Living in the UK for a year............................where to start and what to do???

[mymama]

We are planning on moving to the uk late 2007 for a year (for the experience and to meet some of his relatives). My dh's parents are from uk so that entitles him and the children to uk ancestry passports and me a spousal visa. The relatives are in Manchester and we have a very good uk friend (returning to uk next week) who lives in Milton Keynes. Which areas are nicer/easier for dh to work? (he is in I.T. field) I would really appreciate tips and advice on renting, buying furniture, buying a car, public transport, schools for the children etc. Thanks in advance.

Don't know anyone in the area but move country last year and think the UK will be an easier place than other countries might be to spend a year.

Thanks SueW and MaryPOp1. Still seems very foreign to me when I google living in the uk.

Where are you now MM??

If you speak English and are moving to another Anglophone country,frankly it's a dead easy.

certainly a few years ago a top 'IT area' was the 'M4 corridor', i.e. heading directly west out of London towards Reading. Reading itself is actually OK (my dh works there) but I wouldn't choose to live in the town itself, however, it has a big shopping centre, canal and is a major railway hub. It's about 70 - 90 mins from Milton Keynes which seems a bit far -traffic is really crazy in most of the south east if you actually want to go anywhere. There are nice villages around Reading though.

I would look for the job first, and ask around the industry, but a possibility would be Aylesbury which is fairly close to London and equidistant between MK and Reading. Dunno what the connections would be like.

For cheaper housing (sometimes) and a more pleasant environment (discuss!), head north.

www.ofsted.gov.uk for schools.

Sorry just noticed the Manchester link. I'd say, live there or near there. I have a friend in the village of Delph which is sheer joy - all the Peaks villages up there are fantastic IMO. Manchester itself too but don't know anything else about it.

Where are you coming from? How old are your kids? Will you be looking for private or state schools? Do you plan to have any more kids? I wouldlook into the job first, then check out how schools and hospital are in that area.

I'm American, by the way. Moved to London from Chicago 5 years ago.

I might be well out of date, but there are alot of IT jobs in Cambridge area (known as silicon fen). Most places in UK are nice if you are in a village/small town area and there is some lovely countryside around Milton Keynes. Britain is also a small country so no where is far away though the flip side to that is traffic jams and a pants public transport system.

I second that, Silicon fen would be my first choice (slightly cheaper houses?). If not, try M4 corridor, but try not to end up commuting along the M4.

M3 corridor also has a lot of high tech industry (Hampshire).
West country (somerset, devon) has a lot of work in the defence industry - not so well paid and maybe a no-no on ethical grounds.

You will probably end up commuting by car, because public tranport (where it exists) is v expensive and rarely goes to where you want. You really want to avoid the M4 near London & the M25. Also, commuting by car in and out of any big town centre. For decent family life, try to live as close as poss to work, though not always possible.

I live close to Manchester, which I find a great city - very vibrant and very friendly people, though the weather can be very drab for long periods through the winter, which could get you down (it's famous for being quite drizzly).

I'd say that Manchester has become England's second city, after London (though some would disagree). The transport links are excellent, road, rail and air (you can fly directly to Manchester from most parts of the world and the airport is pretty close to the city centre, relatively speaking). The city is also served by an excellent network of buses and trams.

The shops are great - some smaller versions of the large shop you might find in London, and the city centre has a real buzz to it. Great nightlife, smart hotels.

Nearby you can get to the peak district very quickly for some real open space, or to the Lake District wihin about 1.5 hours for the scenery (and the crowds, in summer). There's not much in the way of coastline if that's what you are used to. The nearest coast is Lancashire (Blackpool-ish) but it's not pretty (sand dunes at Formby ok). You can easily get to other places such as North Wales (Snowdonia National Park) and to cities such as Liverpool and Leeds.

And then you have Cheshire, Lancashire and Yorkshire on your doorstep for a taste of rural british life.

If you are here for 12 months I'd go for renting fully furnished. You can buy cheap at Ikea, but the cost of living in the UK is enormous, so furniture prices are correspondingly high. It should be relatively easy to find a furnished house.

Cars are expensive, but running them is the real expense. You need to be aware of the extras like road tax, insurance, MOT etc. Fuel is expensive so you might consider a diesel engine for greater economy.

If you decide on Manchester, I can give you lots more help and specific information. Perhaps your friends/family could send you a copy of "City Life" and the Manchester Evening News, as this would give you a better idea. You need more information on the specific neighbourhoods to make a choice about houses and schools.

Good luck and CAT me if you need anything

wow thank you so much for all of the replies.

acnebride - thank you for the schools link.

moondog - we are in Australia.

