Don’t want to live in England anymore

[Orangeetree]

I have been in London for 19 years. First 10 to 15 years were ok but I am counting the years to live this country. The weather depress me and I feel we spend too much time indoors. We just been to Greece and it was lovely, we were in a lively village where kids and adults spend time socialising outside. The sky was blue everyday.

However our jobs are in London, kids are teens so we are not going anywhere until younger finish school; currently in year 8.

Do other people move abroad for similar reasons? How do they find settling in? Getting new jobs? Schools, etc?

Can you read and speak Greek? I can't see it being easy in a country where you cannot speak the language.

Going in holiday to Greece won't be the same as living there. You would still need to negotiate doctors, dentists, taxes, household bills etc.

It would be ridiculous to move to a country based on a fortnight’s holiday that you enjoyed, especially if you can’t speak the language, don’t have any employment prospects and your children are better off finishing their education in the UK. I say this as someone who’s lived longterm in five countries on three continents, but I have a MFL degree, am good at languages, enjoy the challenge of a new culture, working environment etc. it’s perfectly doable, though rather less so than before Brexit, but you’ll need to think about it far more carefully.

I know because I lived in France for many years. It wasn't easy, and I already spoke fluent French.

Yes, Greece has loads of jobs and a thriving economy! Living there will be just like a fortnights holiday 😂

Exactly what Divilabit wrote. You have to go and live somewhere for a really good reason - either because you actively love and know lots of aspects of the people and culture (much more than just ‘nice weather’), or because you have to relocate for work (in which case it’s probably temporary and you‘ll be supported by the company). To get an idea of the reality, instead of imagining yourself on sunny beaches, think about the reality of being stuck for hours in a dismal office trying to get a resident’s permit, in a language you don’t understand. If you still like the idea, rent a house for a month or so and try remote working from there.

There is more to life than the sun and the beach; after a few months this gets very boring.

Are you originally from this country? If not could you not return home?

I have family in Italy and while wages aren't as great they have a fantastic work/life balance

Remember the misquotation from Mrs Beeton, "First catch your hare"?

Well in the case of UK citizens, for most of the world it's "First get your visa".

As people have said Greece may not be realistic but leaving the country is! The world is a big place and the quality of life or weather or both is better in many places (including several that speak English)
Good weather and a different sort of life makes all the difference to the way you feel

There have been loads of threads like this recently. I do understand. I think the UK has gone through a terrible decline in recent years and it depresses me. We've also had the wettest 18 months in history and I think people are completely pissed off with the weather - rightly so!
Have you thought this through though? How will you make it all happen? We're no longer in the EU so Brits can't just up sticks and move to Greece easily anymore.
There are about ten Greeks in my team at work. All are living and working here in the UK because there's simply no work in Greece. I don't think many Brits realise just how fragile the economies are in many of these beautiful Mediterranean countries.
When I was young (20 years ago) I moved to Spain for all the reasons you've listed - blue skies, sunshine, nice food, quality of life. I still love Spain but living there wasn't how I imagined. People work really long hours, working late. I was terribly homesick. I didn't fit in. I struggled to make friends and was desperately lonely. I could actually speak conversational Spanish but not well enough to function in Spanish society. I lasted a year then came back to the UK. I've never been so glad to be in Britain!
My in-laws live in another beautiful Mediterranean country and we spend a lot of time there, not as tourists. We see how life is for them. Yes there are blue skies and beautiful beaches but they're not living in paradise. The country isn't run well. There's endless beaurocracy and frustrations. The economy is failing and wages are low causing a lot of poverty. There are very limited opportunities for young people so up to 25% of young people leave the country to come to places like the UK. The health service is terrible (far worse than the NHS!). My in-laws work long hours, starting early often not home until 8, 9 or 10pm.
The grass isn't always greener. Have you thought about leaving London and living elsewhere in the UK? I'd find living in London quite stressful!

OP you have my sympathy. We fell in love with Greece when we went on holiday there. We fantasize about moving there. With no summer in sight, I think many people will feel this way. But, you have to consider a lot of factors before making a decision. UK is by far one of the best countries/economies to live.

We did move and it was a good decision -- but moving somewhere is absolutely nothing like being on holiday there! You need to be much more detailed and realistic if you're considering a move. For example I loved going on holiday in France but I know that my children would be miserable in the French school system as it's so much more rigid.

We have relocated from England to Wales, the Gower Peninsula. I suggest you look at alternative places in the U.K. before heading to Greece which will be utter madness if you don't speak the language.

Yeah exactly

You'll go to Greece (or any other country) an the you'll find the grass is not greener. You still have to deal with the tedium of domestic life; harsh weather (too hot); working.

It's not easy getting visas anymore. Oz, NZ, US, Canada, Bermuda, etc. it's not like in the 60s when it was comparatively easy to up and move.
It was easier pre-Brexit to move to other EU countries, but I know a fair few who moved to Spain and moved back again, when they found out living in Spain was very, very different to holidaying for a few weeks.
When people say if you don't like it 'leave', for most it's not an option. The only people I know have moved countries have either had jobs on the 'wanted' list ie medical professionals, have family or dual citizenship.

https://wise.com/gb/blog/moving-to-greece#:~:text=from%20the%20UK.-,Moving%20to%20Greece%20from%20the%20UK%20after%20Brexit%C2%B2,student%20or%20family%20reunification%20visa.
Here you go, OP, this should help.

‘δουλειά σας’

I lived overseas for 25 years and had a fabulous experience, but some of the time it is ‘same shit different bucket’.

If you don't want to live in the UK then move somewhere else. No one is stopping you moving. 🤷

Not true. Immigration authorities in any country I would consider moving to are doing their absolute best to stop me, an unskilled worker. I have little / no chance of a passport anywhere else.

No it doesn't!

I've lived all over the world for years at a time. I.m always glad to get home to the UK. I've lived back home for the last 30 years now and will never leave the UK again.
There is no utopia. Everywhere you go has its own problems and if you don't speak the language fluently life can be pretty miserable and lonely.

What she said. If you think the grass is greener then off you go.

I wasn’t referring to going to live in Greece but going to a country where there is more life and the sun shines more. Definitely don’t want to live in Greece and I know holidays are not the same as living there. DH and I are from different continents to Europe