Emigration - leaving the UK
I've had enough and seen enough. The UK is well and truly fucked, Its time to go. I'd leave tomorrow, but to be honest, its a bit scary venturing into the unknown, so I need to make a plan.
I'd like to buy a mobile home, and travel down through France, Spain - maybe i'll visit segovius in Barcelona!, and end up somewhere in Portugal. Its got to be a warm place, because I really dont like the cold!
Has anyone done something similar? What sort of preperations do you need to make, I understand that within the EU, you can pretty much go and work wherever you like, but I have been looking around the official websites, and it gives me the impression you still have to get things sorted out before you go, you cant really just get in your car and drive off.
im thinking about leaving about March next year, which gives me the best part of a year to sort this out.
Any help and assistance, or real life experiences would be very much appreciated.
I'd like to buy a mobile home, and travel down through France, Spain - maybe i'll visit segovius in Barcelona!, and end up somewhere in Portugal. Its got to be a warm place, because I really dont like the cold!
Has anyone done something similar? What sort of preperations do you need to make, I understand that within the EU, you can pretty much go and work wherever you like, but I have been looking around the official websites, and it gives me the impression you still have to get things sorted out before you go, you cant really just get in your car and drive off.
im thinking about leaving about March next year, which gives me the best part of a year to sort this out.
Any help and assistance, or real life experiences would be very much appreciated.
Comments
I've had enough and seen enough. The UK is well and truly fucked, Its time to go. I'd leave tomorrow, but to be honest, its a bit scary venturing into the unknown, so I need to make a plan.
I'd like to buy a mobile home, and travel down through France, Spain - maybe i'll visit segovius in Barcelona!, and end up somewhere in Portugal. Its got to be a warm place, because I really dont like the cold!
Has anyone done something similar? What sort of preperations do you need to make, I understand that within the EU, you can pretty much go and work wherever you like, but I have been looking around the official websites, and it gives me the impression you still have to get things sorted out before you go, you cant really just get in your car and drive off.
im thinking about leaving about March next year, which gives me the best part of a year to sort this out.
Any help and assistance, or real life experiences would be very much appreciated.
I know nothing about the EU -- but you'll be able to think more objectively about what you're doing with a nice chunk of cash to fall back on.
I've had enough and seen enough. The UK is well and truly fucked, Its time to go. I'd leave tomorrow, but to be honest, its a bit scary venturing into the unknown, so I need to make a plan..
What's going down in the UK? What's with the outbreak of paranoia and the Orwellization(?) of society there? I was there in summer 2005 for a couple of weeks, and I was amazed at not only the forests of surveillance cameras, no matter where you were... but also the public's seeming indifference to the decay.
Since the UK is so terminally screwed up, why is the thought of visiting the other western democracies you quote, so "scary"?
Any help and assistance, or real life experiences would be very much appreciated.
The information is easily found online (google: country_name residency eu). In most cases it just means having proof of EU citizenship, proof of current residency and proof of some kind of employment. You'll use these to get a long-term residency permit after 3 months.
I've had enough and seen enough. The UK is well and truly fucked, Its time to go.
It's not that bad.
I really dont like the cold!
Same here, I'd love to live in a warm country and France or Spain sounds great. Personally, I'd prefer France.
Has anyone done something similar? What sort of preperations do you need to make, I understand that within the EU, you can pretty much go and work wherever you like, but I have been looking around the official websites, and it gives me the impression you still have to get things sorted out before you go, you cant really just get in your car and drive off.
Although I don't think the UK is really all that bad, I don't particularly like it. But it kinda depends on where you stay and what circumstances you are in. If you live in an area where you have drunken idiots just irritating you all the time, it gets a bit frustrating. Add to that the masses of generally unattractive yet still oddly uptight women and it's easy to see why you'd want to leave. It's a fairly depressing country.
I've actually thought about doing the same thing many times and I checked out some sites for information on it and they generally don't give you that much helpful info. Even asking at a local job center, they just wanted to put me off leaving the country by suggesting working abroad would be far worse than working in the UK.
