Aibu to seek an ex-pat community as I want to move somewhere English speaking?

[Lose6pounds]

I live in Ireland and the weather gets me down. I want to move to somewhere with better weather but I would prefer if it was mostly English speaking. I would consider Cornwall or south England in general.
I think the weather in London is fantastic but I find it huge and exhausting and really expensive.
I would prefer somewhere mellower but also with a community that was a mix of nationalities. I was also considering France or Italy. I don’t like Spain. Does anyone have any ideas?

It’s a joke… but also a lot of Londoners love it there
It wouldn’t be for me

Yeah of course, but it will take a while until you can build a deep connection in a foreign language. I'm not actually from the UK and didn't speak English before I moved here at the age of 26, and took me a few lonely years before I started feeling at home :)

The weather in London is definitely MUCH better than Dublin. It’s much warmer and more dry. But the winter nights still start at 4pm in December.
What about Froome or Bristol? Both have a heavy arts scene and lots of people from all over.Cornwall, Brighton, north Norfolk etc. are all good too for that West Cork vibe.

It does rain on the south coast of the UK too. As per all coast's of the UK it can feel brutal in the wind during winter.

Why would you also not learn a language in Europe? My IL's moved to North Wales on retirement. Started immediately learning Welsh, they are now having the time of their lives mixing with English and native Welsh speakers. They often go to Welsh speaking social groups and are fully integrated within their community despite not being an 'islander' (native Anglesey person)

Surely if someone knows they're planning to move abroad then they'd at least start learning the language - especially if they already come from a country which has access to free resources to learn a huge range of languages, such as the UK or Ireland?

Of course she won't.

Australia

Not sure what OP will do.

It is ironic how some Brits move abroad and then do the thing that they complain about immigrants to the UK not doing though.....

🫣🫣🫣

Are you really saying you don’t plan to learn the language of the country you’ll move to? I’m struggling to comprehend why, if I’m honest.

Presumably you are an EU citizen? If so, you are fortunate in that you can live and work anywhere in the EU. Have a look at the weather stats for the southern countries, find one that you like and then look for the community. There always seems to be little pockets of English speakers in the unlikeliest of places. However, integration is important so I would recommend learning the local language as it will widen your experience, especially if you need a job too.

Please learn the language of the country you move to. I’m in France and have lost count of the number of English speakers I’ve met who don’t speak French and then have problems with admin/the doctor/general life stuff. This is especially bad as they get older and have more complicated medical issues to deal with. Lots of people in France speak English but lots genuinely don’t, or find it difficult. If both sides make an effort there’s usually a way to get the message across!

Depending on what you do for a living, Frankfurt might suit. Very international, excellent road, rail & air access, English theatre, films shown in English original, quite green with the belt round the city centre, river Main to walk or cycle along and it has many good restaurants as well as open and covered markets.
The weather used to continental, so cold winters and hot summers, but that has changed over the years to milder winters and more bearable summers, although it can be very humid.
Public transport is good and efficient.
Renting very much depends on the area, a friend has a 1-bed flat in the east of the city for about €700 a month.

How about the Kent or Sussex coast? It's not the Med but the SE corner of England is generally the warmest and driest part of the British Isles. It is warm enough in those counties to support a number of vinyards and wineries.

As someone who has emmigrated (from mainland Europe to the UK) let me tell you that moving countries for the chance of better weather is bloody stuipd and will make you miserable, no matter what.

You have to move for the love of the country itself. You will be leaving behind your family and entire support network, so, without knowing the language, life will be even more difficult. New laws, a new food culture, leaving behind a number of creature comforts (love black tea? Good look finding a halfway decent one abroad anywhere but GB. I still miss a particular dessert that is just never sold abroad and hoard it whenever I get back), lots of different ways of doing things.

I used to think that my culture was very similar to the British one, until I moved here and found, even 20 years later, that I can still be surprised at how differently things are done sometimes.

Also know how many rights you might be leaving behind. Until I became a citizen (after 5 years, lots of money spent and two rounds of academic tests), poof went my right to vote. In some countries you will not have access to free at the point of use healthcare without solid insurance, which sometimes only comes after you have started receiving benefits (which again will start after 6 months if you're lucky, after a few years if not) or after you have managed to get a job, the latter of which will be nigh on impossible without knowing the language. Oh, and a welfare network? All of Europe are tightening theirs so that no one receives it upon entering the country, so if something bad befalls you, good luck. Will you need to get a new driving licence? Will your qualifications be recognised? (mine are not)

Moving countries is not easy on your own, let alone with a potential family. So don't do it for the hope of better weather.

True . It would depend on skills I suppose.

True it’s nearly always possible to get your message across if you speak English but it doesn’t mean you can totally enjoy an aperitif with for example French people in France , make a joke, debate politics etc ,which is kind of a shame .

I understand wanting to have for example a cinema or theatre, maybe a bar, where English is spoken. Wherever you choose you should make an effort to learn the local language as mentioned for things such as shopping, paying bills, those kind of things.

For something radical New Zealand or Australia but obviously you need to look at whether you can get a work visa...

In the UK the South East is probably your best bet. I am on the Kent coast and it still rains quite often but obviously better weather than in Ireland.

If you want to move to Spain/Italy/France you really need to learn the language or you won't be able to deal with all the life admin and you will restrict your job opportunities. Plus of course with Brexit it is not that easy now to live and work in an EU country.

You are so lucky - you have all of Europe to choose from.

You may be surprised to learn that they do mainly speak English in Cornwall and in the South of England. However, some Cornish people might speak, errm, Cornish.
By all means emigrate, but France has arcane and impenetrable laws for both living and dying, so research before ye go.
However, given you want a strong ex-pat community, it sounds like you only want an extended holiday rather than the bother of intregrating into your new community

It's more than a shame, it's fucking rude.
And living in a country takes a bit more than hand gestures and franglaise when dealing with legal matters, tradespeople and the rest of the community

Everyone speaks english in malta but ut gets very hot in summer these days. My son went over 8 years ago and is still there and married a maltese girl.

What arcane laws are they? Seriously interested!

Malta. English is an official language there.