What is the UK like to live in now?

[Arianasande]

Im originally from the UK. I currently live in Spain and I have done for the last five years. I work in student services. I interviewed for a job in the UK last year, didn't get it but she told me she'd keep my details on file. They just rang me this year and asked me would I like to do an interview again as the job has become available again.

I said why not and did the interview. They've offered me the job. The job and benefits are really good, and it's in a nice part of the UK. And part of me would like to go back. I wanted to go back to the UK for a year. I love Spain but sometimes the language barrier can be hard. And I wanted to live somewhere where everyone spoke English again for a while

However im also really nervous about going back to the UK.

What's making me nervous is that there are lot of English people working here in my school in Spain, and they are always telling me how awful the UK is now. That they hate it,that it's awful.

I know I won't really know until I decide to make the move. But I just wanted to know how do you think it is living in the UK now?

I've just returned after working 15 years overseas. People are angrier and ruder. Customer service is generally rubbish. Builders are unreliable and cancel with the flimsiest excuse or just ghost you.

Is that all people?

Such sweeping statements are idiotic. 68 million people live in the uk

Did I say ALL people?

We’ve probably added a good 10-15 million to the population since then - might explain some of the lack of tradesmen -rudeness in some of the more overcrowded areas. I don’t think Spain allows boats to come ashore with migrants like we do.

Exactly how I feel.

Your question is impossible to answer as it depends on so many factors. I've always lived here and my life is fine. I live in a nice house in a nice place, with great transport links, and do the same job I've done for years.

People complain about the NHS and I do know some people who use private insurance but family and friends who've used the NHS in recent years have mostly had good experiences, in several cases, life saving (though waiting times in A&E are crazy).

Prices are up, of course - that's probably the biggest issue for many, but we are lucky to have sufficient funds for it not to be too concerning for us.

If you're only thinking of a year, I'd just go for it. It's not become a war torn, third world country.

I’ve been in your position. We moved back to what’s considered a shit area of the UK but my DC and all his fiends managed to get A’s and A stars in their local state school system A levels (all STEM) so imo it’s not a shit area. However, we had specific reasons to move back. We ran out of money doing our renovation abroad so it was a decision to sell everything in UK to finish or go back and get jobs. We decided to return to the UK. No regrets. My shit UK area has provided us with an affordable safe place to live, jobs, good transport, good state schools, good GP, good NHS treatment and a NHS dentist. However, DH and I will be moving abroad again because we love adventure. DC happy midway through a medical degree and is happy to stay in the UK and work in the NHS too even though they are told how shit the NHS is from everyone who has an opinion on it!

Move for the right reasons. I believe it is no better or worse in the UK it’s just different. I’ve lived all over the UK (in some of the desirable areas too) and in different continents. Life is what you make of it with the resources available to you.

Sorry op but I think your question is absolutely stupid

most people have not lived in other countries so have no comparison

most have limited places they have lived within the uk so cannot advise you on multiple areas of the uk, personally I did not enjoy living in fancy Dulwich but loved my time in a slummy east London council flat but it was because of my personal circumstances at the time

the uk is varied from beach villages to slum estates

do you have friends and family near your new job
what’s important to you ? Weather? Cost of living ? Out door lifestyle

my opinion on the uk is I’d rather live in Spain but that clouded by the fact I haven’t had a holiday in years !

Yeah I’ve been to third world countries and the U.K. is nothing like them,

it is worse than it was - cost of living, lack of money at government level means more potholes and less “looked after” generally.

You're meeting the people who didn't like it and moved. Their opinions could be valid given their circumstances but still not tell you anything. There's always people everywhere who have negative views on things you may like very much.

Eg I heard someone say they hated walks in the country the other day - whereas they are one of my favourite things to do and I have access to some very beautiful countryside.

I lived in Spain for 2 years so not quite as long and I can compare to a degree. I loved Spain. The weather is amazing, the food is amazing. I loved the culture. I came home for personal reasons and fully intended to return but life happened, children etc.
I still miss the weather but when living in it I got fed up of that too. Anyway my point is I'm not miserable at all living here. I don't live in an affluent area (South Wales valleys) but I find joy in where I live by exploring the hills. My hobbies bring me enrichment. I'd welcome life being cheaper but I get by. I guess it depends on whether you have enough to meet your basic needs and a bit more for fun.

When between overseas jobs I'm usually in the UK for 2-3 months which is just about manageable. Twice I've been back for longer (1-1.5 years) and hated it
Unless you're earning around 40k then it's a struggle, finding somewhere to live can be difficult especially when you've been out of the UK for a while and need references etc, you'll also need a fair chunk of cash for deposits and setting up costs. Personal safety is often a worry with even the most unremarkable towns and cities not feeling particularly safe, good dentists and doctors can be hard to find with NHS dentists being very rare creatures these days.
One of tje good things....the multiculturalism we have which is lacking in many places.

