Aberdeen

I'm an Irish person who has been living in Aberdeen for 3 years. If anyone needs a little advice on the city I will be happy to answer any questions I can.

Speedwell

My dual Irish/UK citizen husband and I (an American citizen) want to move to Aberdeen because of my job (I am currently the sole employee of the Irish subsidiary of a UK IT company, and the owner wants us all to eventually move to Aberdeen because he has property there). I've previously held a 12-month Type 2 visa with my previous oil-industry employer for training in Aberdeen. Any tips, especially for making the visa process easier given that my husband doesn't currently live or work in the UK, would be appreciated.

Fysh

Speedwell wrote: »

My dual Irish/UK citizen husband and I (an American citizen) want to move to Aberdeen because of my job (I am currently the sole employee of the Irish subsidiary of a UK IT company, and the owner wants us all to eventually move to Aberdeen because he has property there). I've previously held a 12-month Type 2 visa with my previous oil-industry employer for training in Aberdeen. Any tips, especially for making the visa process easier given that my husband doesn't currently live or work in the UK, would be appreciated.

The visa aspect will be UK-wide, and based on what I've heard from British friends with non-EU spouses, one of the issues you most likely will face will be proving that you meet the "independent means" criteria, which may include proving you have something like £35K sitting in a bank!

One thing I would mention that I've heard from a friend in relation to Aberdeen is that the cost of living (primarily rent) can be ridiculous given the size of the place, because the oil industry places significant demand on property. So it is worth pushing for relocation funding if your employer wants you to move, along with a contribution towards the higher rent you'll be paying compared to most other parts of Scotland for equivalent property.

Speedwell

Speedwell wrote: »

My dual Irish/UK citizen husband and I (an American citizen) want to move to Aberdeen because of my job (I am currently the sole employee of the Irish subsidiary of a UK IT company, and the owner wants us all to eventually move to Aberdeen because he has property there). I've previously held a 12-month Type 2 visa with my previous oil-industry employer for training in Aberdeen. Any tips, especially for making the visa process easier given that my husband doesn't currently live or work in the UK, would be appreciated.

I'm afraid as an EU citizen I have automatic residency here so I have no experience with visa issues.

However I know a lot of ex-pat couples here where one partner is an EU citizen and they've experienced relatively few visa issues, apart from the large annual renewal cost. If your husband is a UK citizen and you wish to stay here long term, you may be able to naturalize.

Regarding the comments above about accommodation, rents have decreased by about 30% since I moved here, due to the downturn in the oil industry. However I would suggest lowering your expectations as accommodation is not great here in general. I rent a good 2 bedroom flat in a poor area with no amenities (although it is only about 40 minutes walk to the city centre) and it sets us back £700 per month (this is slightly over the odds right now, but I don't want to move as landlords are notoriously bad here and I have an excellent, attentive landlord). However for this we have no balcony, no garden and no fireplace (things I considered basics in a rental in Ireland), and we pay council tax at the rate of about £125 per month, as well as the usual bills.

I strongly advise a week's visit to Aberdeen before committing to move here. It is an ugly city with few resources and little culture - unlike Glasgow, Edinburgh and even Dundee and St Andrews. However, Americans do seem to like it here and you would have no shortage of American friends. Making friends with the locals is extremely difficult, so apart from one colleague and one neighbour, all my friends here are ex-pats.

NoCrackHaving

Mystery Egg wrote: »

I'm afraid as an EU citizen I have automatic residency here so I have no experience with visa issues.

However I know a lot of ex-pat couples here where one partner is an EU citizen and they've experienced relatively few visa issues, apart from the large annual renewal cost. If your husband is a UK citizen and you wish to stay here long term, you may be able to naturalize.

Regarding the comments above about accommodation, rents have decreased by about 30% since I moved here, due to the downturn in the oil industry. However I would suggest lowering your expectations as accommodation is not great here in general. I rent a good 2 bedroom flat in a poor area with no amenities (although it is only about 40 minutes walk to the city centre) and it sets us back £700 per month (this is slightly over the odds right now, but I don't want to move as landlords are notoriously bad here and I have an excellent, attentive landlord). However for this we have no balcony, no garden and no fireplace (things I considered basics in a rental in Ireland), and we pay council tax at the rate of about £125 per month, as well as the usual bills.

