Moving back to Scotland after living abroad

[lars198282]

We have been living in France for the last 8 years and would like to move back to Edinburgh (?) Our son will soon be 3 and i am very worried about finding a suitable nursery for it and about the cost of it. Finding a flat to rent is very difficult, especially doing it from abroad and often you have to pay 6 months upfront. I will also need to find part time work when settled as I am still in the process of accruing hours needed to become a fully qualified counsellor. To make matters even trickier it seems my husband and I are heading for a separation but this seems financially impossible at present. There was also talk of maybe moving to somewhere like Stirling which might be cheaper? I feel very stuck and wondered if anyone else had experienced anything similar and how they managed to overcome it.

You might get good answers in Scotsnet. Yes, Edinburgh is expensive, nurseries and flats to let both in demand. West Lothian is cheaper, also Fife. Anywhere else in Scotland really, pretty much but those two are close to Edinburgh.

I think you’d be better outside of Edinburgh - housing, nursery very expensive and there’s a huge number of counsellors in private practice. You’d be better based somewhere cheaper and with less competition for your future career.

Thanks for that, I'll have a look 😃 I'm currently looking at Stirling,it seems you can get a bit more for your money there ...

I would definitely have a look at Fife. WAY cheaper than Edinburgh. Dunfermline, Inverkeithing and Dalgety Bay are all great. You can get a train in to Edinburgh from Inverkeithing in about 22 mins and the trains are super regular - about every 10-15 mins. Dalgety Bay has a nursery and two very good primary schools. A brand new state of the art High School is currently being built too. There is a real community feel, a bowling club, sports centre, some lovely restaurants, an annual Gala, and of course 5 gorgeous beaches. The primary schools sometimes have trips to the beach. Good luck!!

Completely agree with @Blondiebeachbabe, those are 3 great options. I don't know why you'd live in Edinburgh when you can live 30 mins out and everything half the price!

Thank you for all your replies. I am now looking at living in the Stirling area and will be separating from my husband, so it will be a really tricky start to a new life in Scotland 😥
I don't know if anyone has been though something similar but having been through a really tough couple of years with my husband I just feel like we hit crisis point. Too many unhealthy codependent behaviours and not being able to support eachother' s needs. I keep yoyo-ing with the decision to separate thinking things might get better (he is in therapy) and having a young child always puts a strain on things.....I just feel totally lost. One minute I'm hopeful about all the new possibilities and the next I'm terrified

Stirling, or perhaps even Dunblane, Falkirk, Larbert, Lenzie etc.

I honestly don't think you could afford to privately rent a 2 bedroom flat in Edinburgh on a part time salary, unless you could also claim some benefits to supplement your income. You'll be looking at £1000+ in a decent area. I would try and find a job first if you as not many people will rent to someone who doesn't a source of income.

Have they finished sorting out the contamination on the beach at Dalgety Bay?

I lived in Edinburgh and then moved to West Lothian. I liked living in West Lothian and also spent a bit of time in Fife. I know you're having a difficult time but it's worth having a really good look around before committing as there's lovely areas and some really not-so-good areas in all these places.

Edinburgh is one of the most expensive places in Scotland to live. So unless you’ve got a strong support network there there’s almost certainly some better options.

Areas with new developments can be good, as a lot of people are new together.