Living Abroad Pros and Cons
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As everyone knows, the weather in the UK is nothing to write home about it. Grey, damp and cold tend to be the predominant impressions. Not surprising then that the country’s climate regularly tops the polls of reasons why people want to leave.
Still, as I try to remind myself on yet another chilly, overcast January morning, it could be worse.
For one, in Britain we don’t have to contend with crocodiles waddling down the pavements, as reported in some Queensland towns hit by the recent flooding. The flooding has also brought an increase in venomous snake sightings (my wife’s pet fear), and – my phobia – bull sharks seen swimming down the streets.
But while it may be dangerous creatures that grab the headlines and send shivers down the spine, the real story is the extent of the flooding, and the chaos it has wreaked.
Vast areas of Australia’s north-east have been affected, damaging 30,000 homes and causing more than 30 deaths.
And after years of extreme drought in the country’s south-east, what has been described as an inland sea is now creeping across the state of Victoria.
Across the country, local businesses, the transport infrastructure, agriculture and mining have taken an enormous hit. The government now estimates the reconstruction effort to repair the damage will cost A$5.6bn.
Early forecasts also suggest the flooding could reduce Australia’s economic growth by 1% this year. That is a heavy toll.
Superstorm
Meanwhile, California – long feted for its climate and way of life – may be due its own “superstorm.”
According to a new report from the US Geological Survey, models show the atmospheric rivers that draw warm, moist air from the Pacific Ocean could create an “ARkStorm,” a month-long battering producing 10 feet of rain. The researchers estimated such a storm could cost $725 billion, nearly three times as much as a 7.8-magnitude earthquake hitting Southern California.
And of course there is always that risk of the giant earthquake building in the San Andreas fault, which is apparently overdue.
Maybe the British grey isn’t so bad after all.
Tags: ARkStorm, Australia, Britain, British, California, climate, cost, country, crocodile, damage, earthquake, economic, flood, growth, Pacific, Queensland, San Andreas, shark, snake, superstorm, UK, US, Victoria
The Holiday Season is well upon us. But if you live abroad you’ll need to get used to a whole different category of celebrations.
Take today, December 6. For many of us it may be another dreary Monday at work. But not everywhere …
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
December 6 is a special festival for children in many European countries, as well as some American cities – for it marks Saint Nicholas Day.
In the Netherlands in particular, Saint Nicholas’ Eve is the equivalent of Christmas Eve, when Sinterklaas (the original Santa Claus) brings gifts for all the good boys and girls. Similarly, in Germany children traditionally put a boot out for St Nicholas to fill with small presents and sweets.
Advent of Democracy
December 6 is a special holiday in Spain too, albeit for different reasons. This is Constitution Day, marking the Spanish public’s vote in 1978 to approve the Constitution of Spain, and thus the country’s formal transition to a democratic state.
As a citizen of the UK, with its long democratic history, it is easy to forget how recent the establishment of such political rights was in Spain. If I was a Spaniard, however, I would have been born in a dictatorship.
In the developed world it is easy to see democracy as a right, one we take for granted. But days like today remind me how blessed we are.
Tags: Abroad, America, Children, Christmas, citizen, Claus, Constitution, countries, country, December, democracy, Democratic, developed, dictator, Europe, Eve, festival, Germany, holiday, live, Netherlands, Nicholas, Saint, Santa, season, Sinterklaas, Spain, Spanish, UK, world
A recent holiday in Spain – the first trip back to our house on the northern Costa Brava since repatriating to the UK last Christmas – reminded me of all the good things about our former life in the sun.
And the drive home from the airport after we landed back in the UK, with the rain greasing the congested motorway, showed the stark contrast with the world we had left behind.
Since our return friends and work colleagues have been asking the same question: do we regret moving back to England?
Of course, we miss some of the lifestyle benefits Spain offers. After all, the UK is by no means perfect. Nevertheless, on balance we are happy we repatriated.
So what are the good things about living back in the UK? For me, the key ones are:
The number one advantage is being back among family and old friends, renewing those old, precious relationships.
There is an ease to living in a place where you understand the societal attitudes, the sense of humour, and how the systems involved in day-to-day life work. Being able to think and speak in your native tongue once again is nice too.
We have now been through all the seasons, and while the UK’s weather may not be wonderful (I’m writing this with the rain lashing outside), each reveals some special aspect of the country’s beauty.
