[arn]

Hi everyone.

I'm a 28 year old Kiwi physics teacher. I'm planning a move to the UK for a change of scene. It looks like jobs should be easy to find so I'm wondering where to move to. I'm trying to choose between London, Leeds and Edinburgh. My grandparents came from these places. Which city would you recommend?

[wiki]

I'm a kiwi and I lived in Leeds for three years. It's a great city with a lot going on and a pretty vibrant community. There weren't any other Kiwis around (not like in London) so you really mix with UK folk and I loved that - although there is a Walkabout pub if you want to catch the rugby!

London is okay - but a lot of kiwis end up working with NZers, living with NZers and socialising with NZers and I never saw the point in coming all this way for that. I've lived in Manchester, Leeds and now near York over 10 years.

Edinburgh is a great city too - lots of tourists, but plenty to do especially over the festival. For my money though, Leeds is more central for weekends away...

good luck!

[speckythecky]

As wiki says it depends on what you want. Scotland has the scenery and may remind you of parts of the south island.

Leeds is a very up and coming city. quite a young feel to it with lots going on, Manchester is similar but slightly more finished although looking out of my window at the moment I can see 14 cranes, so not that finished.

London is very busy, lots to do and lots of NZers and Aussies

[jubjub]

I am voting for Edinburgh, its a very pretty city (in the sunshine, looks pretty grey in the rain!) has some very impressive architecture and good night life... but make sure you get a good area for living in, and do a lot of research into the area your school will be in. Like any major city there are some pretty dodgy areas. Also its a capital city, so you will be pay bit more in rent. The festival is a riot, and living there you will be able to make the best of it too.

I have never lived in London and would never want to! From what I hear of leeds from folks that went to Uni there, they loved it, but I have never been.

There are cheap flights from Edin airport too, but you are a bit further away from the rest of the UK and europe.

*I have not actually lived in Edin though, but visited lots, and hubby worked there,...

[shalamyna]

Hi there ,

If you want kiwi company go to the Earls Court area of London where its hard to find an englishman, they are all Ozzies and Kiwis in that area.
As a teacher you may like to consider going more rural as the inner city schools can be pretty tough areas to work in.

My daughter had a New Zealand teacher and we live in a middle class area in Kent he only lasted one term, but have to say he was not up to the job.

Scotland is beautiful but beware of large numbers of east european children as they cant speak english yet and are plonked in mainstream education. One of the reasons we now have our PR.

Hope this helps,
Shalamyna

[Croft]

I'd put it like this:

Edinburgh is a Scottish city.
Leeds is a cosmopolitan British city.
London is a World City.

Depends what you want to where you go - all 3 are great but for the experience and for something that's totally unlike NZ got to London.

[Moorf]

Is there any way you could temp and then work in all three - they are all great places. Having lived in both Edinburgh and London I'd say Edinburgh if you want a friendlier place in which it's easier to get to know people with lots to do in a smaller area - London can be a bit anonymous and expensive for newcomers. Edinburgh is great at Xmas and during the Festival/Tattoo but also can be hard to find accommodation at a reasonable price, or ANY accommodation come to that!

You'll have a wider and cheaper choice of travel methods and destinations from London and Leeds, but Edinburgh / Glasgow also have great flight deals.

I have a few contacts in Edin so if you decide on there then drop me a PM.

[pinkpiggy]

Hi,

I'm Leeds born and bred and agree with what has been said about it - very cosmopolitan and lots of vibrant night life, art galleries and museums. It is very central, sitting in the middle of the country but then what's a couple of hundred miles when you've travelled halfway around the world? Like any major city there are some very dodgy areas but on the whole I can recommend it.

Likewise, I now live in Dunfermline (just across the Forth Bridge from Edinburgh) and OH works in Edinburgh and I can highly recommend that too. Both OH and I have said that Edinburgh is the only big city in the UK where we feel we could live in the city centre and still feel comfortable. There is lots of great architecture, the tattoo, the festival etc. there is always something going on. There are also lots of great musuems and art galleries to visit.

I've only been to London a couple of times so can't really comment, other than to say I personally wouldn't want to live there. It's not for me - it's just too big.

Wherever you end up I'm sure you'll have a great time.

[Rusty]

Have you thought about other cities?

Cambridge springs to mind?

[Debbie P.]

Would definitely go for temping, so you can move around a bit. All great cities in their way. Can only comment on London, but there was certainly no shortage of supply work for teachers there so it would be safe to go over on that basis.

Good luck and have a great time!

[gil]

To echo others, it does depend on what you want from the experience! Just to even things out, I notice you have looked at Englandf and Scotland, what about Wales? Cardiff is a fantastic place...http://www.visitcardiff.com/
It's a capital city too, young, vibrant and brilliantly placed for travel by air, sea, rail and road. And very friendly!

