Brits Abroad

Brits abroad published

After nine months of research involving extensive analysis of emigration data and qualitative research in several countries, we have today published our findings in Brits abroad: mapping the scale and nature of British emigration. You can download the executive summary here, or alternatively buy the full report online. Some of the information from our report can be viewed as maps on the BBC’s interactive Brits Abroad webpages alongside stories and photos from Brits themselves.

Download brits_abroad_final_exec_summary_pdf.pdf

Ironies of Immigration

Ruth Lee’s account below tells of the paradox of on the one hand the relative freedom with which British passport holders can move around the world and the increasingly restricted access that other nationals meet when trying to come to the UK. Our research has highlighted other interesting and ironic parallels between emigration from the UK and immigration into it. She is well aware of her privileged position but is using it to create better understandings between different cultures. In a slightly different way, our research found that experiencing life as an emigrant creates a certain degree of empathy with immigrants in the UK and brings about a more accurate perception of our newest arrivals.

“As well as now hoping to go abroad to study (for an MA in international affairs), I have previously lived in India for a year, in France for a year and in Switzerland for 2 years.

I am not leaving the UK because I don't like living here. I am leaving because I want to have opportunities to understand other ways of thinking and seeing the world. I know that wherever I live, I'll never be able to fully integrate into another culture, but I like trying and learning about other cultures in a more intimate way.

I am very aware of the 'expat' culture that there is, and although I often feel I fit in there best, I don't think many such people realise how they are viewed by 'local' people - particularly in developing countries. I know that I am a very privileged person - having a British passport and having money means that I can more or less travel wherever and whenever I want. There are few countries that will not let me stay, as long as I have a job or a study placement or a reason to be there. This is not the case for the majority of people in the world. Most people don't even have a passport and couldn't afford to leave their homes, and if they do, their passport is not accepted by certain countries.

In one sense, I feel guilty for using this privilege to travel the world to my advantage. I feel that it makes me complicit in the injustice in our world. But in another sense, I hope that by travelling and broadening my mind, I am helping in some small way to allay the suspicion that humans from different countries, religious and cultures all too often have of each other.

My main embarrassment is that UK policy on immigration is becoming more and more severe, and that the rhetoric and indeed the policies of British politicians is not something to be proud of. We can't have it both ways - we can't expect our citizens to be able to travel and live here there and everywhere, yet at the same time 'bolt down the hatches' in the UK.

I know that it is not that simple, but there must be more strategic and joined up thinking in Government between our foreign policy, our immigration (and emigration) policy, and our international development policy. We can't compartmentalise these things to our own selfish and imperialistic advantage anymore.”

When bureaucracy stands in the way

Below is the second of the two second prize winners. Like many Brits, Darren Saunders followed her love around the world. But unlike the vast majority of Brits who move to be with their partner, she came up with some pretty innovative solutions to get round immigration regulations. This is an interesting comparison with many of the frustrations that people coming to join partners in the UK often face. Legislation to manage migration means that while for some Brits, emigration means huge opportunities, for others it might require a certain degree of compromise, at least initially.

“Although I had lived abroad before (total of 2 and a half years in France in my teens and early 20s) I had decided I didn't want to live abroad again. I loved France and had had a great time there, but I never 'cracked' life there completely. I spoke French, I had French friends, but nothing to compare to my long-term friends and family in the UK. I always felt like I was managing and felt proud of my achievements in the language, but I wasn't always entirely happy.

When I was 34 (4 years ago) I met a friend of a friend at a wedding. He worked for a bank and was based in Hong Kong. After managing the long-distance relationship for a while (I was living and working in London), I finally took the plunge and moved to be with him. By this time he'd been reposted to San Francisco so I moved to the USA with him. It was pretty out of character for me to do something so rash and I'd only known him for 8 months.

