and possibly go self employed with a catering business (we have no prior experience in this but very enthusiastic and hard working)
Seriously!?!
It all sounds very vague, ill informed, and without any research to back any of this up!
Holidaying somewhere IS NOT the same as living there.
I've lived and worked in several seaside locations in the uk in my life. Have you even visited them during the winter? Late Autumn even?
It's fantasy!
I live in a seaside location now, the pandemic has decimated many local businesses especially catering based ones. This is an area of expenditure many consider a luxury item and with cost of living sky rocketing it's one of those people IMMEDIATELY cut out - even more well off people!
Have you even checked what businesses and potential custom there is in the area ? Costs of setting up such a business?
And moving away from your (albeit limited) support system is also foolish
In addition most seaside locales are rural with little public transport when your kids are teens this will be a major issue, there's very little for teens to do in such places...and idle hands are the devils plaything!
Have you even checked out the schools? Childcare?
Catering in particular is HIGHLY regulated now and that makes them expensive to set up.
Very experienced well established catering companies are mostly going bust!
and youngest 2 are in school/nursery.
As pps have said the majority or catering engagements happen OUTSIDE school hours mainly eve and weekends - how are you going to manage that with no support network?!
I beg to differ on the madness of starting the business without experience, most self employed businesses start somewhere, we’re not looking to be millionaires from it, just pay the bills which it would.
And exactly what knowledge, experience and research are you basing this on?
but we would bank on that and the places we’d be working in (mobile catering) would work on campsites that are open 10.5 months of the year.
1 the place you're moving to there are probably ALREADY companies serving this market - ones with more experience and knowledge and local connections than you have
2 Holidays are ALSO one of the first things people cut out in an economic crisis!
I happen to know of an entire campsite that is having to close in one of the areas I used to live in because it simply isn't getting enough business to keep going - and I don't mean making a profit I mean to keep the lights on!
Re moving to the seaside without a support network there or knowing much about the place - you need tp do a lot more research first. Visit the place in the winter, see what it's like when most businesses are closed for the season, see what the weather and infrastructure are like during the winter, check out the schools in person, childcare, job prospects, check costs (council tax often pretty high in these areas), coastal/rural areas are generally colder so heating costs are higher etc
Most of these kind of places aren't well funded, aren't supported well by either central or local govt.
The rest of us went to university, joined the military or found year round work away from the coast.
Yep this is my experience too
What’s the local health care like? Hospitals in rural areas tend not to be so good.
Yes!
Where I am now there's no A&e, no ICU, no maternity ward and the sexual health clinic is barely hanging on with reduced hours/staff. Locals are clinging onto what's left of the hospital here. Next nearest is almost 30 miles away. And the area covered includes places where that means they're almost 50 miles away from a fully functioning hospital with an a&e! A number of us in this area with hcp experience are sure this will have led to loss of life and negative life changing outcomes
Agree also HUGE drug/addiction issues in most seaside areas. I've lived in 4 in total all over the uk. England and Scotland.
it’s a quaint seaside town (hardly an open drug den)
All of the ones I lived at were also of the "quaint" variety, unless you know what to look for you'd have no idea! My siblings and I had a few rather hilarious conversations with my parents once we were adults regarding the prevalence of drugs in those areas. They were under the mistaken impression that we had not been exposed to such things! They had no clue whatsoever were massively out of touch with such things.
hardly an open drug den
None of them are
We ARE giving you real lived experiences, that it's not what you wanted/hoped to hear doesn't make it any less true!
You are coming across as a weird mix of incredibly naive and stubborn.
I’m from a northern council estate and well aware of drug users, Alcoholics, benefit swindlers and the like
Wow!
Stereotyping people and places much?!
I’m well aware of the likes of Blackpool and Rhyl and this is not the case for where we’re looking at moving to
How would you know? You have only been there on holiday with non teen dc!
I think you're listening to all the plus points people are telling you and ignoring the (many) negatives.
Ooohh yes!
You're being SO dismissive and even condescending towards those of us who have lived or do live in such places!
You asked what they were like - we are TELLING YOU
snugglepumpkin
Omg yes the seagulls! I never eat outside now in seaside areas
so many forget that people actually live here and swan about as if we should be grateful they are gracing us with their presence.
Omg yes!
Queue jumping, wandering into roads as if they're pedestrianised, the rubbish...
FinnularFloss no we've actually lived in these areas and a lot of the jobs are either only available seasonally or only full time during the season. I've worked in retail and hospitality as well as admin roles in these areas. The admin roles are much the same as anywhere but not only hospitality but also retail (fewer customers in the off season, B&b's and guest houses not having guests to fee and clean up after etc) were very much seasonally highs and lows
I work for a Bank in a professional role. We have solicitors, doctors, nurses, teachers, retail, hospitality the same as everywhere else.
Of course but especially in rural seaside locations there will be fewer jobs generally as there are fewer people to serve.
Where I am the closure of the hospitals wards I mentioned meant quite a lot of local hcps and support staff were out of work, the hospital that patients were "transferred" to took on a few extra staff but nowhere near the number that were left unemployed by these changes. Some moved away simply in order to maintain their careers having the student loans to pay for!
A standard teaching job in our area is going to attract several hundred applications. Ditto nursing.
This is what happens here!