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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
Spain 30 – England 20.
No, it’s not some freakish football score. It’s the current temperature differential between our home in the UK and our former one in the north-east of Spain.
The forecast for the coming week in England doesn’t look much more promising either. Temperatures barely struggling out of the teens centigrade, and the threat of heavy rain showers. Yippee.
Remind me – why did we move back to the UK?
Sort of summer
Still, that’s a British summer for you. The odd few days of glorious sunshine, when there seems like no more beautiful place to be on Earth, followed by leaden skies and rain squalls.
It’s a season of uncertainty – periods of joy mixed with gloom. One day you’re in shorts and sandals and the next it’s jumpers and coats.
As for making plans to enjoy the Great Outdoors … in the words of Hugh Grant in Mickey Blue Eyes, Forgeddaboutit.
In other words, hardly ideal conditions when you have kids who want to be spending their days building sandcastles on the beach, or splashing around in a pool.
(For that matter, have you swum in the sea around Britain recently? Are you crazy?)
Sunshine costs
Nevertheless, seeing the BBC News reminded me that the scorching summers seen across southern Europe and elsewhere do have their downsides.
For instance, parts of the Spanish coast are being plagued at present by an invasion of jellyfish, to the painful detriment of the people that have come in contact with them.
Meanwhile, swathes of northern Portugal are being cremated by a series of forest fires, an annual occurrence in many parts of the region.
There is, after all, a price to be paid for the sun.
Tags: beach, Britain, British, coast, Earth, England, Europe, fire, home, jellyfish, kid, outdoors, Portugal, sea, Spain, Spanish, summer, sun, UK
At a wedding last week I got talking to a doctor within the UK’s National Health Service who is about to relocate to New Zealand.
She will be joining the thousands of doctors and nurses who have left the UK in the last decade to practice in the Antipodes. Many have gone willingly. Disenchanted by the NHS, they are eager to take up positions on the other side of the world that will be relatively better paid, and offer the lifestyle benefits that come from living in Australia or New Zealand.
The doctor I spoke to is moving for similar reasons: she can’t find a job pursuing her specialism in England, but has the chance to do so if she goes abroad. And as she has family in New Zealand already it makes the relocation that much easier.
Nevertheless, she hopes it will only be temporary, and that within five years she’ll be back in the UK, which is where she said she really wants to be.
It makes for a tricky choice – stay at home and compromise your chosen career path, or leave the country and the life you know for a better job and its future prospects.
And it is not just medics in the UK grappling with this quandary. Many people in many professions in many countries around the world face similar dilemmas.
Which would you prioritise?
Tags: Antipodes, Australia, career, country, doctor, England, family, home, job, life, Moving Abroad, National Health Service, New Zealand, profession, relocation, UK, Wedding
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
Alan Howard, founder of leading hedge fund Brevan Howard Asset Management, has joined the expat ranks.
Recent reports say Howard, who is swapping London for Geneva, is among a number of financial luminaries to have left the UK. And there are fears many more will follow, driven by concerns about rising tax rates, a less attractive business environment, and quality of life issues.
Certainly Geneva has its attractions. Low tax is an obvious one, especially for those wealthy City types. For example, alternative investment managers (i.e. those at hedge and private equity funds) can obtain a special tax status that enables them to discount chunks of their taxable income. Indeed, Switzerland as a whole offers many tax advantages.
Then there are the lifestyle benefits – the proximity of world-class ski resorts, sailing on the country’s many lakes, the beautiful scenery, its excellent environmental record, high quality health and education systems, etc, etc.
And that is backed up by Mercer’s 2010 Quality of Living survey, which put Geneva third in its global rankings, one place behind Zurich[1].
The flipside is that Geneva also ranks as one of the most expensive cities in the world, coming in fifth in Mercer’s recently released Cost of Living survey[2].
With a reported fortune of £875 million that won’t faze Alan Howard. Still, it might give the rest of us pause for thought.
