Can I move abroad or am I stuck in the U.K. forever?!

[bibbedybobbedy]

I am fed up with the U.K. but I actually think I may be trapped here. I want to move abroad have one dc and one dh 😁
I want to move out of this small minded country but I don't think I can.
Kicking myself for not moving before brexit happened.

Is there anywhere you can move to easily with a British passport?! I'm 36 dh is 37 dc would need to go to school and is 8 yo. Dh wfh but it's the visas that restrict us. His company won't support visas to move abroad but don't mind if we take ourselves abroad off our own backs. Problem is I can't find anywhere we can go to.

Well, unless you live in both in the last few years I'm not sure what relevance your opinion is.

What makes you think other countries are better than the UK. Look behind the facade of swaying palm trees and warm weather and you will find exactly the same social problems anywhere. Drugs, homelessness, violence, murder, high cost health care etc etc and unless you can speak the local language your up the creek without the paddle

If you would consider Australia, it does seem like accountants are in demand there: www.globalaccountingnetwork.net/articles/a-guide-to-moving-to-australia-as-an-accountant.

You mentioned NZ, so I might jump in as I am a Kiwi in the UK, not sure about job shortages for accountants but my mum is an accountant in NZ and I would say your qualifcations are transferable if you have something like being a qualified chartered accountant.

That said if you are looking for warmer climates you might be best sticking with Europe or Australia. Auckland has lovely summers (although humid) but the cost of living there is higher than it is in the UK. South Island is more affordable, however having grown up there the temperatures are similar to the UK, and there is no such thing as central heating in NZ. Also the issue with moving to NZ (and Aus) is the isolation, say goodbye to to European mini breaks!

Dont get me wrong I love my home country, (and I have also previously lived in Aus), much more laid back lifestyle etc, but its just as expensive and you cant pay the bills on scenery.

There is really nothing wrong with wanting to get out and see the world. Life is to short to only ever experience living in one country. UK isn't the worse place in the world to live, but it is certainly not the best either. What UK lacks another country will have in abundance, and what they lack, the UK will have. It's only by leaving you can know if it's the right thing to do. Not knowing the language does mean you have to work harder, but it doesn't mean disaster. I have lived in two countries where I didn't speak the language, but managed to learn enough to get by and make friends.

Costa Rica would be my dream. Just need to learn Spanish, rent out my UK home to provide me with an income and persuade DH, DC and my parents (I'm not leaving my Mum behind) to join me.

Failing that, Northumberland. Beautiful county. With a month in Spain each year to warm up and learn Spanish (see above).

could you go freelance and use every long school summer holiday to travel somewhere and “live” for a bit longer than your usual holiday time? Maybe the best of both worlds? Domestic drudgery, issues for kids at school, relationship issues etc not to mention societal problems, frustrations with politicians and impacts of recession etc happen in sunny countries too!

Move to Ireland OP.

If it goes tits up, its easy to move back.

I think Barbados was doing something like this. You had to earn £30k

Good luck OP! Some helpful posts here.

Don't get bogged down in the UK if you've a dream to live elsewhere.

I'm not originally from the UK but spent 10 years there. Moved away a few years ago and wouldn't want to move back now.

Just make sure you are clear on tax arrangements if one of you will have a UK based job but be living elsewhere...im pretty sure it's not as straight forward as just working from home.

@bibbedybobbedy

What are the exact qualifications?

What is it you're hoping will be better in another country? I think it depends what you're moving for - if it's sunshine and a more outdoorsy lifestyle, then I can understand that.

However, I agree with people who say that the grass isn't always greener. I've got friends who have moved here from various European countries - Portugal, Poland, Czech Republic who all say that they feel much more free to live their lives without judgement her than they did in the countries they were born in.

It's easy to see that the UK is shit, and I totally feel the same about politicians, cost of living etc, but these things are an issue in many other countries too. It might be that you would feel happier living in a different area of the UK?

I was born and raised in South Africa and have been all over the world and I can assure you that British people are among some of the most open minded and worldly I’ve ever met! It’s one of the reasons I chose to stay here.

