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Question from an immigrant
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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As an immigrant I have a question.
Would you leave Britain in pursuit of a better life? Higher pay, better health service, pension, better schooling etc. etc.
Even if it means learning the language? Adapting to the culture and weather?
By the way, I'm British and moved to the Netherlands. I am learning Dutch and finding it weird how culturally different here. We put chocolate sprinkles on our bread and we are king of the roads as cyclists  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I left Britain on 1999 and went to live in Greece. The idea was to find a better life as I'd got fed up with the U.K. Resented England so much when I had to return after an accident. Wish I could move abroad again. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"I left Britain on 1999 and went to live in Greece. The idea was to find a better life as I'd got fed up with the U.K. Resented England so much when I had to return after an accident. Wish I could move abroad again."
Was it for the weather? I didn't realise it's colder in the Netherlands than the UK. No wind shield  . |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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My parents moved to the UK when I was a child, they came here to start a buisness so I suppose you could say for a better life although they went back home but I stayed here simply because my life is here now, I couldn't imagine leaving and living in another country |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"I left Britain on 1999 and went to live in Greece. The idea was to find a better life as I'd got fed up with the U.K. Resented England so much when I had to return after an accident. Wish I could move abroad again.
Was it for the weather? I didn't realise it's colder in the Netherlands than the UK. No wind shield ."
I sold my business and just wanted to travel. Bought a one way ticket to Athens and went to see some friends on one of the islands. Ended up staying there but my intention had been to travel to other countries originally. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Why did you not learn Dutch before you moved there?
Not being able to speak the language is something often thrown at immigrants here. "
When I lived in Greece I found it easier to pick the language up from the natives as I remembered it easier hearing it first hand. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Why did you not learn Dutch before you moved there?
Not being able to speak the language is something often thrown at immigrants here. "
Funny to see it in that perspective . I would have if I needed it as a pre-requisite. Netherlands have the highest % of English speakers outside of Britain and Ireland. 90%+. It is easier to integrate into the language once you are emersed in it. There is a Dutch integration plan where you meet people in a cafe and they speak dutch at you. My daughter who was born in the Netherlands naturally Dutch and English. Pretty soon she'll know German and Spanish. |
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"Why did you not learn Dutch before you moved there?
Not being able to speak the language is something often thrown at immigrants here.
Funny to see it in that perspective . "
Yeah it's called irony.  |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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"Why did you not learn Dutch before you moved there?
Not being able to speak the language is something often thrown at immigrants here.
Funny to see it in that perspective . I would have if I needed it as a pre-requisite. Netherlands have the highest % of English speakers outside of Britain and Ireland. 90%+. It is easier to integrate into the language once you are emersed in it. There is a Dutch integration plan where you meet people in a cafe and they speak dutch at you. My daughter who was born in the Netherlands naturally Dutch and English. Pretty soon she'll know German and Spanish."
Children always pick it up easier
I was 3 when my family moved here, by school age I could speak English pretty good, it only took a couple of years at school before I could speak English as good as any of my class mates, young kids just pick things like that up so easy |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Yes I would leave if I felt I needed to. Learning a new language doesn't scare me. But I don't want to be without my family. "
Hardest part for us. But it's quicker and possibly cheaper to fly home than travel by car or train across the UK. |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"Why did you not learn Dutch before you moved there?
Not being able to speak the language is something often thrown at immigrants here.
Funny to see it in that perspective .
Yeah it's called irony. "
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"By the way, to move here I needed a Social Security Number. To get that I needed a dutch address. To get a house I needed a bank account. To get an account I needed a Social Security Number and a job contract.
Luckily the bank allowed you to register with a passport and job contract.
So I planned it ahead, did the research (not media), got a job offer, found a house in a family area, my wage is double what I earn in the UK. My wife went from a typical 12k job to doubling that too.
"
Taking Dutch jobs? Tut tut! |
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By (user no longer on site) OP
over a year ago
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"By the way, to move here I needed a Social Security Number. To get that I needed a dutch address. To get a house I needed a bank account. To get an account I needed a Social Security Number and a job contract.
Luckily the bank allowed you to register with a passport and job contract.
So I planned it ahead, did the research (not media), got a job offer, found a house in a family area, my wage is double what I earn in the UK. My wife went from a typical 12k job to doubling that too.
Taking Dutch jobs? Tut tut! "
Haha, there's a shortage. But the 42% tax is a killer. |
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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
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I would leave England in a heartbeat, if it was to better myself and family. Imagine the new trials you would face, plus a whole new beginning. I know it doesn't always turn out good, but better to try and fail than to never try at all and regret it. |
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"Yes I would leave if I felt I needed to. Learning a new language doesn't scare me. But I don't want to be without my family.
Hardest part for us. But it's quicker and possibly cheaper to fly home than travel by car or train across the UK."
My friends & their 3 children moved near Amsterdam. They rented a house but have now bought. Their children go to a Dutch school & they are learning to speak the language too. They love it! |
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Could never leave My England done active service in the forces made a good life here so proud to be English get treated like shit from the Government for being English told my wife on her 59 birthday she has got to work another 6 years before her pension.
Can not leave England would miss the nasty tricks what the government do on us England British people Even the Black people and people with Asian back ground that were born here can not understand whats going on |
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I've lived and worked in several countries but largely live in the UK now, where I'm a student.
My family influence where I live and everyone is now in the UK.
I'd go abroad happily but the offers got to be right, alongside where my family are. I turned a good offer down in Brazil as paid business or first class flights were too infrequent, letting us see each other.
I don't chase fool's gold. |
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By *iewMan
over a year ago
Forum Mod Angus & Findhorn |
I lived in the USA and I was welcomed and made to feel very at home.
well, except them asking if I knew their cousin who lived in every fucking town, city or village in Scotland
yeah, I knew them all |
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"Why did you not learn Dutch before you moved there?
Not being able to speak the language is something often thrown at immigrants here.
Funny to see it in that perspective . I would have if I needed it as a pre-requisite. Netherlands have the highest % of English speakers outside of Britain and Ireland. 90%+. It is easier to integrate into the language once you are emersed in it. There is a Dutch integration plan where you meet people in a cafe and they speak dutch at you. My daughter who was born in the Netherlands naturally Dutch and English. Pretty soon she'll know German and Spanish.
Children always pick it up easier
I was 3 when my family moved here, by school age I could speak English pretty good, it only took a couple of years at school before I could speak English as good as any of my class mates, young kids just pick things like that up so easy "
My sister moved to Italy in 1988 when she was 22. Learnt the language in about a year, speaking, another couple of years before she could write it.
She and her husband adopted a girl from Brazil in 2011, within a matter of months she could speak and write Italian.
My daughter got married in 2012 and my son in law learnt Portuguese to speak to her...she'd forgotten most of it by then.  |
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At one point I considered living in France. I did a lot of research and decided it wouldn't be for me. My other half is Dutch, has lived in Germany, Belgium and France before ending up in the UK in 1997.
He speaks six languages fluently, English being his sixth language and he speaks it better than me, so he tells me.
He's not been back to Holland since he left thirty years ago and has no desire too which I find a shame. |
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