Personal safety is not a worry every where, nor is the ability to get doctors and dentists appointments. Just more sweeping statements.

So some people are nice then?

The job isn't teaching is it? Because I wouldn't return to the UK for that!

I absolutely love Galicia, have friends there and it's beautiful. It would be a lot to give up. However, I've also lived abroad and returned home each time, here to stay now - so I do understand that feeling too.

We have a lovely life in the UK honestly, I recognise some of the problems people describe and there are certainly things I don't like, but I would in no sense describe it as 'like a third world country'. Where we live is safe, has great facilities, we have incredible countryside right on our doorstep but also easy access to a vibrant city. The schools are fantastic, our neighbours are lovely and there's a strong community feel. Obviously that's all going to vary massively depending on location and individual circumstances.

One of the worst English traits is doing ourselves down.

Objectively, on the global stage, England is a bloody lucky place to live. It doesn't get extremes of weather, not at high risk of natural disasters, is politically stable (albeit that people grumble about whichever government is in power). It's green and fertile and absolutely beautiful and a wonderful sense of history.

Yes house prices are high, food is more expensive than it was, gas and electricity are pricey and the NHS /medical system is overwhelmed and overburdened. However none of that makes it a "shit hole". We need people to work hard and have faith that things will improve. We've been through the most exceptional set of circumstances - the idiocy of Brexit followed by immense covid spending and mental health impact, compounded by Russia attacking Ukraine and disrupting food and power supplies, and now bloody Trump and his ridiculous tariffs. Of course people who emigrated to Spain are the ones who made a decision to move and they are going to be those who were most dissatisfied for whatever reason.

You can guarantee that anyone describing the UK as "like a third world country" has never lived in one and has no comprehension of their breaking privilege globally at being born in England.

It’s like a post apocalyptic wasteland. Think Mad Max but with the internet. People fight in the rubble of what were once thriving cities over scraps of food and dirty water just to survive.

It’s a hell scape. A fever dream that’s impossible to wake up from. The soundtrack to our lives would be police sirens but the police are so underfunded they don’t have any sirens.

I had to have a fist fight with a feral pigeon this morning over a slice of bread, just so could have breakfast. I’m sure pigeons weren’t as aggressive when I was younger. I suspect they’re riven with entitlement.

Op keeps repeating the same thing about the UK being a shithole but does not give any information at all regarding location etc as she has been repeatedly asked.

Surely the thing to do is come back here for a holiday and trust your gut on what you see. Make sure you don't jepordise your Spanish residency if you accept the job as you might want to move back later. It does sound like the novelty of living in Spain has worn off and you are missing your homeland, so are you just looking for confirmation that the move to UK will be OK?

@Redpeach when I'm in the UK I'm in a fairly normal town in the S.E and personal safety is an issue there and in a lot of the surrounding towns. Friends in various parts of the UK often say they don't feel safe..where they are. This is the case for many towns globally but as the Op is asking about the UK I'm answering.
As for Drs/dentists....you just need to read the threads on here, speak to people to find out how bad things can be. Where, in any large ish town, is it acceptable for elderly people to have to take 2 buses to their nearest drs surgery? Why is it seen as ok to wait for 45 mins on the phone just to speak to a receptionist about missing test results/ booking an appointment? Why should anyone have to travel to another town to find an NHS dentist because they can't afford private treatment?!

You have pigeons in your area? Where are you? We’ve eaten all the ones round here and I would sell my soul for a pigeon pie with a little spoonful of sautéed dandelion leaves on a squirrel jus.

Ex pat in the UK here, although it doesn't feel like it anymore because I've been here for 20 gazillion years and now get reverse culture shocks in my home country. Whenever I go home, some people ask me how it feels to live in an Islamic caliphate with awful poverty where innocent citizens are routinely mugged and assaulted by gangs. 😅The only confrontation I've had in the last years here was from an angry pensioner who challenged me on where I'd parked my car . . .

Agree with pp - it depends where you live. I'm in a nice village in the North. It's not the cheapest, but also not expensive when compared to other parts of the country. If I drive 15 minutes in either direction, the picture is very different and things appear quite neglected. I'm happy with DS's school, don't struggle to get a dentist appointment, although my GP surgery isn't great.

I'm from a country that taxes you for breathing, so I don't really get worked up about tax - I feel that I sometimes don't get a good return on what I pay, but it is what it is.

The one thing I have noticed, however, is a decline in politeness. When I first moved here, there was more of a sense of community and most people were nice. I blamed Brexit to begin with, but I notice similar when in continental Europe. My feeling is that society is in better shape in Southern Europe, but that's just my perception.

Depends where you are living. And what you are doing. When you say student services, is it at a University? The University sector in the UK is very financially unstable at the moment. There are a lot of redundancies coming, and I think there will be a lot of unstability and changes over the next few years.