It was a huge change to move so far away with no visa and therefore right to stay in the States. On top of getting to know each other properly, I had to contend with not being able to work and not even being able to stay in the country for longer than 3 months. After a year I applied for a longer term tourist visa while back in the UK during one of my enforced trips home. In post 9/11 paranoia, I was turned down and as a result was not allowed into the country at all. The advice from the US embassy was to 'get married'. A month later we were in a registry office in Scotland. My then husband returned immediately to San Francisco to work. I then waited the 6 weeks it took for my now spouse's visa to come through. It did and I arrived in San Francisco now with the right to stay and work. But to get the right to work meant another lengthy application process. I finally received the approval and 3 weeks later Alistair received a call from his boss to say he was being moved. Back to Hong Kong in less than a month. We needn't have got married at all…

I'd like to point out that I don't regret it at all! But all this highlights the woes of a 'trailing spouse'. I gave up a great career to be with Alistair and it's been incredibly difficult to keep working ever since. San Francisco accounted for the first 18 months of me not working in my life. Then a move to Hong Kong and you have to start all over again. Building contacts, finding friends, working out how people operate etc. As Alistair is a permanent expat this is going to continue. It demands a huge amount of flexibility, optimism and determination on my part. And he has the worry of "oh no, she's not fulfilled if she's not working and I am dragging her round the world and ruining her career".

I am at last working in Hong Kong, but it has taken far longer than I'd like to admit to get it sorted. I love life here and am surprised at how much Hong Kong has to offer beyond the stereotypical images of skyscrapers and busy streets. I am sometimes embarrassed and annoyed by the views of many expats here who openly and vocally criticise the UK, even when many of them hardly spend any time there. Most criticisms are cliches - the weather, the government, crime, schools and healthcare. Few have experienced much of this in recent years.

I would happily move back to the UK tomorrow, but am equally happy experiencing all the other places we're sent to. There are some things that are irreplaceable about the UK. For me these are friends and family. I've made great friends here, but you simply can't replace friendships of 5, 10, 20 years standing in such a transient place as HK. Too many expats have got used to the very privileged lives they can have here and begin to believe their own hype. They feel unable to return to the UK for everything they'd give up. Most sad I think is that they often complain they have nothing to talk about with their very old friends and family as they feel they have no longer anything in common with them. What this frequently means is that their friends don't have live-in maids, glamorous club memberships, paid-for schooling and frequent holidays to exotic locations. Surely their friendships should be able to get beyond this?

Perhaps I will begin to think like that as the years pass. I sincerely hope not. On my trips home I can't spend enough time seeing friends and family and my only frustration is that the more time I spend with them, the more I realise what I am missing out on by not seeing them more often. I can see why some people in the UK could begin to view their overseas friends differently as time passes.

There can be something inherently very selfish about expats views. Perhaps too long spent in environments where they are still treated with a degree of respect you'd be unlikely to find in Europe or the west. With money you can get what you want here and people view the UK as somewhere where your standard of living can only decrease. Particularly for people with several children, they frequently say how they could "never" go back to the UK as they couldn't afford the schooling. They would not even consider sending their kids to a state school after sending their kids to the private English schools here (paid for by their employer).

I might be sounding rather too disapproving here. Overall this is a great place, but I remain very protective about the UK. I still love it and the people. It has its bad sides for sure, but no more than anywhere else.”

Brits Abroad Survey Results - A Diversity of Experiences

After a fantastic reaction of over 3,800 responses, our Brits Abroad survey is now closed. This has provided us with invaluable data on the socio-economic characteristics of British emigrants (both permanent and temporary) as well as those who have returned from overseas and those who are intending to move. We have also received some really illuminating accounts of life in another country – the sheer diversity of the stories confirming the heterogeneity of British expatriates. We chose three stories that we thought reflected important issues faced by Brits heading overseas. Each participant left the UK for a different reason and has overcome a different challenge while living overseas. Below is one of the two second prize winners.

Joe Cawley left the UK for Tenerife where he and his partner set up their own business. His story is quite typical of many people who go for a holiday and then decide to pack up and go for good. Yet unfortunately, his success is not a routine experience for all Brits who do not prepare in advance of moving. Unlike Joe, our research suggests that many Brits find themselves in severe financial difficulty abroad as a lack of language skills confine their business to the seasonal tourist market and are unable to navigate a different bureaucratic system. Our report, which will be published in December, will suggest that Brits should take greater steps to equip themselves with the skills and knowledge necessary for living overseas in advance of arriving there.

