Advice for immigration/moving out

sorptomber

Hi there! A few months ago I posted on here about wanting to move to Leeds and if it was a good idea. I’ve since visited my friends again and found that I’m at a point in my life where I have very little holding me back. The original plan was to save up to rent out my own place, however a room has become available in my friends house, so I’ll be moving in with them. The rent is very very affordable and the house is close enough to the city center. I’m currently working for a UK based retail brand so I’m going to try and ask about getting a transfer to one of the stores there if there’s any contracts going. The way the rooms are working at the moment means I won’t need to buy a bed at the very least but best case scenario I’ll have a bedside drawer and somewhere to store my clothes. I’m going to be saving up as much as I can and hopefully move in January or February.

I’m 21 and I haven’t lived on my own before. Throw any and all advice you think I might need at me because even though I’m so excited for whats to come, I’m really nervous as well! I don’t know anyone personally who’s emigrated so anything’s a huge help.

a clanger

Start working on getting a national insurance number !. Book a few cheap Ryanair flights home to have something to look forward too. Get a driving license over there if you don't already have one.

Moonbeam

enjoy every bit of it, you can always return if you do not like it.

Tork

There's a Living Abroad forum on boards which might be of help to you. This is the link to the United Kingdom page https://www.boards.ie/categories/united-kingdom

The Royal Mail are always hiring postmasters (post men). Might be a decent first step over there.

mode1990

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058319206/advice-for-immigration-moving-out

Not to be flippant but Leeds is hardly the other side of the world ! An hour flight and you're home for the weekend! The UK is far more aminable these days , I remember the no blacks , no idogs ,NO IRISH days ! If you're willing to emigrate then why not look further , at 21 you've got so much to experience , the world's got so many destinations beyond Yorkshire !

sorptomber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121272834#Comment_121272834

I chose Leeds specifically because I have some friends there with a room waiting for me, the rent is dirt cheap and it’s close to home. I don’t want to leave my family and friends behind so the closer the better! I’ve no chance moving out any time soon in dublin haha. but who knows, I might end up going further in the future!

sorptomber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121271807#Comment_121271807

Tried applying for one but you actually need to be in the UK for it to work, closer to the time I might just send on the info to my friends already living there just so that it’s gone through. I’m waiting on my driving test date! Not sure how exchanging a provisional license would go, i’d rather just have the full license

mode1990

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121272874#Comment_121272874

I genuinely wish you well ! I was one of those forced out in the eighties and truthfully would have loved being able to fly home at the weekends ! Back then before Mick O Leary (bless him) aer lingus were charging as much as 300 punts to fly London/ Dublin ! At 21 there's so many opportunities for you , I ended up in the US , there is absolutely everything to be gained by experiencing another part of the world ! Of course the oul dears tears were heartbreaking , best of luck !

Jim2007

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121272874#Comment_121272874

This really is not a good strategy. Either move and make a new life for yourself or stay where you are. Your friends have their own lives to live and being your comfort blanket is not part of it. Living a life in suspense in Leeds while trying to keep up with Irish life will not make you happy. You are using the receipt of past generations of Irish people and that did not work out well for them. You see the result of it in Irish centers all over the UK - sad old people that never built a life for themselves in the UK and have no life in Ireland since many of their family and generation have passed over.

If you move then do so with the very deliberate intention of building a new live not trying to maintain an old life in a new location.

sorptomber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121272949#Comment_121272949

I think a bit more context is needed here, I’ve known the friends i’m moving in with since I was about 10 or 11, we met online. They live in the UK and always have, so I’ve travelled to visit them a number of times and from the very first visit I had with them, we’ve all talked about how great it would be if I moved to Leeds so we could see each other more often. I’m not just using them as an emotional support blanket, I’m doing something to be closer to friends that I don’t get to see very often.

I do have plans to build my own life there as well. I want to do an apprenticeship and either build a career or head back to uni. there’s a lot of companies in my desired industry around leeds and yorkshire so it makes sense in that regard. I won’t be running home every weekend but when I do want to visit it’s less than 100 euro, vice versa when people want to visit me. I won’t be going home often but I can get home quickly in case of an emergency.

a clanger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121272876#Comment_121272876

If you aren't offered an invitation to apply for your test in 3 weeks forget it. Young lad waited 8 months for the invitation then another 6-7 weeks for the earliest test date. As far as I know you cannot exchange learner permits.