In the months since our return we have also taken the chance to explore more of the country, and see the charm that attracts so many foreign visitors: the wonders of London, the nation’s majestic stately homes, its quaint villages and verdant countryside.
It is not always easy to see how great Great Britain is when you are brought up with it and long to escape. Instead, sometimes you have to leave to come back again.
As Irish novelist George Moore said: “A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”
That is just how I am feeling … at least for the moment!
Tags: airport, beauty, Britain, Christmas, Costa Brava, country, culture, England, escape, family, Foreign, friend, Irish, life, lifestyle, London, rain, relationship, repatriate, social network, Spain, stately home, sun, UK, visitor, weather, work, world
So France has the best quality of life in Europe. Or at least that was the finding of a recent study by consumer comparison service uSwitch.com, as I highlighted in a recent posting[1].
I imagine the residents of France may be thinking something different as this week’s round of strikes and protests gets underway.
News reports say the strikes are set to widen to include a range of sectors, including road transport, energy, posts, telecommunications and public service. The industrial action has brought fears of fuel shortages as workers at oil refineries walk out, and rail chaos as train staff join in, threatening to bring the country to a standstill.
The protest has been spurred by moves to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and the full retirement age from 65 to 67 years – a change that rather undercuts one of the advantages of French life highlighted by the uSwitch.com survey. The government claims it is needed to prevent the country’s pension deficit from spiralling out of control and threatening the system as a whole.
In total, Nicolas Sarkozy’s government has announced plans to cut spending by €45bn over the next three years in a bid to meet its budget deficit target.
Meanwhile Spain, which came second in the uSwitch.com quality of life rankings, has seen unemployment more than double (to about 20%) since 2007. In a bid to curb its budget deficit, the government is raising the top level of income tax and introducing a range of austerity measures for 2011 designed to cut spending by 8%.
Of course, the UK faces its own economic difficulties – as, for that matter, does the United States. But if you’re aiming to escape your home country’s problems and find a better quality of life by moving abroad, it’s important to remember the grass is not always greener on the other side.
[1] http://expatliving101.com/living-in-spain/what-quality-of-life-can-you-expect-abroad/
Tags: budget deficit, country, economic, Europe, France, French, fuel, government, home, income, industrial action, Moving Abroad, pension, protest, quality of life, Retirement, Spain, strike, survey, tax, transport, UK, unemployment, United States, uSwitch
We’ve long suspected it, and now it appears to be true – the French, those lucky blighters, have the best quality of life in Europe.
Or, at least, so says a new study by consumer comparison service uSwitch.com[1].
Its research examined 16 quality of life factors – such as net income, food and fuel costs, life expectancy and working conditions – across 10 European countries to see how they stacked up.
France emerged with the best overall score, followed by Spain. The UK came ninth, with Ireland propping up the bottom of the table.
The reason for the UK’s poor score, said uSwitch, included its high living costs, below average government spending on health and education, shortage of holiday entitlements, high retirement age and lack of sunshine.
France, by contrast, was found to have the lowest retirement age, the longest life expectancy and the highest healthcare spend.
Meanwhile, Spain benefited from low living costs (especially for alcohol and cigarettes!), the highest number of holidays (at 43 days per year) and most sunshine hours.
The firm went on to note that three in ten people in the UK believe now is a good time to emigrate[2]. Given the low quality of life it seems they can expect to enjoy, is it any wonder?
The Full Picture
Yet before everyone starts packing their bags for France and Spain, it is important to remember that while such surveys make for attention-grabbing headlines, they don’t show the full picture.
For instance, the uSwitch report gives no consideration to the countries’ current or expected economic growth rates. Or what about the 20% unemployment rate afflicting Spain?
It gives no weighting either to the burdensome red tape that is so often cited as a feature of life in France and Italy.
The percentage of GDP spent on health is a blunt tool too by which to measure and compare the efficacy of countries’ systems. The United States, for one, spends a considerably higher percentage of its GDP on health, yet millions of its citizens remain without adequate, or indeed any, health cover.
The uSwitch survey also takes it as given that the greater the hours of sunshine the better. Yet the impressive sunshine quota seen in southern Europe – as well as places such as California and parts of Australia – bring with it high summer temperatures that frequently provoke raging forest fires, water shortages, pest infestations and crop failures.
