OT - Leaving Wales for work

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

You may not be able to make such a move in future due to a relationship, children etc. - and as others have opined, you can always move back after giving it a whirl. It's great experience to move away from one's home environment. I moved abroad at 20 and I think I can say that it changed my life and broadened my mind.

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Some good replies from people who have been in your position, I have done the same and am greatful I took the risk and opportunity's when I did.

Life and work are a ladder, you start at the bottom where it’s pretty safe and steady, but it gets boring, and your lifestyle will stay pretty poor unless you try and work your way up. You're ready for the next step and you'll need to keep moving up and stepping out of your comfort zone in the future, if you want a nice house and to provide for your future family.

What I like about your situation is that you’re moving from a boring job that anyone can do, to a skilled future proof job and the need for your role and experience is likely to grow significantly, whereas computers and robots will take over the majority of your existing work at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Once qualified the World is your Lobster and you can either come back to Wales or travel the World as your skills will be in demand, just do it and don't look back, you'll soon make new friends!

[North Cardiff Blue]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Some good replies from people who have been in your position, I have done the same and am greatful I took the risk and opportunity's when I did.

Life and work are a ladder, you start at the bottom where it’s pretty safe and steady, but it gets boring, and your lifestyle will stay pretty poor unless you try and work your way up. You're ready for the next step and you'll need to keep moving up and stepping out of your comfort zone in the future, if you want a nice house and to provide for your future family.

What I like about your situation is that you’re moving from a boring job that anyone can do, to a skilled future proof job and the need for your role and experience is likely to grow significantly, whereas computers and robots will take over the majority of your existing work at some point in the not-too-distant future.

Once qualified the World is your Lobster and you can either come back to Wales or travel the World as your skills will be in demand, just do it and don't look back, you'll soon make new friends!

Grateful lol

[JamesWales]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Sorry for the random post, but always get good insights from you guys.

I have the opportunity to move for a new job, and I am conflicted.

Current situation:
Single / No kids / 27 years old / Porthcawl

Work for the council, it is an okay job, low stress, sociable hours, but I find it boring.
salary 23k a year opportunity to increase to 28k in 2-5 years.

I have a good social life, play footy twice a week, golf with friends every weekend and Cardiff season ticket / Wales games. And live near my parents / sister + neice's

-------------

Opportunity.
Become an off-shore wind turbine engineer, free accommodation in Cumbria. 24k for 2 years then 45k salary

It is a career / industry that I am genuinely passionate and excited about. Very competitive recruitment process which I am grateful to get

But worried I would be isolated / regret leaving family and friends.

Do it!!

Plusses:
£24k with free accommodation is a big payrise
£45k after 2 years is a very big payrise
It's a growing industry that should be here for a long time
It's something different, somewhere different.
Carlisle may not be Las Vegas, but it has a nightlife and people - Glasgow is also close enough and thats an amazing place.


Minuses:
You'll probably miss home, but you can always come back anyway

[TexasBlue]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Whenever I have a 50/50 decision I use the “regret the things you did and not the things you failed to do” approach. I lived in Canada 20 years ago and have just moved back to the UK from the USA. Have made friends for life and had a blast too.

[Wales-Bales]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

It's fecking miserable up there

You may as well live in Iceland

Stay put

He is still single, and the sheep in Cumbria are beautiful.

[JamesWales]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Whenever I have a 50/50 decision I use the “regret the things you did and not the things you failed to do” approach. I lived in Canada 20 years ago and have just moved back to the UK from the USA. Have made friends for life and had a blast too.

Admin, please ensure this gentleman changes his user name within the next 21 days.

[WJ99mobile]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

The potential difficulty, I forsee with this particular opportunity, will be whether you can sacrifice your family/friends and social life for just an extra £1k during the initial two year period?

You're probably going to be part of a small team, what happens if you find you've got nothing in common or simply don't get along with the others?
All well and fine in a normal situation, whereby you can finish work at the end of the day and go home and unwind. However, for sure, you and your small team will be sharing accommodation - which leads to another question... in a rural costal area, what will that accommodation be exactly.... a portacabin?

