England or Norway?

[enas]

To the people who used to live in Norway and moved to live in England..

How did you find living in England ? Is it better?

 

[Kanskje snart? *igang igjen *]

I'll jump on this one too, as we might move to england in May...

[2 gutter og 1 jente]

I moved to UK to be with my boyfriend when we had just met. In the beginning I liked it, but after 9 months I couldnt wait for us moving to Norway together. He is british, and he likes it a lot better in Norway then UK.... Think we will stay here.

[Anonym bruker]

Well, I'm English and have lived in Norway for years and there are advantages and drawbacks to living in both countries.

 

Any particular issues you were thinking of?

[Kanskje snart? *igang igjen *]

What I was thinking of was the cost of living versus salaries, NHS system, Crime etc...?

[MathildeC]

I lived in London for many years, but live in Norway now. There is a huge difference living in London and living somewhere else in England, where are you thinking of moving?

I loved England and most brits, and am marrying an Englishman soon (he was also the reason I moved there originally). However, living in London can grind you down, and it is expensive. You have to have quite good jobs to have an easy life in London (preferable a car with a chaffeur :-)))) ). Jokes aside, I love England but find living in Norway is lots better. You have fresher air and the nature and bla bla bla but also with two ok salaries here we suddenly felt incredibly rich and we have LOTS more to spend every month after expenses. Buying a place here is lots cheaper for instance.

It all depends on your job and where you live I'd say.

Healthcare - I think NHS is probably good, but don't have much experience with it. I had private healthcare through work and that was very good as I needed hospitalisation at some point.

As a conclusion I would encourage anyone to live in England for some time, as it is a fantastic place with lots of interesting and nice people, but when it comes to settling down Norway can't be beaten (in my personal opinion).

Good luck and have fun!!

[nybebis]

Hello.

I lived in England for many years too ( 9 years). I really enjoyed it and loved the people, but when my student days were over and I started work I knew that having children in the UK and still being a working mum would be impossible! My husband and I did not make enough money to live on one income only, so we decided to move to Norway.( I knew some parents that had to work night-shifts in order to survive..)

Family life is easier in Norway, but alot quieter I suppose. My husband misses a few things, but much preferres life in Norway to life in the UK .I would recomend moving to the UK only if you can be a stay-at home mum for the first few years. If not, stay in Norway and enjoy the benefits from the state. And there is alot more understanding from the place you work regarding sick days, overtime etc.

Good luck!

 

Ingvild- venter barn i begynnelsen av august.

[Kanskje snart? *igang igjen *]

Not sure where we'll end up in England yet, and I would prefer Norway anyway, but my husband wants me to try UK first.. As we are trying for a baby, I guess maybe financially things would be better in Norway once the baby is here (if we get there)... ?

Everything seems sooo expensive in the UK tho, and as I propably won't have a job at first, I think money will be really tight... Hmm not sure I wanna go over there now... Might have to work on the hubby a bit more and convince him Norway is better... Altho he is worried about not speaking the lingo (Norwegian)

[nybebis]

Hello again.

Do you guys live in Norway at the moment?

My husband and I have lived here for two years now, and it wasn't until about 6 months ago that my husband started learning Norwegian properly.( We have a job where everything is done in English, which helps, but it can also be a disatvatage as you don't have to learn the language) I know he sometimes finds it hard and misses his friends, but he still prefers it here to the UK. And remember that there are alot of English people living and working here so it's possible to make friends with people in the same situation.

I don't know how important a career is to you, but my advice is, if it is, to stay here in Norway.It will allmost surtainly be impossible to work the way they expect you to in the Uk and be a mum. ( I have experience in this. My boss wouldn't even let me got to the mid-wife when I was pregnat because "it was my probelm, not his"....)

Anyway, good luck with the decision!

[Kanskje snart? *igang igjen *]

We are living in Belgium at the moment..But will most likely go to UK in May..While I am trying to convince my Hubbie to come to Norway with me, as I don't really fancy UK much. Yes have hear it is a lot of work for little money over there, and the cost of living is fairly high..

I want to be a working mum, the plan is (in a perfect world) that I will work after the baby, and he will stay at home to look after it. (if we can afford to do that that is..)

 

A lot to think about for sure,,, Are you Norwegian then I take it?

 

Thanks for all the answers

[nybebis]

Hello.

Yes, I am Norwegian. I think my husband and I would have stayed in the UK if we could have afforded it, meaning me staying home with our kids. It's a great place for opportunites, but like I said not for family life!

