Seriously thinking about leaving the UK

[Tanyasfootspa]

I’m not sure when the turning point was, but DH and I have hit a wall. The DC are both at university now, and for the first time in a long time, we’re thinking seriously about leaving the UK. The only thing stopping us is wanting to be close to potential future grandchildren.

It just doesn’t feel like the same country anymore. Everything seems to be falling apart — the NHS, education, transport, basic services — and yet at the same time, there’s this growing mindset that the government should step in and fix every personal problem. I’m all for supporting people who genuinely need help, but it’s frustrating seeing how much personal responsibility has gone out the window. It feels like no one’s expected to stand on their own two feet anymore.

We’ve worked hard our whole lives, paid our taxes, and honestly, it feels like we’re constantly penalised for it. Meanwhile, the cost of living is insane, our quality of life is slipping, and every time we turn on the news, it’s just more chaos or excuses.

We’ve started looking at options — maybe Canada, or somewhere in Europe (though Brexit makes that harder). We don’t expect a perfect life anywhere, but we want to live somewhere that still feels like it’s moving forward, not falling apart.

Has anyone else made the move once the kids were grown up? Did it help? Are we just burned out, or is this how others are feeling too?

Would really love to hear your honest experiences.

Are you saying that based on your anecdotal experience, that 99% of asylum seekers are economic migrants? If you are, just give over - stop spouting absolute nonsense.

I grew up in Finland and have similar thoughts. Lived in a few countries, now been in the UK close to 15 years but looking to move back to Finland at some point. The quality of life is so much better, the access to nature, lack of overcrowding, public services that are quick and efficient, safety… there are so many things I only appreciate now that I have lived elsewhere. My British husband feels the same and would love to Finland today if it was feasible with our jobs etc!
Obviously there are many things we love about the UK but I’m not sure it is going to get any better.

Exactly that. I do feel lucky to be living in Ireland, yes theres lots of negatives but I think a lot of people don't realise just how lucky/good they have it here. While not perfect, in any way, it has so many positives.

I know a lot of Eastern European going back to their country and having a great life. My cousins married a polish lady, they moved with their 3 and 6 yo two years ago, they have great jobs in fin tech, make the same salary they used to make in London, nice house with a pool, great schools, health care is superior than the uk and they have a very good disposable income to save, travel and have fun. They will be buying a house in Italy soon. They remind me of people in the 60s I talk at work, relatively senior positions at work, being in management their working life, they have nice houses, were able to raise kids with help without problems and they all have great savings and a house in Spain/france and they are talking about retiring and travelling. People in their 30/40s in the same jobs they were are renting or with huge mortgages and for sure they are not buying houses abroad.

I have a lot of financial problems, and I don't always get the healthcare I need, but I'm reminded why I love this country when I travel out of the metropolis and visit other parts of the UK.

I love a local museum. I like to visit the municipal museums across the country. We have SO MUCH culture and history here. I love our beaches, our forests, our national parks. I love the English Heritage and National Trust. (The NT for Scotland is cool too) People are so funny, and kind, and helpful. Often people with absolutely nothing will be generous with their time for you. Sure, this doesn't pay my bills but there's so much more to life than just money.

There are people who want to exploit the UK, both its people and its lands, in a very negative way, but we should always resist that. If you've fucked off to another country, you leave your home defenceless. Thankfully we can still lawfully protest (just about), we can lobby people, we can make a big noise. Why leave when you can try and make things better?

We need better laws, with fewer loopholes, and we need a better, fairer tax system. We've got to keep telling the Government that. We need investment, sure, but we shouldn't accept it without exploring the consequences.

We have a good sense of justice, we hate corruption, we love the underdog, our national slogan is "sorry", we are diverse...

I don't know why people want to leave, unless they think the grass is greener, and I don't think it is. Worldwide there is still fallout from successive recessions and the COVID pandemic. Where on earth would I go to find a better standard of living? I struggle to know.

It really brought it home to me how bad the uk is now when coming back from Malaga and Amsterdam. Both places were very clean , no homeless / druggies / drunks on the streets that we saw , no antisocial behaviour , polite friendly people , efficient transport systems , very visible police patrols . Not cheap places but far better first impressions as a tourist .

The UK is having a hard patch. The NHS is a n
mess and my salary just goes in food costs but I recently visited a more prosperous and stable African country and even the most poverty stricken buts of the UK did not compare.
We are incredibly lucky to live in this country. It’s saying something when Norway,Switzerland.Denmark,France and parts
of the US - are the only places with a ‘better’ lifestyle.

That's not what they said, they said....
I have worked with a lot of ‘asylum seekers’ and 99% of them are economic migrants
99% of the ones they have worked with.
Got it?