[1] Mercer 2010 Quality of Living survey,
26 May 2010
http://www.mercer.com/qualityofliving
[2] Mercer Worldwide Cost of Living survey 2010 – City rankings, 29 June 2010, http://www.mercer.com/costoflivingpr#City_rankings
Tags: business, cities, city, cost of living, Education, environment, expat, expensive, financial, fortune, Geneva, global, health, hedge fund, Howard, income, investment, lake, lifestyle, London, Mercer, quality of life, sailing, ski, Switzerland, tax, UK, wealth, world, Zurich
As a freelance journalist and writer, one of the ways I earn a crust is to write reports and articles about the financial services industry. Which is why I found myself last month at a conference in Vienna, writing for a software company that provides technology to hedge funds, wealth managers and the like.
The attendees came from all over Europe and the Middle East. Some, like me, were from the UK. But most weren’t. There was a particularly big contingent from various parts of Scandinavia. There were also many from Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as a few from further afield.
The conference was all about current trends in the investment management world, and how software can be used to tackle the industry’s challenges. In other words, highly technical subject matter that mixed complicated financial concepts with complicated technology solutions.
All the presentations were in English. Yet even as a native speaker I found some of the concepts hard to grasp. And here were many of the speakers, as well as much of the audience, dealing with the topics in their second, and sometimes third, language.
English Proficiency
As always, the Swedes, Danes and Dutch proved especially fluent. And do you know what? In all my travels I have never met one who wasn’t. That may be a generalisation, but not much of one.
A 2005 European Commission study supports my impressions [1]. It reported that the percentage of the adult population able to converse in English was 85% in Sweden, 83% in Denmark, 79% in the Netherlands, 66% in Luxembourg and over 50% in Finland, Slovenia, Austria, Belgium and Germany.
By contrast, the report found only 30% of UK respondents can participate in a conversation in a language other than their mother tongue.
Foreign language benefits
Of course, part of the reason for the UK’s relatively low level of multilingual capacity is that English has become the lingua franca in so many fields: business, IT, science, entertainment and politics, to name a few.
Nevertheless, for any expats moving to non-English speaking parts of the world it is crucial they learn the native tongue. Even if you intend to live in an expat enclave in France or Mexico or China, having a good grasp of the local language will make your life easier, and happier.
It will help you:
- Manage day-to-day situations, such as buying quality food in local stores, dealing with utility companies and consulting with medical practitioners.
- Integrate into the community and make friends.
- Delve into the culture, history and social mores of the country, helping enrich your understanding and enjoyment of life there.
As a result, it will give you a sense of belonging, as well as one of achievement.
By contrast, a lack of local language skills leaves you isolated. And that can breed misunderstanding, resentment and fear.
Willingness to learn
Learning a foreign language can be a daunting prospect. But despite popular belief, it is never too late, as this article by Doug Bower argues[2].
Use it as an inspiration. Then take the time and make the effort to learn. It will be worth it.
[1] Europeans and languages, Eurobarometer 63.4, published September 2005,
http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_237.en.pdf
[2] Am I Too Old to Learn a Second Language?, by Doug Bower, http://www.expatfocus.com/am-i-too-old-to-learn-a-second-language
Tags: China, community, English, Europe, European Commission, expat, Foreign, France, Germany, Language, learning, Mexico, Middle East, multilingual, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Switzerland, UK
Golf, I’ve discovered, is not like riding a bike. Picking up a club for the first time in five years and expecting to smash ball after ball down the middle of the fairway was always going to be wishful thinking. I mean, if Tiger struggles with his game after months out what hope did I have?
At least the conditions were perfect. It was one of those glorious English summer evenings: the warm sun dipping towards the horizon, soft June light, shadows lengthening across the rolling green fairways, woodpigeons calling from the branches … the thwack of small white golf balls clattering into yet another copse of trees.
And, quality of play aside, it was great to get out last night for a hack round with my brothers, the first time we’d done it since before I moved to Spain seven years ago.