I strongly advise a week's visit to Aberdeen before committing to move here. It is an ugly city with few resources and little culture - unlike Glasgow, Edinburgh and even Dundee and St Andrews. However, Americans do seem to like it here and you would have no shortage of American friends. Making friends with the locals is extremely difficult, so apart from one colleague and one neighbour, all my friends here are ex-pats.

It's also very, very cold and dark, even for Scotland! The weather up there actually feels quite Scandinavian which makes sense I suppose considering it's jsut across the water from Norway.

It is, although in summer there's daylight from about 4am till 11pm.

Dr.Sanchez

Mystery Egg wrote: »

I'm an Irish person who has been living in Aberdeen for 3 years. If anyone needs a little advice on the city I will be happy to answer any questions I can.

Been living here for 5 years myself, can weigh in on any advice if necessary... Lucky enough to still have a job during the downturn!

Dupont

Hi all. Thinking about making the move to Aberdeen at the start of next year. What's the story on visa with the whole brexit thing. Would be looking for a job in construction. What's work like at the min and what roughly is the wage per week for a digger driver or block layer/general builder. Rent seems to be expensive going by few threads here. Thanks.

Dr.Sanchez

Dupont wrote: »

Hi all. Thinking about making the move to Aberdeen at the start of next year. What's the story on visa with the whole brexit thing. Would be looking for a job in construction. What's work like at the min and what roughly is the wage per week for a digger driver or block layer/general builder. Rent seems to be expensive going by few threads here. Thanks.

No visa, will never be a need for a visa even if brexit does go ahead. It might take a little while for you to set up a back account and national insurance number - few weeks max.

Jobs can be scarce in around Aberdeen as the main industry is oil and gas, and a lot of people lost their jobs when the price crashed. There seems to be quite a few construction jobs going on however - new bypass currently being built and they got the go ahead for a new football stadium and harbour extension, houses still popping up also.

Rent has dropped a little bit due to the oil price crash. I share a flat with one other person, about £480 each, including bills.

Freddio

Can you recommend any decent economically priced hotels close to the 50m swimming pool?

Dr.Sanchez

Google is your friend there! I live on the opposite side of town. But if you're that stuck, I'll give you a lift.

Freddio

Dr.Sanchez wrote: »

Google is your friend there! I live on the opposite side of town. But if you're that stuck, I'll give you a lift.

Thanks for that. Is Aberdeen big? How would it compare to Dublin in size?

Dr.Sanchez

Freddio wrote: »

Thanks for that. Is Aberdeen big? How would it compare to Dublin in size?

Nah its not as big as Dublin at all. There's no 'Luas' type tram thing, only a bus system and you can pretty much walk to where you need to go once you're in the centre of town.

For a small city its a decent place to work, lots of international companies - mostly oil and gas. Or study, two good universities and a decent college. I probably won't be spending my life here tho... I've never been sunburnt in 5 years

I studied in Aberdeen for 4 years. I had a great time although I couldn't live there permanently.

Freddio

Freddio wrote: »

Can you recommend any decent economically priced hotels close to the 50m swimming pool?

You won't get an economical hotel in Aberdeen. B&B is your best bet. I suggest getting a B&B on King Street, a short walk from the sports village. I recommend the Jays Guesthouse.

Dupont

Dupont wrote: »

Hi all. Thinking about making the move to Aberdeen at the start of next year. What's the story on visa with the whole brexit thing. Would be looking for a job in construction. What's work like at the min and what roughly is the wage per week for a digger driver or block layer/general builder. Rent seems to be expensive going by few threads here. Thanks.

Rent has dropped a lot. You can get a 1 bed apt for£450/500 now, a 2 bed for £600.

Come for a weekend and check it out. It's a bleak place. You need to know what you're getting into!

Check out the employment agencies and job sites for construction work. It won't be as well paid as Ireland but will probably be more consistent. Good luck!

Dupont

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Rent has dropped a lot. You can get a 1 bed apt for£450/500 now, a 2 bed for £600.

Come for a weekend and check it out. It's a bleak place. You need to know what you're getting into!

Check out the employment agencies and job sites for construction work. It won't be as well paid as Ireland but will probably be more consistent. Good luck!

I was over last weekend haha. My girlfriend has moved over she's in Robert Gordon uni but in student accommodation.
Would a construction worker take home £600 with them?

