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?

Maybe the wrong word! I was thinking of inheritance etc. No offence meant to the French - France is my happy place, will be there in a few weeks!

Cyprus. English widely spoken, drive on the left. I think the electric sockets are usually the same too. Loads of ex pats. If you have to fill any official forms which are in Greek you just pay someone to do it for you.

I actually really like French inheritance laws from what I know of them ( I’m British) I think they are quite fair in lots of ways,

The Isle of Wight is the statistically sunniest part of the UK, and Malta is one of the sunniest places in Europe where English is widely spoken (though not the majority first language/ mother tongue it is for a sizable minority of residents).

Whether you can find work and establish yourself in either place is a different question.

These types of post are usually pipe dreams, which is fair enough but not worth other posters investigating too much in unless they mutually enjoy daydreaming about moving to an idealised location.

Until one of the siblings wants to sell their share in the inherited house and the others don't..
Or when the NC/ n'aer-do-well sibling gets and equal share of inheritance!!

I'd prefer this then the situation here where the spouse gets everything. Then on remarriage the inheritance goes to the new spouse & their family instead of the kids from the original marriage. That's not fair.

As someone.who has moved abroad, if you are actually serious, you need to be a lot more proactive.

1. Are you still working? If so, you need to think about where your best job prospects are. And work from there.
2. Are you retired? If so, what is your budget? Italy or Cornwall will be a lot more expensive than Spain. My parents have just retired to Spain and the cost of houses varies wildly. There are popupar expat places where you can't get a flat under 800k.

YANBU to look for places where there are other expats as you usually make friends more easily, people will be going through the same things as you etc.

While it's nice to think about making friends with locals, my experience is that locals will have their own friendship groups, different worries and experiences and it will be harder to form a bond with. Not impossible, just not as easy.

@Skethylita 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.

Hhahaha I totally disagree. We moved abroad 4 years ago and the catalyst was the UK weather (and covid). November - March is so so miserable in England. Agree you need to sit down and be very realistic about where you can go, job prospects, family etc, but I have 360 days of sunshine now every year and it was definitely worth it.

While calling themselves ex-pats instead of immigrants which they are.

Would keep away from Spain anyway what with all the protests at tourists.

As well as not wanting to learn the language or integrate into the local community. Just wanting to settle in little ghettos of English speaking communities......Sounds like a familiar complaint from certain quarters!

Malta?

Central Europe? Warmer and drier. Not sure about the English though.

I know people think this is a piss take but Seattle is actually warm and dry and gorgeous from June to September! But with climate change, it's getting hotter and there's wildfire smoke.

Now, the rest of the year... that's another story in the PNW/southern BC. Although Victoria, BC has a really lovely climate, but you'd need a visa and it's very expensive. Anywhere really English speaking beyond the UK, you'd need to worry about immigration. So it's that or learn a language, because there's limitations to the expat bubble.

It’s both good manners and self-preservation to learn the language if you’re moving somewhere, surely?

Wow mumsnet is a rollercoaster. Thank you everyone so so much for all the replies. They are really helpful. I love the idea of Switzerland. And the Dordogne. I’m going to check them out. And maybe Austria too.
I work online. And I love languages. I will definitely learn the language of the country- I’m one of those people who leans please, thank you, good bye on the first day of my holiday. I already speak Spanish, French and some German. That wasn’t my point, I don’t want to live (again) somewhere where I’m the only stranger. I said “I would prefer somewhere mellower but also with a community that was a mix of nationalities.” I didn’t say the ex pat community however they are very friendly usually. I’m not so interested in an immigrant culture because immigrants typically work extremely hard and are busy raising their kids, I’m seeking an older crowd and a mellower vibe. I’ve been an immigrant and now I want something else. Is that allowed?

YABU for using the word "expat" like it makes you special, when you're emigrating to another country for a better life and will be an "immigrant" (bad word I know) there like any other immigrant in any other country.

YANBU for seeking out your fellow immigrant countrypeople in the country you choose to emigrate to. That is what most immigrants do to help them navigate their new life. Hope it works out for you.

I’m not seeking my fellow immigrant country people. I’m seeking English speaking people.

Most people in Amsterdam speak English. Not sure about the weather there though but it's a great city.

Yes of course there are pitfalls but I like that each child can inherit 100 000 from each parent before they pay tax . I also like that it’s ‘only’ 20 percent tax for direct descendants after that. As a pp says it doesn’t all go to a surviving spouse , a share goes automatically to children ( but most people protect their spouse by giving them the use and fruit of the deceased’s share of a property) So yes it generally protects from second marriage ‘s getting the kids inheritance and perhaps also from that share being eaten up by fees for care of surviving parent.

Maybe you should read my posts properly @WhatThenEh ? I’m an immigrant now. I’ve been an immigrant for many years. I want to move to a different type of community. Do you think I should remain in my community whether I like it or not?

Portugal. Lisbon, Cascais or the Algarve. The Algarve has much better winter weather, Lisbon can be more like Northern Europe.

On the Algarve there is a good mix of immigrants and expats from the U.K., Ireland, Sweden, Finland, South Africa, the Netherlands, U.S. , Canada, France India with a few Germans and other nationalities and English is the língua franca. It isn’t a Little Britain and life isn’t centred around alcohol. English is very widely spoken by the Portuguese in the Algarve and Lisbon and many people have lived there happily for 30 years or more without knowing more than the most basic phrases of Portuguese. As someone who is learning Portuguese and currently has C1 level it can be frustrating trying to find someone who doesn’t immediately revert to English when you talk to them in Portuguese!

Despite the above I’d always recommend actively learning the language for reasons of manners and practicality. Not everyone speaks English in the state sector or outside tourist industries and my Portuguese has been very useful dealing with car issues; bureaucracy and when my husband was hospitalised in Porto; the doctors spoke English but not other staff.

Thousands of people manage comfortably without. Portugal is a wonderful place to live if you have an income or capital (wages are low) my only warning is that it is harder to become proficient in Portuguese than in French or Spanish because the phonology and phonemics are quite opaque and tricky. The grammar isn’t that bad but people struggle with aural comprehension and pronunciation. Brazilian Portuguese is easier for most people to understand and many Brazilians who have emigrated to the Algarve have told me they struggled to understand locals a bit at first and it is the same language (with a few lexical and grammar differences)!

Thank you @WhatThenEh . As far as I’m concerned I’m an immigrant now and want to move to another region, with better weather, I will learn the local language but I’d like a strong English speaking community. I’m getting some really great ideas here. I know Portugal and I think it’s lovely but I agree Portuguese seems difficult. It’sa nice place though so I think I’ll put it in my list. I’m most attracted to France and Switzerland right now. I wonder what Vienna (or Croatia) would be like.