In fact, the last time I played was with my eldest brother, when he came to visit shortly after we moved abroad. On that occasion we tried out the Empordà Golf Resort, one of a string of top-notch courses to be found close to our home on the Costa Brava. Unfortunately, that was as far as my Spanish golf career got. Places like PGA Catalunya, which is ranked number seven in Golf World magazine’s Top 100 European courses, remain an unfulfilled dream.
For despite the fantastic facilities and ideal weather in Spain, time was always a problem.
The expat lifestyle may seem to be one of leisurely days spent drinking wine and soaking up the sun, but that isn’t the reality for most. I still had to work hard all week. And with two young daughters to look after it never seemed fair for me to slope off for five hours on the weekend to play, especially when we had no other family around to ease my wife’s childcare load.
As a result, it’s taken our repatriation to the UK for me to be able to dust off the clubs. That, and the chance to spend valuable time with my brothers, are among the plus points of moving back. If only I could have brought some of those magnificent courses with me.
Tags: Catalunya, childcare, Costa Brava, Emporda, English, expat, family, Golf, leisure, lifestyle, Spain, Spanish, summer, sun, UK, work
England, my home country, is playing its second World Cup match today. St. George’s flags are everywhere, and there is a palpable excitement in the air as the nation wills its players on to glory.
For the last game against the USA some 20+ million people tuned in to watch the match on TV – not bad, considering the population of England is only 51 million, and that of the UK as a whole 61 million. And if England do well and progress through the competition that number will keep on rising.
True, not everyone likes football. But in Britain – and indeed in many other countries around the world – you’d be hard pushed to find a more common cultural reference point.
And when it comes to moving abroad these cultural landmarks are crucial. National obsessions – whether they are sports or politics or music – are important parts of the social fabric. As an expat, learning something about them helps you understand the mentality of the people around you. It helps you integrate with them. It’s a way to strike up conversations, make friends, feel involved. And hopefully have a good time.
So take an interest in whatever fixates the population of your chosen country. You’ll find it a huge help.
Tags: Britain, country, cultural, England, expat, football, Friends, game, integrate, match, Moving Abroad, music, nation, national, player, politics, social, sport, UK, USA, World Cup
The UK is projected to add another 9 million people to its population by 2030, bringing the total to 70 million. And that, says a new report by think tank Forum for the Future[1], will put enormous pressure on the country’s long-term living standards.
The report makes seven recommendations on how to tackle the challenges. They include:
- Planning for the growth to ensure adequate public services, infrastructure, jobs and training exist.
- Trying to change attitudes to consumption.
- Improving family planning to reduce the birth rate.
- Having an objective discussion on immigration, to discuss its benefits and discover ways to reduce the economic, social and environmental drivers that incite people to migrate.
As the think tank points out, population and immigration issues are hot political potatoes. Nevertheless, immigration has returned to the mainstream political agenda for the first time in years, as was evidenced during the recent UK election.
Indeed, the Government has just announced a new measure (the first in a series) to tighten immigration policy, in the form of an English language test for spouses and unmarried couples. This will require all non-European migrants to demonstrate a decent grasp of English before they can receive a visa.
According to Theresa May, the government’s Home Secretary: “The new English requirement for spouses will help promote integration, remove cultural barriers and protect public services.”
For expatriates of all stripes, local language knowledge is certainly a huge part of the integration equation. Without it, you are condemned to remain on the sidelines of society, restricted in your ability to make friends and deal with everything from local shopkeepers to the gas company.
The UK government’s initiative therefore sounds fair enough. I wonder how we would feel though if other countries – say Mexico or the United Arab Emirates – put onerous language restrictions in place on expatriates from English-speaking countries like the United States, Britain and Australia?
[1] Growing Pains: Population and Sustainability in the UK, Forum for the Future,
http://www.forumforthefuture.org/files/population_web.pdf
Tags: Australia, Britain, country, cultural barriers, English, government, Immigration, integration, jobs, Language, living standards, Mexico, Population, spouse, UK, United States
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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