what's it like for an English person living in Scotland?

[KookyNotOoky]

Have been pondering moving north of the border.... I was wondering what it would be like living there as an English person? I've only ever been on holidays up there - mostly just some good-humoured ribbing, however I've read from some English people that this can get very wearing after a while and can sometimes have an unpleasant edge to it.

Unfortunately this is very true from our experience. We live in a "posh" part of Glasgow, there are lots of people who move here for jobs at one of the unis, or hospital. We have friends who are English, Irish, Indian, Italian... it's very cosmopolitan and nobody cares about your accent. Other communities are very very different.

I have never seen any problems again vast majority population totally fine.
If make an effort get on with the natives your accepted in my view, perhaps not in a tight night village but then again tight night working class villages can be very friendly too.
Down South Scots get bit jip.
No need to swear

Theres a saying in The Isle of Man.

There's a boat in morning...

Meaning of you don't like it way of life then you know what you can do.

Someone told me Shetland Orkney like that , incomers made welcome but don't complain daily offend the locals or fall out with people being silly comments food not as good as London etc or you woul be made bit unwelcome.

That be Scots and English though and anyone else

Embrace it and you be accepted.

I've been here over 13 years, in my rural town 10 years, I don't moan daily or compare food to London. I've worked in Shetland way more welcoming a place then some areas of the Central Belt.

I think after all this time however I'm entitled to have an opinion about where I live and some of the issues without being told "to go home".

Of course you have and most people wouldn't be too bothered including myself.
However some locals don't like it seem to use as an axe to grind and if people want to be accepted then perhaps tread carefully until accepted bit more maybe a good idea.

In my view this would apply to the Isle of Man , Wales, Liverpool , Cornwall and even ex pat communities in Spain etc .

Scottish people tend to get on with things , English people tend to offer opinions and while nothing wrong with that a slight culture clash on relate occasions.

The England womens football team had pretty wide support In Scotland completely different than 30 year ago.

England mens team pretty big following now too as most Scots football fans follow English Premiership.

Us Scots complex but get in our right side and your friends for life.

Why would we ‘have to get on your right side’ to be friends for life though? Can’t you be friends for life with people that haven’t worked away to ‘get on your right side’?

Id never expect anyone to ‘earn’ my friendship, but then again I get the impression we are very different people, for which I am grateful!

Wait a while til accepted a bit longer?! I think a decade allows me to have a opinion about issues which directly effect myself and my children especially where schooling is related.

So by that analogy 30 years and I can have an opinion for being English?! Sorry but your just proving the point entirely!

Also lived in Wales - no issues there, north Wales popular coastal areas can have some tension with second homes same as Cornwall which is understandable when the house prices become extremely high but the average wage is low.

It’s bits like this as well:

Scottish people tend to get on with things , English people tend to offer opinions and while nothing wrong with that a slight culture clash on relate occasions.

So patronising! Like they’ve never even met an English person. They certainly haven’t read the social attitudes survey which showed that rather being different, having different values etc from the English, the Scot’s and English had very similar social values, views etc. in fact we’re the same sort of person.

Most people would say Scots and English people are slightly different.

Most people would say Scots and Irish are similar but different.

Most people in England would say Northern English are different from Southern English.

Most people would say Scousers are different from rest England l would agree.

The sense of humour in Glasgow is different from the rest of Scotland.

I was working for a Glaswegian recently she warned me about her Glaswegian strong sense humour. (Warn as in humour not a threat )

Completely different to mine but l wasn't offended...

The political landscape in Scotland is different from England hence SNP voted in left of centre with wide ranging family friendly policies.

In the UK right wing press Scottish family politics are slated daily that's not the case up here.

I find vast majority people couldn't care less if you were English / Irish or anything else.

English guy retired here he cant believe the difference V Nottingham he said even going to Sainsbury's down there is a mission people arrogant and very defensive all time.

He said he wished he moved SW Scotland 40 year ago..

He actually thinks it's a pleasure to go food shopping here

I’ve lived in Scotland nearly a year now and frankly I still think the alcohol laws are stupid.

my friend and I took a train trip - Perth - Thurso - Inverness - Kyle of localise - perth

to consume any alcohol on the train had to put it into flasks and hide it. On one train from Inverness to the Kyle when we were the only two people on the train at 2000 at night we were told
off for a glass of wine each!

two
middle aged women having a glass of vino is not a problem! Fix the problem and don’t bring everyone else down with it.

equally could not buy a bottle
to share in the Kyle at 2215 unless willing to pay double
price on the hotel bar as could not sell it to us! We weren’t drunken rangers/celtic/hibs/hearts/dundee fans - don’t even think there was a proper football team for 80 miles

I wouldn't recommend anyone moves up to Scotland.
The SNP has turned the country into a laughing stock but living here is not funny and I've lived here all my life

As were DH’s and his brother’s, but they had moved to quite a rough area. We met in Scotland, I’m Scottish, we moved to England decades ago. DD lived in a very nice area in Edinburgh when she was quite young, she had no problems, she’s still in touch with friends from those days.

