Prospective UK expats, a word of warning...

[frogblogger]

A Uswitch study has identified the UK and Ireland as the worst places in Europe to live, lying bottom of the European quality of life league table, despite a higher net income level than other European countries.

Ann Robinson, Director of Consumer Policy at uSwitch.com, says: “There is more to good living than money and this report shows why so many Brits are giving up on the UK and heading to France and Spain. We earn substantially more than our European neighbours, but this level of income is needed just to keep a roof over our heads, food on the table and our homes warm. It’s giving us a decent standard of living, but it’s not helping us achieve the quality of life that people in other countries enjoy.

“For too long the focus in the UK has been on standard of living rather than quality of life. As a result we have lost all sense of balance between wealth and well-being. The recession could prove to be a turning point, forcing us to re-evaluate our way of life, get back to basics and to the things that really count. Consumers are already beginning to do this – the Government and its policymakers would do well to follow suit.”

It's an interesting and recent study, and many Brits who have left the 'green and sceptred' isle will known exactly what it is talking about. Well worth a read...

[franklymydear]

Interesting article.

The UK has 2.1 doctors per 1,000 people and 3.9 hospital beds. In contrast, France has 3.4 doctors and 7.3 beds. Poland, which spends less than the UK on health, has more hospital beds – 5.2 beds per 1,000 people. While Ireland spends less than the UK, but achieves a greater number of doctors per 1,000 and a higher number of hospital beds (2.9 doctors per 1,000 and 5.6 beds)[10].

I'd be curious to know how many admin people the respective health services have per 1,000 people!

From another perspective, there are differences which could swing things back in favour of the UK. For instance, my sister lives and works in Germany; married a long time ago to a German, she had to become a German citizen to work as a teacher. Not only that, but despite a good degree from St Andrews, she had to requalify in Germany before being allowed to teach there. Now, approaching retirement, it would appear that there is a shortage of teachers in her area and, despite longing to work part-time, she can't do this without severe penalties to her pension, nor are there any options to take early retirement. She will have to work till at least age 64 - which is currently more than in the UK.

It seems as if the German education system trains people for a job; if she had wanted to change careers mid-stream, she would have had to take another full-time degree; the education she received at Erlangen University only qualifies her to be a teacher. I amn't sure if other European countries work like this, but I know things are different in the UK. Mary argues that the German system makes for a well qualified work force; I countered with the thought that it doesn't make for a very flexible work force - and heaven help you if boredom set in and you want to change and do something else!

The moral of the story - don't forget to look more deeply at the implications of moving country; there are many benefits but also some potential traps.

M

ps - after all that, Mary appears to have a good qualty of life

[kaz101]

Thanks for posting this since it's something that can be difficult to get across to some expats. When they look at moving to Australia they can look at the salaries and think it's too low but the quality of life can be sooo much better here.

We left the UK in July 2007 and things really don't sound too good there (according to our friends still there).

Regards,
Karen

[jlms]

Originally Posted by frogblogger

A Uswitch study has identified the UK and Ireland as the worst places in Europe to live, lying bottom of the European quality of life league table, despite a higher net income level than other European countries.



It's an interesting and recent study, and many Brits who have left the 'green and sceptred' isle will known exactly what it is talking about. Well worth a read...

Yeah, sure.

Give me a ring when you get towns as exciting as London in rural France :-P

[jlms]

Originally Posted by kaz101

Thanks for posting this since it's something that can be difficult to get across to some expats. When they look at moving to Australia they can look at the salaries and think it's too low but the quality of life can be sooo much better here.

We left the UK in July 2007 and things really don't sound too good there (according to our friends still there).

Regards,
Karen

If Australia is so good, why are there so many Aussies here in the UK?

General answer I am given: Australia is a boring place to live, specially if you don't like the outdoors, and you feel isolated from the rest of the world (so you live in Sydney, there are 2 or 3 big towns in close proximity, and, er, that is it, the next interesting places are hundreds of km away, expats going to Australia don't consider this which is a real culture shock).

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by jlms

If Australia is so good, why are there so many Aussies here in the UK?

General answer I am given: Australia is a boring place to live, specially if you don't like the outdoors, and you feel isolated from the rest of the world (so you live in Sydney, there are 2 or 3 big towns in close proximity, and, er, that is it, the next interesting places are hundreds of km away, expats going to Australia don't consider this which is a real culture shock).

Australia is a BIG place and what you are being told (and repeating) are wild generalisations.

A lot of Aussies go to the UK to make money and then return to Australia for the lifestyle.

The great thing is to find a place where you are happy and can create the lifestyle that you enjoy - that wasn't the UK for me.

Regards,
Karen

[jojo]

Originally Posted by jlms

Give me a ring when you get towns as exciting as London in rural France :-P

I went to London a few times when I lived in England and I personally thought it was horrendous, dirty, noisy, impersonal and scary - but thats just me! I have relatives who live and work there and love it, altho their long term plans are to get out when they have families and want to settle down!

I guess it depends on which part you go to, its a big city with many diverse areas. I've never liked big towns

Jo xxx

[Minuvweyna]

I think the most important thing to take from this discussion is that quality of life is HARD to measure, no matter how much these sorts of studies like to assign it a number as if it's straightforward. Some people are not going to agree with the definition used in this study. My money might go farther in Australia, but I prefer the history and old architecture in Scotland. Many think the weather is better in Australia, but for someone like me (who loves spring and autumn and hides from summer because I burn to a crisp in 15 minutes - even in the UK sun )Australia would mean a choice between aluminum poisoning and melanoma!

I'm not sure how valuable these sorts of posts are. Expats can be warned about the potential drawbacks of any place, but in the end, if it is a drawback or a bonus can only be determined by them. Very few cultural aspects are objectively bad or good.

Reading studies is fine when deciding if you really want to move to the UK, but be sure you know the criteria they are using to rank countries. If you want a country with a lot of history and you are not up to learning a new language (I am appalling with languages, Glaswegian is plenty of challenge for me, thanks) then the UK may be a place with which you can fall in love. I have, it's been just over a year, and I have not for a moment regretted my move.

Best wishes,
Elizabeth

[kaz101]

Originally Posted by Minuvweyna

Many think the weather is better in Australia, but for someone like me (who loves spring and autumn and hides from summer because I burn to a crisp in 15 minutes - even in the UK sun )Australia would mean a choice between aluminum poisoning and melanoma!

Best wishes,
Elizabeth

Just to point out that not all areas in Australia are hot - it's a common misconception In the South you do get the seasons but with a warmer summer, and Tasmania has very similar weather to the UK.

Glad to hear that you are happy in Scotland - it's a beautiful place.

Regards,
Karen

[jlms]

Originally Posted by jojo

I went to London a few times when I lived in England and I personally thought it was horrendous, dirty, noisy, impersonal and scary - but thats just me! I have relatives who live and work there and love it, altho their long term plans are to get out when they have families and want to settle down!

I guess it depends on which part you go to, its a big city with many diverse areas. I've never liked big towns

Jo xxx

Have you been to Jakarta? Ho Chi Minh City? Bangkok? Even Mexico City?

If you want to know what horrendous, noisy, impersonal and scary is I humbly suggest you are looking at the wrong place.