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.

I seriously hope this is irony!

Here is the real question: on what basis will you move to another country? Do you have EU or Canadian family or passports? If not, you need to get a skilled job in order to work and settle. Free movement to and from the EU has ended, and you can't just go and love there because you feel like a change. You need a visa.

And what were the conditions in the luxury hotels you visited? How was the food? How much money did they have to spend a week?

Switzerland is so closed as a society though, it’s not for everyone

Also Brexit made no difference whatsoever. Switzerland is not in the EU.

Quite. Utter nonsense.
Plus the OP wants to be an economic migrant, doesn’t she? And several others in the thread…

I’m assuming you are saying this as some sort of “rage-bait” and if you are it has worked.

You really think a whole family living in one hotel room in a shitty hotel due for demolition (yes, the one near me that housed asylum seekers has now gone) with no access to cooking facilities is luxury?

If the place they are parked provides food they get less than a tenner a week to live on, again not exactly luxury and you can be sure the food they get is much more school dinner than Michelin star.

I really hope you never find yourself in a situation where a bit of compassion from your fellow humans goes a long way.

People's solution to fundamental problems is increase taxes.

We've already got millions out of work because work doesn't pay. Tax people more and more will just not bother.

I have worked with a lot of ‘asylum seekers’ and 99% of them are economic migrants

Of course they are, but the question is what skills do they have to become a productive member of society once we grant them status? Or will they just stay on benefits or deliver takeaways?

If they had skills they wouldn't need to break in, they could easily get legal status in Europe.

This is not accurate: There are Sharia councils/tribunals operating throughout the UK. These groups don’t have any official legal power and can’t overrule British law, but they still hold a lot of influence. It’s well known that they carry on behind the scenes, and authorities choose not to intervene.

Macron and France blame the UK for the problem because it's seen as an El Dorado for migrants. They get free accommodation, their food paid for, an allowance and then benefits galore once they're accepted and top of the social housing list.

It might not be luxury, but we've got loads of our own out on the street who get nothing.

Switzerland is not in the European Union so Brexit makes zero difference to a British person’s chances of emigrating there (it’s as hard as it ever was)

Ps, Switzerland takes in the fourth highest number of refugees of any country in Europe per capita. Ten years ago it took the most, proportionally speaking. It also does a good job of making them good Swiss citizens and integrating them well into their society.

A big difference is high levels of personal responsibility of Swiss people to contribute to their villages, towns and cities being great places to live. They’re not passive. Britain can’t be improved only by the government or the few who have economic power. It’s about community power too. Everyone has to be motivated to help improve things.

Source: https://asylumineurope.org/reports/country/switzerland/overview-main-changes-previous-report-update/

This country is cooked, OP. Get you while you still can.

It’s full of lazy, beggar mentality takers with no concept of how money works and that you need the rich and high net worth individuals to stay and keep them in their free loading largesse.

They are so thick that they gleefully wave the rich goodbye, while squealing that there is no money left.

The level of economic and fiscal ignorance is staggering. Let them learn the hard way.

What a load of absolute horseshit.

The benefits system is cruel and unfair to everyone, blaming the “others” for the problems instead of accepting the reality that if you want a functional welfare system that we all can rely on it has to be properly funded (maybe by taxing the rich and closing the corporate loopholes) is a classic right wing tactic.

I have worked in Switzerland and didn't enjoy it. The whole atmosphere in the office was very staid and boring unfortunately. I have since discovered that it is quite common for people coming from the UK to suffer from acute boredom in Switzerland! The hours of work just seemed longer and the weeks dragged on. Such as shame as it is a beautiful place to live, but I missed the more relaxed style of the UK.

Definitely a global problem. Though not to say you shouldn't move. I've lived overseas and have friends in all different places and everyone has issues with where they are at the moment which includes Australia, NZ, America, Canada, Japan, Korea and Italy.

I lived and worked there too. I loved it. Yes the locals could be seemingly boring sometimes, but they also usually spoke at least 3 languages and were very bright, well travelled and friendly. I think it takes time to get to know them properly. Difficult to enter the closed friendship circles beyond the exterior. I’d love to spend more time there again.

I’ve heard good things from people who’ve moved to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. I think countries with smaller, younger populations are likely to be more future oriented.

EU citizens absolutely have the right to work in Switzerland, Switzerland is not in the EU but part of the single market. They tried to opt out of freedom of movement a few years ago in a referendum but had to backtrack when they realized they would also loose the other benefits of the single market.

So yes, Brexit did made a difference and UK citizens lost out. It is possible to get a visa but they need to show they can’t get a Swiss or EU citizen to do the job.

I can confirm this is not all … our schools were not closed for EID. You say it’s because your not religious so don’t want to live somewhere with a high religious population
you realise we also shut for Easter and Christmas ..

How eloquent. Now describe why you think otherwise. Yeah, I thought not.

If I could turn back the clock I'd move to Spain or France. My only issue is that, from experience, it's 100% necessary to be able to converse in the language. If you become seriously ill it is a huge problem if you can't

@Jennps whilst i know what you are saying itsa fact that there are plenty of very rich high net worth individuals actually contributing little to the nations coffers too , because they know all the ways to minimise it - the difference though is they don’t take that much out of public funds either - but nor do they all put that much into them either- I’m not talking about the average PAYE hospital consultant or lawyer either -

They take out roads, police, armed forces, education (of their workforce), health (of their workforce). They really wouldn’t be anywhere without a healthy, educated workforce and reasonable infrastructure.