Isle of Man?

[Sallyh87]

Hi all,

I was interested to know if anyone has any advice or experience of living on the Isle of Man?

My DH is interested in a job there. In the interests of not drip feeding:

• We live in the UK
• We have a toddler
• I work in an industry that would make it possible to find a fully work from home job
• This would be a step up for him, so a good salary.

I like the idea of living by the sea and if he is keen on the job I am okay in principal, just wanted any opinions on the Isle of Man really.

Thanks in advance.

If you need anything other than basic medical treatment you’ll have to fly to Liverpool.

The IoM is a weird mix of Dublin 20 years ago/the north of England in the nineties/high finance. It’s pretty parochial. But you might like that.

Thanks @Iamthewombat , interesting! I am Irish (and a Dubliner, so understand fully the reference). Also, the bit about medical care is a valid point, I have Type 1 diabetes and plan to have another baby.

I tried not to drip feed but I did!

Would your work from home still give you a Manx tax payer status? Need to be careful not to pay higher UK taxes and higher Manx living costs x
Plus it will be a pain getting on and off island for holidays, usually losing a day on each end, every time.

Thanks @DoughNutBabe , I am hoping that my DH would get a pay bump and therefore my potentially being double taxed would be offset. Though it’s a really good point and I had not factored it in at all! Would need to take tax advice.

Is the cost of living much higher? It seemed property was much cheaper than where we are (commutable to London).

www.gov.im/categories/tax-vat-and-your-money/income-tax-and-national-insurance/individuals/residents/moving-to-the-island-new-residents/. As a resident you would qualify for double taxation relief on your UK income.

Have you ever visited the Island?

@Whatwouldnanado , no I haven’t. I grew up in a small seaside town in Ireland so the idea of Isle of Man is not a shock to me. My DH came to me with the idea of it and I agreed to consider it.

I think it would be prudent to visit before making a commitment!

Thanks for the link as well, that’s really useful.

There wouldn’t be double tax just the higher rate if you remain UK tax resident.
IOM is expensive, 1 gas provider, 1 electrics provider, talks of water meters (not the current flat rate depending on the value of the property), ‘holiday tax’ as it will cost more to get on and off island. There is only 1 Tesco, no other supermarkets (just coops and local shoprite/waitrose), Dealz has everything for £1.20 so no Poundland, many UK and foreign retailers don’t ship to the island, your kids won’t get UK student loans for university and will pay overseas student fees (there is a local scheme tho), your friends will either give up travelling to see you or will visit you for weeks no end when the races are on so you cannot rent out rooms for homestay.
Remember, no benefits (apart from child benefit) until after 5 years of residency.
It is an amazing place to live and it outweighs the negatives for many many people.
Not sure what work permit you will need for remote work/self employment.

Thank you @DoughNutBabe that is all very helpful information. I clearly need to do a lot of research, but this is why I love MumsNet, I can ask a question about any topic and get sound advice. As long as I don’t post in AIBU people are very nice and helpful ☺️

Much appreciated, thank you!

Sorry, probably silly question but does Amazon ship to the island @DoughNutBabe

Yes. My parents live on the island, and have regularly ordered stuff from Amazon. Though clearly stuff takes longer to arrive...

A guy I worked with moved there as his wife was from there. He hated it. Found it incredibly unfriendly and felt very out of place as people didn't like the fact he wasn't born there and was viewed as an outsider.

Thanks all, advice is much appreciated.