“Once or twice in life everybody is presented with an opportunity that can shape the rest their years. Mine came after another dreary day standing knee-deep in fish giblets on Bolton fish market. My partner, Joy, and myself had been employed to knock out trays of dubious quality fish at three for a fiver. It was not what you would call ‘glamorous work’. That night, we received a phone call that would change our lives. My stepfather had just returned from a two-week holiday and spotted the potential of a British bar on a residential complex. “Would we be interested in buying it?” he asked. A complete lack of business experience, zero Spanish language ability and a bank account that teetered precariously on the edge of red did nothing to dilute our enthusiasm. It was an escape route from frozen fingers, the rancid smell and an uninspiring life centred around dead carp. “Where do we sign?” we replied.

Three months later, after sorting out the fine details, like how we were going to pay for it, we touched down at Tenerife airport, waved our passports at the disinterested customs officials and awaited the arrival of four mismatched suitcases, three borrowed holdalls and plastic Tesco’s bag. We’d been to Tenerife several times before, and like many, had toyed with the idea of making our stay a more permanent one. Fuelled by sun and sangria our conversation would veer towards what we would do, and like most, it settled on running a small bar. However, those were virtual plans. This was reality. We were now the proud owners of The Smugglers Tavern with all the accompanying fixtures of condiment sets, bar stools and urinals. I’d never owned a urinal before.

After dumping our belongings in a rented apartment we went to meet the previous owner, who, in a kitchen never designed for such large gatherings, showed us both the basics of how to cook for 140 people at once. For the first few days we floundered spectacularly. Our life in the sun turned out to be a life indoors and very little time was spent with the big yellow globe. “How come you’re so white if you live here?” became a constant enquiry. However, as the weeks passed and we grew accustomed to our new roles, we began to appreciate this new life. Only having to throw on shorts and a tee-shirt every day made a pleasant change to the multiple layers necessary to sustain life back on the market. Also, the chirpy atmosphere created by holidaymakers who had the sole intention of enjoying themselves served as a refreshing tonic to the sullen spirits darkening Bolton’s cobbled market aisles.

Life was good, a heady mixture of wry banter and an ever-ringing till. New priorities took over from trying to serve customers before they starved to death. Raising the hygiene levels to just above lethal became top of the agenda, closely followed by persuading bored locals not to tinker with things that were best left untinkered, such as the gas supply, the fire alarm and the brakes on our car. It was also proving to be quite important that we mastered enough Spanish to avoid ordering 500 barrels of beer each week instead of 15.

But, in time, all these objectives were met and with a happy bank manager, contented customers and enough money in the pot to start paying for staff, we finally began to ‘live’, rather than just work, overseas."

Who helps Brits move?

As we progress through the analysis stage of the Brits Abroad project, we would like you to be involved by giving us comments and feedback on some of our ideas. Our research has revealed that there are services for almost every aspect of moving and living abroad. Migration from the UK is a business.

Below (in orange) is a list of the services that a Brit moving abroad for a better quality of life may call upon. Of course everyone is different. Some Brits use few expatriate services and some use many. Some services are extremely specific to the reason people are leaving, for example gap year students, and therefore do not appear below. It would be extremely helpful however, if you could give us your comments on other services that are available to British emigrants.

The idea to buy a property abroad might have been formed whilst flicking through a Sunday supplement on foreign property or watching a programme on moving abroad. Their curiosity awakened, the Brit then might look at on-line travel guides or buy a book or magazine on how to emigrate overseas to help them decide on their destination and may even attend one of the overseas homes exhibitions which take place across the UK.

