To think life in England must be much easier

[Heatethelastwaffle]

I’m British but live abroad.
We are struggling a lot financially at the moment, life is hard, although the sun shines.
Where we are, if you fall into a hole, you’re pretty much screwed. Benefits exist, but you have to be very much on the breadline and even then it’s not enough to survive. There is a national health service, but it’s not great, so I’m having to pay out of my own money for private consultations. I have a chronic illness but no benefits whatsoever exist, my Dd is potentially suffering from Pans/pandas, they haven’t heard of it where we are, I’ve been to three separate Drs who had no idea what I’m talking about, There’s no help with rent, with housing, with bills and so on if you fall on hard times.

I want to go home, it may be depressing in some ways in England but you’re secure.

Well yes, you have to pay to see a doctor here, but it's free for children, and low earners pay less. Most medication costs very little, hospital treatment is free. You might have to wait a couple of weeks to see a doctor, but at least you actually see one face to face, and have been able to since lockdowns ended. I've never heard of any surgery where they have this phone at 8 am and go in a queue to make an appointment nonsense I keep reading about on MN. Despite what many on MN seem to believe the NHS is not "the envy of the world".

Healthcare, childcare, education, housing are all of a much higher standard and a lot more affordable. It all equates to a higher standard of living. For those in need, benefits are also a more generous in Germany than in the UK and German social housing is absolutely NOTHING like it is in the UK.

I agree about taxes being equally enormous though, but at least you can see what you're paying for. Prices have definitely gone up in recent years and the weather depends on where in Germany you live I guess. It's very hot in the summer for much longer than in the UK in the area my parents live. In the winter, you have lovely skiing resorts as well.

That sounds like a very hard case. Veterans in the US get access to the VA health system, which is very good. People (including veterans) who earn under or.slightly over the poverty level in each state qualify for Snap (food) benefits, and can also qualify for cash benefits, plus Medicaid if under 65, and Section 8 housing vouchers.

Veterans also benefit from preferential hiring in federal , state, and local government agencies, and many private employers also hire many veterans.

Three car crashes sounds like an extraordinary amount of bad luck - or is there some underlying reason for this string of disasters, do you think?

I am guessing you live in a privileged ‘ex-pat’ bubble there.

There are many countries that offer a great quality of life if you have a job that pays well and are relatively fit and healthy.

'Lovely skiing resorts' and good weather might be a big attraction in those circumstances.

That is irrelevant to those who are struggling with the basics.

And re: face to face GP appointments, thank goodness my doctors DO telephone and remote appointments! They then follow that up with an in person appointment when it is needed, but far quicker and more convenient if the initial consultation is by phone. I have always been given that initial telephone consultation within 24 of requesting it (not weekends, obviously).

I'm from aboard and have lived in many countries and I often think people have no idea how good it is here compared to most other countries.

I think you're going to be shocked by the state of the NHS and what it's crumbled to since you were last here. Not being able to get an appointment for a couple of months is fairly normal for a good proportion of the country, and private GPs are on the increase. If you have anything that can't wait a couple of months then the advice is generally go to A&E. And A&E are just a one stop shop for treating the absolute immediate need and nothing more. If you're coming back because of concerns for your child's condition then you really need to reconsider. The waiting list for child mental health, anxiety, psychotherapy etc is at about 2 years.

I really wish the country was in the state you seem to think it is but you'll be absolutely shocked.

I have relatives in Cornwall and they wouldn't agree - the standard of medical care, research, and nursing care is excellent. The Royal Cornwall Hospital is also excellent. GP appointments can be a bit slow, but no worse than anywhere else.
There is certainly a housing crisis in Cornwall mainly due to second homes and Airbnb taking housing out of from the local housing market (like so many other tourist hotspots).

Ummm drum roll. Some people actually WORK!
Yes that thing called earning a living.
We were working there - and believe me I left as soon as it was humanly possible because of well, exactly what you describe, boozy brunches, ladies nights, tacky as hell. Not a fan. It was one dimensional. I am glad you are enjoying it though.

Ummmm drum roll. For most people who work visiting international countries every year as part of work is outside of their frame of reference.

"You might want to think before you insult someone again."😂😆You might want to stop embarrassing yourself, but I don't think you're capable of doing so. In no particular order:

You are the worst liar on planet Earth - in some situations that could be a compliment, but in your case it's more to do with the Dunning-Kruger effect rather than a strong moral compass. Absolutely nothing you've said in either of your posts is even remotely based in reality and that is glaringly obvious. I'm more than happy to point out every place where you've given yourself away, but it'll be a looong post.

You tried bullying OP, and several people called you out for it. Instead of standing in the corner and thinking about what you'd done, you went for double or nothing and tried to bully me - and that's not working out so well for you either, is it?

Why have you launched in to a tirade about your Elon Musk like riches (in which you entirely contradict yourself) but gone to such great lengths to avoid answering the very simple question I asked you? Where is this vast horde of former expat's that only you know about? (in your imagination is where they are).

Something's just struck me here... you don't actually know what an expat is, do you? Heh.

And?!
Most people are not so utlra wealthy they can relocate WITHOUT working.
Unless you have another 'frame of reference' you can share with us on how to live internationally without millions in the bank and not working...

♥️
You sound so positive despite obviously having a really tough time, that's so good and I'm so pleased you've received great care. Hope things improve for you. ♥️

Where did you get your financial information? It's massively inaccurate, you shouldn't be using this forum for your racist spite.

This sounds like the Uk. Crap hole.

Depends. I moved to the England years ago from a Western European country and love it. I live in a lovely part of the country and have a great life here. I only have a good experience of the health service.
That said, the housing situation of many is precarious, and not much social housing these days, if that was a requirement.

Why?

I'd not heard of these childhood conditions either.
Life here feels hand to mouth for many. Health services, housing, safety net benefits, public realm and so much more, all have been laid to waste over the last 14+ years.
It may be that it would still be a positive move for you but you will need to plan extra carefully.
Good luck!

Yes, I know some people actually work so no need for the snark. My husband worked damned hard here and we both went through great hardship while he launched his own business here. No expat all inclusive package for us...unlike the soft ass package I'm sure you received to soften your whole TWO YEARS in the Gulf. As I said before you lived here for 2yrs but have continued to visit for the past 23? All the while pearl clutching and saying what a terrible place it is? Words fail me.

Where are you OP and how long have you been away from the UK? Things here are definitely not great, so I hope you are not viewing the UK through rose tinted specs. Waiting lists generally, are dire here, (depending, I suppose, upon what it is you’re waiting for), but generally, things are not as good as they once were. Please do your research if you are considering coming back. Not everything is wonderful, honestly (unless you have a huge bank balance and can pay for things privately).

A 3rd of uk kids are not in absolute poverty. That figure is for relative poverty (which in a G7 country like ours is terrible).

My husband spent 100k of OUR MONEY launching his business and establishing it here. None of it was easy,it was a huge risk but I believed in him and we both put our money where our mouths were. Please don't talk to me about work,we've worked our backsides off to get where we are now without the fully comped expat package that I'm sure you availed yourself of before you ran away back to UK. People like you are ten a penny here.

Depends. In the UK you don’t get citizenship by birth, like they do in the USA. One of your parents needs to be a citizen in the UK

YABVVVU. I have lived in France and the Netherlands (9 years then currently 7 years) and both have FAR better lifestyles and systems than the U.K. You would literally have to pay me a LOT of money to go back to Britain now, and even then…
In short, you’re deluded. Try another country first.

This is just SO wide of the mark and in no way applies to all of Europe.