If you could move to a country on the below list which one would you pick and why?

[chirpyduck]

Or if anyone has already lived and worked in these countries any advice is greatly appreciated or any advice from anyone who has relocated as well as I'm sure there are pitfalls as well as benefits!

I have one dc in year 5 and dh and I are late 30's can move to one of these countries through work. I don't want to miss the opportunity so am currently investigating which one sounds like we could make it work.

Argentina
Australia (Sydney)
Belgium
Canada
France
Germany
Indonesia
Italy
Japan
Malaysia
Mexico
New Zealand
Panama
Singapore
Netherlands
Thailand
Vietnam

Germany, Belgium and Italy would all make my shortlist, subject to international school fees being covered. But a few years in Canada or Australia or NZ could be very nice too, especially if languages are an issue.

If it was for a relatively short fixed time then I'd go new Zealand or Australia for the chance to explore them.

If it was a longer term or permanent move then I'd want to be closer to home for family so it'd be between Italy or Netherlands as I've visited and loved both of those (although I've never been to Germany so that may well be nice too).

I would go home to Germany, which I will be doing as soon as my husband retires.

The last place I'd want to go is another European city. Why not go for something "out there" while you have the chance? I'd want it to be an adventure, not something that's as close to here as possible.

I love Japan, have been there several times now, so that's where I'd choose personally. General/basic Japanese conversation isn't that hard to learn and you'd experience a completely different culture. The one negative could be that working hours are long, dependant on the job. Somewhere like Thailand could be more laid back and is cheap in terms of living costs.

I've lived in Australia and hated it, I found it far more expensive than the UK and Sydney was good for a holiday, but definitely not to live.

I love Mexico, it's one of my favourite places. Playa del carmen is beautiful, it's where I usually go, I have friends there. I would definitely not move to Mexico City though.

Italy is beautiful.

If I had to choose from your list, it would be Italy or Mexico.

I'm very jealous

I've lived in Berlin and enjoyed it, but the winters were brutal. It was the most walkable place I've ever lived which was lovely.

DH lived in Amsterdam for a while and DS and I went back and forth for visits as he was in school by then. I probably wouldn't choose Amsterdam to live, but there are lovely places elsewhere in the Netherlands.

I wouldn't mind giving Belgium a go, preferably somewhere with a high-end chocolate industry.

I’d avoid the cold, so that rules out a few

I missed Argentina from your list. Definitely would be top of my list.

I wouldn't go for a European country, only because I'd want more of an adventure.

My top 3 would be,
Argentina
Mexico
Italy/ Singapore.

If not a permanent move I’d go for one of the countries like Singapore, Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam or Thailand. Not ridiculously far that you can’t travel home but a totally different culture and opens up a lot of travel possibilities that might otherwise be a challenge

What a nice dilemma to have! If it's a fairly long-term thing I would choose Germany, Netherlands or Canada. If it's a year or two I'd care less about equality, social security, pensions etc and go one of the more exotic places in order to experience something very different to what you have now.

Personally, I'd pick Belgium. My DH used to work in Brussels quite a lot pre Brexit and still does so occasionally and I really like Belgium. But then my 2 great loves in life are cycling and chocolate!
I think it depends on your individual circumstances a lot though. For instance DH's parents are eldely and quite frail now so we wouldn't want to be too far away. We could get to their home from most major European cities quite quickly in an emergency but getting home from, say, Australia in a hurry would be a different matter. That would put us off a lot of places, no matter how attractive otherwise, though obviously that may not be a major consideration for you.
I suspect you could have a great time in pretty much any of those destinations to be honest though - they will all have something good about them. Sounds like a wonderful opportunity.

I've lived in France and Italy and unless you speak the language it's hard. And I don't mean you can ask directions and order food in a restaurant - there is a huge difference between holiday French or Spanish or whatever and being able to make friends, hold conversations on a variety of topics, deal with bureaucracy, illness, house renovations - all in another language.