Anyway, I came to the conclusion you did that just setting off isn't the best way to go about things. What I would recommend is that you take some long working holidays in places that you'd like to go. Just book a holiday to the South of France and instead of lying on the beach, look around at what jobs are going and if you see an opportunity for work, just apply for it. If you get the job then you can work for as long as you are allowed and then if you are happy, start your official emigration.
Don't wait until next year, take a cheap vacation this year. If you are working, you can take even two weeks holiday leave and get a cheap Ryanair or EasyJet flight for under £100 to France. Maybe travel around a bit. Even if you just do two weeks in France and then maybe at Christmas time or whenever your next holiday is, check out Spain. Just try and focus on towns where the kind of work you want to do is in high demand.
I reckon that one day I'd like to do the same thing. Now that the Summer is finally here in the UK, it's so nice that I really don't want to see another Winter again. The job I have now is fairly secure for another year or two at least so I'm going to stick at it to at least build up a decent amount of work experience. You do not want to go to a country where you don't speak the language well and apply for jobs you have little to no experience in.
As mentioned, having some savings behind you is also a good thing. I'd suggest £5,000-10,000 at least. General living expenses come to about £600 a month at the cheapest so you want to be able to survive long enough to have a good attempt at living where and how you want but if it all goes wrong, have enough to get yourself back on your feet again.
What's going down in the UK? What's with the outbreak of paranoia and the Orwellization(?) of society there? I was there in summer 2005 for a couple of weeks, and I was amazed at not only the forests of surveillance cameras, no matter where you were... but also the public's seeming indifference to the decay.
Since the UK is so terminally screwed up, why is the thought of visiting the other western democracies you quote, so "scary"?
partly, I just want an adventure, but
The UK is economically screwed beyond belief, this doesn't really affect me personally, because I've foreseen this coming for years and planned accordingly.
My smallish town has seen a steady influx of Eastern European migrants, Yet this is not my problem - im more than happy for them to be here - yet there is a growing backlash against it in the community. Its ugly, and im not at all proud to associate with small minded racists, sadly this includes people I have considered friends.
The democracy is a joke, there is no democracy, just elected dictatorship. We have become the 52nd state of America.
We are taxed to the hilt. I dont have a problem with high taxation as such, but only in Britain could you be taxed to high heaven and have nothing at all to show for it in terms of social development, infrastructure. The people planning and running this country are the worst bunch of wasteful fuckwits you could ever imagine. We pay an arm and leg to have near 3rd world facilities.
We pay more for everything, every corperation on this planet believes that the British should pay a 20% premium on everything, just for um....being british.
Athough I was initially sceptical 10 years ago, having become educated and learned instead of repeating ignorance fed to me in youth, I really think that Britain should have gone straight in with the EU. I have felt this way for a good 5-6 years. Sadly, I have to say that the majority of people here are old, white, conservative, racist narrow minded 'little islanders', who have not noticed that the British Empire doesn't rule the world anymore - thank God.
Everyone here is so caught up in a rat-race, they have become total morons. Absolutely stupid moronic little fucks. I personally dont know a single person who has a fucking clue what is going on in the world.
I just saw on the TV an article apparently in the newspaper, that we are now so busy trying to stave off the inevitable economic collapse, that sales of oranges are falling - because people are too busy to peel them! That might be stupid enough in itself, if you find it in the realms of plausability - but then it went on to say, that the technique of peeling an orange has not been handed down from parent to child!!!! I mean if this wasn't stupid enough in itself - the young population is now so thick that they cant work it out for themselves - and then you have the issue, that if this isn't actually news - or even true - this is the state of the intelligence of the nation, that this becomes 'NEWS'
I can quite believe it though, looking from my vantage point over the centre of this small town, gangs of hoodie youths with an IQ of 50 roaming the streets night after night doing nothing but causing havoc and trouble. Kicking the crap out of eachother, smashing bottles in the road, kicking cars, standing in the road giving abuse to oncoming traffic... And they're about 12 years old ranging to about 25.
We were not doing that when we were that age - not in this town anyway, and really - it was not 'that' long ago. If this is the future of the country and the level of decay, then my generation was the last to actually be worth a damn. And to be honest, I have doubts about how successful my generation are as human beings. There is no future in a country where it is a badge of honour to be as stupid and ignorant as possible.
But like you say, nobody gives a damn that it is going down the drain. I think people are so wrapped up, petrified of loosing the houses they could not afford in the first place, that no-one has any idea of whats going on.
And as far as im concerned - thats good, because like America, the UK has had 15 years of wild excesses and it has turned the population into fuckwits. Abused by everyone and everything, the UK has welcomed the abuse and begged for more, developing stockholm syndrome to boot.
A devastating national blow, ie the forthcoming economic depression will do an enormous favour to Britain when we go broke, but I had no part in this and im not going to sink with the rest of them.
Im not proud to be British, I dont consider myself British any more than I'd consider myself Chinese. I dont like this country, I dont like these people. Its time to move on.
From the sound of it, you'll never be happy until you have a private island, so either make that happen or get used to the fact that nobody cares you. With that said, the best way to make people care about you is to take you tax contribution elsewhere. Good luck (honestly).
It's not that bad.
Anyway, I came to the conclusion you did that just setting off isn't the best way to go about things.
I reckon that one day I'd like to do the same thing. Now that the Summer is finally here in the UK, it's so nice that I really don't want to see another Winter again. The job I have now is fairly secure for another year or two at least so I'm going to stick at it to at least build up a decent amount of work experience. You do not want to go to a country where you don't speak the language well and apply for jobs you have little to no experience in.
As mentioned, having some savings behind you is also a good thing. I'd suggest £5,000-10,000 at least. General living expenses come to about £600 a month at the cheapest so you want to be able to survive long enough to have a good attempt at living where and how you want but if it all goes wrong, have enough to get yourself back on your feet again.
I would leave tomorrow, but as you say, its good to have a plan. Like yourself, im pretty sure my job is going to be safe for a few years. My company is on the verge of securing a large engineering contract, which I have been closely involved in developing, so I want to stick around for a bit to get that off the ground, and as you say, its good to have some savings - I should have a fair amount of financial leeway by next year.
but it is scary in a way, going from this small town where nothing has changed forever - to getting in a car and driving a few thousand miles to wherever you may find yourself and starting a different life in a strange country.
Welcome to Earth. Guess what: nowhere is perfect. The best you can do is prioritize, and pick a place to live that meets those priorities.
From the sound of it, you'll never be happy until you have a private island, so either make that happen or get used to the fact that nobody cares you. With that said, the best way to make people care about you is to take you tax contribution elsewhere. Good luck (honestly).
really, its not welcome to Earth, its welcome to America.
America, closely being caught up by the UK, is the most vile, greedy, selfish country on this Earth. I dont want anything to do with either.
If im being naive in this estimation, and I find every other place to be the same, I would rather die on the road looking for something I believe in, than be a part of the scum.
I would rather die on the road looking for something I believe in, than be a part of the scum.
You know you're just going to wind up in a campground in Glastonbury, right? Right?
but it is scary in a way, going from this small town where nothing has changed forever - to getting in a car and driving a few thousand miles to wherever you may find yourself and starting a different life in a strange country.
Ha! Scary, my eye -- in America we call that "moving."
Seriously, even if you don't have a plan, just don't burn your bridges and give it a whirl. The year before I got married, I moved cross-country to a town where I literally knew no one, rented a room and worked my trade, high-anxiety stuff, but I don't regret any of it. Meet knew people, drop into a different culture, all that sunny stuff -- like Yeager said -- just take 'er up there, and wring 'er out a little bit.
It's also a good way of getting your head together if you're looking to finish off any **ehem** bad habits you might have -- worked for me.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
- Mark Twain
It's a learning experience and if you expect not to make any mistake s then you've missed the point.
