Moving to Scotland... Tips?

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Hey! newcomer here, hope you're all doing well. Im 23yo, im from Portugal and i've always had a dream to work/live abroad (UK pref) and therefore decided to go to Scotland not only because its a beautiful country , but also because i have always been attracted to it.

The thing is , i've never even gotten out of Portugal (not even to visit anything) and therefore im a bit "scared" on what should i do first and most of all where to go, im going to visit it in January for a few days and get to know the country a bit before actually moving in as i'm going without any job offer or friends there.

So i was hoping you guys could give me a few tips on what to do/expect , and mainly what city to go to and which specific area (preferred a budget and friendly location, a bit away from the center of any city with good means of transportation , a good employment % and friendly people)

Thanks
Best Regards!

If you don't have a job you could consider teaching Portuguese www.firsttutors.com/uk/languages/region/scotland/portuguese-teachers.php

I would try one of the smaller cities - Stirling or Dundee

What type of job are you looking for?

Few questions: What kind of job are you looking for?
What is your housing budget?

If you're coming to visit, definitely do the big two- Glasgow and Edinburgh. Both have good transport to airports,trains etc for getting around.

If it's a quieter more rural lifestyle (Highlands and Islands) that you fancy there is plenty of hospitality recruitment in these areas. Some come with accommodation.

It really depends on what you want to get from your trip/what you imagine Scotland to be.

Hi! Id like to hereby thank you all for your answers, I'm actually going to Edinburgh for 4 nights on January to get the know the country a bit.
And teaching Portuguese wouldn't be that bad of an idea actually...

I've worked in about everything to be honest. Currently working as an hotel night auditor. But worked as an IT tech , sales , customer support for apple , cashier... etc

Looking for something on a budget "house related and place related" as I am still to get a job there, but probably would aim for an hotel or something...

Best regards

Woah! I would have a good long time visiting here before you decide that you want to move. That is a big change to make. As someone who was born here and has lived here most of my life, I would honestly say that apart from the nicer parts of Edinburgh and Glasgow, you are likely to be quite shocked. Many of of Scotland's towns are really quite charmless.

Perth is lovely

Duck94 - I disagree with your statement that 'many of Scotland's towns are really quite charmless'. Sounds like you're trying to put the OP off. I find that most places I go are more interesting the more I look at them and find out about them. Scottish towns included. If you find them all charmless then that tells me more about your outlook than the towns.

OP Scotland is beautiful and it's cities and towns are most certainly not charmless

However, you may want to wait and see what happens with Brexit before you make any commitments

I've got these ones then:
Partick
Shawlands
Finnieston
Perth

These seem to be the best according to my conditions right?

Best regards

You could try somewhere on the Ayr - Glasgow line.

Troon for example has a few nice hotels with lots of golfers coming through.

Ryanair flies from Prestwick to Faro.

I'm from Porto, I'm going to Edinburgh on January, just to visit tho, for starters... People have recommended those 4 places I described above due to what I worked as, my age and by being a cheap place yet beautiful with high employment percentage. And I hate gold I'm more of a soccer fanatic

Golf I mean*

I am urging caution, not trying to put the OP off. Just think she should go into it with her eyes open. I honestly think a great deal of Scotland is very bleak and depressing. Especially in comparison to England, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland. I could go on.

I thank you for your word of caution, many friends of mine have been to scotland and they really liked it, and from what I've seen it's really beautiful. I'm most of all looking for a country that's better to live in other than Portugal. I really love my country, but this is a place to "survive and not to live " and knowing that there's a better place (plus I love it) to do so right "around the corner" why not? :)

If you’re a soccer fanatic may I suggest the east end of Glasgow (it’s where Celtic Park is)

Of the four Glasgow locations you mention, I'd say that Shawlands meets your requirements most closely: vibrant, multi-cultural neighbourhood, with lots of eateries and apparently, I'm too old and boring nightlife, with easy access in to the city centre, yet reasonably priced with lots of lovely tenement flats to rent and parks close by to give you green space.

Not much of a celtic fan

Yea great, I was really leaning towards Shawlands, glad you think that :)

Hey OP! I'd suggest Perth or Dundee.

Shawlands is great 😁 - you'll probably pay £500-£550 a month for a 1 bed flat. It's slightly cheaper than the west end but cosmopolitan & lively. Lots to do around parks, pubs, shops etc but peaceful off main strip.

Ok great, thank you all for your suggestions :)

Another vote for shawlands . Patrick is in the west of the city near a big university and that makes housing more expensive . Finnieston is on the edge of the city centre to the west and isn’t as nice as shawlands.

Perth is a lovely smaller city too.

As you're young and single, OP, and don't have any friends yet, I'd echo what others have said about staying in or close to the two biggest cities, Edinburgh and Glasgow. They're probably also a better bet if you're going to look to teach Portuguese. I'm based on the east side of Edinburgh, and I've always found it very friendly and welcoming, but it's got quite expensive in recent years. My daughters are in their 20s and a lot of their friends live just outside the city centre going towards Leith, off Easter Road (I'm not sure what to call this area, it's not quite Leith but not city centre either). It seems to be a place where lots of 20-somethings head after their university years, and there also seem to be a fair few English language schools in that area, so maybe worth taking a look when you come over in January? Also, the Regent Bar on Montrose Terrace in the Abbeyhill area is a nice bar where you can meet friendly locals. It's gay-run and gay-friendly, but not exclusively so, and if you hang out there, people will chat with you. Another thing to do in the Edinburgh area is get a one-day ticket for Lothian buses, and spend the day travelling around the city and its outskirts, to get a sense of it.

Hey there! Thank you once again for all your answers, i have narrowed it down to Shawlands then.

Im actually going with my girlfriend, so not entirely alone :)

Edinburgh gets a big vote from me. Moved here nearly twenty years ago, and never looked back (well, not quite true - I moved to London for two years in between just to check it out, but came back here again).

There are cheap places to live around here if you're prepared to house share or rent a small flat.

Good luck, it's very exciting!

Well yea we will be looking for a small flat, a studio preferably. You know any good areas according to my "profile" in Edinburgh? :p