I say this as someone from a family who have lived all over the world. It is worth going, just so you can appreciate that things are not as bad as the Daily Mail and GB News make out. All my family have eventually moved back as they got older, because even the creaking system and proximity to family is still better than where they were.

Canada is expensive. As is Europe. If you want make a saving my Mum went to China as a teacher in her late 50s, although that is harder now to get a visa above the age of 40. Thailand is a good life, lots of retired ex pats out there. You have to get used to the quirks and corruption.

Dubai is great but expensive, and you will probably need to work to get a visa.

Honestly though, it is easy to think the grass is greener. Generally it isn’t as bad as you think.

My family have been working overseas since my Dad moved to Norway in the 80s. Most skilled ex pats do contracts for a few years and then come back, it is a small number who stay away.

Migration is mostly skilled workers and academics, countries who seek to curtail that will fall behind.

Bye👋 I’m honestly getting so bored of these people saying ‘it’s all going to shit’. Go then and you’ll find out these things are pretty global!

If you have money, most places work well for you. Unfortunately for humanity, most people don’t have much money, really. And this equality gap is widening every day.

Just an example

https://amp.dw.com/en/4-rich-africans-reportedly-wealthier-than-half-the-continent/a-73220927

Where have churches turned into mosques?

They haven’t but some really want to believe the bs. Churches are more likely to be turned into luxury apartments.

I agree 💯. It’s so tedious. If one think one can or thinks one can’t one is probably correct.

Extrapolated to if one convinces oneself it’s ’all Going to shit’, in ones head it probably will. And it’s all this country’s fault. So move elsewhere and see first - who will have you (what have you got to offer another country), and see how it works out.. Good luck!

Ps. I’ve lived in several other countries and travelled a lot, for context.

Yup. Lots of shit things about the UK and lots of wonderful things about Oz. I never for a moment suggested otherwise.

My point is that nowhere is a 'utopia' and nearly all Western countries are dealing with similar issues right now. Australia is far from paradise on earth, however wonderful it might seem just passing through.

Most people simply can't afford to be taxed more and many rely on tax credits even with a salary. If you're a young person most of your wages go on rent and bills as it is and you can't save for a house. The rich can afford it, but tax them high and they'll just fuck off to Dubai or somewhere anyway where they won't be taxed much.

And just throwing more money at things doesn't make them more efficient.

For starters, stop paying billions and billions of tax payers money every year to put illegal migrants in hotels. Importing endless migrants who in most cases just add to the benefits bill. Stop bankrupting ourselves with net zero. We're destroying ourselves and we're about to get the same white flight we've had from our cities, out of the country altogether.

My two elder sons were born in NZ and I do wonder if they could go and work there. I keep looking on their skills list to see if their jobs would be in demand. Do you mind me asking what your son is doing. One of mine is in health and safety ( construction sites etc ).

Decades and decades of uber-liberalism has destroyed the west. You can have liberal policies but you can't run a country off just liberalism and the globalist order without wrecking it, as we're now seeing.

Scandinavia is still a good standard of living if you can avoid the bomb cities of Sweden. And unlike our soft arses, they're actually tackling immigration (and integration) now in a big way.

NZ has the highest rate of emigration among 'first world' countries. The young and educated leave in huge numbers - often to Australia and the UK - because there just aren't the opportunities for them in their home country.

''@eqpi4t2hbsnktd · Yesterday 09:48
The UK. I live in East London. We have Sharia law in some parts round here already. The schools close for Eid etc.. there are literally no British shops on the high street...
Before you say "move" I was born here.''

What a lot of nonsense.

I lived in East London for 20 years and what you are describing is just Reform type propaganda, ie a lot of hot air to create division.

We lived there 25 years ago and the young people certainly left to do their ' overseas experience ' for a few years because NZ is so geographically isolated, but people told us that they did generally come home after being away for a few years. Obviously this could have changed a lot now .We loved living there ( four and a half years) but financially just could not make it work.

I will bet that 'schools close for Eid' on an inset day.

Churches have 'turned into mosques' because... 🥁 so few people attend church these days. So they close.

Yes - some a
high streets are overwhelmingly Asian (and thriving, unlike high streets elsewhere). If this bothers you so much, get on a bus/tube/train 10 minutes elsewhere.

Yes, it has changed according to this fairly recent article.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/09/leaving-new-zealand-record-departure-numbers

It’s this kind of emotional and fact free rhetoric that makes reasonable debate involving the public more difficult.

Oh no all the foreigners coming here (although you didn’t say that I suspect that’s what you mean) so your solution, take your ungrateful entitled self to another country and expect to be able to live the life you want based on other peoples tax contributions.