Gil

[Myrkk]

I would go for Edinburgh personally but then I was brought up just on the outskirts of it. I've lived in many other places all over the UK and none, bar Newcastle, have had the same friendly feel. Both my hubbie and BIL and MIL have lived there and all have loved it. There is always lots to do, the nightlife is fantastic. As was said before though...... watch where you live, there are some, same as any city, bad areas.

London, my OH and his brother have lived there and didn't like it. Too huge, very impersonal and expensive.

Leeds, my BIL lived there and loved it.

Cambridge, I liked but found it didn't have much to offer in way of night life.

Newcastle, loved it. People were friendly, lots to do, houses were reasonable in price and the airport has good flights.

[zardell]

Hi Arn.

Just something that I've thought about whilst reading these replies.......

Just to remind you that UK towns can be as big as (in some cases bigger) some NZ cities.

I couldn't live in a UK city.......too impersonal and far too expensive for me, however there are obviously people that love them. Everything is relative......I think it all depends on your personal needs doesn't it.

Maybe you could post your 'wish list' and that would give us an idea of your priorities, likes and dislikes.

Julie

xx

[speckythecky]

To echo Gils comments on Wales,there are some lovely places round wales. friends from nz thought that some of the scenery in mid to north wales was the closest to nz.

[KerryS]

I love London - it's a fantastic and dynamic city, with something for everyone. Wonderful history and architecture, loads of culture and you can never get bored.
Edinburgh is also fab - I lived there for a year to do my Masters degree and really enjoyed it.
Never been to Leeds, so can't comment on there as a location...

Have you considered other places too? What are your interests? There may be another place more suited to what you want.

[K&CS]

Are these the places you're considering because you have family there?

I agree that maybe a stint in each would be a good thing as you could travel round most of the country from all those places. I lived in Leeds for 7 years and can echo what others have said about it - you're also close to the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District and lots of other great places to explore. Edinburgh is beautiful and would be a good base to 'do' Scotland. My mum (from Glasgow) always said that Edinburgh was full of 'cold, unfriendly people', but that could have been something to do with the Glasgow/Edinburgh rivalry!

However, although I've never actually lived in London myself, I think if I were a kiwi moving to the UK, I'd want to have a shot at working there. It'll be very different to anything you've experienced in NZ and a really exciting place to live for a while!

Good luck

Kate

[willowshouse]

As others have said .. it really depends on where is best for you..

If you can travel and decide for yourself, that would be the best thing. For my twopennorth, and as a born and bred Geordie, I would say don't rule out London as 'just another large impersonal city'. It certainly can be, but it can also be the whole world on your doorstep. It isn't where I would like to live now but it was just what I wanted in my twenties.

Have a great trip!

Dawn

[arn]

Thank you very much for all of your answers. As you say, I should have tried to give an idea of my interests. They can be summed up as the five Gs.

Golf
Grapes (if they've been fermented ;) )
Galaxies (I’m keen on astronomy :exit )
Geneology
Girls (Preferred age: 25-28. Okay, strictly speaking it's women but women doesn't begin with G. :rolleyes: )

Don't know if that helps or just makes things impossible.

I'm looking to live in the same place for a year because I don't want to be too nomadic and live in places for just a few weeks or months before moving on. I'm hoping to live in the same city as family came from orginally. It's hard to put the reasons for this into words. It's just something I feel I want to do. I hope this helps. Thank you for you advice so far.

[Croft]

Hmm - let's try to assign some cities according to your interests...

Golf - Scotland, birthplace of Golf, so Endinburgh, but better weather to play down south so London.
Grapes - most English vineyards are in the South, so London. Also only a train ride from France via Eurotunnel, or a cheap flight from any of the 5 London airports.
Galaxies - Greenwich is a great place to go, and free! London
Geneology - most places for research are in London
Girls - London just seems to attract the worlds most beautiful women!

If you're young (20s/30s), London is definitely the way to go. It's as you settle down where it get's to damn expensive!!

[able]

I've never lived in a city but I've been to Edinburgh and London many times. My impression of London is that it can be overwhelming in terms of how busy it is and how everyone is moving around single mindedly with apparently no time to look after anything apart from number 1.

For golf, I'd definitely go to the Edinburgh area. Per person there are more golf courses in the Edinburgh area than anywhere in England and fees are usually much lower in Scotland than England.
Grapes - Presumably you mean you enjoy drinking wine in good company rather than you're aiming to do a tour of vineyards? Any city in the UK will be fine for that.
Astronomy - done mainly over the internet these days? So anywhere will do. Most cities have observatories available for enthusiasts to visit.
Genealogy - again mainly an internet activity now? London will have the records for the English side of your family and Edinburgh for the Scottish side.
Girls - I can't recall noticing differences between cities apart from different ethnic mixes. I'm sure there will be many suitable ladies wherever you head for.

