Immigrating to the UK

[Dave]

Christ, this has me worried. I'm busy finalising a work offer from the UK but it's even lower than that (quite a bit ). But honestly, I'm looking for a way into the UK and see it as short term pain for long term gain...am I being crazy?

It's OTT advice. You can live on a lot less than £65k pa in most
areas outside the south east, imo it isn't even that bad a salary even in the south east, unless you have an extravagant lifestyle.

What area would you be moving to?

 

[JSRJJ]

expensive houses
Expensive electricity
Expensive rates and taxes zone wise
Smaller houses
Minimal wardrobe/cupboards
No garden
No pool
No helper
Free medicine
Free school

Minus crime and *%#* South Africa is the best place.

 

[Messugga]

I'd say it's a reasonable salary for most of the northern cities, unless you have some seriously expensive tastes.

Depends on what you need. If you're looking at a one or two bedroom apartment? Sure, then it's fine. If you need to pay for childcare and everything that goes along with having a family? It'll get a bit tight and you won't be able to save much.

 

[killerbyte]

It's OTT advice. You can live on a lot less than £65k pa in most
areas outside the south east, imo it isn't even that bad a salary even in the south east, unless you have an extravagant lifestyle.

What area would you be moving to?

I stay in Aylesbury, which I believe is part of the South East.

 

[Dave]

I stay in Aylesbury, which I believe is part of the South East.

I probably should have said London, rather than south east. Rent can eat up a lot of your salary there.

 

[Dave]

expensive houses
Expensive electricity
Expensive rates and taxes zone wise
Smaller houses
Minimal wardrobe/cupboards
No garden
No pool
No helper
Free medicine
Free school

Minus crime and *%#* South Africa is the best place.

Are you speaking from personal experience or is this just your opinion?

 

[Dave]

Depends on what you need. If you're looking at a one or two bedroom apartment? Sure, then it's fine.

Why?

You can have a decent 3 bedroom house with garden and driveway in Leeds for £895 pm.

This was literally the first link in my search.

Check out this 3 bedroom house for rent on Rightmove

3 bedroom house for rent in Hillfoot Crescent, Pudsey, West Yorkshire, UK, LS28 for £895 pcm. Marketed by Linley and Simpson, Pudsey

www.rightmove.co.uk

 

[syntax]

I wouldn't want to live in any of the cities.
At my current cost of living, and since that job is only 30min drive from home, I would be able to save £2k each month after all my costs.

It depends on your age and what you are looking for. I loved the city when I was younger, when i returned now I wouldnt want to live there. I am in a bit of a smaller country side type place, it is quiet and easy going.
Travelling into the city is brutally expensive and you lose so much time, so work from home makes a huge difference.
Really depends on what you looking for out of here, but 65k can be pretty good if you want it to be.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I spend £120 on food

How?

We spend £650 on food every month. Best we've ever managed was £400.

What do you eat? If you don't mind me asking.

 

[syntax]

expensive houses
Expensive electricity
Expensive rates and taxes zone wise
Smaller houses
Minimal wardrobe/cupboards
No garden
No pool
No helper
Free medicine
Free school

Minus crime and *%#* South Africa is the best place.

Really depends what you after and all pricing is relative. Housing is expensive, but I find eating at home really cheap. Eating out is brutal as is any alcohol.
I have a decent sized garden and my house size, whilst smaller than SA, isnt bad at all.
Maybe it is still a novelty, but there is just so much to do here, travel is really easy, not everything works, but it works a ton better than SA.
In general I find people more useful and friendly and the overall atmosphere quite pleasant.

Everyone brings up the weather, to be honest it hasnt gotten to me. Spring hitting now, I can soon finish work, play 18 holes and still be home. Kids walk to school, ride their bikes and scooters, they arrange to meet friends and socialize in a much more free way.

Although everyone saying a recession, it doesnt feel like my savings, pension or anything else is going to be eroded away like the Rand has. Maybe it is my mental mindset change, but I have more free time, work life balance is so much better than it was, I've seen amazing concerts, done tons of events.

I miss parts of SA, but its more parts of an old life I think and less the country.
Crime isnt the only problem in South Africa and we all know it. Maybe in 15 or 20 years I will come back, but Im not counting on it

 

[syntax]

How?

We spend £650 on food every month. Best we've ever managed was £400.

