Brits Abroad project blog

While there has been a lot of recent attention to immigration to the UK, there has been relatively little attention to emigration from the UK, particularly from a global perspective. This project aims to fill the gap by mapping where Brits Abroad live across the globe and understanding who they are: their reasons for leaving the UK, their experiences of moving and settling in another country, the contacts that they maintain with the UK and any desires to return. More details can be found in the project outline.

We are currently around a third of the way through the research and we would now like to open up the debate on policies concerning Brits Abroad to interested parties. Over the next four months, we would welcome your thoughts on the changing nature of emigration from the UK and reactions to policy ideas that might aim to support and/or harness the potential of the British diaspora.

Comments

[Phil Allsopp]

I've lived in the USA for 30 years. My wife is from Michigan. She and I met when we were both studying at Columbia University in New York (different fields).

I know for a fact that I could never have achieved what I have in my career had I remained in the UK. I was born on the wrong side of the tracks and there were no silver spoons to be jammed in my mouth or doors of influence to be swung open by family members.

One of the many reasons we voted for Obama is because he, like us, made his life and career from his own efforts and talent.

The UK, sadly, has millions of talented and energetic people but for some reason their opportunities are forever being crushed by government bureaucracies. Based on having to deal with these in recent months surrounding the death of both my parents, the UK bureaucracies seem more interested in rewarding terrorist sympathizers and immigrants from unstable parts of the globe than creating opportunities for UK citizens to achieve a better life.

One curiosity remains. The Brits call a bathroom off a bedroom an "Ensuite" as if somehow its something upper crust and rare. Saya a lot about general living conditions that are still in many parts of the country way below where they should be. That's not to say I'm advocating the growth of bloated McMansions of the sort that pollute our cities and suburbs over here.

[Phil Allsopp]

I've lived in the USA for 30 years. My wife is from Michigan. She and I met when we were both studying at Columbia University in New York (different fields).

I know for a fact that I could never have achieved what I have in my career had I remained in the UK. I was born on the wrong side of the tracks and there were no silver spoons to be jammed in my mouth or doors of influence to be swung open by family members.

One of the many reasons we voted for Obama is because he, like us, made his life and career from his own efforts and talent.

The UK, sadly, has millions of talented and energetic people but for some reason their opportunities are forever being crushed by government bureaucracies. Based on having to deal with these in recent months surrounding the death of both my parents, the UK bureaucracies seem more interested in rewarding terrorist sympathizers and immigrants from unstable parts of the globe than creating opportunities for UK citizens to achieve a better life.

One curiosity remains. The Brits call a bathroom off a bedroom an "Ensuite" as if somehow its something upper crust and rare. Saya a lot about general living conditions that are still in many parts of the country way below where they should be. That's not to say I'm advocating the growth of bloated McMansions of the sort that pollute our cities and suburbs over here.

[Michelle Creevey]

A director with specialist migration financial consultants, Simon Barwick at Vantage Financial, was recognised in the Australian Financial Review (AFR) for paving the way for UK Pension Transfers in Australia to Self Managed Super Funds (SMSF’s) under the new ‘A Day’ rules. Vantage Financial has had one of, if not the first SMSF, in Australia to be approved by HM Inland Revenue and Customs which was made possible through our UK based Pension Transfer Specialist and in conjunction with an Australian based administrator.

Under the post April 6 or ‘A Day’ rules, Australian super funds need to be Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Schemes (QROPS) for a pension transfer not to be taxed on transfer at a minimum of 40%. Our joint efforts have meant that even clients who want to establish SMSF’s can now transfer their pensions and not incur penalty tax.

“Having a UK-based specialist advisor definitely streamlined the process as did having an Australian administrator. Our subsequent applications seem to be taking less time, so it looks like the UK regulators are gearing up for this,” Barwick says.

Currently the Australian Federal Government has created a window of opportunity for anyone wanting to contribute to Australian superannuation. Limits for ‘Un-deducted Contributions’ to super (in which pension transfers are included) have been increased to $1,000,000 till June 30, 2007. Anyone wanting to contribute to super, especially those who have UK pensions and want to establish a SMSF, should take advantage of this immediately.

This article has been loaded onto our website to easy viewing. Just follow the link www.vantagefinancial.com.au

For Vantage Financial, this has been a significant milestone achieved for our clients.

[Jim Tilley]

I brought my family to Australia in 1971 to escape the devastation I could see ahead with the policies being promoted by one Harold Wilson. Having witnessed what the UK went through in the next 25 years I am more than glad I made that decision. My 2 sons thrived here, both have experienced excellent international careers and prospered as I did.

