Needs must

Well, it's been a tough decision but it looks like the g/f and I will be moving to the UK in the coming months !

Forum regulars will know that I love living outside the UK and having a right :ffrc: at half the stuff that goes on in the UK; so this may seem like a strange decision .

But it's all about life and sorting your priorities out, isn't it . So, after much discussion we'll be hopping over to sunny Brighton come summer time. It's a place we've been many times and we have a few friends there so hopefully everything will work out.

Why the move ?
Well, as great as Luxembourg is, it's a VERY small place with limited entertainment value and I've been here 6 years :banghead: .

If you don't mind I may ask some of you guys for some advice over the next few months as there is just SO much I don't know anymore about living in/moving to the UK. It's going to be even tougher for the g/f as she is [truly] moving away from her family for the first time (thankfully though she speaks better English than I do !).

If there are any non-UK forum members that have experienced moving to the UK, I'd appreciate any advice/feedback as I have no clue where to start arranging for a French national to move to the UK.

And hopefully I'll be able to buy a few of you a pint and attend a few bake-offs :beer: . Easy on the DBT, though .

 

Brighton is cool

 

Hi there,

My g/f moved in with me in Brighton, (Hove actually), 6 years ago to study from Sweden.

One of the important things is to get a letter of recommendation from her current bank as this aides considerably the difficult process getting a UK bank account.

I think I'm right in saying that she won't need any permit as all EC persons can move freely about in other EC countries.

Getting a NI number was quite easy, (guess they can't wait for you to pay tax), just write to the local tax authority, although it will be at emergency tax rate, (I think)

Hope that helps,

Best of luck in Brighton, its a great town

 

Ditto about the bank thing. When my wife (then girlfriend) moved to London from Portugal to live with me (ages ago) it was nigh on impossible for her to get a bank account. In the end I had to write to First Direct and vouch for her and because I'd been one of their first customers and with them for 8 years or whatever they accepted it.

NI number was easy as was converting the driving license to a UK one (worthwhile allthough not strictly necessary). Unlike in most other EU countries residents from other EU states don't require a residence permit or anything.

If you want to join the local Blockbuster though you'll need to have a utility bill in your name, the signature of a doctor or lawyer who's known you for at least 15 years, bank statements going back 10 years, original birth certificate, passport and copies of all previous ones and any other supporting documentation

Michael.

 

:lol:

 

Sorry to be a doom merchant, but why anyone would want to move to this country is beyond me.
What can it offer that somewhere else cannot?

Here are a Few things:

Shite Weather.
Slow Eradication of Your Freedom Of Speech:
High Taxes on Everthing.
No Jobs.
Bucket Loads of 'Asylum' Seekers.
A Federal Europe .
A Primemister That has His Head Up his Own Arse.

I Am A Nobody, Get Me Outta Here!!!!

I hope you enjoy your life here.

ATB.

 

Mark - why don't you move to the US then? Bush will need all the supporters he can get this November

Michael.

 

Taxes in the UK are pretty low by the standards of most of the rest of the developed world.

-- Ian

 

Hmm, interesting most people would usually choose a job or jobs prospects as the main reason for such a drastic move i.e. change of country, and moving to be with loved ones and families of course... But moving because the nightlife has nothing much to offer where you are? Ah well, I think you'll be pleased with your choice of Brighton anyway. Guess you'll be selling the hi-fi/av set-up as you'll hardly be in enough to justify have anything too elobrate once you've moved what all those the extra attractons to tempt you out of the house.

 

Re: Re: Needs must

A fair question Henry but it comes down to a bit more than that TBO. Both myself and my g/f [Lena] are pursuing a career in writing ; it's something we've dreamt of for a while and with me being made redundant back in Sept. it seemed like the perfect time to make a few changes. That hasn't quite worked out the way we had hoped and after a few slammed doors and heated conversations we came to the conclusion that the problem was here: the place we were in .

I moved to Lux 6 years ago, when the whole Offshore Investment market was about to go through the roof. I met Lena a year later and 6 months after we were living together. However, Luxembourg is a very strange place. It is very cliquey[sic], with most [but not all] nationalities sticking together and only heading out to their ex-pat bars and such. After a while it all becomes a bit tedious (same people, same nights out etc.) and with Lena being French, it was a bit hard on her as she was never really made welcome with some of the people I knew :bub:. Her best friend moved away last year and, like me, she's not working either so it's all kind of been piling up.