I'm afraid i don't know. Do you mean per week? I don't know anyone in my circle earning close to that much here. You can earn serious money here if you're working in the oil industry but otherwise not. I'm doing admin here because I can't use my profession in the UK, and I earn a lot less than I did in Ireland, 21k, despite many years experience, postgraduate degrees etc. The pay is just not that good here and the cost of living is high. Skilled professionals, nurses and occupational therapists, teachers etc. earn around the same me. I'd advise ringing some recruitment agencies to ask about construction salaries. I'm certain the guys doing construction for the council etc are not on high wages, but contracts for oil companies could bring in the big bucks.

Dr.Sanchez

Agree with Mystery Egg. I think the average labourer wage is about £10-12 per hour, don't quote me on that one. I work in education, £28k. But the type of courses I teach are specific to oil and gas so if I lost this job it's unlikely I'd find a similar one anywhere else except Aberdeen. My ex girlfriend is a drilling engineer, she's on about £45k - not bad for a 26 year old!

Dr.Sanchez

Mystery Egg wrote: »

I can't use my profession in the UK,

Being a nosy gimp, what were you working as that you can't do over here, and what made you choose Aberdeen?

Dr.Sanchez

Dr.Sanchez wrote: »

Mystery Egg wrote: »

I can't use my profession in the UK,

Being a nosy gimp, what were you working as that you can't do over here, and what made you choose Aberdeen?

I don't want to say! We came to Aberdeen because my other half was doing a PhD and Aberdeen is where the person he wanted to work with was based. We would have moved wherever that advisor was living.

Alfagtamini

hi all

It looks like in the next couple of months ill be relocating to Aberdeen.

Ill be working at the airport and will be doing irregular shifts.

Looking for any tips on areas to rent in easy commuting distance, cant be any more than 20 minutes at any time of the day.

thanks in advance.

bluejay01

paulryanmini wrote: »

hi all

It looks like in the next couple of months ill be relocating to Aberdeen.

Ill be working at the airport and will be doing irregular shifts.

Looking for any tips on areas to rent in easy commuting distance, cant be any more than 20 minutes at any time of the day.

thanks in advance.

I would suggest looking at Dyce, Bucksburn, Kingswell/Westhill or in the Bridge of Don.

Alfagtamini

bluejay01 wrote: »

I would suggest looking at Dyce, Bucksburn, Kingswell/Westhill or in the Bridge of Don.

cheers for the reply, ill have a look in those areas.

looking forward to the move as ive always enjoyed visiting Scotland

bluejay01

paulryanmini wrote: »

bluejay01 wrote: »

I would suggest looking at Dyce, Bucksburn, Kingswell/Westhill or in the Bridge of Don.

cheers for the reply, ill have a look in those areas.

looking forward to the move as ive always enjoyed visiting Scotland

No worries, the airport is surrounded by a large industrial area, so traffic at the morning and evening commute can be slow but outwith those times you'll be fine. 
Aberdeen is a similar size to Cork City, enough going on to keep you occupied but a bleak place to live(weather and daylight) at this time of year

Alfagtamini

bluejay01 wrote: »

No worries, the airport is surrounded by a large industrial area, so traffic at the morning and evening commute can be slow but outwith those times you'll be fine. 
Aberdeen is a similar size to Cork City, enough going on to keep you occupied but a bleak place to live(weather and daylight) at this time of year

The shift patterns will be unsociable so ill be used to not seeing the sun

from what i can find £100 per week for a apartment share with bills included seems to be the going rate

bluejay01

paulryanmini wrote: »

bluejay01 wrote: »

No worries, the airport is surrounded by a large industrial area, so traffic at the morning and evening commute can be slow but outwith those times you'll be fine. 
Aberdeen is a similar size to Cork City, enough going on to keep you occupied but a bleak place to live(weather and daylight) at this time of year

The shift patterns will be unsociable so ill be used to not seeing the sun

from what i can find £100 per week for a apartment share with bills included seems to be the going rate

Sorry, can't help you with the going rate for an apartment share, I left Aberdeen in 1998!

Dyce is the most convenient location for the airport for sure.

£100 a week in shared accommodation will definitely be possible, you could go as low as £75 currently as there are tons of vacant flats right now. If you'd like your own place you'll negotiate a 1 bed for£450. Try Citylets and Gumtree to find a place. Good luck!

Alfagtamini

Mystery Egg wrote: »

Dyce is the most convenient location for the airport for sure.

£100 a week in shared accommodation will definitely be possible, you could go as low as £75 currently as there are tons of vacant flats right now. If you'd like your own place you'll negotiate a 1 bed for£450. Try Citylets and Gumtree to find a place. Good luck!

Thanks for the reply , if i can get a 1 bed for that price I'll be all over it. Never house shared before so would much prefer that.
Cheers I'll start looking on those sites today

paulryanmini

paulryanmini wrote: »

Thanks for the reply , if i can get a 1 bed for that price I'll be all over it. Never house shared before so would much prefer that.
Cheers I'll start looking on those sites today

If you find a place you like for £500, offer them £450. It is a renter's market just now.

Are you planning to drive or use public transport? It is a small city so if you are driving you can live anywhere with easy access to the airport in under half an hour. I live in AB24 and it's 15 minutes drive to the airport from here. It would be longer on public transport but not hugely.

Don't live in Torry or Altens though, as you will have to cross a traffic clogged bridge that can take a very, very long time.

Alfagtamini

Mystery Egg wrote: »

If you find a place you like for £500, offer them £450. It is a renter's market just now.

Are you planning to drive or use public transport? It is a small city so if you are driving you can live anywhere with easy access to the airport in under half an hour. I live in AB24 and it's 15 minutes drive to the airport from here. It would be longer on public transport but not hugely.

Don't live in Torry or Altens though, as you will have to cross a traffic clogged bridge that can take a very, very long time.

Perfect thanks, i will bring my car over as there is a VRT rebate on it which makes it more cost effective than selling it and buying again when i arrive.

Due to the early/late starts + standby shifts i would like to be 15 minutes tops from the airport to cut down on commuting times.

Great advice about Torry/Altens, knowing my luck i would have ended up living there:pac:

paulryanmini

paulryanmini wrote: »

Perfect thanks, i will bring my car over as there is a VRT rebate on it which makes it more cost effective than selling it and buying again when i arrive.

Due to the early/late starts + standby shifts i would like to be 15 minutes tops from the airport to cut down on commuting times.

Great advice about Torry/Altens, knowing my luck i would have ended up living there:pac:

With a car, pretty much anywhere in the city centre, Tillydrone or Bridge of Don will be fine. It's not a pretty city though, be warned! Most places look a bit slummy, including where I live.

I would suggest Rosemount as a pleasant city centre area, and you'd drive to the airport from there in 20 minutes, off-peak. When you're not working you'd have a pleasant locale and walking distance to town.

Use google maps to check the distance from any flats advertised to the airport but remember that the further south you live, the worse the traffic is getting there. Centre/centre-north of the city is the way to go.

Alfagtamini

Mystery Egg wrote: »

With a car, pretty much anywhere in the city centre, Tillydrone or Bridge of Don will be fine. It's not a pretty city though, be warned! Most places look a bit slummy, including where I live.

I would suggest Rosemount as a pleasant city centre area, and you'd drive to the airport from there in 20 minutes, off-peak. When you're not working you'd have a pleasant locale and walking distance to town.

Use google maps to check the distance from any flats advertised to the airport but remember that the further south you live, the worse the traffic is getting there. Centre/centre-north of the city is the way to go.

thanks for the reply once again. i think ill book into a airbnb for a couple of weeks to get the feel of the place while looking for an apartment. I was thinking of trying to organise one before arriving but with airnbnb being such good value it is probably best not to. Rosemount was recommended to me by a friend of a friend also so ill make that top of the search list.

Dupont

What's the keenest way price wise to fly to Aberdeen. Go from Dublin or Belfast and fly into Aberdeen or somewhere close by and train over or something? Or are there cheap places to hire cars

Living here I obviously fly home multiple times a year. The cheapest simplest way is to fly direct Dublin to Aberdeen booked well in advance. Cost is around £80.

Otherwise it's v cheap to fly Ryanair to Glasgow or Edinburgh but then you have the bother and cost of a 3 hour journey to Aberdeen by bus, train or car, the cost of which can vary a lot.

Booking well in advance, for any form of transport, is how to get it cheapest here.

Skyscanner.com is good for flight cost comparison, thetrainline.com is good for train bookings and you can hire cars cheaply via your airline.

chinwag

Hi Op,

In your opinion, would Aberdeen be worth a visit for a short break (2-3 nights)?

And if so, would you recommend any places of interest in general for a visitor to Aberdeen.

chinwag

chinwag wrote: »

Hi Op,

In your opinion, would Aberdeen be worth a visit for a short break (2-3 nights)?

And if so, would you recommend any places of interest in general for a visitor to Aberdeen.

