Relocating to Edinburgh

[itsyourmumlouriza]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if you can give us some tips and recommendations as we are relocating to Edinburgh by the end of July hopefully fingers crossed.

I just got a job offer as a theatre nurse in Vision Scotland in Ratho Station, tentative start date is on August 2025. We are a family of 3 from the Philippines, we've been in the UK since 2016, my son just turned 3 years old, but just fell in love with Scotland so when I got my offer I was over the moon and decided to move.

My dilemma is that, my husband wont be moving with us just yet, because of his current job contract bond in Yorkshire so it will just be me and my son for the meantime.

I am struggling to find a property for rent nearby, I've scoured through rightmove, ESPC, spare room etc. I am still doing my practical driving lessons so we will be commuting all throughout, I've done my research and particularly liked Corstorphine area due to great commute to the clinic and lots of things for my son.

I'm looking at Wee Gems Nursery in Corstorphine to enroll my son full time mon to fri.

Also, looking for a childminder just in case I have an on call shift.

Any thoughts, suggestions are welcome. Thank you!

If you are on Facebook, Edinburgh Gossip Girls, EGG, is the kind of group for specific and local recommendations. There is a sister group that deals with property (egg home and away).

There are rentals that come on the market in September as the city is very populated in August, with festival goers in every spare inch. August is a hard time to move - does your contract start at the beginning or end? If near the end, maybe staying in a hotel in Ratho for a week or two until the festival dies down would be an option.

I echo the previous poster: looking for a rental property in August will be difficult because of the festivals. Edinburgh is also in the middle of a housing crisis, affecting the rental market particularly, so you will find it difficult. I recommend looking at the Edinburgh subreddit if you want to get an idea of how hard people are finding the rental market.

Consider areas like Winchburgh, Kirkliston too, they are only 10/15 mins from Ratho, and can easily get into Edinburgh by bus or car

Egg Home and away on Facebook is good for these sort of queries.

if you don’t drive then your priority needs to be on a decent bus route to Ratho station (and they aren’t many of those!) or your commute will be horrendous.

Clermiston/East Craigs/Drum Brae are other areas to search for. They're all basically next to Corstorphine and rentals may be slightly cheaper.
I think the 900 Citylink bus to Glasgow that goes from Corstorphine out along the Glasgow road stops in Ratho and they're very frequent.

Are you eligible for any of the housing association mid market rental properties (if your husband is not joining you for a bit and you have a 3 year old then I'd imagine you would be prioritized). My DD is looking for end of August too and there were some new build mid market rentals on offer in the Mayberry area and near the airport. Not sure about transport though.

Scotland is the most expensive place to live in in the uk! You start paying 41% tax once you earn over £37,500 for a start! The rent, petrol, childcare etc all massively overpriced and there’s shops closing down left and right because of it all! People are miserable there because of the SNP, the extreme racism and discrimination etc and the weather which is crap! The education system is appalling!! I say that as a Scot born and bred there and have left because of all of this!!!

Seriously stay where you are in beautiful Yorkshire and enjoy the sunshine and being able to afford to grocery shop and decent schools for your kids etc!

I think it’s £43,600 the higher rate 42% starts at. We pay a fortune for GB’s worst public services.

Oh give it a rest. Some of us are happy to live here and pay our taxes in exchange for a better benefits system, free prescriptions, and baby boxes to name but a few.
The OP has clearly done her research and wants to live in Scotland. No need to come and shit on her thread.

If OP is poorly paid she could be 20p a week better off in income tax living here.