What do you eat? If you don't mind me asking.

Yeah, at best on my own I could get it down to £140, but with family and cleaning products and everything else, it is around £550

 

[killerbyte]

How?

We spend £650 on food every month. Best we've ever managed was £400.

What do you eat? If you don't mind me asking.

Well I am a single guy.
On Sunday I went shopping and bought 1kg of boneless chicken thighs, 1kg of mince, and then proceeded to cook up 12 days worth of food (chicken curry and savoury mince). It all cost me 40 quid.
But that doesn't include the cost of the pasta and rice that I will need for those meals. So another 5 quid there.
I buy a 1kg box of cereal once every 2 weeks, milk and bread once a week, and I take ham and cheese sandwhiches to work every day that I do go to the office.
I have even seen a carnivore diet I am keen to try that works out to be 4-5 quid a day (3 meals a day).

Food in the UK is pretty cheap, if you aren't shopping at Waitrose and M&S.

 

[cguy]

expensive houses
Expensive electricity
Expensive rates and taxes zone wise
Smaller houses
Minimal wardrobe/cupboards
No garden
No pool
No helper
Free medicine
Free school

Minus crime and *%#* South Africa is the best place.

You get what you pay for - there is a reason SA is cheaper. On the other hand, many people get a massive salary boost in the UK, which negates a lot of the above.

 

[killerbyte]

expensive houses
Expensive electricity
Expensive rates and taxes zone wise
Smaller houses
Minimal wardrobe/cupboards
No garden
No pool
No helper
Free medicine
Free school

Minus crime and *%#* South Africa is the best place.

You see its the extremely reduced risk of my GF and daughter getting raped and murdered that appeals to me. The fact that there is a postal system that works, extreme cheap mobile phone plans (You can pay 6 quid and get unlimited calls - you basically pay for data), government systems that work, 3.5% unemployment rate. Did I mention the fact that my GF stands a better chance of not getting raped and murdered?

 

[Dave]

You can pay 6 quid and get unlimited calls - you basically pay for data

On occasion you can pay as little as 1p a month and get unlimited calls, texts and some data (12GB last time I got one) for 6 months.



I'm currently paying 1p for unlimited calls/text and 3GB as a back up data line on an eSim (again valid for 6 months).

 

[Sinbad]

On occasion you can pay as little as 1p a month and get unlimited calls, texts and some data (12GB last time I got one) for 6 months.



I'm currently paying 1p for unlimited calls/text and 3GB as a back up data line on an eSim (again valid for 6 months).

The lengths you'll go to in order to afford am extra 6 pack of tennants...

 

[Dave]

The lengths you'll go to in order to afford am extra 6 pack of tennants...

It's a second sim, for the odd occasion when my EE sim doesn't have signal and I can piggyback wificalling on the EE sim from the o2 eSim.

For 1p a month it's hardly going to break the bank.

 

[shadow_man]

I currently earn £37k pa (it was the first job I could get - all the others weren't keen because I wasn't in the UK already.)
I then clear £2432 every month. Because I rent a room its ****ing expensive, so its £775 with en suite, internet and electricity. I spend £120 on food, I spend £12 on my prepaid SIM, and £60 on insurance for my car, and another £8.99 on Amazon Prime.
I send £700 back to SA (debts, maintenance, etc) and I bank £600. This leaves me with about £156 for fun money, its not a lot but I am trying to build up a nest egg so I would rather save more and spend less.
So if I get this job then I will be keeping my costs the same, just able to save at least £1500 each month.

Man that’s madness.

Could earn more in SA. Used to be UK salaries were many multiples above SA.

That and you’re being ripped off, that’s low end desktop support money.

 

[Fuma]

I'm 42 software dev (.net space). Never been outside SA. How is the job market in the UK? I feel like I won't struggle that much to settle in the UK compared to other countries. I intend on getting some experience/certs in Azure/AWS to be more marketable.

 

[Priapus]

I'm 42 software dev (.net space). Never been outside SA. How is the job market in the UK? I feel like I won't struggle that much to settle in the UK compared to other countries. I intend on getting some experience/certs in Azure/AWS to be more marketable.

Well, Software programming is on their skills shortlist. So, it's very in demand.

The difficult part is finding a company to sponsor your visa. Unless of course you have a different path to entry.