Remember that working hours in the UK are usually from 9-18, and overtime is usually expected even though you don't have extra work. And the traffic is bad, so we were home at 6.30-7 at the earliest every day. And this does not work well with kids that go to bed around 7!

Another thing aswell, kindergardens in the UK can cost up til 900 Pounds a month. And the staff are usually not educated.

These are the points that made us move. Here we can pick our daughter up from kidergarden at 3.15 every day without getting and trouble from the boss. Maternity leave was 12 months and I even had two hours off everyday for breastfeeding after the 12 months.In Norway you aslo get 10 sick days each for the child payed. This would be unheard off in the UK.

I know I am negative about the Uk, but Norway is by far a better place to strat a family!

Again, good luck with the desision :0)

[alltid anonym]

We are a Norwegian family living in England. This is our 2.year here. My boyriend is working while l'm home with the kids. l'm a pre school teacher and if i should work full time in a nursery would this mean 42.5 hours a week.Our eldest is at school, but she would need before and after school, and the little one would need full time nursery school. This is very expensive! I would have no time with the children..I am so glad that we don't need two wages, but a lot of familys do.

 

We are having a really good time here, and the kids are setteld. But we will evetually move back to Norway. So to your question, l would prefer Norway!!

[Kanskje snart? *igang igjen *]

hehe, might have to show this to the hubbie.. I would like Norway too..Don't mind trying UK for a while, but I don't think I wanna spend the rest of my life there.. Seems everything is quite poor quality: bad teachers, dirty hospitals, high crime, etc.

 

Must say one thing tho..do like the shopping over there..hehehe..

[nybebis]

Hehe, me too! Shopping in the UK is great!! We lived in Leeds the last two years, and the shopping was fantastic! Everything you want with less stress than London. So if you get a chance to go up north, try Leeds ;0)

[Leo's mum is doing fine :o)]

I definatly prefer norway to england, norway is much healthier, with the nature, air, food, etc, also the economy is better here, easier to buy property, easier to live.

 

I lived in england for a little while, it was almost impossible to get a bank account, the salary was awful the rent was sky high! the polution the population! hehe I am from New Zealand, but i definatly missed norway when i lived in england )

 

there are pros and cons with both places but i think that there are much more pros with norway, well with the things that i look for in a country hehe there are more shops in england, but jesus there are always internet stores etc

 

 

[Månestråle85]

NORWAY!!!!!!!!!! I'm from Norway, but have lived in London for a year and a half now. I absolutely hate it, pay is less, rent is insane and the weather is grey. And tapwater tastes like shit, so I actually have to buy water. Riddiculus... Only reason I'm staying is that I have to live with my fiancee for 2 years before he can move to Norway with me (he's from India)

 

Also, the pollution here is crazy.. I have asthma, but when I'm in Norway I don't notice it. Here, I get sick ALL the time, because of the polluted air. Horrible.

 

But there are 2 pluss sides with England as well though. The NHS system is quite good, everything is free, only prescription medicine is £6 (about 70 kr or so). But I have gotten free prescription medicine from the hospital as well.

 

The other thing is that food is quite cheap. Tesco has a great value range, and you can get 400 grams of minced meat for about 60 pence (7 kr!!) Nowhere in Norway can you get that, hehe..

 

But food is not very good down here. Almost everything in the store is readymade, even sauces. And all they have are different variations of pastasauce and different curries. Thank God for my mum, who sends me norwegian food every so often

 

Sorry, this got a little bit out of hand, did'nt mean to rant on like this. I just really dont like London A little tip from me; move up north if you move to England, like Leeds or so. Leeds is a lovely place, and less stressful than London. And so much cheaper!

[enas]

I already live in London now,but I'm thinging about moving back to Oslo..

The thing is that I'm not originally Norwegian,However I can speak Norwegian so as my husband because we used to live in Norway.The problem with our two children who are 6 and a half,five and a half and they can only speak English and Arabic..We are concerned about them and How they are going to cope.People are telling me that they will do fine,because they are still young.

Anyway we are still thinking..Because this time if we move to Norway we can't afford it coming back here in London..

Where do you live in London by the way?

 

[enas]

Thinking not thinging sorry hehehe

[Fridulf]

I live in Sheffield and I am dying to move back to Norway with my boyfriend before the baby comes in September!

 

I just don't like the culture here. More nasty people. And they see love in a different way.

 

But then again, not all of them. There are polite and lovely englishmen too, like my boyfriend:)

[Akershus36]

Don't have much time, but it seemed sooo negative towards the UK, that I had to say a little bit!