Go find the world
Why not become FILTH? Failed In London, Try Hongkong.
It's not as easy as it used to be, before 1997, when British citizens didn't need a degree to work here, but if you can get a sponsor for teaching English, you're set.
Ha! Scary, my eye -- in America we call that "moving."
Seriously, even if you don't have a plan, just don't burn your bridges and give it a whirl. The year before I got married, I moved cross-country to a town where I literally knew no one, rented a room and worked my trade, high-anxiety stuff, but I don't regret any of it. Meet knew people, drop into a different culture, all that sunny stuff -- like Yeager said -- just take 'er up there, and wring 'er out a little bit.
It's also a good way of getting your head together if you're looking to finish off any **ehem** bad habits you might have -- worked for me.
Just had a look on google maps, a trip to the algarve via Barcelona is less than 2000 miles, I know thats just cross country for you, but were used to smaller trips here in UK,
Got me thinking, I have a friend in the Netherlands I could go and see, and then I could go down through Germany and switzerland, spain and then Portugal, even then its less than 2500 miles.
It gets more exciting the more I look into it.
And my only bad habit is smoking, Im working on that, got my bike fixed up and been out training, hopefully this will hurt my lungs so bad when I start increasing the distances that I will scare myself in quitting. Starting tomorrow its a 20mile a day cycle to and from work for the rest of the summer.
I reckon I need to be 100% fit and healthy, just incase I have to run away a bit quick from the Swiss axe-murderers!
Ha! Scary, my eye -- in America we call that "moving."
It doesn't really count in the US, though. Nine times out of ten you'll be moving 2000 miles to someplace pretty much indistinguishable from where you left, give or take a few mountains or a body of water.
It doesn't really count in the US, though. Nine times out of ten you'll be moving 2000 miles to someplace pretty much indistinguishable from where you left, give or take a few mountains or a body of water.
I really disagree - you think Atlanta is the same as Seattle? Colorado the same as Florida? New Jersey the same as Texas? No way.
And Marc - your description of the UK is worse than pretty much anywhere I have been in the US, with the possible exception of Newark, NJ. Maybe you should move to the US, it is a lot nicer here than you think it is. But if you want to move to a really great place - try British Columbia.
I really disagree - you think Atlanta is the same as Seattle? Colorado the same as Florida? New Jersey the same as Texas? No way.
And Marc - your description of the UK is worse than pretty much anywhere I have been in the US, with the possible exception of Newark, NJ. Maybe you should move to the US, it is a lot nicer here than you think it is. But if you want to move to a really great place - try British Columbia.
I'll second the BC endorsement.
I really disagree - you think Atlanta is the same as Seattle? Colorado the same as Florida? New Jersey the same as Texas? No way.
But they all are pretty much the same. I've moved almost all the way across the country, and in all three states I've lived in, everyone has spoken English as the primary language, used the same currency, had the same laws and government structure. They've all had the same stripmalls and supermarkets and steering wheels on the same side of the car and drove on the same side of the road.
But they all are pretty much the same. I've moved almost all the way across the country, and in all three states I've lived in, everyone has spoken English as the primary language, used the same currency, had the same laws and government structure. They've all had the same stripmalls and supermarkets and steering wheels on the same side of the car and drove on the same side of the road.
Yeah, but some places don't have Krispy Kreme. Dunkin Donuts is like a foreign land!
The directness, and the expectations are higher as well, if your tags are out, the first time you are walking away from your car in the Costco parking lot, you're going to hear about it. The white guilt is next to nonexistent, too. Things are done a certain way, lawns are expected to be a certain way, things are more regimented than in the South. (Although that'll probably vanish in a generation.)
really, its not welcome to Earth, its welcome to America.
America, closely being caught up by the UK, is the most vile, greedy, selfish country on this Earth. I dont want anything to do with either.
If im being naive in this estimation, and I find every other place to be the same, I would rather die on the road looking for something I believe in, than be a part of the scum.
Trust me, we don't need you here if you're as nasty tempered a bugger as you seem on these boards. Stay away.