Hello! I have a job offer with one of the universities in Scotland and my wife and I are still in the early stages of deciding everything. We are from the US never having lived outside the country. We visited Glasgow last year and just fell in love with both the city and the country. My wife has ancestry dating back several hundred years and we had discussed possibly relocating a few years ago. We have two school aged children and they came with us to Scotland last year and they enjoyed it as well.
I don't know where to begin on the visa paperwork. What scares me some is the sheer cost of visas and the IHS Surcharge. Now that I know what my salary will be we've been setting a potential budget for expenses. When looking at possible locations for a flat or a house we would like to be within walking distance to the kids school, and walking distance to public transportation for me. We are going to try to go without the need of a car for as long as possible.
I got a hold of one letting agency but was told since we wouldn't me moving until late August there's nothing they can show us or tell us. We have 4 cats whom I'd really rather have them come with us if possible. Are any landlords in Glasgow pet friendly? I don't mind paying an extra deposit.
Are the schools in Glasgow really good? We will be leaving a really good school district in the US if we do this.
Thank you in advance!
Possibly relocating to Scotland
Hi and welcome to the Forum.
I kind of agree with you; the thing that would kill it for me is that the visa is only for a maximum of 5 years and 14 days; after which, you can apply to remain, but there is no guarantee of a successful outcome. Also, these are what I call "political visas", in as much, the Government of the day can change the rules at will, so you face the possibility at the end of your tenure of having to return to the US. That for me would be the thing to make me think perhaps this is not a good deal; if I was being asked to invest all this money, I would expect some kind of guarantee at the end.
As for schools, in general, the Scottish education system was regarded quite highly, certainly, the qualifications were held in high regard (the Scots and English/Welsh systems are different).
Long-range letting is difficult, decent rental accommodation is always in short demand and landlords can always find tenants, so they have no interest in reserving something for you. My advice would be for you to come over first and physically see the housing for yourself - there are too many scammers out there to risk your money on something that may not exist. Perhaps the Uni has some tied residences you could use temporarily?
Scotland itself has its good and bad points, Glasgow is similar, most of Scotland lives in a belt that runs from Glasgow to Edinburgh, the further away from the 2 cities you live, the cheaper the housing; you just have to weigh the good and the bad I guess.
If you have any further specific questions, please come back to us.
Hope this helps.
Cynic
Expat Team
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