UK: Thinking of moving to the UK - where to go?

Upsy_Daisy

We have finally decided to think about moving to the UK for work and new life as we have nothing for us here but really not sure that we can make it work with our qualifications or lack of.

For many reasons we decided on the UK as I don't have the qualifications "required/wanted" for Canada/Australia etc

I have a degree in HR but don't have a huge amount of experience due to the part of the country I currently live in. I have over 20 years experience working in an office based environment but I know the earning potential is limited. I would like to pursue a career in HR/learning/training & development am I mad to think about trying to get my feet on the ladder in the UK and make a go of it.

DH doesn't have any qualifications, has years experience working in the bar/hotel industry and also worked as a general operative.

We have 2 small children age 5 and 8 so obviously schools, location etc are really important.

Where do we start? How do I set the ball rolling? Any advice really appreciated from anyone who has upped their family and moved would be really appreciated.

ciaran67

Upsy_Daisy wrote: »

We have finally decided to think about moving to the UK for work and new life as we have nothing for us here but really not sure that we can make it work with our qualifications or lack of.

For many reasons we decided on the UK as I don't have the qualifications "required/wanted" for Canada/Australia etc

I have a degree in HR but don't have a huge amount of experience due to the part of the country I currently live in. I have over 20 years experience working in an office based environment but I know the earning potential is limited. I would like to pursue a career in HR/learning/training & development am I mad to think about trying to get my feet on the ladder in the UK and make a go of it.

DH doesn't have any qualifications, has years experience working in the bar/hotel industry and also worked as a general operative.

We have 2 small children age 5 and 8 so obviously schools, location etc are really important.

Where do we start? How do I set the ball rolling? Any advice really appreciated from anyone who has upped their family and moved would be really appreciated.

Im from S London, my parents did what you're doing from Dublin back in the 50's. So I would say that the big cities would be the best choice. If I was moving back I'd head to the south coast, Brighton etc. Trouble is, most have the same thought!

Good luck with what you choose.

Jim2007

Upsy_Daisy wrote: »

Where do we start? How do I set the ball rolling? Any advice really appreciated from anyone who has upped their family and moved would be really appreciated.

Well moving anywhere with a family, is very different to a single person, so the first thing you need to do is ensure that you have enough cash to cover the move and finance your first few months over there while you look for a job etc...

Look at job sites and talk to agents to get a feel for what the job market is like over there. Even try a few applications to see what the feedback is like.

Hill runner

Upsy_Daisy wrote: »

We have finally decided to think about moving to the UK for work and new life as we have nothing for us here but really not sure that we can make it work with our qualifications or lack of.

For many reasons we decided on the UK as I don't have the qualifications "required/wanted" for Canada/Australia etc

I have a degree in HR but don't have a huge amount of experience due to the part of the country I currently live in. I have over 20 years experience working in an office based environment but I know the earning potential is limited. I would like to pursue a career in HR/learning/training & development am I mad to think about trying to get my feet on the ladder in the UK and make a go of it.

DH doesn't have any qualifications, has years experience working in the bar/hotel industry and also worked as a general operative.

We have 2 small children age 5 and 8 so obviously schools, location etc are really important.

Where do we start? How do I set the ball rolling? Any advice really appreciated from anyone who has upped their family and moved would be really appreciated.

Moving to England as a family, I wouldn't recommend London. I have lived in West London for most of my life but I wouldn't want to raise my family there, Its good when you are single or couple.
I say check out County Berkshire, places like Windsor or Wokingham, Winnersh, Woodley, Sunningdale... They are lovely places for family, good schools and friendly communities, houses there are not too expensive compare to London. They're not too far from London for work. Near the M4 and M25, fast trains to London. Especially Wokingham, was voted one of the best place to live in Britain and you can get plenty of office jobs in Bracknell and Reading, the town close by ( but don't live there). Bar/Hotels job in Reading, Windsor or Slough which are not far away either.

.

Upsy_Daisy

Thanks all for the replies.

The hardest part is determing a location and then going from there.

golden lane

get a job before you move.......get on the internet......swindon i believe has the lowest unemployment in the uk..............

HavingCrack

Don't get too fixated on London and the south east. Bristol, Bath, Manchester, Cambridge, Oxford etc. are all great cities and much cheaper to live in. Bath in particular is really, really lovely with all the parks and Georgian architecture. I'd imagine it's a great city for a family.

golden lane

HavingCrack wrote: »

Don't get too fixated on London and the south east. Bristol, Bath, Manchester, Cambridge, Oxford etc. are all great cities and much cheaper to live in. Bath in particular is really, really lovely with all the parks and Georgian architecture. I'd imagine it's a great city for a family.

yes, it is............but expensive, and wages don't necessessarily match that....

bristol is reasonable........but a lot of office type jobs are being lost there at the moment...........i am retired, but live in that area.......

SEEMagazine

I see noone referenced your qualifications here. HR - a number of cities are currently undergoing urban renewal. Newcastle, Glasgow, others. These are the cities which are getting a certain amount of priority from Govt led job creation initiatives.

If you're worried about the huge leap then Manchester might be better than London - flights home, ferries not that far off either. Solid Irish community (not just the younger Irish who treat it all like some party) and it's a beautiful city in places. They've done wonders in renovating their city centre.

Not getting into stereotypes but I always found Northerners to be more friendly as well.

Mance Rayder

golden lane wrote: »

yes, it is............but expensive, and wages don't necessessarily match that....

bristol is reasonable........but a lot of office type jobs are being lost there at the moment...........i am retired, but live in that area.......

Are there many Vicky Pollard "yeah but no but" types in Bristol?

I am thinking of moving to UK and Bristol is high on my list of places to consider. I live on Dublin's Northside and I wish to move for many reasons. Primarily I want to go where there are less scanger/chav types whilst still being in a reasonably decent sized city/large town.

endabob1

Check out job websites, Reed's www.reed.co.uk is a pretty good one;
Get an idea of where there are jobs and what they pay - try to narrow the search to a few areas, call agents in the areas to get a beeter feel/understanding
Check Rightmove.co.uk for an idea on house prices/rentals
Check the ofsted school league tables for good schools

When you have narrowed your search to a few locations go to ryanair and book a couple of reccy missions. You can do a few days for a couple of hundred euro including flights, car hire & travelodge (or something similar). It will be worth it in the long run.
Myself & the Doris are doing a 3 day reccy to the south coast in June, I am meeting a couple of recruitment agencies and we'll look at different areas to get a better feel for what life might be like.

A couple of other points;
Personally I would say. avoid London as it's very expensive especially with kids. I lived there for 7 years as a singleon and loved it but I wouldn't raise a family there
If you have any family or friends in the UK, I would look at being close to them, you never know when you need a safety net.

Just seen that your oh has bar/hotel experience so it might be an idea to look at tourist friendly towns, like the south coast or Oxford/Cambridge, the down side is these can tend to be more pricey to live in.