South African couple planning to move to Aberdeen - Excited!

Hi Chrystal&Pieter

Welcome to Expat-Blog

Thank you

Maximilien
Expat-blog Team

Me and my partner moved to Aberdeen from NZ back in June since I got a job here and my partner got a job after looking for two weeks, so i would say there are plenty of jobs for you both. Aberdeen is quite multicultural, and I wouldn't want to say too much as it is hard to compare with anywhere else we have lived. The one thing we found extremely difficult was finding (descent) accommodation and hotels are pretty steep and booked out midweek with the oil rig shift change Tuesday/Wednesday. If you are looking to travel, Aberdeen is reasonably well connected with London and Amsterdam.

In regards to if this is the right thing to do, that is entirely up to you guys. This place isn't London, and its not Edinburgh. Its not huge and its not tiny. We are happy here so far.

That's good to know. Will be sure to organize accommodation before hand. The exchange rate between SA and UK is 16 pounds to the rand (Pretty much) so it's a BIG expensive move and i want to be sure it's worthwhile! Can anybody break down the basic living costs for me too please as well as fees that i might incur when arriving?

Thanks a mill!

Hi Crystal

I`m not here to scare monger you. Cost of living over here is quite high. For example you will be paying about R40-50 for a draught beer, but you can`t think in rand terms otherwise it will seem extortionate. The rand is weak so unfortunately you would have to just take that hit with the move over like my wife and I did.

Because you have no credit record you might have to pay 3 months rent in advance which might add up to about £1600, plus gas/electrical and council tax. So if you do look for something and can not stay with someone for the first while you could try gumtree aberdeen. there is usually private landlords which are more helpful than agencies and they might not require 3 months rent in advance.

Aberdeen seems to be good for jobs, but they do seem to ask for people with oil and gas industry experience. But don`t let that put you off. Pieter having a technical qualification should find a job. He could look at having his quals assessed by UK NARIC. Have a look at reed.co.uk and other job sites for jobs. As for admin jobs I really can not say.

It is very cold over here, so bring the warmest clothes you have.Some people say the it is not that bad, but I suspect that is just a cruel joke they try to play on us. If it was not then why do they all go to Spain for holiday

People seem to be quite friendly, but you might have to get used to the accent in the beginning. If you know what you want and yo go for it things seems to work out, so do not be scared to make the move. My wife and I moved over and we did not have much. We managed to do ok and even though I had to do all my qualifications over in Scotland, we are still better off than in RSA. It just takes a bit of perseverance and faith as with most things.

Here is a link for cost if living http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/ci … y=Aberdeen

When is it you are planning on moving?

Hello