Moving to London area from abroad. Really nervous.

[etoilech]

I guess, I'm looking for a little reassurance. We're moving to England from Switzerland this year. We're Swiss and Canadian. After all the hullabaloo of Brexit, do you think we will be welcome in the local community? We've spent a lot of time in England and we love it. We've had overwhelmingly good experiences with people, very kind and very welcoming.

Do you think people would be upset with us moving? Would people really be feeling a bit hostile towards us as foreigners moving in? I suspect most people will be as friendly as we've experienced previously, but I can't seem to quell my nervousness.

I appreciate any tips or reassurance. We're looking to make this our home, so we will want to be a part of our local community. Thanks in advance.

x Olivia

London voted to stay - you will not meet any resentment and you will be as welcome in the community as anybody else would be. You are getting worked up over nothing.

London is overwhelmingly multicultural and friendly. You'll be among friends.

London I very much a remain area, you will be absolutely fine, its also a wonderful city.

Us Londoners voted to remain. It's a multicultural city.

Whereabouts are you moving to?

As others have said the overwhelming majority of London voted to remain. It's as multicultural and welcoming of people from all over the world as ever. Don't worry :) whereabouts are you looking to live?

Thank you so much, for your reassurance. It has help quell my nervousness. I really appreciate it.

We're looking at two areas at the minute (nothing firm yet):
Watford/Rickmansworth area (out into Herefordshire)
Hampton area (out into Surrey)

It's exciting and terrifying. Especially with schools being so oversubscribed. We're not looking to put our children in fee-paying schools, so we're trying to get areas with good local schools. Luckily we don't have to commute into London daily, or possibly even weekly. We need to be close-ish, but I'm open to suggestions since I'm still becoming familiar with locales.

Thank you all again for your reassurance. It's helped.

A bit left field but if you don't need to be in London every day you could look at somewhere like Horsham. Lots of really excellent State schools and you get a lot more for your money. Am hour into London by train.

Harpenden also has excellent schools- few people bother to send their kids privately and handy for London.

The places you've listed aren't london

I know they're not London but given the OP has said she doesn't actually need to be in London that often and that schools are a priority I thought it might be helpful to suggest some alternatives to consider as if you're not from the UK you don't necessarily know the options :)

Ooooh neither is Stratford according to a recent thread

@Gowgirl that thread made me chuckle. Not sure where Stratford is if not in London

In all seriousness though I reckon if the OP doesn't need to be in LONDON she'll find much better housing and schools in one of the commuter towns

Ooh random shouty caps there. Sorry

Hmmm. You are straying toward leaver territory OP. Those places aren't London.

Which way did Watford and Hampton vote? They are outside London so may have voted out!

You will be totally fine. At my daughter's school in London we have families from all over the world.

Hampton is a bit of an issue for schools. I am in Richmond so not far from there.

Yes but if the OP wants to be in remain territory then commuter towns are not the best bet

As a mixed race woman I'm speaking from experience

As a Swiss person I think you'd be fine. Based on media reports and disgusting attitudes I hear, racists are most nervous about Muslims and Eastern Europeans.

Sadly, I think Zombie is on to something there. You'll be fine anywhere op.

How exciting, good luck!

Op - it's worth remembering that while the "leavers" are all presented as voting leave for racist reasons, many voted leave because they didn't like the EU institutions and democratic issues while ignoring we have a monarch as our head of state , or because they feared the gradual creep towards a "United States of Europe" - many people didn't have an issue with the free movement of people bit.

Any commuter town with a decent London train service (under 1 hour and frequent trains) will be more cosmopolitan than surrounding areas - I live in a town that voted Leave, but it was the grey vote that swayed it, the parents at the school gate seemed all genuinely shocked and saddened at the vote. It's unlikely you'll be hanging out with the pensioners once you've moved.

Oh and Zombie is right, Swiss Canadians with jolly good jobs, English speaking and not scary Muslims? You're the "right sort of immigrant" for the UKIP types

Hampton is in the London Borough of Richmond, which voted overwhelmingly to stay in Europe. it is a safe friendly area surrounded by parks, the river Thames and easy access to Waterloo. You will love it

You really don't need to worry.

Sadly Zombie and the other posters are right - hostility is mostly directed at Eastern Europeans and muslims etc.

God, saying that about our country made me feel quite depressed.

Don't believe the rubbish that anyone who voted for Brexit hates foreigners!

Based on media reports and disgusting attitudes I hear, racists are most nervous about Muslims and Eastern Europeans.

Basically this.