisdiction, so it's not a Third World Hell Hole (sic).

OP have you actually stayed at all out in the ME? I lived there in Qatar and worked in Dubai as a consequence too. It’s bloody awful. I am also in tech by the way.

USA is a better choice I’d say, but not without its issues.

I also think it sounds like you don’t live in a very nice place which might be clouding your view. I now live in a nice market town in Oxfordshire, I don’t have any of the issues you are ironically citing as a reason to leave.

Having been to Dubai a couple of times I can see the appeal, it is very clean and safe, people speak English there are some nice properties etc etc. But it is a bit of an urban jungle and very superficial and very strict, I would not choose it as a place to live.

@LeavinUK

I don't want to become high earner due to the tax implications and end of any childcare hours funded by government

"I could earn more money, but I'd have to pay tax on it, and I'd rather get free childcare from the government that I'm avoiding paying taxes to."

The taxes are only going to go up but very little improvement in the public services

"...though if I were earning more, and therefore paying more taxes, I think I should get better public services than low earners who don't pay as much tax..."

Dearheart, I don't think your problem is geography. I think it's ethics.

What makes Bradford third world?

Thank you! We actively avoided areas popular with expats when we were looking for a property! 😂

My advice if you're seriously considering moving here would be to start improving your French now. They're increasing the standard of French required for long-stay visas from Jan 2026. A decent standard of French will make navigating the bureaucracy soo much easier.

How much is the minimum wage OP?

How is it racist to highlight the difference in treatment between immigrants from majority white countries like the UK and those from countries like Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq (where the UK has played a part in making these countries the basket cases they are today).

I'm struggling to believe that you are employed in what I assume to be a senior role with a six figure salary.

Ask yourself WHY you’ll be able to afford staff on a similar salary in Dubai OP.

The population of the UK that should read.

And yet the population keeps going up and up...

Well you aren't paying particularly high taxes as you work less to keep you salary low enough to be eligible for subsidised child care. I assume that you are a 40% tax payer and that will only be on your income over £50,000. You want to earn more money, pay less tax and still be eligible for free childcare hours and have a better functioning NHS. Surely you realise that a better NHS and free childcare are paid for through taxation which you begrudge paying?

In the US you would get hardly any paid holidays, no paid maternity leave, no subsidised child care, no state funded health care, loads of gun crime and city centres that are even more dangerous than the ones in the UK.

Of course expats / immigrants are welcomed. The thing is do you want to contribute to the community whichever it takes, do you want to improve your french and integrate?
i m the opposite as i m french living in ireland, i m a net cintributor and my family is very integrated. I ve been very welcomed but I had to put in the hard work first.

i m not sure @LeavinUK has actually realised what it takes to relocate successfully

What are you basing the "laughing stock" assessment on?

Also, "Arabs with their air conditioned lifestyle" - would you say this summarises all the key points about Dubai/UAE? It almost makes it sound like you think there's no downside/like they're an example to us all.

There must be so much regional variation. I live in a beautiful part of England and I love it. No problems with the NHS. In fact I got an appointment for this afternoon, this morning.

it possibly boils down to mind set. If you can’t be happy on an income of nearly £100k, you’re not going to be happy anywhere. It’s just you.

It stands to logic that hiring full-time domestic staff is a privilege reserved for the very wealthy. If a middle-class expat can easily afford housekeepers, a nanny etc (when in their home country they could not) it suggests that wages for those workers are disproportionately low. That doesn’t mean individual employers are at fault, but it does point to a system where the affordability of domestic help comes at the expense of the workers themselves.

🤣🤣🤣 at the fat fingered typos.

I love this. My husband lived in France for about five years and has a dream to go back there one day. He has an Irish passport so I think that helps with some of the read tape. He is fluent but I'm probably more high-school , "Pour allez a la banquet, s'il vous plait" level. My worry is (as this thread kind of supports) that expats aren't really welcome. We'd definitely not be looking for an ex-pat community. Just somewhere peaceful. I'm so happy that it's all working out for you.

Lol, the main things you are complaining about would be much worse in the USA. The US healthcare system ranks one of the lowest amongst developed countries. As for being safer, good luck with school shootings and gun violence inn general. The US government is now rounding up, imprisoning and deporting legal immigrants with green cards.

However, with your little rant about illegal immigrants ruining our country, you'll probably fit right in if you emigrate to the US.

You are UTTERLY MAD. This must be a joke?

I would not move to the USA for all the money in the world. School shootings, a president that’s stirring up hatred making his country a target for half the world. Plus if you think the NHS is bad, the USA literally has no healthcare free at the point of use? How is that better?

Dubai is also far from a safe haven especially if you’re planning on bringing up young kids there.

With open arms by pretty much everyone. We've made quite a few French friends.