Should I relocate from the Home Counties to Yorkshire?

[LuckyBuddha]

Live in a small two up two down in the Home Counties and DH has family in the north west leeds area, thinking of relocating for more affordable house and to be closer to his family who could help with the kids who are 8 months and 3 years... Thoughts?

What are you waiting for? The only issue would be jobs, I guess. Not sure what the job market is like up there. We moved from north London, to northern home counties when we married and I guess, because our roots are here, we've stayed but now (33 years later) we really regret not having moved further. Yorkshire is beautiful (as you obviously know) and you have nice cities like York, Leeds etc. With family support it sounds a no brainer to me. Good luck.

Thanks for your reply... It's the job thing, less opportunities up there but we're both teachers so do able... I suppose my main concern is leaving the affluent South East and my friends and family down here. I know financially we will be much better off up there so kids will have a better deal... Tricky... Anyone else made a big move like this? X

Chocoholic73 why do you wish you moved further?

If you're teachers then surely the opportunities are similar? There may be more jobs around London but that's only because the population is bigger. It's not like a job where everything important happens in London.

So I'd say go for it.

I moved out of London but it was before I had children. I can only comment that quite a chunk (more than half) of friends / neighbours and quite a few colleagues are parents that have moved out of London, usually in time for schools. Combination of following jobs (quite a few moved to my area with the BBC relocation), wanting to be closer to family and better quality of life. Only one family is considering moving back to London and that's because its a specific work opportunity that genuinely can't be replicated here.

My only word of caution would be that it is significantly wetter and colder in West and North Yorkshire than in the south east. I'm sure you know that as you visit your in-laws a lot but, much as I love visiting my in-laws there, the sometimes relentless cloud cover would do me in. On the plus side, I do like the fact there are lots of big cities within easy reach of each other (Manchester, Bradford, Leeds, York, Sheffield) so there's a good spread of activities rather than everything being focused on London as it is here in the south east.

Interestingly, a report published today says that educational attainment is lowest in Yorkshire and highest in London. Might be significant for two teachers...

There's a national shortage of teachers so you should be OK jobs wise. Why do I wish we'd moved further ... it's partly just not ever lived in a different part of the country. Where we live now is around 15 miles from where I grew up. I think it's easier to put down new roots when you're young and you have opportunities to mix through your DCs. Theoretically, we could still move away but there are less job opportunities as you get older, plus both of our DCs have very complicated health issues which makes it harder, even though they're adults.

Another report with banner headlines about how everything stops outside of London (which isn't actually reflected in the details). Hopefully teachers might have a better understanding of what is important rather than the headlines in that report.

Lalalonglegs you are so right about the weather, it is always raining there but maybe that's what makes it so beautiful!?

On the job front there are lots of not so nice schools to get jobs in up there, getting jobs in the good ones is very difficult for people from outside the area. But is working in a less nice school worth all the other benefits like bigger house and grandparents helping with the childcare, which might I add is extortionate here (£69 a day per child!)

Main problem is it's full of bloody Yorkies

(joke, Darlington heritage here)

Leeds and Yorkshire aren't much wetter than the SE but they are colder than London. My only reservation would be that it would be difficult to move back. House prices seem to have risen more in London and SE than elsewhere generally. We wouldn't consider going back to London but then we don't have family there.

Other than that the chances are you'll have a better lifestyle in the North. London weighting doesn't make up for the higher house prices and cost of living.

We left London 8 years ago and moved to Yorkshire. One of us is a teacher.

Don't regret it in a heart beat. We still regularly look at each other and say "THIS is the reason we left London."

Bigger house, no stress about school admissions policies, enough decent restaurants and museums and all that stuff to keep us interested - and all within a 30 minute journey from home. 5 minutes to the countryside for walking and biking.

Only drawbacks as I see them - long way to the seaside for the odd day out. Long drive just to reach the Channel for summer holidays (and vice versa for the homeward leg).

Otherwise its all reet gradely.

Lucky Buddha - are you saying that schools (or LEAs ) only recruit from within their LEA? If you are, I don't think that's true at all.

Great to hear you love it ShutUpLegs... I'm sure we will as we love the countryside and going walking... I do think we will have a better quality of life just feeling scared as its a big change!

On the house price front think we will rent our house out and rent one up there first to see what we think...

I am
Hope to buy in the North later this year and move up in about 18 months.
Just had current house valued and am looking at Rightmove

My husband has been for a few jobs up there in the past and always gets down to last two and then loses out to someone from a local school or an internal candidate... Could just be coincidence but maybe not?

What's drawing you to the North SavageBeauty?

We find that it can be a bit always the bridesmaid, never the bride with teaching positions here - especially in the high profile schools. If you are comfortable in more challenging catchments, then there are jobs to move to and once on the ground, it is easier to move on.

We also rented initially but within a year and sold up in London and bought up here.

I'm also looking at moving to Yorkshire for similar reasons. In the SE at the moment in the heart of commuter belt and extortionate housing cost. We are also in a small 2 bed house and have no family nearby.

DP has family in South Yorkshire around Sheffield. I'm very nervous about the move because of jobs and being much further away from my own family. I worry I will regret and that I will miss my home town but be unable to move back due to the price differences.

It's a hard one...

It's worth bearing in mind that North Leeds is not cheap!

I'm originally from there but lived in south for over 30 years. Divorced last year and new partner there.

Hmm, just looked up average rainfalls - London has 720mm a year and 120 days of rain; Bingley (couldn't see a figure for Leeds itself) has 1054mm and 154 days. I knew I wasn't imagining it . But, yes, it does keep everything lovely and lush looking and it truly makes you appreciate the sunshine when it does come along.

What do you mean about the bridesmaid thing shutuplegs?

When we relocated, the teacher in the family got a lot of interviews (high strike rate!) only to come the perennial runner-up. It took 8 interviews to get a job but thereafter has changed job 3 times without those kind of odds. Of course, there is waaaaay less competition for teaching jobs than there was back then. One job has 180 applicants as I recall. Now, anecdotally, you only need to turn up for the interview.

Rain is irrelevant with the right clothing - and its way wetter over the Pennines!

Lala, but if you pick the Church Fenton weather station (between Leeds and York) annual rainfall is 603mm with 115 days of rain. It drops off very quickly the further from the Pennines you are!