I'm considering a move to England (transferring within my current company), but would like to find out a few more details of what that would represent. I have both Canadian and Finnish citizenship (which includes an EU passport), so working visa's etc are not an issue. Some of my primary questions however are:
How does health care work? I've been happily spoiled in Canada living with OHIP - a totally government-funded health care system, whenever you need it.
Drivers' License - I have driven in the UK before with my Canadian license but it was short-term/vacation only. Will I have to get a British license when there for a longer bit?
Property Rentals - If I see a place I want to rent in Canada, I just sign a lease, and put first and last month's rent down (if that!). I'm getting the impression that there is significantly more involvement in the UK ...
Holidays and vacation - is there an amount of vacation days that is a fairly standard level (to compare, most people in Canada are around 3-4 weeks after a couple of years of experience).
I get the feeling that shipping my vehicle over would cost a small fortune; what alternatives are there? Or, has anyone shipped their car, and was it worth it?
That's probably enough to start :-) Thanks for any inputs! Any other tips are also welcome! Cheers, Suvi
The nuts and bolts of living in England!
Welcome suvi,
about health care, the British system is quite different than in Canada. Even if the NHS improved its service it is more secure to see private doctors. I suggest you to get a private health insurance, you can have a look to www.medibroker.com for more information.
about the rentals, it looks the same than in Canada...
I don't think it's interesting to ship your car, buying another one in the UK will probably be cheaper.
There is also the reality that your car will have the steering wheel on the wrong side making it more difficult and more dangerous to drive there, possibly illegal as well.
Driver's license...my Mom who lives there and has had a Canadian drivers license for years without a point off had to get a local license. Some places will transfer them automatically, but the Brits have VERY high standards and the test can be tough to pass, also because Canadian drivers licenses are granted on a provincial and territorial basis many countries will not deal with them, there are thirteen different governing bodies, so for instance here is Spain, I also have to take a test. It is not that big a deal here, study the book, take a couple of in car classes to be sure you signal correctly on the round abouts and you should be fine...
Thanks for the insights. I didn't think shipping my car would be that viable. And actually, because its a full-size truck I wonder if it would actually fit on many of the roads! :-) I'll also speak with my office re: inclusion of health care in their standard benefits as well as check-out the site posted.
Cheers
Hi Suvy,
I have been living in the UK since year 2000 so will be able to answer some of your questions.
The NHS is free (you pay it when you work with your income tax and national insurance payments), you only have your prescriptions to pay (£7.10 for each prescription). I always used the NHS (not private) and it has been fine.
For your driver's license it is good for the first 6 months ,but after you will need a British one.Contact your local DVLA (http://www.dvla.gov.uk/) and you can switch your Canadian driving license for a British one however it will only allow you to drive automatic cars. If you want a full (manual)driving license you will have to take the test which are quite hard. Also when you switch they don't take the years that you have been driving on your British driving license so your insurance assume you are a new driver and will be quite high.
Property rental, owners usually ask for references and a lot of them will do a credit check (and you will not have one as you will be new in the UK ) so they possibly will ask you for bigger deposit (from 3 -6 months deposit).
Holiday: We are quite spoiled here in the UK.
The minimum for a full time worker is:
- at the moment it is 24 days a year
- from 1 April 2009 it will be 28 days
There are 8 bank holidays in England but these can be on top of your holiday (so 24 + 8 days ) or included in the 24 days. That will be your employer who will decide.
Professional jobs usually starts with 25 days (+ 8 days bank holidays) and for example I will get an additionnal day for every 2 years that I work for them (with a maximum of 30 days)
Hope this helps
Joanne
Thanks Joanne - that is very helpful! Nice to hear about the vacation days - did you know Canada on avg has the 2nd lowest rate in the world, after China?
I've been reading about the rental situation and it is so different from Canada. The whole concept of deposits and council taxes are virtually unheard of here, and I've never been asked for a reference or a credit check. It sounds like there's alot of mistrust between landlords and tenants as well, based on some of the sites I've read - ie difficulties ever getting deposits back, etc. And of course, I'm reeling at the difference in the cost of living I'm seeing so far.
I'm sure its worth it though for the experience! Have you been enjoying your time? Thanks again.
Yes , I have been enjoying my time here. I like the fact that it is easy (and quite cheap) to travel to others countries in Europe and with all the holidays we have here there a lot of opportunities to travel. I also like walking in the country, there are thousands of paths all over in England (even on private land) where we have the right to roam (http://www.ramblers.org.uk/freedom/) , I like the pubs (and the cider !) and there is a lot of things to visit.
Concerning the rental situation, I think that if you could get a reference from your employer and maybe a reference from your landlord in Canada it would help to rent without having to give a huge deposit. It could also help if the first few months you share a flat with someone already here, that way you can try to build up some references (and credit references) and you could share all the bills). To make sure you have your deposit back, have everything in writing and go through a big company (letting agents) instead of just a landlord (owner of the property) then you will have more chance to get your deposit back.
I think the mistrust is probably because it can be quite difficult for a owner to get rid of non paying tenant (legally) so they want to make sure they can afford the accommodation.
About the cost of living, in my situation, I did not see a big difference in my lifestyle apart for going out a bit less (restaurants can be expensive here). It depends of course how much you will earn and where you will live (North-West is cheaper than the South and London). At the moment the prices of the houses are going down and I would imagine that rentals in some places will too.
Joanne
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