to come to UK?

[whitney85]

So lately I wonder whether to come to UK. I'm from Poland. Live in a big city, have a job I like. I'm a mother of 2. My husband works too. We have 3 badroom apt, 2 cars and live a pretty stable life. On the other hand I want something more. I need a new experience. I'd like to live in a country wwith more opportunities. Before the kids we lived for a while in US, where we worked and traveled. We speak english but it's not as good as I wish. Not yet. I'm about 30 and it's been almost 6 years I haven't used the language. But anyway, I would like to make a change and go to UK. But I'm scared a little too. I was in London and Oxford once, I liked it there. But being a turist is way different than trying to settle down.
And finally I go to the point. Do you think its resonable? What do you think about so many immigrants in UK? Do you even want us there? A tough question I know. But I need to know how it really looks like before I make a final decision. Its not only about me. I don't want my children to feel any worse.So pleasy give me an answer and help me make my mind couse I don't know what I should do...

There is a big polish community where I live, so I think you would feel welcome in the main part. There's always the odd person here and there who bitches about immigration but they are definitly in the minority. Your English is very good so I wouldn't worry about that, have heard people who speak far less English here.

Only downside is i have heard people complain about it being expensive here compared to Poland so quality of life may change a little, depending on what area you go to.

I don't really get the idea of separating humans based on countries.
We're all human on one world. We should all embrace the world however we want to.

I'm going against the grain here. Whilst I personally have no problem with people coming and adding to Britain's workforce, I see a huge amount of xenophobia amongst my colleagues and patients (I'm a GP). I think tolerance of immigration is at an all-time low here, as shown by the increasing popularity of the dreaded Nigel Farage.

I would advise strongly against anyone inflicting such unpleasantness and intolerance on themselves, and even more so on their children. Stay in Poland, that's my advice. This country is not so great, we have no space, minimal housing, and a lot of very angry unemployed people with nothing better to do than complain about immigrants.

I should think you have a better quality of life in Poland.
Most of my husbands friends in warsaw have nice lifes, with good cars, and good apartments. They have a good work - life balance, with leisure time and time with their kids after work.

Life in Britain is very different. Long working hours, little family time, difficult to find jobs in your sector or suitable to your foreign qualifications.

Dhs brother is educated to degree level with a Master from a Polish uni, ran a pr and marketing agency in Poland, and he only found shift work in a cinema. So he now sells popcorn and pours fizzy drinks, from handling large marketing budgets in Poland. Another Polish friend is an ad hoc babysitter for friends in the Polish community who needs emergency child care. Not exactly what she had been doing in Poland. Another friend was an md for a production plant making sports shoes, who decided to try his luck in Britain, and is now a casual labourer building fences.

You need to be really realistic about what jobs you can both do in Britain, and whether your finances will stretch to have the same kind of life you had in Poland.

In the middle of all this, you will move away from your family, your network of friends, and start all over in a country where you lack a network, but more importantly dont really know how it works.

Quintessentially, the people you knew from Poland with good jobs over there, did they consider/do they plan to go back to Poland where they had a much better standard of life or are they holding out for something better here?

Some of them do.

But, I think it is mostly the female part of the couples whose skills/qualifications are more difficult to translate. Many of the men who are quite happy here are builders, and they have not had problems integrating with the work force.

In my BILs situation, his dp has been living here much longer and she has qualified in Britain. Bil hasnt, and his work experience in Poland does not count for much. This means she has a good job (for a Polish company), and he doesnt. He is keen to return. He thought life would be great in Britain, and 2 years on he is quite disillusioned. She has friends and family here, as well as a good job, so it is tricky. He is considering resigning his job because child care fees are more than his net income. This will make him a stay at home dad.

My husbands aunt also worked for a Polish company, and hardly ever had to speak English in work. Being part of the Polish community, her English is still pretty basic after over 30 years here. They also only watch Polish news, and have Polish tv, subscribe to Polish newspapers, shop in Polish small shops, complemented by the old trip to Tesco. Her husband never found work here, and he has been "keeping house", cooking and cleaning and raising the kids.

It seems to me that "universal skills" like plumbing and building where you dont need to come into contact with the public is easier than if you have to communicate a lot with the public. Also, it is easier to find work if you work in, and serve, your own community. In most cases they dont get to use their skills and qualifications, but start from scratch as cleaners, child carers, often while they try to get new British qualifications. Be it beauty therapy or nursing, etc.

Bear in mind I am talking from my personal empirical experience. You know, it is like a box, you can only look at it from certain angles, and not see all the 6 sides and the inside at once. This is the truth from what I have experienced, but I am not speaking for all the Poles in Britain, only those I know!

Regards to qualifications, my UK qualifications were not recognized in Norway, even if they were from a top of the range well known University. I had to send off all my uni related paperwork to an organization that verified that these were actual qualifications. Despite the historical content in my degrees, I was still not accepted into a teacher training course here, due to the differences in the syllabus between Norway and the UK. So, it is not just that Polish qualifications are not recognized in Britain, I think it is across the board, and something OP needs to verify.

OP why dont you ask your Polish friends that has already moved to the UK what their experience is?

I did not actually answer your question!

Do they consider going home or are they holding out for something better?

It is difficult to go back if you have burnt your bridges, sold your house or given up your lease, given notice in your job. It is expensive to move, and expensive to return. Besides, you dont want to appear a failure. And there is always the question, "is returning the right thing, will my life improve if I give it a little longer?"

Perhaps Nigel Farage should offer all the immigrants a "Grant to Leave". 2k moving cost and 2k deposits for new homes, and 1k spending money" to make it affordable for people to leave Britain again, if he really thought that Britain would be better off without immigration.

This may lead to a discussion of whether Britain need their immigrant work force more than they think, and perhaps stop the whole "the immigrants take our jobs" debate which seem somewhat flawed.

