Why don't a lot of English people live abroad?

[Booneymil]

Hi! I was just thinking about something. I am Irish originally. I have lived and worked in around seven different countries at my age. I am 40. I love moving around and living in different places. I have been working in england now for two years.

At my large workplace, there are a lot of English people and a lot foreign people working there. So we have people from Spain, Poland, Italy, Australia, and Lithuania working there. Every one of the foreign people there have lived all over the world. I was chatting to the lithuanian woman, she has lived in Indonesia, in Sweden, Switzerland and in Italy.

I was chatting to the Spanish woman - she has lived in Italy, Spain, Germany and Norway. She told me she was from a wealthy family in spain so she had no need to move, she just had a desire to see the rest of the world. I was the same, I always wanted to see more of the world.

The English people in my workplace, there are about thirty of them.

Not one of them has ever lived abroad. A lot of them are old enough that they could have moved around the EU before Brexit happened. But they didnt.

I was thinking about it. Why? Why is it so different in England.

I speak English and Spanish. I wish I’d have moved abroad when I was young enough to benefit from the EU free movement rules. It would be difficult to move now I have a family as I am the only Spanish speaker. That limits the countries we can live in. However given the recent state of the country, I am looking to move elsewhere. The matter of where to go is the issue!

I have had this. I continue to reply in Spanish until they follow suit.

Have you lived in Spain? I have .

I worked in several different workplaces. I didn't need to speak spanish in any of the workplaces that I was in.

Because Britain is great.
Half the world wants to come here.

My ex was Spanish, where he was from very few people spoke English. You needed decent Spanish to get by as a tourist never mind working there.

I stand by the point that it is extremely arrogant and ignorant to move to another country and not learn the language. Saying ‘everyone spoke English’ is just a cop out.

What a load of bollocks 😂

I’ve never lived abroad because I love living in England. I’ve travelled to other countries around the world a fair bit on holiday and extended holidays but have no desire to live anywhere else. My family are here and other people I love. My roots. I actually count myself very lucky to have been born here.

Doesn’t make me narrow minded or uninteresting anymore than you living in other countries makes you broad minded or interesting.

Re UK - The winters are long and cold and wet and dark and miserable. The traditional food is bland and boring. I don’t think everyone wants to come here tbh.

See, I love autumn and winter. They’re my favourite seasons.
A well cooked Sunday lunch is my favourite and the food I miss most when I travel.

We’re all different!

Did you miss the part where I said that I spoke to Spanish to them, and they spoke English back to me?

They WANT to speak English. A lot of people want to practice their English.

This seems to be what many British people think, yes.

Fully evidenced by your first post.

My point is that those posters are very over the top.

"Everyone wants to come here".

"Half the world wants to come here".

I don't think those statements are true.

But those posts fit into what I said earlier that many British people are taught that the U.K. is the best country in the world

So they don't leave.

Why are you here? Are you off somewhere else?
All those people you've worked with - are they planning on staying longer? Or are they all off somewhere else?

No I didn’t miss that. What’s stopping you asking them to speak Spanish so you can practice? I also didn’t miss the multiple post where you say you don’t need to learn the local language to work abroad. Sounds like you don’t even want to… it just sounds so ignorant.

Because I've had my right to do so in Europe taken away from me by Brexit.

I already wrote that I am moving to another country at the start of next year.

It is your posts that sound ignorant.

Of course you don't Need to learn the local language to a fluent level, to live abroad.

How could you possibly learn every langauge? There are so many of them.

You can learn the basics of a language, and keep improving in the language whilr you are there.

But you do not need to speak the local language fluently, to live in other ountries.

My friend has gone to work in China. He doesn't speak Chinese very well. He has a good job.

It’s not me that’s saying you don’t need to speak a local language if you move abroad because they’ll all just speak English for you.
Nobody is saying that you need to learn all the languages in the world, but you absolutely should make an effort if you’re going to live and work there.

I’ve visited China and I needed an interpreter in work situations. I couldn’t live and work there because my language skills aren’t good enough.

Even if people feel restricted by their language skills, Australia, NZ and Canada all have working holiday visas for young people; in the same way that the UK does. So under the age of 25 (or up to 35 in some instances), it's pretty easy to travel, live and work in other English speaking countries. (I don't know about visa requirements in the US.)

I agree with you, OP, and those who suggest it's cultural. I also think how much of this one sees/notices depends on where you live in the UK and who you regularly interact with. I think if you live in England, you're more likely to meet a broader range of people in London, particularly those who have travelled.

I would have loved to but wouldn’t qualify for a visa anywhere

OP - some might say your inability to settle in one place is down to insecurity.

No. I just have a desire to see the world. Life is short and there are so many places to see!

Also everyone that I was friends with in Ireland did the same thing as me, they moved all round the world. So we probably all influenced each other.

Our mindset always was : we want to see the world. Life it too short to just spend it in one place.

Well that's fine, but no need to belittle English people who enjoy a settled environment with their family and friends and go on holiday for places to see. I've travelled extensively and taken my children on some exquisite holidays, but did not want to uproot them. Plus my DH had a well paid job in England. Does that make me narrow minded?

With kids, I was wondering is our school system more rigid or incompatible with most of Europe? It seems like people that have lived elsewhere in Europe that move back to the UK the school side quite tricky? Are the Irish and Scottish systems more compatible?