I visit the UK regularly and although I love the countryside and its greenery, I despair at the general atmosphere there, in particular the deteriorating cities, the congestion, the cost and frantic manner of travelling on the motorways.

Many friends in the UK I love to visit but to me the very best part of the many visits is the sight of Cronulla and the bushland on the port side as the 747 glides back into Sydney airport.

The one thing now about Britain which really annoys me is that the State pension I paid for by making my contributions when I worked there is now frozen, although had I migrated to many other countries abroad, like the USA, the Philippines, even Italy or Germany, the UK pension would be indexed for inflation. There are many expats living in Australia saving the UK a "motza" on medical costs but the "Poms" as we call you, will not budge on their claim that to pay us an indexed pension will impose a unacceptable burden of £400 million pr year on the taxpayers there.

But will it? Did you know that the National Insurance account from which pensions are paid today has a balance of £33 billion which is £22billion above the Actuary's prudential balance and that by 2010 this balance is forecast to reach £60Billion? Who is lying?

I believe the Whithall Wallies, as ever, are pulling the wool over the eyes of the politicians, and not being up front with the true facts. Britain is the only OECD nation which does not index its expats' pensions in all countries abroad.

Consequently and being still "bulldog" British and being incenced at the miserly attitude still being perpetrated by your Labour politicans, together with British expats from Canada and South Afica, who also suffer this pension indignity, we are taking the UK government to the ECHR Strasbourg to embarass the British once again in that august institution.We are paying for this from our own resources.

Blair sprouts on about the Western values he intends to take to the Middle East; about being "even-handed, fair and just", but why does he not start praticing these virtues with his own folk who are denied a just pension just because they have decided to migrate and reduce the UK's National Health costs in the bargain? Why not treat us expats equally with those expats who are living in Spain and the USA?

Blair, practice what you preach and give us fair go. We do not get the winter fuel allowance, we do not impact on your crumbling NHS, we do not get the Christmas bonus, but we would like our pensions to be treated equally with those given to British expats living under the thumb of George Bush.

Needless to say I have made my home in Australia. I barrack for the Aussies at cricket, but I am still known here as "pommy bastard" and I treat it as a mark of respect and endearment.

One son is just back home from 8 years working in Belgium. I visited him and stayed there often finding the quality of life there superior to that I experienced when I "flew across the ditch" to the UK.

Jim Tilley
Woronora Heights NSW 2233

[Jeremy Millard]

Like others I have had swings and roundabouts experiences since I left UK in early 80s to live with my Danish wife in her country. Mostly very good experiences I hasten to add!

However, what worries me most in the 21st Century is that, as Secretary of Labour International (which represents Labour Party Members living abroad), I am now much more conscious of the democratic implications of international migration. Labour International is highly envious of the rights of Italian ex-patriots to vote for their own representatives, as they did in the 2006 Italian general election. British, Irish and Danish citizens are alone in Europe in being denied their basic democratic right to vote for a national parliament after spending more than a limited number of years living outside their country of nationality. In today’s Europe, where politicians and commentators alike decry the increasing democratic deficit, this is an unacceptable further erosion of democracy and human rights.

In a globalising world, which the UK Labour government is right to embrace, people are working, living and retiring in different countries more than ever before. Political and democratic rights must keep pace with such developments. Labour International is seeking to work with equivalent groups of overseas Conservatives and LibDems in order to fight such a denial of democracy which directly impacts Britons abroad who otherwise contribute a great deal economically and in other ways to the UK. This is an issue above party politics which should not be determined by any narrow assumptions about electoral advantage.

In many countries, such as on the Costa del Sol in Spain, many politically active Brits are already working, at a local level at least, with sister parties to develop a new form of multi-national politics designed to reflect the realities of a mobile workforce and mobile retirement. I welcome the IPPR’s focus on the British émigré community, and hope that democratic and political representation aspects will also be examined as part of this.

This is an area in which I also have some professional expertise and would welcome the chance to work with IPPR on this issue.

Jeremy Millard

[Bradley Herrmann]

Since the 60’s young people have had incomparably more exposure to life abroad when young than our parents. By the time I finished university 25 years ago I had probably already spent the best part of 2 years out of the UK between holidays, school exchanges, gap year, and university courses abroad. Add to all these experiences, not untypical for many, the advent of cheap air travel, which has made foreign ways of life more easily discoverable to people of all ages.

We start early learning to enjoy better climates, different interpretations of the work-life balance, a sense of liberation being away from “home”, perfect croissants, cheaper drink, being a novelty rather than just another face in the crowd, more outdoor activities, easier relationships, more satisfying sex - all the myriad differences that appeal to us in different ways.