RiderOnTheStorm

Hi Sortomber (ps cool handle!)

firstly, I wish you all the best. Its a hard decision to make (at any age) but when its right, then its right. In a couple of years you might look back and think that it was 'wrong', but trust me ... if its right at the time, then it was right. We always regret the things we dont do .... rarely regret the things do do

My wife and I recently (earlier this year) moved from Kerry to Birmingham. Lock stock & barrel . We moved to be closer to our grandchild. Here are some of the pro's , con's and caveats we discovered:

Admin & paperwork is a pain! You will feel like you are the first person ever to immigrate to UK. Stick with it, and remind yourself why you came. Keep Irish bank AC open . Try open a UK bank AC as soon as possible. I can recommend Barclays as its all online. You need proof of address (see below), but Barclays is less restrictive than the others. Online banking is great, and you can transfer money to and fro. Check our Revolut too. You can have Euro & Sterling a/c's and move money between as needed.

Getting proof of address here is difficult in the beginning. As soon as you can, get something 'official' in your name / address. Your friends address will do. You can change address later. We found registering with a local GP was best / easiest. When you request your NI there will be a tick-box interview (10 mins) where they confirm some details. As you are an Irish Citizen, then you have right to work (and drive) in UK and it makes it more straight forward.

Getting a bill-pay-phone is not possible as you have no credit history. Get a pay as you go. Giff-Gaff is good, cheap, and straight forward to get online. Keep your old sim. I wish I did :-( Turns out that quite a few of my online accounts want to send me verification codes every now and again and they send to my old number. Now I cant get on site to change to new number. Be wise .... dont do as Rider did!

Cars & Driving: (not sure about provisional - but following applies to full). Your licence will cover you for driving in UK. For as long as you want (well , up to 60-someting anyway). You can just swap your licence for a UK one any time, but you have to post off your passport to office in Wales. I havnt done this as I hate to part with it (very old bells ring when Im asked to give it up). Car insurance is much cheaper over here. My daughter-in-law is on a provisional, owns her own car (ie 1st named), has no No-Claims and insurance is 500 quid. She does have a UK provisional however. That makes a big difference. We brought our onw car over and re-registered it (a real BIG pain - would not recommend!) and insuring it very expensive. Comes in at 900 quid (was 300-400 at home). Thats because its an import, I dont have UK licence, and my no-claims doesnt transfer to UK. Am seriously considering just getting provisional licence and sitting test again. That way I hold on to my irish licence (with all the classes I have accumulated over the years) and get advantages of UK licence. BTW, you cant hire a car or trailer over here on an Irish licence (unless you get one at airport and say you are a tourist!)

Big city life is great! Well, we came from deepest darkest Kerry, so I am really enjoying public transport, food deliveries, decent internet, next day Amazon delivery (post on Sat and Sun!), everything I could possibly want is within 30-60 mins away in the one city. There are good bike lanes (here in Brumm, anyway!) and its a great way to get around and get to know places. Not sure about Leeds, but the bus here takes payment by tapping your ATM card (I think it worked with my Bank Of Ireland one ). Each trip costs 2 quid (regardless of distance), but it maxes at 4 quid for the day. So your 3rd and subsequent trips are free.

Do keep in touch with old friends . Staying with friends in Leeds is great idea. The big city can be VERY lonely, until you get to know some folk. Join some club, sport, hobby, etc in order to get to know folk. English are usually very friendly and they do like to say hello . Give it a try :-)

Be prepared to spend like crazy in first couple of months. Everything costs. Especially when getting set up. You prob wont bring all your clothes, bed linen, crockery, TV , bike, etc . So you will fork out for that. You might be paying something to friends for accommodation, food, elec etc. Be prepared.

Cost of living over here is better than in Ireland. Its still not as cheap as , say , Spain. But it is better.

When you are feeling a bit down, remind yourself why you came over! It will be worth it!

Sorry for long post ... once I started I kept thinking of more and more .... hope its not too much.