I found myself in a similar situation to you in 2003. I left my job in South Wales to move to London on a two year contract.
Friends said I was crazy to pack in my job that I'd held for 23 years, for a relatively short-term employment opportunity.
My salary 3x in London doing exactly the same work, but it wasn't mainly about the money, I knew I had to make a change or otherwise I'd never get out of the rut I was in.
I can honestly say it was the best decision I have ever made.

Alan I live a few doors from my friends and feeling more and more isolated as peoples lives change

Every situation is what you make of it and I would relish the chance to have my time over

[ToTaL ITK]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Moved from Cardiff 1979 to London, got a job within two weeks. After nine years in London moved to Sweden.Got a job after 4 weeks.
Six weeks on the dole compared to you lot that spend a life time on it..Kidding

[Charles Bukowski]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Go for it.
You only regret things you don’t do.
Gaining new experiences, and travelling is the best thing you can do.

[William Treseder]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Many yrs ago, when i was 20, i had the opportunity to move to Sth Africa, and work for my college lecturers brother, who had a successful building company there.
I had no ties at the time, and the prospect excited me. When it came to decision time though, i bottled it a bit, and didn’t go.
I’ve had a good life living and working in Cardiff, and have never regretted the decision. I’ve refused to think too much about it over the yrs, as i’ll never know now how it would have worked out, and it would be negative thinking.
What ever you decide, stick with it and don’t have any regrets. Good luck either way 👍

[blue matt]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

as people are giving life examples, here is mine

I was working as a carpenter for a builder in Barry, a top bloke, we got on well, he had a son a few years younger than me who was " training " to take over the day to day running of the company one day, the lad was also ok, I had always planned to work a little after I had done my HNC in building and go backpacking around the world, I worked for a few years and was ready to go ( it was no secret my plans, I was always honest with the boss ) when it was time for me to go, he was disappointed and said he " had hopes I would stay and forget the travelling plans " , I hadn't, so he then offered me a partnership in the building company, 33% of it if I stayed, of course this was very tempting, it really was, nice money, a decent job with decent blokes and a future in life, but the lure was huge to go backing packing, get out of the rave scene I was heavily into, drink loads of beer, meet girls and end up surfing the best breaks in Australia,

I bottled it, I went backpacking and did the irresponsible thing and didnt think about my future, honestly it was a blast, the best time of my life

[Wozza16]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

I'd give it a go mate, I went to Canada to work for only 6 months and had plans to come back to Wales and go to uni afterwards. 6 months turned into 12 months, I came back for 2 years but had a huge urge to go back as I had another visa that was available to me.

So all in all I ended up in Canada for 3 years, met an awesome Australian girl, we've lived in Wales, NZ and now living in Melbourne. Bit of a crazy route to get here but it's an amazing place. We would like to move back to Wales for a few years at some point so the option is there.

Seems like you're worried about the distance but it's all subjective, to me Cumbria to Wales is like living down the road, distance is a huge problem for us but the world is growing smaller by the year and we are lucky we are able to visit (will be my third trip to Wales in less than 12 months in a few months time), Qantas are introducing direct flights from London to Melbourne/Sydney in a couple years so will shave another 10-20% of the travel time off.

As mentioned by others you can always just move back home, really no shame in that.

[Des Parrot]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

Lots of good advice throughout the thread, summarised as don’t regret it.

[WJ99mobile]

Re: OT - Leaving Wales for work

I'd give it a go mate, I went to Canada to work for only 6 months and had plans to come back to Wales and go to uni afterwards. 6 months turned into 12 months, I came back for 2 years but had a huge urge to go back as I had another visa that was available to me.

So all in all I ended up in Canada for 3 years, met an awesome Australian girl, we've lived in Wales, NZ and now living in Melbourne. Bit of a crazy route to get here but it's an amazing place. We would like to move back to Wales for a few years at some point so the option is there.

Seems like you're worried about the distance but it's all subjective, to me Cumbria to Wales is like living down the road, distance is a huge problem for us but the world is growing smaller by the year and we are lucky we are able to visit (will be my third trip to Wales in less than 12 months in a few months time), Qantas are introducing direct flights from London to Melbourne/Sydney in a couple years so will shave another 10-20% of the travel time off.

As mentioned by others you can always just move back home, really no shame in that.

As someone that wanted to move to Aus but never could convince my wife, why would you want to come back