Once they have fixed on a country, they might buy a cheap flight and rent a car to investigate the properties that they have seen on a real estate directory website. Property purchased, they may decide to settle in permanently and join an on-line expat forum to ask others what it is really like to live abroad. Depending on the immigration rules of the destination country, they may have already found out if they are eligible to live there by inputting some of their characteristics into a ‘points calculator’ either on a government website or at a visa specialist in the UK.

If they are accepted, the visa specialist or immigration lawyer will then process the application on their behalf and suggest other services like British schools overseas, cross-cultural communications consultants, expatriate health insurers, professional pet movers and overseas tax advisors. A new job can be arranged from the UK using an international job portal. Before they leave, they might log onto the FCO’s Know before you go website to find out about the location of the Consulate and other British organisations near their new home. Once they are there, Directgov’s webpages for Brits abroad provide information about regulations for healthcare, pensions and tax. As well as joining British associations, they may also opt for an orientation tour or become a member a of a British expat meet-up group, which provides suggestions about where to buy British goods, either on-line or in British shops abroad.

As emigration increases, learning foreign languages decreases

Figures released last week showed that there was a decline in the number of students taking languages at GCSE level. A BBC article suggests that languages are 'at a point of no return'. But with more and more people emigrating to non-English speaking countries, this trend has serious implications.

It is extremely difficult to integrate into a new society if you do not speak the language. It makes filling out a form for a drivers license much more challenging, let alone socialising with the locals. Yet some Brits do not see language learning as an essential part of moving abroad.

What is behind this pattern? Do Brits think that everyone else will speak English? Do people intend to but then find it too hard? The government is trying to encourage more language learning at school, but what is the best way to teach adults who are considering emigrating?

The article also suggests that some feel that the current focus on French is too narrow and could be widened to include Mandarin and Portuguese. With greater numbers of Brits moving to Bulgaria, should this language also be offered at school?

Taxed out of Britain?

According to a poll conducted by the Taxpayer's Alliance, one in five of those surveyed would leave the UK because they are annoyed with the lack of tax cuts from the government. The Sunday Times article also writes that those surveyed are disillusioned with the political parties, and this has also come through during some of the research for the project.

But during our focus groups it was also clear that the story was less about leaving the UK to escape high tax (which is moderate compared to other countries in Europe). As Max Hastings argues in his piece in the Guardian, there has to be an attractive 'pull' factor that is specific to the destination.

Interesting questions do arise about political apathy and representation. Do people take up their right to vote for UK parties abroad? Do they even vote in local elections of their new country of residence? From our work, it appears that the answer is often 'no'. What more could/should be done to prevent 'an unacceptable further erosion of democracy and human rights' as Jeremy Millard puts it in his comment?

Bulgarian migration welcomed

The Independent ran an interesting story this weekend on Bulgaria and migration. But unlike the majority of the press coverage over the last three weeks, this article focuses on British migration to Bulgaria. (To read a summary of the story, click here.)

Brits are moving for a better financial standard of living. How different is this from the Bulgarians who may want to come over to the UK when Bulgaria, along with Romania, joins the EU? The reactions are telling. Despite buying up half the property in one town, Brits have been greeted with a friendly welcome by many Bulgarians and the language of 'hoardes of migrants' that is common in many of our redtops is largely absent from the Bulgarian media.

The reality of reality

An article in last Sunday's Observer on British emigration to France suggested that other people's disaster moves abroad shown on reality TV shows actually make us stay put. Others bemoan the same TV shows for painting far too rosy a picture of emigration in search of a better quality of life. Do these real-life programmes represent a real-life experience? Is it all sangria and sun-shine or is it baffling bureaucracy and a long hard slog? Or is it, as Louise France's case studies indicate a bit of both?

UK must look at that other group of migrants

ippr's Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah argues in today's Financial Times that the discourse that exists in the UK which describes migration flows as unprecedented in number, as not always integrating into UK society and about which the government has little idea, could actually better describe emigrants from the UK. Read the article here.

While very little is currently known about Brits Abroad, this diverse group of people could throw up some interesting challenges for policy makers. Our Brits Abroad project aims to understand more about the scale and nature of emigration from Blighty, and you can help us by completing our online survey.