Benefits are better in France and Germany, than here.

Thanks quintessential, that was really insightful. I had thought that they must have pretty much sold up and put all hopes into a better life into the Uk so therefore were put off going back to Poland having to start again from scratch. What a dilemma to be in!

"Perhaps Nigel Farage should offer all the immigrants a "Grant to Leave". 2k moving cost and 2k deposits for new homes, and 1k spending money" to make it affordable for people to leave Britain"

Funny you should say that Quint, a relation was offered £1500 & free travel to go home whilst he was trying to claim asylum here. I suspect it would have worked better on actual economic migrants though, instead of someone fleeing for his life. Also if they could have fulfilled their offer, as they wouldn't have been able to get him back into the country due to border controls, he'd have been held indefinitely in the neighboring state that controls the borders.

Strangely we thought it was rather inappropriate at the time, and hoped ot was part of a general 'go home' drive rather than targetted. Tragically he knew people desperate enough to take it - £1.5k for your life, but your relatives get the money to help with their escape.

Sweetnessandlite - I want to work, I don't care what kind of benefits UK offers. I think about UK because I don't know any othrer language than polish and english. I've already lived in Poland, US and Australia are too far.... well I wish I knew italian :-D
Thank you all for your opinion.
I kind of need some adventages. I wanna see more places, try to live in totally different surroundings, expirience diffrent culture...
But I might have too much to lose.
I thought two working people can provide their family a better life in UK. Or at least don't have to count the money every month if you know what I mean. I have pretty good live but I can not save anything here. What we save in a year, we spend for holidays.
And I know I can be wrong. I base on my imagination and stories of those who left. But the sad truth is that polish wages are the least in Europe and that's the reason there are so many of us everywhere.

I think many people have been fooled when purely comparing salaries, without taking all the other expenses and cost of services/living on board....

Purchasing power in Europe, yellow is an average.
Just to explain

I live in an area with a very high Polish population which has sprung up over the last few years. There have been very few problems with integration into the community mostly in my opinion due to the strong work ethic and friendliness of the Poles.

I work with the unemployed and we have very few Poles claiming benefits. I love it if I do get a Pole to work with as they will be ready to work and generally off the books quickly. They have also boosted the Catholic schools and churches much to their delight. We have childminders who offer 24hour care and are learning the Polish language due to demand.

My cleaner is Polish and loves it here. She works full time in a factory, has 4 cleaning jobs and says she earns the equivalent of £100k in Poland although I don't know how true this is! She supports her family at home and sends plenty money home.

I lived in a war zone as a teenager with other expats and remember when fighting became so bad that we were to be evacuated that the other nationalities were thrilled to be going home but the Poles cried at the prospect of having to leave as it was so much worse at home. I've always remembered that.

I would move here if I was you but would move somewhere with a low cost of living and not a high unemployment rate and consider what you would do for childcare etc.

Where I live in Scotland has a pretty big Polish community. The Polish club is ace.
There are Polish people who have been here for generations.

They are well integrated locally , come live here, much cheaper as well.

You all come here so why not?? is there many polish people left in your country?

Well seen that England is the second city in France population wise you can wonder about that for many countries tbh.

OP I'm no British and I moved here 15 years ago. A few things:

• don't move wo a job, if possible with both of you having a job. Research what you can do as a psychologist here eg work in the NHS, private, how hard it is.
• if you do move, don't do it because a lot of other polish people have here. Do it because you want to be in the country. Read and research your subject rather than looking at it with rose tinted glasses. (MN is a good place to start tbh. Very good to see how interactions between oeoe are working here). Look at the average wage, what you could be earning here, both you and your DH. Cost of life too.
• think about your dcs. How long are you planning to stay? What would be the effect on their education if you were going back to Poland in 2, 5, 10 years?
• pension!!!

Just a few ideas to get going but having move countries a few times, planning for the worse (having to go back to Poland quick as it didn't work out) whilst hopping for the best did stand me in a good position.

I don't understand the map? Purchasing power, ok, but does it take into account that some items, e.g. housing, are hugely more expensive in some countries than others? Or is it showing how much "purchasing power" people have after they've paid their living costs?

Other than your grammar Rebecca is there a problem?

Rebecca It's not correct that ALL come here because that's not true. Poles haven't just gone to the UK, they're in the US and throughout Europe too.
Of course there's Polish people still left in Poland.

Quint That's actually a good idea, but what would be more helpful to the Polish who wanted to return would be if their own government stopped just talking about wanting them to return and actually gave them some incentive to do so.

A lot have my Polish neighbours have moved back home or to nicer areas. Most Polish people have integrated well and embraced our customs.
Dawn, I can understand what Rebecca is saying though. A massive influx of foreign workers have driven down wages.
When I go to my local supermarket there are more Eastern Europeans than every other ethnic group put together ( including Black, White and Asian British).

Rebecca, are you trying to sound ignorant and xenophobic or was it just an accident?

I wouldn't come here to work in a lower paid job, to be honest. If you work as a carer, or a TA, these are not jobs that will get you a huge wage, and even if you get tax credits and so on, you won't get a better standard of living than a three bed apartment and two cars through this route. However, if you are well-qualified as a psychologist you should investigate professional level jobs. All of the immigrants we know (my husband is one) are well-qualified and many work in the NHS so dentist, nurse and so on. There is a skills shortage of these although it depends where you want to live.

What you have sounds pretty good OP. Unless you are going to get on parr here or better then I wouldn't bother. New challenges are great, but if you have to sacrifice things that you have right now and love then personally I wouldn't bother. You can always find other different challenges.

You have to weigh up what you would be able to get here in terms of career oppotunities, wage, house prices etc and compare it to what you have.