Life and people in England

I have lived in England since my birth in 1960.
London is NOT England. It is another country. Some 26 of my relations have left the place. If you do end up there always be sure with whom you make friends and trust your most basic instincts.
The British are generally gentle and fair and take people at face value. In the north you will get more people talking to you just for the sake of talking. Queuing is a must. People do notice manners but keep quiet about it. Good employers notice if you pay attention to detail in appearance and your work.

Good luck and God bless.

I have to agree with patrick....London is NOT england....it might as well be another country. Everything else patrick said is bang on....If you are living in germany the main difference you will notice is the way we que for everything and the way we talk to each other....in germany you demand things....in england you say please can i have and then thank you. I lived in germany for two years and would say it is easier to make money here rather than there due to there stupid base rate of tax....ours is 22% instead of 50% in germany. I have german relations so if you want to know more just ask and i will get them to contact you.
i live in the south so if your thinking of moving this way message back and i can help you with references and finding housing.
happy travels
kern

Hola,
Sure, London isn't the whole story. But we should also say that, like anywhere, there are differences between City and countryside, or between small town and big city. These are differences which are just as important as those between North and South.
I teach overseas students everyday and they always comment on queuing, manners and politeness. These are all things that, as the saying goes, 'cost nothing'. So, a few moments learning about what constitutes English manners will be time well spent.
Also, my Latin American students often remark on the weather (how cold/wet it is) and that people can be a bit 'distant'. English people are warm hearted, but they are private and traditionally a bit reserved.
Maybe this is connected to our wonderful weather, too!
When I have travelled in Asia, I have found that the constant company in societies which focus on family quite tiring.
So my thoughts would be just to warn you about the weather, and remind you to prepare for how people here value politeness and privacy.
And, if you need any help with your English, please […]
Neil

Hello everyone here, happy belated New Year n crimbo.

Im Bedo from Egypt and about to move to england to live there in Sheffield, so do anyone know hows things there and hows the ppl n work.

thanks alot

Thank you all for your feedback !!! I would also like to know how good are the oportunities for foreign people to get a job... I speak native spanish, fluent (I hope) english and german, and I've got a degree. And how expensive is the life there? If I live in London or Birmingham? Does english people like south american people? and if yes why?

Happy New Year to everybody !!

jobs are hard to come by full stop at the moment....it depends on what type of work you are looking for and what skills you have. If your fluent in langauges translation work pays well and easy to come by if you dont mind traveling. Your degree will get you work.
it is expensive to live here but then since the euro Germany is bloody expensive now as well so i think you may notice you are a little better off here.
You will find that english people will like you for two reasons....one, your pretty....two, we find tanned people attractive as we are very pasty (white)....your only problem may be if you have picked up a german accent as a lot of people here are very racist towards germans because of the war :( but if you still have a south american accent you will get on great as we have a lot of foriegnors here from europe and africa but not many south americans. As islanders we can be very insular but if you talk to people they will answer but it can be difficult to make friends in the big cities....alot easier in the smaller places.
happy new year and i hope this helps.
ask anything you want....will try my best to answer

Hi,

I think that how you get on will depend not on your accent - but your attitude.

Many overseas visitors struggle to fit-in and find work over here and, sometimes, that has to do with external factors like the area they live-in or the economic climate for jobs.

But, most visitors here find work if that is what they want. Whether Russian graduates working in the gentlemen's clothing section of a department store or Spanish sociologists waiting tables in a restaurant, the jobs are there if you want them.

Most important will be to get to know a bunch of like-minded people - to make friends with and socialise with. Try universities, sports clubs, churches, language centres - anywhere that people your age or in a similar situation might hang out.

As a graduate student in Denmark, I cleaned schools, offices and factories to start with, before settling down to use my degree teaching over there for 5 years. The same is true anywhere - you might not be able to use your degree here to start with but, by doing the jobs and the shifts that local people won't do, you can make a living and have fun doing so.

It is down to attitude. And you need to be active in seeking out activities, employment and contacts...

Good luck!

Neil

Hi Bedo,

I don't know whether any of these replies have been useful.

