To want to move to the UK? And if not, what part to move to?

[Applecrumble9]

I am needing a little help at the moment trying to decide what to do. We are from Ireland, but really want/need a change. We don't have jobs where we can work remotely, we don't have a particularly "saught after" skillset etc but we think England may be a good choice for us, not "too" far. We absolutely love the English countryside, we find the people so friendly and helpful, we have never lived in England but have visited and always found there was so much more "on" for families etc.
We are also very unsure of where to look to move too? Somewhere relatively "safe" and "affordable" in today's standards, we absolutely love the outdoors and the sea but somewhere near the sea may be totally out of budget, we love the countryside but not sure if that would limit work opportunities?
Any information or tips would be so greatly appreciated.

Background info : married couple, in late 30's, moving towards early 40's, we will have 1 dc by the time we make the move (planning late 2026 for the move) we do not own our home, we are renting in Ireland (more by choice as we do have a deposit and mortgage approval but houses are so overpriced in Ireland and we don't feel "settled" here so buying seemed stupid unless we wanted to stay here for sure)

I work in disability suppport which is called "social care" here in Ireland, I have a Bachelor degree in social care but from what I've read I understand in England this may not be recognised quite the same, in Ireland I earn €40,000-€50,000 per year so that's roughly £33700-£42000 but from what I can see online I would only be earning £32000 per year in England in this line of work

My husband works in construction mainly driving diggers (excavators) and that line of work, he is pretty well paid at roughly €48,000 per year in Ireland. He has looked up work in England and a lot of it seems like short term work where maybe there is a job local for a couple of weeks/months and then you are out of work again (or maybe that is just how it is advertised) he would prefer a job where he could be home every evening so he wouldn't mind a change in sector, hes very hardworking and the type who can throw his hand to anything really, in terms of yearly salary its looking like about £35000 for him.

We would have about £60,000 in savings moving over which we would use to eventually put a deposit on a house.

So all in all we would have a combined salary of roughly £67,000 and we would need full time childcare for 1 young child, and to rent a 2 bed flat, probably need 2 cars, and we would like to get a yearly holiday in...

Is this do-able? Or are we totally mad? We need a change so desperately, we love so much about Ireland but it is wearing us down and sometimes a fresh start is needed. It looks like we would be taking a big hit in salary but the cost of living seems a lot cheaper in England.

^ This is a sensible suggestion, OP, definitely worth researching the NE of England a bit more. Also, North of Newcastle the coastline is wonderful for family days out etc. There is huge demand for social care workers in the NE so I think you'd be OK. Cost of living in the NE is low compared to the rest of the UK. Regular flights to/from Dublin from Newcastle if you wanted to pop home. The NE (and NW) are generally friendlier compared to the south of the UK.

A quick look online at grocery prices/bill comparisons/car prices that kind of thing, I have a friend in Birmingham who says the cost of living for her is a lot cheaper, but again Im here for all advice/information.

Honestly we dont have any real ideas on where as weve only been on holiday but never lived anywhere. I have a friend who lived in Leeds and quite liked it and I see it suggested here, so that could be worth looking into.

We are for the moment anyway unless it changes in future x

This is a good site for comparing cost of living and I have found it generally accurate.

https://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/

Thank you so much, this is so helpful x

Cumbria?

You want to be up north, Northumberland ideally. Countryside, beaches and not the daft prices of the south

Christ don’t go to Birmingham! Absolute shit hole. If you want dirt cheap and aren’t bothered about it being all that nice, Hull. You can get a massive house with garden there for under £300k

I’d recommend East Anglia, so north Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk (excluding Cambridgeshire as that can be pricey in parts and no coastline). Beautiful countryside and beaches. If you stick to north Essex/parts of Suffolk you will have good access to London for work and leisure. Even Norwich has good connections to London. People will often mention living in the north for affordability but I think the East Anglia is great value.

Appreciate all feedback both good and bad so I take your points on board, however Ireland also has all of these problems in bucket loads to be honest, the economy is not bad on paper, but for us middle earners it is really difficult to believe it. We live in a tiny rental in a small little town, its for the most part quite safe but there are no amenities, no proper supermarket, no bank, no gym/swimming pool or sporting/fitness facility of any kind aside from a GAA pitch, everyone knows everyone's business or atleast thinks they do so people can't sneeze without someone noticing it (it doesn't affect me directly as I lead quite a boring life so nothing for them to talk about 😅 but im not big into mindless gossip so its draining at times)
But its more about a fresh start really, we are a bit stuck in a rut here to be honest. We lived abroad (not England) previously and absolutely loved it, we have not been happy really since moving home. We adore our families, love them with all of our heart, they are fantastic but at times the expectations for constant meals/parties/nights out/visits can be a little much, financially and time wise.
We pay €2500 a year for private health insurance just so that if something serious does happen to us we might have some hope of being seen by a doctor or consultant within a year.