I believe experiences will be very varied, depending on where and who. Perhaps still tough for school age children?

@Bringabrolly I agree. I’ve lived in both places, have Scottish and English relatives and friends, and I’ve found the similarities and differences are in the individuals rather than their ethnicity.

I do agree with the no alcohol on trains and think it should be banned throughout the UK. You are in a confined place. There have been endless times leery drunks have come up to me and tried to chat me up on trains when I’ve finished a late shift and just want to get home from work. And cannot escape them as I would in a pub or club because I need to stay on the train to get home. If you start making allowances for Middle Aged women where do you stop (and if you think middle aged women are harmless you’ve clearly never seen a hen do on the train from Edinburgh to York. Grim).

I would say at least 50% (and growing) of the population of towns and villages in Scotland are now English so no need to worry.

That's what people said about smoking in public places. We got used to it. There's not enough staff on trains to monitor whether someone has had one too many. Blanket ban is the best option and it's time alcohol wasn't so normalised in a country with huge drinking problems.

DH is from Glasgow. Lots of his family have been fairly rude to me about being English, most of them act like they’ve never met an English person before. They say some frankly bizarre things about how English people are (English people don’t socialise for instance or go to pubs?). They think the English have stolen all of scotlands money and everyone would be really well off if they were independent.
I doubt they would say this to strangers though.

25 years ago we considered moving there but the constant comments didn’t help. However I would say his friends are totally different, lots of them have lived abroad and have professional jobs. His family are fairly insular and have hardly left Scotland except to go to Spain or Blackpool though.

I also had an English friend spat on during the referendum, it was a final straw moment for her after living there for 10 years.

Its more of a Glasgow thing, the thing is if a stranger had said anything to you negative your DH family would in almost all cases challenge this behaviour..

Glasgow half love the UK Rangers fans England team, Royals etc half dont really have much time and anti UK pro SNP and pro lrish.

Different breed and people very much like Liverpool both cities have strong lrish connections over the years.

Glasgow / Edinburgh different cities with different people you would get someones from Glasgows life story once speaking to them at times.

Humour very strong a thick skin is needed even for other Scots that stay there if you speak different they think your a highlander and butt of jokes.

They’re also massive Rangers anti-catholics. And I’m a Catholic. My parents are Irish. Doesn’t help!

Personally part of the problem is they blame me for DH living in England, even though I met him here. They don’t understand why anyone would live anywhere but Glasgow.

I can’t stand Glasgow. Too many loud-mouthed, aggressive bigots. Massive benefits bill. SNP supporters

Glasgow a different animal it's came on a lot but sadly there still remains some sectarian nonsense...although the West End pretty posh and different altogether.

The rest of Scotland tends not to have this . Glasgow surrounding area Ayrshire in places.

Tends be more civilised ( if you like) towns villages east of the M74 from about Abington up.

Moffat Lockerbie Lochmaben etc fine

The alcohol on trains thing is the old one of punishing everybody for a minority of miscreants. Nobody would mind a few people having a civilised drink on a train - as I witnessed recently on an LNER train. What we don't want are the boozed up gangs of idiots making nuisances of themselves.

There's also the sectarian nonsense in certain areas. I'm from the NE but OH's family are from Glasgow. I haven't a clue about half the stuff they speak about as it has absolutely no meaning up here.

Interesting to read this. A close friend lived in Paisley and had to leave after 7 years of horrific anti-English abuse including having her windows put thru, car vandalised etc.

Glasgow a different animal it's came on a lot but sadly there still remains some sectarian nonsense...although the West End pretty posh and different altogether.

There is definitely a huge class element to the anti-English thing. Move to Lenzie, Newton Mearns, Hyndland, Bearsden or Whitecraigs and you will be surrounded by educated people who have seen the world around them, have travelled both overseas and within the UK, far less parochial in their outlook.

It's no surprise that in urban areas, SNP support is strongest in deprived or less well-off areas. DH has not had any abuse in the area we live in, which is middle-class and "nice". Had we lived in Shettleston, Easterhouse or Drumchapel I daresay it would have been very different.

Scots are less snobby than English people? Is this a real thing you’re actually saying out loud? 😂 I’m Scottish and I’m baffled at this! How on earth do you come to that conclusion!