In the last 12 months at least 12 good friends of ours have left and the exodus shows no signs of stopping; the place is devoid of life.

So, I have a good friend that lives in Brighton and we've been overthere numerous ties and its the sort of place we need right now. We're both only 26 and life is for living . It'll be tough for both of us and concessions will have to be made...

...but [space permitting] the hi-fi won't be going anywhere . Lena knows it's material value but appreciates what it means to me and how much time I've put into building it. She also shares my healthy love for music .

But of course, the Brighton nightlife is certainly one of the reasons we opted for there (new bands, great DJ's, good music shops & only 30 mins from London) :MILD: :guiness: :SCIDB: :beamup:.

 

Re: Re: Re: Needs must

Hate to break it for you but at best it's 45 and at worst 2 hours by train, Connex, (licence revoked) and Thameslink are both staggeringly inept.

On the plus side Wax Factor have an excellent selection of used CD's

 

Hi Steve,

Yep, makes perfect sense to me what you just said.

Cliquey-ness and lack of opportunities for your aspirations are the 2 single things that would drive me away from a place too.

And what with your propsed proximity to London, you shoud have a fair few doors to knock on, even if one or two of them might get slammed shut in your face you'll always be safe in the knowledge that they'll be a fair few more.

I'm not sure how much longer I'll be staying where I am. Well, actually at least for the duration of this year, but after that... We shall see...

I haven't got a clue when it comes to British immigration, as I was born and bought up here all my life so never needed to get into the country - nor get anybody into the country either!! I seem to know more about the Australian and Chinese system (well the SAR region of Hong Kong anyway) than I do about ours.

Good luck to you and maybe see you when you've settled in! :beer:

 

Yup, the trains can be woeful at times - but that's true throughout most of the country. Took me 6 and a half hours to get from Portsmoth to Crewe once. I can fly from Heathrow to Dubai in 7 hours!

The Lanes is brilliant in the summertime - a friendly, lively place. Nothing like browsing the various record shops and a bit of a pub crawel, involving plenty of Harveys Real Ale

 

Mr vOOdOO.

HOpe all wOrks Out well. I've nOt been tO BrightOn MOself, but have mates whO've MOved their and lOve it. SOme fOr the general sOcial side, and sOme fOr reasOns which are prObably similar tO technObears

My Girlfriend's mentiOned it as sOmewhere she'd like tO settle tOO.

HOpe all gOes well mate

 

Cheers for the kind words, guys.
I already have a w/e in Brighton (apartment hunting) at the end of this month .

Keep ya posted.

 

Let the packing commence.....

Well, apartment sorted and arriving on 18th May .

After some rather dodgy [Apartment] viewings we found a nice little place down by the beach, in Hove. I say little as it is about 1/2 the size of where we are at the moment but we like it and I should be able to squeeze the gear into the livingroom with no probs . Thank gawd for Room Correction :duck:.

Started packing things up now; cables being binned and my first ever pair of speakers [Mordaunt Short MS05's] will soon have a new home in wheely bin . But they're not proper Hi_Fi anyway .

We were over in Brighton last w/e and had a great, if immensely stressful, time. The weather was and some good nights in [getting old !] were had :guiness: .

Getting there.

 

Oh come on - all you need to do is fall off a ferry and speak in umagumma and they'll give you everything on a plate for free

Seriously though Voodoo, nice one on Hove (Killer Net was filmed there - it looks ACE from that!!) and try to save the old West Pier for me, as I've never seen (what's left of) it in the flesh...

Rock and roll!

 

Cheers Dom . Hove is kind of 'The Old Folks' part of the area but that'll satisfy me and the missus as it's a bit off the beaten track, the beach is quiet there and it's just more chilled. If we want the madness (which we do ) it's just a stroll down the seafront.

I was amazed when I saw the West peir in it's new 'molten' state. I love it before it burnt down but the skeleton that's left is like the carcass of a dead whale, slumped on the beach after dying a grizzly death.

 

Well, I bid you fairwell for a few weeks as the MAC is being packed up and I've still to sort out the DSL at the new flat.

Keep it clean .

Later.

Steve

 

All the best mate! Hope everything goes through trouble free.

:beer: