to move to uk

[countr12]

From Ireland but wanting to move to uk. I have Dc who are primary age. I have had a couple of job offers paying much more than what im currently on and rent prices are pretty much the same. My family is here but have some friends in the area i want to move too. Has anyone done this and have advice like school system, transport ect thanks

The UK is not just one country, so answers will vary massively depending which part of the UK you plan to move to.

Really depends on the area you are considering.

Devon area but anywhere thats within an hour commute

Devon is lovely but rents are high in many parts due to the tourist market. Prices to buy are extortionate in many areas too

Commute to where?

Sorry I should have made in clearer. The job ive been offered in in devon but I would be willing to live outside of devon if the commute is under an hour

The rents may be comparable but the rental market is ruthless at the moment so on paper it looks fine, in reality you could be bidding for a property against 20 other prospectives...some of whom won't have children but the right income levels. We applied for 25 properties before securing the one we're in now because they preferred not to let to families (3 bedroom properties!) and could cherry pick applicants.

This will happen every time you need to move home...whether that's because you want to change property or if it's because your landlord wants to sell up.

I don't know much about Devon except as a tourist - from that perspective it's a very big county which rightly prioritises the natural environment over road infrastructure so as soon as you're away from places like Exeter you're generally on A roads that are more likely to be single carriageway rather than dual carriageway. I've also found the public transport to be less than ideal if away from the main train line. From that perspective, an hour's commute would be very different if you're asking about Dartford or Westward Ho!

That might all be directly comparable with the situation you're in with Ireland but personally I can't say I'd be in a rush to live in the UK vs Ireland at the moment.

Go for it. Presumably if it pays better then it will give some experiences you can take back with you if you don't like the move. The only reasons I can see for not doing it would be:

• if you rely on family to help with the kids
• if you have a job you love in an industry that it is hard to get a job in, so moving home would be tricky.

If these don't apply then there isn't much to lose. You should make friends through work and kids quite quickly.

The UK is very similar to Ireland, so I doubt you'll experience much culture shock (many, many British people have Irish ancestors, including me). And people like the Irish. In any case, your accent will barely be noticed these days.

A couple of things you should not underestimate:

First, it's crowded compared to Ireland, especially central and southern England. Also, the traffic is a nightmare.

Second, it can get really hot in the south east corner. Because the British isles are small, people from Scotland, Ireland, even Northumberland, assume the summers aren't that different in London or Kent. But it's not uncommon for temperatures to soar in July and August. Being caught in traffic in 90 degrees is no joke.