To think a move to Jersey would be great?

[MovetoJersey]

DH’s employer is considering setting up an office in Jersey and that would mean us moving there - him, me, dc(15) a dog and a cat. It would be next summer after dc’s GCSE’s. I’m a full time student, but remote, so that’s not a problem.

Does anyone have experience of moving to/living on Jersey? We’ve been several times on holiday and loved it, but obviously living there is completely different. Will it be easy to make friends? Are there good places to run? Will dc be welcomed at school to do A levels? What other questions should I be asking?!

Any advice welcome!

What does DC want to do after a-levels? Are you/they happy to most likely be living a flight or ferry away if they move back for uni or work? I had family in Jersey who loved it but left when their youngest turned 18 and it became clear none of the kids would be moving back to the island.

I expect dc will go to uni in the uk - but could be hours away from where we live now. I would expect we’ll move back once dc settle down, but that could be another 10-15 years (or at least that’s how it was for me!)

Good point though, that it might feel different to be a ferry trip away

I believe UK universities now charge Channel Islands students international fees so that could make a big difference

Regular visitor to Jersey.
Surely there must be loads of places to run, all round the coast for a start!
I would be worried that what might appear lovely in June might feel very limiting in January if you don't get stuck in to island life.
Are you outgoing with hobbies? That might help.

Never been but know 2 people who lived there and hated it. Very insular, everyone knows everyone else’s business, nothing to do in the winter.
i also know someone who moved about 15 years ago with a young family and hasn’t looked back. I suspect it’s a bit like Cornwall with tax breaks!

Neighbour of mine lived there. She said it was nice for a while but very stifling after a bit, small island, small life.

I'd think very hard about going for too long. Make sure you have funds to pop back to the UK or France regularly to spread wings.

I have a friend in guernsey and I don’t know if jersey is the same but you cannot buy property there unless you have family connections ie grew up there or close family living there. Also property is unbelievably expensive. Jersey might be different but you may have to rent the entire time you’re there

Check what the university financing rules are for your DC in Jersey. Some crown dependencies (all?) aren't eligible for home fees and student loans if you haven't been a UK resident for a certain length of time.
You also may need travel insurance for travelling to the mainland as some Crown dependencies are only eligible for reciprocal emergency care.

Make sure you tot up all the additional costs, ferry costs can be extortionate, other issues may be whether you can carry on using UK sim cards, UK credit cards, may need health insurance, less choice and less competative borrowing, higher cost of food of food and fuel. Lots of things that you may not have bargained for.

Island living can be extremely insular. We live in a similiar crown dependency, not sure how much longer I can stand it and I've been here years.

Your son will be classed as an international student, and will pay exorbitant fees. I did a health degree years and years ago when we didn’t pay tuition fees, but a girl on my course from Jersey did. It was eye watering.

Just checked and you will pay "home" fees and also get a grant if income is less than £110,000. Far more generous than where I live.

I used to live on Guernsey (from UK originally) and 2 months ago was offered a job on Jersey, but eventually turned it down.

It's beautiful and a lovely way of life. We absolutely loved our 5 years in Guernsey and spent many happy weekends and holidays in Jersey. However, there are some things to seriously consider.

As a student, even if remote, you will be an international student. Fees will reflect this.

Salaries and tax rates are very good and higher.

Cost of living however is very expensive. And extremely difficult on one salary. For example a standard 3 bed semi to rent starts at around 2300 per month.

Gas and electricity are expensive.

Health care and dental care is expensive.

Actually getting off the island is expensive. It's easy and transport is regular to UK, Guernsey and France, but it's very expensive.

There isn't much choice. No day trips in the car, long drives to see other towns, places etc. Once you've lived there 6 months, that's it. You've been everywhere.

I also found Guernsey quite insular and my friends who live in Jersey have said the same. Life and the outside world can pass you by.

I had an absolutely wonderful 5 years in the Channel Islands. 2 years of those were child free and the last 3 with my son.
We discussed returning as a family (hence the job offer), but ultimately, we didn't think it was right for our kids.

We look back fondly and it was great time in our lives, if VERY tough financially. But you need to think very hard and really look at the opportunities and options that your family need. If Jersey can give you these, then it can be fabulous. But if it can't, in my experience the compromise needed can be difficult and costly.

Also familiar with Jersey and other CCs.

St Helier is lovely and bustling in a market town way. The running potential is super - there is a long strip out by the coast which is delightful for running and of course there is sailing too. The weather is hard going in winter and planes do sometimes struggle to land.

To buy a property you need to be from the island or have certain visa types but that’s immaterial for most as a two bedroom flat is £700k! Rent is exorbitant.

In summary it’s great with small kids but I would not consider it with a 15 year old who hasn’t grown up there. (Can’t comment on schools).

I went for the summer season many years ago, met my husband and lived there for a year. It was great then, but have been back since and obviously not the same. A great experience for your family, but as someone said, maybe not the older teen. How do they feel about it?

If you leave the UK due to your company seconding you DC are still counted as a home students.

How does your 15y old feel about having to do sixth form at a new school/college where they know no one and havent grown up there, with kids who have presumably all known each other pretty much since birth. That's a big ask in my book, unless they're extremely self confident.

I found it very insular, there us a separation between Jersey born and non Jersey born too and traffic can be awful

Lovely warm climate. And feels safe

Accommodation is v expensive to buy / rent. And there restrictions on who can rent / buy certain types of housing

Also, suggest you explore whether you would be allowed to work there, once yiu qualify. There are restrictions on jobs that outsiders / newcomers can take, in order to protect the locals

I have friends in Jersey. They love it. But, TBH, it's not somewhere I'd choose to live

I have family who live there. Beautiful island, you can be very outdoorsy - wild swimming, running, cycling, barbecues on the beach. It is very small so you will soon have explored every inch. You also have to factor in the cost of getting on and off the island if you want to go anywhere else - my family tell me prices are skewed so it's more expensive for locals who want to get off than for tourists who want to get on. Ferries are particularly expensive so they usually end up flying and hiring a car when they get to the UK. In the winter (and actually at other times of year too) fog can descend and then no-one can go anywhere. Not much in the way of public transport so you will be ferrying around DC until they learn to drive. Re university costs, my family paid home fees, but were ineligible for student loans so had to fund everything themselves. There is a huge amount on wealth on the island so you can end up feeling like the poor relation even if you have a well-paid job. Most people work in finance so they are a pretty materialistic bunch - lots of big cars even though the speed limit is 30mph. Everyday stuff like food shopping is more expensive than in the UK and you need to use Jersey SIM cards etc etc. You won't be able to buy a house and you won't even be eligible to rent any house you like as there's a two-tier market. It's very insular, with a small town mentality as you can imagine. My family love it - they've been there for years now - but their kids have both left.

I've lived here for 20 years having come for a 4 month summer job! I don't have teens so can't comment on that side, but I don't really recognise the comments about it being insular; I've made far more friends here from all walks of life and parts of the world than I would have done if I'd stayed in semi-rural Yorkshire. Many of them are from Jersey; I've not experienced a 'them and us' situation at all.

There is PLENTY of running. Coastal on flat promenades, trails on the north coast, and country lanes where pedestrians, horses and cyclists have priority over cars. Several run clubs and many organised runs and races from Parkrun up to a Trail Ultra and everything in between.

You have to live here for 10 years renting before you qualify to buy, unless your employer can get you a licence to buy, which is possible. We're looking at 2 bedroom flats at the moment starting from £500k. 3 bedroom houses start from £700k.

It's extremely safe. You'll occasionally get people on Facebook groups arguing otherwise but that's a bit of a 'tell me you've never left Jersey without telling me you've never left Jersey' situation.

Cost of living is higher in a lot of ways (Main supermarkets are co-op and Waitrose, no Lidl or Aldi here).Salaries are generally higher too though.

Winter can be a bit bleak but it rarely dips as far as freezing and we get our share of crisp sunny days to stroll on the beach with a hot chocolate.

The only two things that ever bother me are that other than a handful of direct European beach destinations and of course France, any travel has to involve going via the UK, and our shopping locally options are reasonably poor. Not everywhere delivers to the Channel Islands either, although there are ways around this with third party couriers.

I hope this helps a bit!

my family tell me prices are skewed so it's more expensive for locals who want to get off than for tourists who want to get on.

I've worked in travel all of my 20 years here and this is simply not true.

In terms of public transport there is a wide reaching bus service with the main routes very well served. Very rural areas are more limited in frequency and how far into the evening the services run though.

Our teen nieces have electric bikes and get about on those. Lots of others have mopeds, which is where the max 40mph limit is beneficial as it's a bit safer.

That’s all really useful, thankyou. I’ll definitely look into the issue with uni fees, that could make a difference!

We love the outdoor life, running, cycling, swimming etc, so all that sounds great (and is the main thing which made me think it might be good). We’re also involved in environmental stuff, so I’d be keen to join local climate response/wildlife trust type groups if that’s a thing there?

Really interested to hear from anyone with teens on the island re schools/clubs/social life.

It depends on the lifestyle you want to lead. Nightlife is pretty rubbish now (not like in the 90s). But if you like the outdoors it's marvelous, beautiful beaches and coastal walks. The restaurants are generally of a high standard but expensive. The cost of living also is very high especially food. Winters can be bleak but to be honest I can't think of anything that exciting going on in the UK in the winter either unless you live in a major city (feel free to enlighten me)!

Word of warning. My DF had a friend who was a Jerseyman who had moved to the UK. When he retired, Dad asked him if he would be going back? He said "No". It was the dullest place on earth and he would spend his retirement where he was thank you very much.

That was Croydon.

I currently live in Jersey, but we are choosing to leave soon. My DH had a contract here and we had the option to stay but in the end we chose not to.

You need to look in to the cost of health care (it is not free and even if your work provides insurance this is unlikely to cover any existing conditions), the cost and faff of travel on and off the rock (it is expensive and not straightforward, the ferry company Condor is a running joke, the service is regularly terrible) and you really need to understand about qualifying for housing.
My husband was an essential worker so got quallies immediately but this often isn’t the case. Also, while prices are currently going down a bit the housing market is bonkers. Jersey has the most expensive housing market in the British Isles, more expensive than London.
Food is expensive and in winter there are regularly gaps on the shelves when the ferry fails to get through. Getting things delivered to Jersey can take a surprisingly long time.
Our basic takeaway was that you need A LOT of money to live well here and also a lot of holiday time due to the fact that travel time is so much more than just leaving the UK (unless you get the ferry to France, which is really quick).

You do pay less tax though and salaries are generally higher (for skilled workers at least).

The Island is stunning in the summer and the weather can be much better than parts of the UK. The easy access to France is great, we have been loads.
We have also made some lovely friends and we will definitely be back to visit.

Also, I do have teens and it wasn’t for them. They are happy to be going back to the UK.
Feel free to message me if you want to chat.