Thank you so much for this helpful advice! I’ve managed to join the EGG Home and Away group and have also posted an ad there—fingers crossed something comes up.
That’s a really good point about the August festival crowd—my contract is tentatively set to start mid to late August, so staying in a hotel or short let in Ratho for the first couple of weeks might actually be a great idea while waiting for the rental market to ease up a bit.
Really appreciate your insight—it’s all starting to make more sense now, thank you! 😊

Thank you so much for the heads-up. I’ve been getting a clearer picture of the situation now, and it’s definitely a bit daunting. I didn’t realise just how much the festival season and the current housing crisis would affect the rental market until I started looking.
I’ll definitely check out the Edinburgh subreddit too, that’s a great shout. I’m still staying hopeful something will come through, but I’m also now considering short-term options just to get us through August more smoothly.
Really appreciate you taking the time to share this, it’s helped me manage expectations and plan better. 🙏

Thank you so much for the suggestion! I hadn’t looked closely at Winchburgh or Kirkliston yet, but I’ll definitely explore those areas now. Being just 10–15 minutes from Ratho and still well-connected to Edinburgh sounds ideal, especially while I’m still working on getting my driving license.
Really appreciate the tip, it’s so helpful to hear about nearby options I might’ve missed! 😊

Thank you! I’ve just found and joined EGG Home and Away, really hoping it helps us connect with someone who might have or know of a rental. I appreciate the recommendation, every little tip makes such a big difference right now! 😊

That’s such a valid point, thank you for flagging it! I’ve been looking closely at bus routes and you’re right, Ratho Station isn’t the easiest place to reach without a car. That’s partly why I was drawn to Corstorphine, since it seems to have good connections and more options for my little one too.
Definitely trying to be strategic about location while I’m still learning to drive, really appreciate the reality check, it’s helping me narrow things down properly! 🙏

That’s super helpful, thank you! I’ll definitely look into Clermiston, East Craigs, and Drum Brae as well. If they’re close to Corstorphine with possibly more affordable rentals, that could be a great option for us.
Also, I didn’t realise the Citylink 900 could be a potential commute option, will check that route out properly. Really appreciate you taking the time to share this, it’s helping me piece things together bit by bit! 😊

Your description of Scotland is not one that I recognise.

And of course there’s no discrimination or racism anywhere in England. And no shops closing or people struggling

Thanks so much for the heads up! I’ve been starting to look into the mid-market rentals, though I’m not completely sure about the eligibility just yet, I'll definitely look into it and see where I stand. My husband won’t be joining me straight away, but I’ll have my 3-year-old with me, so I’m hoping that might work in my favour in terms of priority. The ones in Maybury and near the airport sound promising! I’ll need to check out the transport links too, especially since I won’t have a car at first. Fingers crossed something comes up for the end of August. Let me know if your DD hears of anything else, it’s so helpful to share info like this!

Thanks so much for your message, it really means a lot to hear such an honest perspective from someone who’s lived through it. I can completely understand why you chose to leave, especially with everything you’ve mentioned. It sounds like it was the right decision for you and your family.
That said, I have to admit, I fell in love with Scotland from the moment I first set foot there. In our experience, the people were so warm and welcoming, and the natural beauty is absolutely unparalleled. In many ways, it reminded me of home—the Philippines—it just had that comforting, grounding feeling that’s hard to put into words.
I know it’s not without its challenges, and I’m going into it with my eyes open. But something about it just really clicked for us, so I’m hopeful it could be a good fit for this next chapter. I’ll definitely miss Yorkshire too, it’s such a special place, but I’m excited (and a little nervous!) about what’s ahead.
Really appreciate you taking the time to share your experience, it’s given me a lot to think about and look out for 💛

OP please note Ratho and Ratho Station are two different areas - they are close but not the same. I think the city link bus stops near Ratho Station, I've been on it and I've never gone near Ratho.

Actually, I've just googled your place of work and it's at Ratho Station. The bus will go past very near there. If you've no luck in Edinburgh you could look temporarily west, Broxburn is very near to where you'll work.

Here's a link to the correct tax brackets. It's £43663 before you move into the 42% bracket

www.gov.uk/scottish-income-tax

Yes, the tax bands are definitely something to factor in, and I totally get the frustration with public services. That said, I’m hopeful things will feel a bit different in practice, it’s not perfect, but I’ve found a lot to love about Scotland so far. Fingers crossed it all works out! 😊

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/midmarketrent

My DD had been using the links above for midmarket rentals. Each have different eligibility and they go quickly plus many don't have any white goods. My DD has decided to go with a furnished flat share instead which is cheaper for her. However she thought the midmarket properties looked great.