I am not in Sheffield, but your situation will depend on why you are coming over here. Are you coming to study at university or to join family? Have you got a job lined-up already?

All of these will be crucial in how you settle in, because they can give you a circle of people to help you settle in.

But, top of the list as far as advice goes is to learn English... Keep at it - go to classes in your spare time - it really is worth it. You won't really be accepted without good English.

But, anyway, I wish you the very best of luck...

Neil

www.hello-english.co.uk

Hi Neil

Thanks for your reply

I'm moving there to live with my British wife and yeah i work in the IT career and i think my english is good as far, well i hope so lol
i want know how's people there in Sheffield and things in general if u know what i mean.

thanks for your wish and wish u the same bk

Bedo

would be nice if we lived in fairy land and everyone was lovely to each other.....truth is far from that....your accent will matter as some people are racist and can be nasty....i dont sugar coat my reponses and tell it how it is....i had a german girlfriend and know the comments she used to get.....I have lived and worked all over this country and know it like the back of my hand. i find it laughable when people seem to think there opinion has so much more validity than the next man and emplore you to take everyones opinion in to consideration....only then can you extrapolate what this country is about....we have a bad side.....we have a good side....only when you wiegh up both can you truley make an informed decision.

like i said before cvb and bedo....ask anything....i only have my views and my thruth for you :)

Thank you all for your responses !!! I think people can have different opinions and I respect all of them :) ...I hope people will be kind to me, if I ever go to England !!! Where is the best place to meet people ?? And what/where I shouldn't do/say/go there ?? Is any place dangerous ?? And do english society got an strong division in the society (high class, low, etc.)...Does a Degree means a lot there or everybody's got education?

Thank you !!! Btw my name is Claudia :)

your degree will get you work....not everyone has one here lol....the other questions you ask really depend on where you live.....if you decide to go birmingham can give you a list of areas to avoid and the same with london.....some great places.....some you DO NOT go to at night....the best place to meet people i always think will be through work and any interests you have....try not to meet people in the pub at first or you will get a closed opinoin of people lol.
When were you thinking of coming claudia? I lived in germany for two years where are you at the moment?
kern

sorry kern is my nickname lol

Thanks for your answer well I thought in living in Birmingham or London but the date I don't know yet, because as you probably know Bolivians need a visa for your country. I gotta get a work or scholarship first !! Where did you live in Germany? I lived 3 years near of Köln !! People were kind there :) Now I live again in Bolivia.

i lived all over germany but was mainly based near frankfurt....koln lovely tho....did you climb those 10,000 odd steps around the cathederal? always wanted to go to south america....been to most places around the world but only got as far as mexico.
not sure about visa....couldn't you come on holiday first? could help you find work but would need a copy of your C.V or could forward you suitable positions and you could apply yourself....probably be easeir if you were already here tho
kern

Hi :),

yes I did climb those steps !! The view its amazing I've been there in Christmas time so its wonderfull to see the Christmas Market down !!! Well I am thinking about my posibilities to go first for a holiday yes !!! Tell me how do english people celebrate Chritsmas and New Years?? I've seen the celebration in London but just in a video ...If I go in new years its gonna be really full right??

Kind Regards,

Claudia

hola
i love xmas in gemany...the xmas markets....the glu vin.....the smell of the xmas biscuits :)
god i miss germany for its fests and xmas :)
we are a tradtional country like germany so celebrate xmas with a passion...holland can be better for new year but london will be packed as will any major city with 36 hour parties going on.....even here in sleepy devon i went to a 36 hour party (see facebook page lol ) and then was invited to house parties of people i had only just met :).....let me know if your coming to england you have made a friend here already :)
hope you and family are well and look forward to talking again
if i can help i will.....everyone wants happiness but the true way to reach perfect happiness is to bring it to others :)
kern

Hi :),

Aww Thank you !! Its been some time from the last time I wrotte...I hope I can visit the UK soon !! I am a bit curius about the social system in the UK ..How does it work? Somebody told me the access to Healthcare its really good. In germany you will allways need your insurance Card but I've heard in the UK its a bit different, its that true?

Kind Regards,

Claudia