I stayed in Glasgow for over 10 years, and I loved it! Moving back to Norway was SO HARD! Lots of buraucracy and unfriendly people everywhere!

Mind - I didn't have kids, wouldn't have a clue about cost of raising a child there. Also, the 3 months maternity leave isn't great.

BUT - the people are!! It's much easier to make friends and working there isn't all that bad. I'm in computing, and I feel as much obliged to do free overtime here as I did there

 

My penny's worth...

[Anonym bruker]

I don't think anyone are negative to british people!! I have stressed in what I wrote that the people are lovely, and there are lots of opportunitys, but it is only "easy" if you're child-less!! I had a wounderful life all the years I lived in the UK, but I would NEVER have childern there unless my husband was rich enough for me to stay at home and me not having to work night-shift in order to survive.

 

[Kanskje snart? *igang igjen *]

Yes I don't mind the people, and I would imagine Glasgow is different..I would definately NOT want to go to London!!! I am willing to try UK, but do not want to spend the rest of my life there, and for sure, not buy a shouse there as the prices are insane!!!

I hope of course we don't have to go full stop, and that I in the meantime can convince the hubbie that Norway is better..hehe.

[miaogbell]

We have just moved to Norway. My husband is British, I am Norwagian and our children were born in Cambridge. I lived in the UK (London and Cambridge) for 10 years and love Britain. I spent most of my adult life there and it is not all that different to bring up children there and here. It all depends where you live and which friends you make, We did move to Norway in the end as both my husband and I love skiing (alpine and crosscountry), sailing and outdoor activities. By living in Oslo we can go to work and go skiing in the afternoon. Which is impossible in the UK as working hours are much longer and mountains few and far between. My husband would not be home until 19.00 the earliest in the UK, however as a teacher I could pick my daughters up in nursery by 16.00 so not to bad. Nursery fees is another problem in the UK, we paid £700 per month approx 9000,- per child! 18 000,- all in all.

 

Our experience is that Norway is easier with children, lots of support. However Norway is small and Norwegians think the 'Norwegian way is the only way'. Quite annoying and closed minded when you know they have nothing to compare to... But we are here to stay! My answer is, if you move to the UK, enjoy, have an open mind. Brits are very friendly. You may never want to move back. I never until I had children.

[Sinah]

We moved from Norway to Ireland when our daughter was 6. After 4 months she was comfortable in English, and after a year she was more or less fluent. So the language won't be a problem, unless you move to an area where they can speak Arabic with most of their friends...

[Anonym bruker]

Think I'm gonna have to defend England a little bit here! I'm Norwegian, married to an englishman & have lived in the south-west of England for 7 years. I've got a 9 month old baby & have recently discovered that I

am expecting my second!

 

First of all, London is very very very different from the rest of the country!! I live in a medium sized city which is really friendly, and with much less pollution than Oslo at least.... I don't think I'd ever want to live in London personally as it's just way too big and stressful for me, but I'm very happy where I am now. So if you're thinking about moving over here, look into the various parts of the country as there are some really wonderful places that are close to nature (although skiing opportunities aren't very good!).

 

As for finances I don't think you're any worse off with general salary vs. living costs over here. Food is an awful lot cheaper and I find that there is so much more choice here than in Norway - whenever I go home to visit I struggle to find a lot of the things I get here, and am always amazed at the cost! Bills etc. aren't that different I don't think, it's cheaper to buy a car, and houses/rent can be cheaper or more expensive depending on where you live, it's worth checking house prices before you move.

I agree that you're probably a fair bit better off with young children in Norway, especially if you want to stay at home. However, they've improved quite a few things over here recently. You get 12 months maternity leave, 9 months paid (though not as much as in Norway) and 3 months unpaid. You also get child benefit and child tax credits/working tax credits (unless you or your partner is earning a lot). Not a lot, but it helps.

Nurseries can be expensive but again, unless you're earning a lot then you do get support to cover the costs. When your child is 3 you get a free nursery/pre-school place for them for a part of the week (haven't found out how much yet!).

If you do go back to work after the 12 months you have a right to apply for flexible working, e.g. reduced hours or job share. I think it depends quite a lot on your employer how nice they are to you though. I work for the local council (=kommunen) and they're absolutely brilliant, extremely flexible.

 

Although not all hospitals are as nice and modern as they are in Norway I have been really impressed with the NHS so far. The support I got whilst pregnant was excellent, the hospital I gave birth in was as well. All prescriptions and dental treatment is free until your baby is 1.

 

so basically, I've decided to stay for the foreseeable future...... There are plenty of reasons why I'm not that keen on going back to Norway but I won't go into that.....