PS ENJOY YOURSELF !!!

sorptomber

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121331088#Comment_121331088

Thank you so much for this response!! I just picked out my date for when I’m moving over and it’s definitely getting a bit real now! I’m definitely staying with the “if I don’t do it I’ll regret it and if I do it and don’t enjoy it, at least I did it” mindset. Had a partner who didn’t want me to go and wasn’t committed to the idea of moving with me, so I’m going to make the most out of it incase I end up coming home.

I’m already feeling the “first person to emigrate” thing!!! I got turned down for a couple of interviews (not jobs - interviews!) because I was in Dublin, despite the interviews being virtual and the start dates being after I’ve moved! Turns out not a lot of companies in the UK are aware of the common travel area, haha.

I’m in the process of finding out who the local GP is so I can register with them! I think my name is getting put on one of the utilities aswell thankfully, I was definitely worried about proof of address for a while! Thanks for letting me know about the interview for the NIN too, I thought it was just the online application!

I never even thought about keeping my old number just for the access codes! I checked with Vodafone a while ago and apparently my sim will only be valid for three months before it gets deactivated, I genuinely wouldn’t have thought of those access codes before seeing this so it’s so helpful to remember!! I had a giffgaff sim sent to the house in Leeds as a makeshift “proof of address” if I needed it, but I don’t think it’d work anyways haha. At least I have the sim waiting for me when I get there!

I’m shocked at the price of the car insurance! I was a 2nd named driver on my dads car, it was 1200 last year and I was given a quote for 1400 this year. Driving just hasn’t worked out for me here! The lessons are way too expensive for the budget I’m on at the moment haha, and the insurance was out of the question. It’s a shame but when I’m more comfortable financially I’m probably going to get a UK provisional, one of my housemates already has her full licence and helped our other friend with passing his test, so hopefully when the time comes she’ll help me out! The test is also a lot easier in the UK! No 3 point turn or reverse around the corner, so that’s a bit of stress taken away when i come back to driving!

I live fairly close to Dublin City Center so thankfully I’m used to big city life! Leeds feels a lot like Dublin but with a bit more soul in my opinion - plus getting to know a new place is always fun! I’ve been told that Leeds has some of the worst public transport in the UK, but I’ll see how that stands compared to Dublin bus hahaha

I’m so lucky to be living with friends! They’ve all offered to introduce me to their own friends and make sure that I get to see a good bit of the country (plus I’ve been invited on their uni graduation trip to Spain, so that’s something to look forward to!!) I’m planning to keep in touch with my friends in Ireland though, I’ll be organising a few going away drinks i think haha, I’ll be travelling back in April for a concert anyways! (Plus i think there’s a referendum in March, you can only vote abroad if you graduated from DCU or NCI which is insane to me!)

My rent is dirt cheap (compared to Dublin anyways) and according to my housemates their weekly expenses are fairly low aswell. It’s going to be such a pain buying all the basics but I have a bed and a place to store my clothes which is more than enough for the first few days! My friends have been so excited for me to move over, they’ve honestly made the entire process way less scary than if I was doing it on my own!!

Thank you so much for your post! I’m not very active on here so do excuse the late reply! It’s definitely starting to feel real now that I have my date picked out but your message made me feel so much better! I appreciate every word! I hope you don’t have too much trouble getting your UK license and I hope Birmingham is treating you well!! :))

ottolwinner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121273978#Comment_121273978

I think if you’re intentions are clear to you and you know where you stand with you’re friends over there then why not. You’re only 21. If it goes pear shaped you have only the bag to pack and move. Good opinions and experience all over this. Don’t try to dual exist as mentioned above.

At 21 set sail and enjoy. Most don’t do it like you solo anymore. At 20 I headed off on a ferry to France, spent 4 months travelling south there discovering myself and people, ended up in many mad jobs, residents and eventually moved on. Never had much of a plan but to discover myself and places. I ended up travelling across Europe and into the Middle East. Spent years in contract work and eventually decided I wanted to be elsewhere and live back in this island.

An outer journey inner discovery. Go for it and take your own advice as you weigh decisions up.

Reesy

Hi OP (from someone who came the other way) good luck - my only addition to the above is to suggest you try making some friends of your own, separate to your housemates. It'll help you integrate.

gipi

Just coming in at the end of this discussion - good luck with the move!

You can't transfer your learner permit for driving - a learner permit is not valid outside the state. You will have to apply for a UK permit before you start driving there.