Sheffield area and the Peak District would probably suit you. If you want access to lovely countryside you have massive choice there and access to larger cities like Manchester, Nottingham etc. Bear in mind getting to the ferries from the East coast is a very long drag.

North Wales? You've got access to the sea, it's reasonably affordable (outside of Abersoch) and you wouldn't be far from Holyhead ferry port if you wanted to head back for the weekend to see family.

I think people have given really good suggestions on locations @Applecrumble9 I’m Irish and live in London. I get what you say about small town mindset but think that can exist in England too. Cost of living, particularly food and eating out is higher in Ireland but wages reflect that. With a higher population there’s more to do here in England and better transport generally but do check this before deciding on location.

I would say for your child that education is generally better in Ireland. Kids start at 4 over here and investment per child is lower in England than Ireland. And that’s with books and materials being provided in England, unlike Ireland. So the amount getting spent on pupils is markedly higher in Ireland.

Teachers aren’t as burnt out as less admin and as a profession it’s more respected in Ireland too. There are some fantastic schools in England but choose the area wisely as it’s not the norm where most schools are good unlike the case in Ireland.

I do think that it’s more downbeat here though and would likely make the move back to Ireland if jobs and situation allowed. And highly likely to be a far right government in the next five years. Which is much less likely in Ireland because of the electoral system.

Much to recommend living here though. The craic isn’t the same, but if you hate it you could always move back!

I know several people who live in Sheffield pretty happily. I live in England but keen on Scotland too.
Would it be a possibility to spend some more time in the UK during your maternity leave ? Spend a longer holiday in one of the places you're keen on with a view to getting settled? Researching job prospects etc
I love Ireland but my home town has very few amenities.
Could another option be the North of Ireland?

Well they usually say ‘the grass is always greener….etc’. But in this case it’s absolutely not both figuratively and literally. If you really can’t be swayed from this decision then Northern Ireland might be a good choice

Yeah transport is terrible in Ireland, Im sure Dublin is better but anywhere outside of it is ridiculously bad.
I find since we moved back its been a huge struggle as we were so used to having lots to do, social groups, meet ups, family days when we were away, and then we moved back to nothing.
I know Im married but Im quite a social person but friends who are married have little to no interest in doing much at weekends, the same with work friends outside of work there is no interest in anyone getting together or meeting up. I've spoken to loads of people who have moved home who have had the exact same issue, even old "best friends" didnt have that much interest in regular meet ups. Obviously you could be really lucky with your friend group!

Hearing its more downbeat is a bit of a worry though, because there are days here that I think my head will explode if I have to listen to any more negativity/complaining, about weather, cost of living, and people who think the housing crisis, cost of living, immigration, crime etc are only problems in Ireland and the rest of the world is perfect, it drives me around the bend most days 😅

I like living here, it’s pretty good! I’m sure you’ll find somewhere that suits you.

I'd say Northumberland/County Durham would be a good shout. Cheap properties but some lovely villages/small towns and close enough to Newcastle or Sunderland to commute for work.

I was about to say Northern Ireland but you’re already in Ireland!
I’m Irish living in England - don’t do it, OP. Just don’t. Use that EU passport and head off to France or Spain or Italy.

Suffolk coast- beautiful, safe, affordable and lots of good construction roles available given the various energy infrastructure projects there.

What's the reason? Absolutely willing to take on all suggestions advice so I appreciate the bad as much as the good. What part do you live in and what makes it so terrible? (Totally genuine questions btw) We are just so stuck in a rut in Ireland and truly unhappy with everyday life, a change up would be so good.
I think without a language we would probably struggle in France/Spain etc in our line of work. I'd love to be following the sun but Australia would cost way too much (been there done that) on sponsorship visas childcare costs are totally ridiculous (we were quoted $3000 a month multiple times for just 1 child and the place wasn't even great 😅) and then your on a temporary visa for a couple of years, PR costs up to 25k so it just seems a lot, plus we didnt find it all it was cracked up to be, Im earning more in Ireland than I did there. England or the UK in general is a much easier/cheaper move and anytime we've been on holiday there seems to be a lot more going on really, we also found most of the people really friendly and there always appears to be much better amenities obviously a holiday is totally different to actually living somewhere though so I need all of the advice x

Ireland is suffering a brain drain of people in their 20s not seen since the late 80s - mostly to Australia, but also Canada and the UK.

I'd be the last person to argue that the UK is anything but a shit show right now, but unless you are well established, the work opportunities are a lot better than Ireland.

There's not a lot of work in Spain..

I d say with those salaries, nowhere south of the peak district
Your salaries won't go very far in the south, but they will in the north.

Cheshire? Close to wales and the coast and liverpool for a big city. Chester is lovely or for a cheaper town, Northwich.