In addition, the summer heat may force residents, especially the elderly, to spend weeks of the year trapped indoors, and can even lead to spiking death rates (as seen in Europe during the 2003 heatwave).
In short, these types of reports and surveys – a plethora of which are produced around the world each year – can give some helpful indication of the life you can expect to find when moving abroad. But to get a real picture, don’t forget to consider all the elements, the pros and the cons, and what they mean specifically to you.
[1] UK and Ireland Trailing the Rest of Europe for Quality of Life, uSwitch.com, 22 September 2010,
http://www.uswitch.com/press-room/press-releases/uk-and-ireland-trailing-the-rest-of-europe-for-quality-of-life-1769.pdf.
[2] uSwitch.com Consumer Opinion Panel, May 2010, amongst a sample of 3,640 adults.
Tags: Australia, California, citizen, cost, countries, Education, emigrate, Europe, Food, France, French, GDP, growth, health, holiday, income, Ireland, Italy, living cost, Moving Abroad, quality of life, resident, Retirement, Spain, summer, sunshine, survey, UK, unemployment, United States, uSwitch.com, work
The headlines this morning are full of the news that Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar-nominated film editor, Sally Menke, has been a victim of the heat wave that has hit Southern California.
Ms Menke reportedly died from heat stroke while hiking in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park on Monday. The day saw temperatures in the city climb to a record-breaking 113°F (46°C). Tuesday was cooler, reaching a high of 99°F, but that was still 17 degrees more than is normal for the time of year.
To make matters worse, the record demand for electricity as people turned up their air conditioning caused outages that left 11,000 Los Angeles residents without power.
Seeking Better Weather
You couldn’t get much more of a contrast with the weather hitting northern Europe at the moment. In the UK, we woke up this morning to cloud and heavy rain showers. More is forecast for the rest of the week.
And with October just around the corner we can hardly expect an improvement. Nope, autumn – with its shortening, squally days – has well-and-truly taken hold.
Faced with such weather conditions, moving to somewhere that promises year-round sunshine, short winters and long, guaranteed summers has an obvious appeal. No wonder places such as California, Australia and the countries of Southern Europe are so popular with expatriates.
But a life in the sun can brings its discomforts, as LA’s population can attest. And as Ms Menke’s tragic death shows, it has its dangers too.
Tags: Australia, California, death, editor, Europe, expat, film, Griffith Park, heat stroke, heat wave, LA, Los Angeles, Menke, rain, record, sun, Tarantino, temperature, UK
Finding a way to finance your life overseas is one of the biggest challenges facing prospective expats.
How can you earn the money necessary to give you the lifestyle you crave? Do you plan to transfer within your existing company, or apply for new jobs? Would you like to set up your own business, or offer services as some form of freelance contractor?
For anyone confronting these issues it is well worth seeking the advice of a professional, someone who can help clarify your ideas and guide you in the right career direction.
One such person is CNNMoney.com-featured career coach Megan Fitzgerald, the founder of Career By Choice. An expat herself, with over 15 years experience in career and business development, Megan specialises in helping current and aspiring expatriate professionals and entrepreneurs to build a satisfying career or business that allows them to get the most out of their life abroad.
Megan has just interviewed me on the pros and cons of moving overseas for her website. You can check out the resulting article, Expat Success Tips: Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Choice of Becoming an Expat, at http://bit.ly/cIOjNw.
Hope you find it interesting.
Tags: Abroad, business, career, Career By Choice, CNN, coach, company, entrepreneur, expat, Finance, job, life overseas, lifestyle, Megan Fitzgerald, moving, professional, should I stay or should I go, success, transfer
A couple of months ago I was interviewed by the features director of the UK’s Good Housekeeping magazine[1].
She was writing an article on the pros and cons of moving abroad, and wanted my “expert opinion” on the topic … which naturally I was more than happy to provide (not least since the magazine has a monthly circulation of half a million readers!).
The article has just come out. And – aside from my own contribution – it makes for fascinating reading.
Expat Challenges
The piece features case studies of people who have moved from the UK to some of the world’s most popular expat destinations: France, Italy, Spain, Australia and the United States. Each highlights the issues they have faced, and offers pointers to anyone following in their footsteps (much of which echoes the topics I address in my book).
