Northern Ireland

[bassiann]

Beautiful country, house prices appear to be exceptionally cheaper than GB, same currency, language, why do people not want to move there?

AIBU - it’s a shithole
YNBU - I would love to move

Away round to yer own door

Visited Northern Ireland’s couple of years ago and loved it. Absolutely lovely people.

I’m from NI, moved to England for many years, then Southern Ireland and now back here. To be honest, I don’t love it. Yes, there are some pretty places but the religion issue is a massive undertone that plays a bigger part than I recall in my youth.
it’s disappointing, really. NHS is terrible! Stats show a much higher percentage of people here moving towards private.
COL - I’d say pre-2022 it was indeed a good bit cheaper but everyday living I don’t particularly notice it massively different to Dublin or London which is saying something (house prices aside but rising a lot).
childcare fees are astronomical here with a government who continually stick their heads in the sand on it. Expect £1200 minimum per child after “help”.
If it were down to me, I’d probably prefer to live in Southern Ireland now knowing what I know.

I agree and am hugely supportive of all ability schools. I did the 11 plus back in the late seventies and went to a grammar school and felt strongly for many years that that the 11 plus was a fair system because everyone got the chance to access a grammar school education, not just those who were from a more privileged background. But as an adult, and watching my children go through the current transfer test system, I feel differently now. All that competition to see who is ‘good enough’ to get into a grammar school seems like a ridiculous amount of pressure on such young children. It labels them from an early age. Both my children did extremely well in the tests, but they found it all very very stressful. My eldest decided to go to Lagan College, which is an all ability integrated school with a grammar stream. He had very strong views, even at that age, about children being educated together. He still has that strong sense of fairness (now diagnosed with ASD!) His brother also did well. But his best friend didn’t cope well under exam pressure and, despite performing to a similar standard as DS2 in practice papers, didn’t get a ‘good’ enough grade for grammar school. Such a lovely, bright boy being put in that position where he thinks he has failed already. The transfer test system is what we’re stuck with here, but I think it is extremely flawed. I don’t know the answer because I don’t see the comprehensive system in England as being perfect either with good and not so good comprehensive schools and people often jumping through (financial) hoops to access a decent one. And the whole private school system where you can pay for a ‘better’ education for your child. None of that seems fair either. So I don’t know what the answer is.

🤣🤣

We live in NI and love it (I’m from England and husband is from here).

We live in a house we could never afford in England. Our quality of life is so much better. Friendly people. Great schools for the kids and the opportunity for them to go to grammar school when they are older. School finishes at 2pm every day for little ones and lovely long summer holidays. We can get cheaper holidays abroad as they finish school in June.

We came two years ago.
We came for opportunity to own our home as we never could have came out of the rental market in London unless it was a very very small home in areas we didn't want.
We came with jobs that WFH so have London salaries on NI mortgage.
Schools appeared better and as both kids are Summer born and the cut of for a year is a lot earlier than many in England it meant that they effectively repeated the year but with same aged peers and both have thrived.
We love it but as per user name the weather is probably the only thing I have struggled with as sometimes it's seems we have grey skies and rain for weeks.
Looking forward to the spell of good weather this coming week and in the sunshine the countryside and coast is absolutely stunning.