We live in Portugal and as a pp said it is very welcoming to immigrants, especially professionals. We moved before Brexit (well, because of Brexit), so it was v easy, but as I understand it it's not as difficult as some EU countries post-Brexit.

If you live in Lisbon or the Algarve it's fairly easy to get by until you learn the language. The international schools are not too pricey either, and I've been told that Portuguese state schools are quite good too (don't have children myself).

There is a handy tax incentive called the Non-Habitual Residency scheme, which you can opt into for the first ten years. It gives you a lower tax rate if you're in certain professions, and the option to be taxed locally on your international income. My husband works remotely for a UK company, though his payroll is based in Portugal. I am freelance and work for various clients, mostly UK-based.

The lifestyle here is fantastic. Some things are more expensive (notably fuel and cars), but others are cheaper (notably food and drink). We've found the state healthcare system to be perfectly fine, and we also pay a small amount (~1000€ per year for both of us) for private health insurance. Moving here was the best thing we ever did.

A friend of mine, her DH and then-tween son relocated to Portugal about 10 years ago - no job set up or 'transferable' skills per se (such as nursing etc) and spoke very, VERY elementary Portuguese at the time.

BUT they were wealthy enough to buy a house outright, live off savings for 24 months, had some contacts in the country (native / fluent Porto speakers) and had a professional background in property development and PR which allowed them to build a business from scratch.

Their son very quickly adapted, went to a local school and was fluent within a year (as is the way of children exposed to a language) and they themselves put a lot of time, money and effort into studying the language and integrating into the community quickly.

They are still British citizens, but are looking into transferring their citizenship at the moment, because that's their life now.

Long story short - relocating to a non-English speaking country is possible, BUT you need to realistically consider what you can do, and be prepared to throw an absolute metric fuck tonne of time, money and effort at it.

I moved to France last year. But we took early retirement, have access to pension money in order to cover costs etc.

We don't speak French and no matter what language courses you use, it is very hard to understand French spoken at the speed most people speak. But we get by and are learning more as we go.

Our village is 60% British, and we are in the Haute Vienne. Most of the houses are holiday homes, mostly British owned.

In terms of visas, if the company won't sponsor you you will have to find another way. Problem is most visas are approved for work if you have a business plan or an ployet willing to sponsor you and they have to prove that the job couldn't be filled by a current resident. So the option of doing your business as self employed is there, but you'd have to show minimum levels of income to cover you.

It is doable but you need to get round whichever country rules are in place at the time.

Good luck, best thing we did.

give it a go. I had dreamed of living abroad, even if it was just a 'getting by/backpackers' type of experience, but then i had my DD who has serious lifelong medical issues and the doors shut for me, as the chance for a visa for a single mum with a child requiring very expensive treatments were zero. Understandable, but disappointing. There are times to be grateful for free healthcare

Oooh, I share your dream, I’d love to move overseas. I’ve always dreamt of moving to NZ but don’t do a job that is on their skills shortage list. Following your thread with interest.

I don’t think accountancy is still a high demand field in Australia. For many years there was a pathway for international students to get longer term visas if they did accountancy and it was extremely popular. I think that gave us a bit of a glut (though to be fair, someone with years of experience wouldnt be competing for the roles they sought).

why would anyone move somewhere EVEN wetter and rainier and more isolated than the UK?!

@AlisonDonut How do you get on with the locals? What do they think of you?

www.visitbarbados.org/barbados-welcome-stamp

Barbados is doing a 'wfh in Barbados' scheme. It's only 12m visa at a time but you can apply for it to be renewed. Income of us$50k required.

My company however does not allow us to WFH from outside the UK, mainly for tax reasons. Do you know for sure your company allows it?

Problem is I can't find anywhere we can go to.

I see what you mean about "small minded".

I know someone who sold up and moved abroad for similar reasons to you. X amount of years down the line they've sold up and come back to England. Once the novelty wore off they soon realised that although they had year round sunshine the grass really wasn't greener on the other side. She struggled like mad to get a job and they missed their families. Yet another family I know moved out to Spain years ago. Both kids young enough for starting school, both parents researched and got jobs before moving out there and all took Spanish lessons. 20 or so years down the line they still live out there.