For a holiday? In my opinion, a resounding no. It is expensive, dark and totally lacking in museums, theatres, restaurants and sites of interest.

You will have a fantastic weekend in Inverness, Edinburgh or Glasgow, or even Dundee.

If you are determined to come, I have stayed in one hotel here and it was good - the Bauhaus. A great pub is Six Degrees North. Fish and chips in Stonehaven is good and Dunottar Castle is the most beautiful castle I've ever visited. That's about all I can recommend here!

chinwag

Mystery Egg,
Thanks for that helpful information, I might have a look at those alternatives.

el tel

Been living in the Aberdeen area for a year now (13 miles out from city center)
Talk of "bleakness" is nonsense in my experience. While temperatures may be on average 5-8 degrees C less than what you'd be used to in Ireland, I find it is much drier and brighter overall. The city's architecture and history is really good. There are loads of beautiful parks too. Unlike the likes of Belfast and Dublin it's not a dirt hole with a huge quota  of decrepit people.
The surrounding countryside is fabulous; rivers, hills, forests, valleys, rolling countryside. It's a wonderful gateway to the Highlands. If you like the outdoors - cycling, walking, flying, fishing etc.  it's a bit of a paradise.
The locals are definitely not as out-of-the-way friendly as Irish people, but at the same time they are very docile and lacking aggression. I've never seen anyone lose the head, even when driving. A huge proportion of people there are blow-ins. I would say they are practical people (probably due to so many engineers about)
What Aberdeen does lack is arts and culture. There is some, but it's extremely limited.  Like mentioned above, the buzz you get in the likes of Edinburgh and Glasgow is entirely absent in Aberdeen. People seem more interested in the latest model of RS Audi than entertainment culture.
House prices are laughable. I'd say on average they are 40% dearer size-for-size with houses in Ireland. Plus, most of recent constructions (10+ years or so) are papier-mâché timber-framed crap that was flung up over a long weekend.  
The other glaring thing is the lack of really good looking women. In a year I've never seen a total hottie. It's the  definition of average. Go to Belfast or Dublin, it's sch-wing everywhere. Aberdeen - might as well be wearing burkas as you'd never recall a face.

Fysh

I've only been to Aberdeen in autumn or winter, and I've got to say that it seemed pretty hard going in terms of dark and cold compared to either Edinburgh or Glasgow. That's probably compounded by the granite that's so common in the city, which looks lovely in daylight and fairly grim in the dark.

Probably doesn't help at all that the cost of living is bananas due to the bubble around rig workers' high salaries when they are ashore....

NoCrackHaving

el tel wrote: »

Been living in the Aberdeen area for a year now (13 miles out from city center)
Talk of "bleakness" is nonsense in my experience. While temperatures may be on average 5-8 degrees C less than what you'd be used to in Ireland, I find it is much drier and brighter overall. The city's architecture and history is really good. There are loads of beautiful parks too. Unlike the likes of Belfast and Dublin it's not a dirt hole with a huge quota of decrepit people.
The surrounding countryside is fabulous; rivers, hills, forests, valleys, rolling countryside. It's a wonderful gateway to the Highlands. If you like the outdoors - cycling, walking, flying, fishing etc. it's a bit of a paradise.
The locals are definitely not as out-of-the-way friendly as Irish people, but at the same time they are very docile and lacking aggression. I've never seen anyone lose the head, even when driving. A huge proportion of people there are blow-ins. I would say they are practical people (probably due to so many engineers about)
What Aberdeen does lack is arts and culture. There is some, but it's extremely limited. Like mentioned above, the buzz you get in the likes of Edinburgh and Glasgow is entirely absent in Aberdeen. People seem more interested in the latest model of RS Audi than entertainment culture.
House prices are laughable. I'd say on average they are 40% dearer size-for-size with houses in Ireland. Plus, most of recent constructions (10+ years or so) are papier-mâché timber-framed crap that was flung up over a long weekend.
The other glaring thing is the lack of really good looking women. In a year I've never seen a total hottie. It's the definition of average. Go to Belfast or Dublin, it's sch-wing everywhere. Aberdeen - might as well be wearing burkas as you'd never recall a face.

True, it's not a terrible city but it's definitely the least liveable in Scotland. Even outside of Glasgow or Edinburgh both Inverness, Dundee and the 'cities' of Stirling or Perth are better places to live than Aberdeen.

Also if it's the outdoors you're after you're not really much closer in Aberdeen than any of the others.