Introduction

I’m assuming you’re watching this because you found the website called angoltanar-angliabol.hu.  If you’re watching this on youtube, you can find the link to the website in the description below.

In this video I’m aiming to talk to you about what life is like in the UK, from the perspective of me, an average Joe… though my name is Chris… nevermind.  You’ll get it later.

Moving to the UK

At this point in time, I’ve been living in the UK for close to 8 years now.  As a technical consultant, I’ve met a wide variety of business situations and people; not to mention going through the process of buying property, managing bank and other accounts, paying the occasional fine for parking and such.

I believe there’s a country for everyone.  It may not be the one you were born in.  For me it’s the UK.  I love living here.  Though I often drive back to Hungary as part of a cross-European road trip and see all the other places Europe has to offer.

The Country of Rules and Regulations

One particular reason people moving to the UK often find themselves not having fun is all the rules and regulations there are.  People often joke that if you want to have a stroll in the countryside, you need a walking license.

Every country offers different kinds of freedoms.  The UK loves doing everything in an orderly fashion.  A good example would be that while in Hungary you can do wild camping in general, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland it’s explicitly forbidden.  You can only wild-camp in Scotland.

I find that you can read about all the rules online and I’ve only been in a handful of situations, I didn’t have a clue what was going on.  Then I proceeded to ask someone.

And here lies the issue for the majority of newcomers.  People in the UK love discussing things first.  Plan, talk then execute.  Some love it, some hate it.

I think you can tell I’m a big fan of communication.

Brexit

I moved to the UK just before Brexit.  It’s not something I planned like that, it just happened.  Brexit changed a lot regarding freedom of movement in and out of the UK.  Though since I’m a permanent resident and an EU citizen, I’m one of the annoying few who can just come and go as they please.

Now, even as an EU citizen, you’ll have to get a job offer from a company able to sponsor you and then you can get a work visa.  This makes the UK on par with countries like the US or Australia.  I hope in the future this will change.  Everyone in the UK feels the effects of Brexit.  There are quite a few key areas not having enough workers.

Owning Stuff

As I mentioned before, everything in the UK must be done in an orderly fashion.  This is great news for an idiot, such as myself.  All I need to do is follow the process and I can do anything.  This includes getting a mortgage to buy a house, finance a car or even purchasing a sailboat.  I don’t mean to show off but I do love my sailboat.  You’ll most probably see me working from it during summers.

The rule of thumb is that as long as you’re happy to follow the process and do as you’re told, you will be able to get anything you could possibly afford.

Getting by with English

I guess it must be obvious by now that speaking English is an important part of existing in the UK.  If you don’t understand something, just ask.  You won’t be told off for not knowing it.  Without being able to communicate however, you’ll struggle.

Hopefully, you got something out of this little monologue I’ve just done.  It is difficult to explain stuff one already knows but I’d like to think I manage.

Well, I hope you’ll have a wonderful rest of the day and see you later.  Cheers.