In recent years we’ve found that much of what we might otherwise miss can live abroad with us. E-mail, instant messaging, Skype, video chat take care of communication with friends and family. It’s been nearly 10 years since I discovered I could hear “The Archers” more clearly through the Internet than I could on FM in Islington, and now there’s 500 hundred channels of digital TV too. Newspapers online, books from Amazon, “The Economist” and “Private Eye” by post, virtually anything from anywhere a few clicks away. And those cheap flights again for when we absolutely have to breathe the air of home, or more often when friends and family want to share my good fortune.

My holiday home in Cadiz became my only home in 1998 when returning to London one weekend in early July I found it was so cold I had to put the central heating on. I wake up to the “Today” programme (some habits die very hard) but I eat, drink, and sleep (even now dream in) Spanish. I couldn’t be happier.

[Graeme Stevens]

I am currently in the process of writing a book about my experiences. I am in Mexico City. While I love Mexico dearly and have a mexican Wife now and a wonderful family of in-laws, it has been a roller coaster.

Ive been
1.Bullied at work
2. Forced out of a Job in British School.
3. Threatened if I communicated with staff or students from said school
4. Made desitute by that school to the point of living on family handouts while I took legal action.
5. Joined an american school and found a whole new social life.
6. Found a wonderful wife
7. Inherited a wonderful family
8.Bought into an apartment and recently sold it, making a good sum.
9. Robbed on the Metro
10.Travelled copper canyon
11.Swam in Waterfalls and seen amazing ruins and sights
12. Become a Godfather to my niece
13. Learned the hard way that the British Embassy doesnt help anyone.

Like I say, Rollercoaster.

I will be moving on with my Wife to Germany where I have a permanent job waiting in I.T., but I will be claiming my Mexican Citizenship next year. My wife and I are planning our first child and when all is said and done, this experience has made be better, wiser and stronger and profoundly changed my life.

[james]

I spent 24 years abroad in the US and 14 in Asia. I now split my time between Asia and the UK. If you have skills and are flexible the US is an easy place to make a living but you must be insured against bad luck or bad health. You can go from hero to zero in a flash. The problem I found with the US was that whilst, on the surface, fully integrated and successful, I was deeply unhappy with aspects of American life. After more than 20 years away I now find myself completely disengaged from the society and its culture.

In Asia, on the other hand, there is no expectation that you will become Thai or Chinese, so long as you respect the local culture you can work and succeed as a bridge between the other country and the UK. You will always be an expat and not an immigrant. Itis a very important distinction. I now split my time between Asia and Europe and I find that a very happy compromise.

The world is geeting smaller and I have brought up my children to expect they will have to travel and adapt as their careers develop. They should be the new global citizens. I believe that the UK private schooling system does a good job in that regard. The gap year, of which I was originally sceptical, is useful in expanding minds along these lines.

[Marcus Bray]

I have lived with my Amercian wife in Santa Cruz, California, for 5 years now and loving every minute of it.
London had become too crowded, too dirty, too expensive and the tube system seems to be permanently on the verge of collapse. Constant delays and signal failures just got too much. When my wife wanted to move back to the States I couldn't have been happier.
Our Quality of life here is just so much better. We live about 100 yards from the beach with redwoods surrounding this beautiful little town. At any time of the year we can go to beach and see dolphins, sea otters and in winter, migrating whales. We can drive up down the most spectacular coastline on the west coast. Thousands of hiking trails lead all over the state and when you live just a few hours drive from National and State Parks such as Yosemite, Death Valley, Joshua Tree, you have to take advantage of these stunning places.
Since moving here I have camped and hiked more than I had in my life in the UK. I am healthier and fitter than I have ever been without even trying to be fit.
People are so much more friendlier here. It took a while to get used to complete strangers saying "Hi" as they walk past and it's just because people in general are happier. So many people walk around with a smile on their face. People are much more apt to help a stranger rather than running away wondering why this nut is talking to them.
I can't leave Santa Cruz to return to the UK. That would just be going backwards. After all why would I leave a state where we have more 300 days of sunhine a year?

[Trevor Tolkien]

We are a Family of four living in inland Spain and, apart from the occasional day when the temperature is over 40C, have no regrets about leaving the UK. Integration is hard in a non English speaking country, however if an effort is made to learn the language and culture, the rewards are immense. Life here is as I remember it in the UK as a child. Our children, 7 & 9, can go off into the village, playing on their bikes etc, while we work or relax. We now never worry about their whereabouts, all the neighbours now exactly where they are, and we can let them grow up as children, no longer an option in the UK.
The UK has lost direction in every sense. The Politicians, the people, businesses, all seem to be lost in a world of media, consumerism and selfishness. Here, people and relationships matter. Watching things develop, here I know it is only a matter of time before the pernicious creep of greed and desire is sold to the young by the television and radio companies. Until such a time arrives, I shall look back to the UK with sadness.