So if you speak good French, Spanish, Italian, German, etc, fine. If you don't and if you've never displayed any particular aptitude for languages then I'd choose an English speaking country. But for me, Canada is too dull and too woke and Australia is too hot and too far away. So I'd stay at home!

Wow thank you for the replies I am going through them now. Move could be permanent or not depending on country visa system. Ideally we'd cover the whole of senior school at least to 'gcse' years in the other country depending on visas again.

Work won't pay for school fees. We may be able to afford them depending on the costs of living and the country.

Job will be wfh no need to go into an office but choice is there.

I wouldn't bother with anywhere in Europe - it wouldn't be enough of a change.

I think my first choice would be Argentina. Large country with varied scenery and climate. Cultured and civilised, but differently from the Anglophone countries. Useful and accessible language. And Tango!

And I'm tempted by Singapore, although I don't know what it would be like to live there longterm. It's on the equator, so the sameness of the weather might get me down.

Maybe Thailand.

Only personal experience is lived in Melbourne 1 year, loved it! Visited Sydney it’s quite different but nice. Cost of living high but so are wages. Otherwise really depends what lifestyle you want with regard to language, culture change, eduction. Thailand/Vietnam great to visit but will be quite a different lifestyle to Germany or Italy

We moved back from Singapore a couple of years ago and would love to go back. Low tax balances out having to pay school fees, loved having a pool, popping to Thailand for a weekend, very easy life with kids and excellent healthcare (although make sure work will provide good insurance)

I am moving to one of the asia countries early next year as my company has moved me here (so no real choice on which country) - the things that came up for us were: taxes, visa / working (including remote work) restrictions, healthcare provision, language barriers, time difference (one of us is working remotely) and cost for emergency trips back to uk etc.

A lot of it is going to depend on your specific situation e.g.

How regularly do you plan to return to the UK and is it likely you might need to return in a hurry (e.g. due to family illness)?

Are you looking for an expat lifestyle with international schools etc? or more of a cultural immersion? Do you speak any other languages and if not is that something you're prepared to put the work in and learn?

What assistance will your employer provide e.g. relocation, support for housing costs?

How adaptable is your DC and are you confident they'll be able to settle in to a new culture?

It's also relevant to know how much flexibility you have over location. For example, I have lived in Canada, it's a vast country. I would consider moving to Vancouver but not Toronto or Montreal as the winters are too long and harsh for me (although great if you're in to winter sports).

With NZ and Australia the main issues are going to be cost of living and particularly housing. And also the isolation - if you need to come back to the UK it's a 24 hour plane journey. Both countries offer a fantastic outdoors lifestyle but dramatically reduced cultural opportunities compared to the UK.

Australia and New Zealand both on my list. I like the vast open landscapes of Australia and the mountains of New Zealand

I quite like Panama.

Worked in Sydney for a year and wouldn't want to live there again unless I was a multimillionaire.

Purely based on the adventure and not having to think of boring grown up things like budgeting and education - Mexico, Argentina and Japan would be my personal preferences! Mainly because of food and language

so jealous, we were supposed to live abroad as an adventure but ended up in California and stayed for 10years. I constantly wish we’d had the fortune to end up somewhere a lot more different to the U.K.!

Depends what languages you speak

Germany because I loved it when I visited and I speak the language quite well. France would be second choice, I'm not very adventurous!

What a great opportunity op!

I think I would choose The Netherlands if it was a long term move.
The cast majority speak English, overall good quality of living, clean, close to the rest of Europe etc.

If it was short term - I’d love to live in Japan.

It depends what’s important to you. I wouldn’t want to be too far away from my family/parents. I’ve lived in France and loved it but I can speak French. I’d put the Netherlands and Germany on my list too. Berlin is one of my favourite cities.

I wouldn’t consider Australia- it’s too far away from everywhere and I don’t like the lack of culture.

I’d have Canada on my shortlist due to the outdoors activities - but I’d enjoy that lifestyle. It depends what you’re in to. No language barrier would be key.

Can you choose anywhere or are you limited to certain cities these countries?