More importantly I'd say go somewhere that accommodation is affordable so you'll have more hard earned cash to spend/save. Leeds or Edinbugh win there. I'd also try to get a longer term job at a school with a decent record of discipline. If you get supply work at some inner city schools, you may find your experiences in those schools could take the gloss off your stay in the UK. Best of luck whatever you choose.

[Sam B]

Where is best in the UK?

Answer - Cornwall

Sam (admittedly v biased!)

[stephenandjulie]

I've lived in Manchester, Stockport, Bristol, Exeter and Brighton. The best by far is Brighton, absolutely fabulous place to live.
Julie

[Rabbit]

Thank you very much for all of your answers. As you say, I should have tried to give an idea of my interests. They can be summed up as the five Gs.

Golf
Grapes (if they've been fermented ;) )
Galaxies (I’m keen on astronomy :exit )
Geneology
Girls (Preferred age: 25-28. Okay, strictly speaking it's women but women doesn't begin with G. :rolleyes: )

Don't know if that helps or just makes things impossible.

I'm looking to live in the same place for a year because I don't want to be too nomadic and live in places for just a few weeks or months before moving on. I'm hoping to live in the same city as family came from orginally. It's hard to put the reasons for this into words. It's just something I feel I want to do. I hope this helps. Thank you for you advice so far.

Shropshire has everything on your list including a roman vineyard.

http://www.virtual-shropshire.co.uk/gallery/wroxeter_vineyard

[bumpffslam]

"Where in the UK" is I think a very different question to "where in NZ" because there are so many more towns and cities. I think ex Brits could help you more if you stated you interests or what you are looking for.

Remember also that most UK cites are well connected by motorways nationally and and cheap lines to Europe. Eg Leeds to London is approx 200 miles or 3.5 hrs.

[aberdian]

Don't come to Aberdeen. It's grey, it rains and it's bl**dy freezing most of the time ;)

I'd echo others thoughts on London - in your 20's it's fab, lots to do, lots of people to meet,great places to eat and drink, close to the continent, but it's not somewhere I'd want to live either pre or post 20's as it's just too big/noisy/smelly/dangerous (or all the bits I lived in were - the only place in the world where someone's tried to mug me, been shot at, urinated upon from a balcony, attacked by dogs, accosted by ladies of the night, had a car set on fire in the courtyard of our flats and a drug dealer living next door - all fun and the spice of life when you're young and single but with kids it's slightly different :) )

YMMV
Ian

[Stephen Jones]

Hi everyone.

I'm a 28 year old Kiwi physics teacher. I'm planning a move to the UK for a change of scene. It looks like jobs should be easy to find so I'm wondering where to move to. I'm trying to choose between London, Leeds and Edinburgh. My grandparents came from these places. Which city would you recommend?


If you want to be able to afford somewhere to live then don't choose anywhere near London and don't live too close to Edinburgh either.

Leeds is your best bet from this list as it is an up-and-coming city (even has its own Harvey Knicks) and is becoming a 'place to be'.

Should Yorkshire not appeal then you would do worse than choose Cardiff, Bristol or Newcastle upon Tyne

Steve

[Carol]

beware of large numbers of east european children as they cant speak english yet and are plonked in mainstream education. One of the reasons we now have our PR.



lol - I had the same conversation today in the staffroom of the school I work in in NZ about the number of kids coming to NZ not speaking English!


Personally - i would say Newcastle (being from there!)
:nice1

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

Lived most recently close to, and worked in Edinburgh. Beautiful, but very expensive.

Lived for many long years in Leeds. Great vibrant 24 hour city. As much crime as any other major UK city, but you don't need to live zillions of miles from the centre to find a nice cheap enough residence.

London. Wouldn't touch it with someone elses bargepole.

Born and bred in and around Chester. Fab small city and close to Liverpool and Manchester for big nights out. Close to North Wales coast for scenery and not too far from lake district either. Plus the greatest football team on the face of the planet - Chester City in case you were wondering. I know you were.

[b&k]

All areas have their own particular charms but having lived in London for the last 9 years, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the UK. It's the best place to earn money and the easiest place to spend it.

London in my 20s was lively and fun. London in my 30s is even better as I can afford to live somewhere slightly nicer and have the spending power to do pretty much anything I like.

Also, if this is your only trip to Europe, you should visit the Continent which, although possible for anywhere with an airport, is easier from London as you have so many more flights to more places and an international train service. Incidentally, it's possible to drive from London to the Champagne region and back in a day. (If you want any wine info, PM me as I have a Diploma in wine and wide tasting experience)

Physics teachers are in short supply over here so you should have a good selection of schools from which to choose.

[dharder]

All areas have their own particular charms but having lived in London for the last 9 years, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the UK.

I second this. I think London is a great place, and even though I don't actually get out much, I like the idea of being able to whenever I want and find interesting things to do.

Daniela