Among the biggest challenges the expats encountered were:
- Housing problems
- Unfamiliarity with local legal processes and requirements
- Acclimatising to the local weather
- Finding social outlets and integrating into the community
- Having a viable way to earn money
- Missing family and friends
Hopefully the tips and advice contained in the article will prove a valuable primer for those readers also dreaming of a life overseas!
[1] Good Housekeeping magazine,
http://www.allaboutyou.com/home/channel~index?source=1
Tags: advice, Australia, community, destination, expert, family, France, Friends, Good Housekeeping, Housing, Italy, legal, life, magazine, money, Moving Abroad, overseas, social, Spain, tips, UK, United States, weather, world
There was a documentary on British TV last week called Living with Brucie[1].
For anyone who hasn’t heard of him, Bruce Forsyth is a showbiz legend in the UK, a mainstay on Saturday prime time TV for the last 40-odd years.
And for the last 27 of those, Bruce has been married to Wilnelia, a Puerto Rican former Miss World who is 30 years his junior.
For me, what was interesting was the story of two people from different countries and cultures coming together to forge a life, and what it takes to make it a success.
Despite her fame on the Caribbean island, and the family and friends she has there, it is Winnie who has given up her homeland to be with her husband. OK, so she now lives in a mansion on the Wentworth golf estate in Surrey, with all the trappings that come from being married to a multimillionaire entertainer. But still, it must be a sacrifice.
Expat love
And it is a common tale. A survey earlier this year by health insurer Bupa International and expat web resource Expatica found one in five respondents had moved abroad for love[2]. It was a bigger reason for relocating than lifestyle choice (cited by 8% of expats), retirement (4%), weather and culture (1% each).
There is a suggestion it may be a growing trend as well. According to the survey, only 14% of expats who moved abroad 10 years ago did it for love, whereas the figure was 22% for those who relocated in the last five years.
In these situations, one member of the couple will always have to be away from home and all it embodies: family and friends, familiar landscapes, its customs and culture.
Homesickness may strike, but – short of breaking up the family – one person will have to live with the consequences.
So how do you cope?
If anyone has any personal experiences from moving abroad for love, or tips and strategies on how to make it work I’d love to hear them.
[1] Living with Brucie, Channel 4,
http://www.channel4.com/programmes/living-with-brucie
[2] One in five expats moves abroad for love, expatica.com, 11 February 2010, http://www.expatica.com/be/news/community_focus/One-in-five-expats-moves-abroad-for-love.html
Tags: British, Bruce Forsyth, Caribbean, countries, culture, custom, expat, family, Friends, home, homeland, lifestyle, love, Miss World, move abroad, multimillionaire, Puerto Rican, relocate, relocating, Retirement, TV, UK, weather, Wilnelia, Winnie, work
It was my wedding anniversary yesterday, which put me in mind of some of the good and bad aspects of living abroad.
Unlike our actual wedding day, when we were fortunate to be bathed in sunshine from dawn to dusk, yesterday saw uninterrupted grey, glowering skies. The sort of poor excuse for summer for which Britain is renowned.
But that is what the English weather holds. One day it can be glorious, when you think summer is finally here to stay; the next it is cold, wet and windy. Temperamental.
It’s not what we had become accustomed to during our years living on the Spanish Mediterranean coast, where a long summer of heat and sunshine were guaranteed, promising endless days in the pool or on the beach. Indeed, it was one of the major reasons for us moving abroad in the first place. Re-acclimatising to what England has to offer will not be easy.
The upside to repatriating to the UK is the contact it gives us with family and friends, and the support network that is now on hand.
Yesterday, for instance, my in-laws offered to babysit, giving my wife and me the chance to head off to a restaurant for the evening. It was the first time we had been able to go out to celebrate our anniversary since our children were born, as living abroad meant there was no extended family around to watch them.
Such constraints don’t affect all expats. But If you’ve been used to having parents or siblings around to lend a hand while you go to the shops or the doctor, or look after the kids while you have a well-earned night out with friends or your partner, then their sudden absence can come as a big shock. Something to consider!
Tags: beach, Britain, Children, coast, England, English, expat, family, Friends, heat, living abroad, Mediterranean, moving, parent, repatriating, Spanish, summer, sunshine, UK, weather, Wedding
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