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Monday, October 13th, 2008
You are here: Shelter Offshore » Living Abroad » Starting a New Life Abroad
Monday, October 13th, 2008
We cannot say that we are at all surprised by the latest findings from AXA and HSBC relating to expatriate trends. AXA has predicted a rise in the numbers of us leaving UK in search of a better, more affordable life abroad, whilst HSBC has revealed that apparently UK is considered one of the worst places in the world for expats from other nations to raise their children.
The facts, statistics and opinions really do speak for themselves, and we shall analyse them in depth in a moment; but in the meantime we thought we would raise the main issue that perhaps would-be expatriates should be thinking of before they flee the UK. I.e., not everywhere in the world offers one a more affordable cost of living or a more stable economic climate for that matter.
So if you’re thinking of moving abroad, make sure you are realistic about your expectations of your new life. We at Shelter Offshore do believe that the record rise in Brits expatriating that has been expertly predicted by AXA is an accurate prediction. We can tell from the numbers of enquiries we receive that interest in relocation is active and uppermost in more people’s minds, but it is imperative that Britons are well versed in the realities of their chosen new life before they relocate.
Until around about Monday this week, Iceland, with its tiny population and incredible economy was rated by the UN as the most developed society on earth! That’s quite a reputation to live up to I’m sure you would agree – but now that we have to face the fact that Iceland is bankrupt and it’s probably going to bring down the House of Fraser (how could they!), determining where in the world to live for the best quality of life just got a whole lot harder. After all, if the most developed society on earth is no longer good enough for us – what chance have we got!
Everywhere you look there are reasons not to move to a given country – take Cyprus, on the surface its economy is peachy because apparently the domestic banks have EUR 6.5 billion more in deposits than they have in outstanding loans. But then you realize that house sales have dropped by 40% so far this year and one leading developer was quoted in the press as stating: “we are in the middle of a crisis and there’s no room for sentiment.”
It seems that finding the best place in the world to live just got an awful lot harder. So let’s look at the contenders…
Whether the thought of one day living abroad has ever crossed your mind or not, there is new research to suggest that by encouraging your children to study and live abroad for at least a semester, you will be doing so much for their immediate and long term development.
The survey, published by the Institute for the International Education of Students, is based upon extensive research and feedback from students who have participated in study abroad programmes. It shows how children of all ages can benefit from time spent in a different culture, and how student aged ‘children’ of broad minded and encouraging parents can gain so much from their time spent abroad.
In this article we will touch on the top 10 reasons to encourage your children to study and live abroad for at least a semester, and we will show that those who commit to spending a year overseas away from home or college get the very most from their time abroad.
According to the Daily Mail, 75,000 Britons are choosing a new life abroad over their traditional life in the UK every single year – but in a frank survey about what advice our expat readers would give to would-be expats, we can reveal that the over riding sentiment is to be realistic.
‘Get real’ is what would-be expats should be warned, according to those who have already made the move abroad, because starting a new life overseas isn’t all about the grass being greener. The realities of every day life change very little no matter where in the world you’re living, and even those who have started a new life in Spain or Bulgaria worry about rising fuel costs and how they’re going to afford to live now that the credit crunch is really beginning to bite.
So, if you’re contemplating a new life abroad to escape the mess that Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, George Bush and a bus-load of immature bankers have dropped us in, perhaps you should heed the following words of warning before you pack your bags and head for the airport!
Many Britons who had been dreaming of starting a new life abroad are finding that they’re having to delay their plans as they are unable to sell their properties at home. For most who have plans of living the dream the hard reality is without selling their UK property the dream will remain exactly that!
Moving abroad has become a far harder path to negotiate than it was a few years ago, would be UK escapees are discovering a whole host of obstacles that didn’t exist before. Two of the most significant traps that are catching Brits out in addition to the delay in selling property come in the form of a the double whammy of falling property prices and a falling pound. Brits are not only finding that they have to sell their property for less than they originally anticipated they’re also finding that their pound is buying a lot less overseas.
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