Uwila - The children will be 9, 61/2 and 4 (not having anymore). Trouble is our school year is from Jan to Dec so my 61/2 yr old will be 3/4 way through grade 1 and would have to enter grade 2 straight away in the UK from what I understand.

mogwai - Perhaps Manchester may be the way to go. We are very lucky in that dh has 6 months long service leave owing from his govt job here in Australia and will take 6 months leave without pay so that he has a job to return to. With a little luck in the job department he will be getting paid here and over there to help with the cost of living and a bit of travelling. The furnished property sounds like the right idea. Very rare here in Australia so I didn't realise it was an option.

Sue W My dh has not been to the uk before so a first time experience for both of us

Perhaps looking for the job in Manchester may be the place to start. It all sounds quite a lot to think about at the moment but we are very excited about it all. I have been on mumsnet for a while now and I am excited about seeing things you talk about all of the time (Tescos for one!!). Thanks so much for the input - would appreciate all of the advice I can get.

Hi mymama, I work in Milton Keynes and there's plenty of work there. There's also lots of beautiful surrounding countryside and it's only 40 minutes on the train from Milton Keynes to Euston in London so if you will want to sight see while you're living here that's worth bearing in mind.

I got some great advice about the area when we were thinking about moving, you want Iota or MascaraOHara really.

here you go, old thread

ooh we're fighting to persuade you to go to either Manchester or MK!!

It's odd that you are in Australia because we are in in Manchester and hoping to be in Australia for a year from next January, which is how I realised that furnished accomodation is rare in Australia.

What a pity I might not be here when you come. I'd love to show you around and see what you think of it all. Where in Australia are you?

You certainly do have a lot to consider so do let me know if you need to know anything else. I can come up with loads of suggestions for you!

(the thought did cross my mind but I'm so ridiculously houseproud that I can't stand the thought of renting out my house...however, that does make me an excellent tenant as am fastidiuosly tidy!)

lol at houseswap!! I think the housing will be one of the shocks for us - we have a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house with 2 living areas (very common here) and we would be looking at smaller accom over there going by the rent prices.

mogwai - we are in Brisbane. Manchester is sounding good - that is where the rellies are, although we have never met them. Would there be areas of Manchester to avoid?? Whereabouts in Australia are you heading to?? We are looking at late 2007 so we are here until then. If you are looking at the Brisbane area I would be able to help you out. Ask as many questions as you like. My very good uk friend has been here for past two years and she tells me the only thing in common between the two countries is the language!!!

mymama, we're heading for Sydney, hopefully.

Hmmm....rellies you've never met. I have rellies in Perth and I stayed with them for two weeks which was a huge mistake. They were nuts

The second time we went to Perth was six years later when we went to watch England get hammered at the WACA and we deliberately didn't tell them we were coming. I phoned them from our hotel room and they were absolutely stunned that we were in Perth (you can imagine). We did drive out to see them and took them out for a meal but no way was I staying with them!

Still, how lucky to have any relatives to fall back on at all! You may find that us poms are hard to get to know in our own country. It's not that we don't want to get to know you, it's just that we are so bloody buttoned-up (often, literally - it's very cold in winter!). I'm certain you will meet some friends, it just might take a bit of time.

Anyhow, all going to plan, I'll be back in Manchester in January 08 so I'll meet up with you and take you shopping if you like!!

I know what you mean about the accomodation being a shock. We also have a four bed, two bathroom house with two living areas here in the UK. We are looking at a two-bed apartment in Sydney, and I'm scared of lifts so that doesn't help much (got stuck in one in Sydney as well)

There are definitely areas of Manchester that are "no go". When you know for definite that you are coming, I'll be more specific. One of the nicest areas is Didsbury, but I think the rent will be enormous for you there.

Personally I'd choose somewhere to the south/southwest along the tram line which leads to Altrincham. This takes in Sale, Timperley and Altrincham itself. These areas are good for schools and for eating out, cheaper than Didsbury and have the fab tram link into the city centre. They are also close to the airport, M56 motorway, Tatton Park, Old Trafford cricket and football grounds (probably not a patch on the GABA) and the large Trafford shopping centre. Google the Manchester metro map and you'll see the areas I'm talking about.

keep in touch!

actually, try the website "rightmove.co.uk" for rental properties as well

i would choose manchester!

(so would I...bring your family round here and I'll cook you all something up to prove us poms are actually very friendly!!)

Hi Mymama! glad to hear you are going to be nearer to us Can't offer much advice about Manchester, I'm in Yorkshire but from the point of view of a foreigner moving into this country the only thing I can suggest is bring yourselves, some clothes, a letter with the contact details from your regular allergician and nothing else