[Geordie Bob]

Currently living in the Geneva area, I can say that there is an enormous number of expats here. So much so, that we have an english-speaking radio station and a number of shops offering British food - bacon, sausages, cheese, etc., as well as loads of pubs showing Permiership football, so really not much missing in life, if those are your priorities. For those with serious homesickness, there are the numerous Easyjet flights to a grwoing number of UK airports. However, I am so disappointed that not enough of them have taken the time to at least speak basic French. That's an opportunity missed. My wife is German and our daughter is growing up to speak French and German fluently, as well as excellent English albeit with some real Geordie pronunciation at times.

[Theresa-Mary]

I originally left the UK back in the early 80's to study for my PhD. I ended up staying away for 7 years. I came back thinking it was the right thing to do but I did not fit in and the culture shock was painful - insularity, stiff-upper lip "horseyness" strutting peacocks with pot bellies, glass ceiling and obnoxious toilet humour...I quickly went to France and have been out of the UK since then. I now live happily in Germany where it is still quite a civilized society and not expensive as Brits think. I miss my family but I don't miss the yob culture, wet-noodle politicians, and I am free to live a Christian life without having other religions, gay rights, abortion, divorce, pornogrpahy, paedophiles, and the like thrust down my throat, as "values" (Tony Blair!??!) to be proud of - Argghh. I think I would like to go back to the UK one day, but as the "armpit of Europe" there is not enough soap or antiperspirant to solve it's problems in the short term or even more sadly the willingness of the people!

[Geoff Rowe]

I spent almost two years living in Arizona, USA and I would say that people in the UK have no idea how BAD life actually is in the UK.

Nanny government interfering with as many aspects of life as they can, the horrendous cost of our supposedly 'free' NHS, probably around 15% of your income tax and the generally poor service you get in comparison to that so-called 'expensive' private health care system in the US.

I found that life in AZ was wonderful. You can live your life how you want without interferring busy-bodies telling you not to do something. Paperwork is actually less than the UK and generally you're not threatened with prison or huge fines if you don't fill it in, unlike the UK.

As to things working in this country, I beg to differ. There is a collective lack of responsibility about pretty much anything, mistakes are legion and no-one cares. The systems in the UK are broken down so that you can't get anything done without huge effort and it's impossible to find someone to sctually deal with problems.

Obviously the UK is becoming a low-skilled, low wage economy exactly what this government and UK business wants.

I desperately want to move back to the US permanently and am very active in seeking that move and yes I am a skilled worker in high technology manufacturing so no longer wanted here.

[Bob Adcock]

Overcrowding,crime, lack of decent facilities and disability were the major reasons behind our decision to move out of the UK. I served on committees ranging from the Environment to war pensions as well as working in the social services and was getting more dissillusioned daily. Our quality of life in France is way above what it was in the UK as we feel we are treated as human beings again.Of course there are some things that are good and others that are not so good but overall,our situation here could not be equalled. I find this quite sad.

[Tim]

As an ex-pat living in Hungary and who has travelled widely, people in the UK do not know just how good life is there for them and as usual the grass is always greener. The UK has free healthcare, free banking, systems and organisations which work and do what you expect. Life is what you make it, so if you are stressed in the south east look at what else there is in the UK before moving abroad. Living and working in a foreign country is much tougher than anyone can expect, even if you speak the language. Basic things people take for granted in the UK do not always happen and people in UK definitely have an attitude of what is owed to them, rather than what they can do for others. That is the problem there and will be an even bigger problem if they land abroad with that attitude.

[Garry Stanton]

We are off to live in The Gambia where the weather is consistent, the people are friendly and we may just have time to do the things that we want to do. We both feel the need to opt out, as sitting in traffic jams on a daily basis, stressed people and being expected to work the longest hours in Europe just no longer appeals!

[David Whelbourn]

Overcrowding was one of the factors that made us decide to emigrate. It has reached such levels in the south east that people are stressed all the time and don't realise it. Put that together with children staying at home because they cannot afford to move out, you can see the stress levels will only get higher.

Finding a small British group of expats in Fredericton NB has convinced me that the UK is exporting high skilled, top tax paying workers and importing lower skilled low tax revenue generating immigrants. The typical expat here seems to be a stable nuclear family with one or more partner highly skilled. (which is to be expected as chooses its immigrants with more care than the UK - or that is my perception)