7 Things You Should Know About Living in England – Pros And Cons After 7 Years Of Living Here

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which means I earn a small commission if you purchase or book through my link, at no extra cost to you.

7 years ago, on 15 May 2015, I set my foot on a plane for the first time in my life and moved to the UK. It was the culmination of a dream I had for years. I’ve never left my home hometown on my own before, let alone move permanently. I knew that this adventure was bound to be crazy, but I’d never expected where it would lead me.

I underestimated how difficult it is to live abroad, far away from your family and friends. When you’re struggling, you have no one to support you. People usually can’t understand what you’re going through unless they’ve lived abroad for some time too. I’m not able to count how many times I questioned whether I did a right thing by moving to the UK. I used to think about moving back to Poland often, but once you spend a few years abroad, your home country will no longer feel like home.

Living in a foreign country often makes you feel like bad things outweigh the good ones. When you feel lonely and have no friends or family to support you, it’s easy to get lost in your pessimistic thoughts.

That’s why today I wanted to share with you pros and cons of living in England I’ve noticed during the last 7 years I spent here. I want to show you that there are a lot of positives too. Let’s get started!

Pros and Cons of Living in England

Healthcare

Everyone has a different opinion about the healthcare system in the UK, although most of it is quite negative. I come from a country where the healthcare system is also “free” – you don’t have to pay for a private insurance to avoid the enormous cost of visiting a doctor. If you think NHS is bad, you should see how terrible it’s in Poland, where you have to queue outside the surgery to book an appointment, prescriptions are very expensive, and often you need to wait a couple of years to see a specialist.

I’ve heard that people struggle a lot to make an appointment at the surgery, but I’ve never had such issues, no matter where I lived. Even during the pandemic, I could book an appointment easily. Only after we moved back to Kent, we had troubles finding GP surgery to register. That’s the only thing we struggled with.

I like the fact that prescription cost set amount of money. This solution is reasonable and helps to keep cost down. One thing I really can’t comprehend is prescribing antibiotics for almost anything, often doing no tests prior.

Racism

Knowing the history of the United Kingdom, and the amount of immigrants living here, I’d never expect Brits to be racists. I moved to England over a year before the Brexit referendum so I’m sure people didn’t become xenophobic and racists over night. Brexit just amplified those behaviours. Many people behave like they’re better just because they were born in the UK. I’ve heard snarky comments about my nationality many times, and it usually came from my colleagues. My boss tried to force me to speak English just “because we’re in England”. It can be really difficult to find a job or even keep it when you’re being treated unfairly, and it’s clear that you’re not welcomed there.

• Save

Weather

I learned in school that there are two types of weather in England: rainy and foggy. I still have a vivid image embedded in my mind of the Big Ben covered in fog with puddles everywhere around. My first trip to London was very confusing – it was sunny during the entire stay there!

People complain about the weather so often, and I don’t understand why. Sure, the weather up north can get bad. Time spent in Liverpool showed me how it is to have a constant rain for two weeks straight. Other than that, I can’t find any reasons to complain about the weather here. I used to cycle 9-12 miles one way to work for almost 2 years. It would be impossible to do if it would rain constantly, wouldn’t it? The weather in England is great, especially in the south. I love how sunny and warm is in Kent!

Public transportation

Public transportation system is impressive in the UK. I’ve always been in awe of that, especially coming from Poland, where trains are very slow, always delayed, and in poor condition. I’ve also never seen a train without compartments there!

My first ever train journey in the UK was via high-speed train line and I was soooo impressed. I’ve never seen such fast trains before! I’ve been traveling a lot using public transport in different parts of the UK. Bus ticket prices are the only thing I can complain about. Sometimes it’s way cheaper (and faster, obviously) to take a train instead of a bus or even walk somewhere. You can’t beat views from the bus in the rural areas though! You truly can’t.

• Save

Travel

United Kingdom is abundant in hidden gems and beautiful locations, perfect for day trips and weekend getaways. You always have some interesting place to visit just around the corner, whether it is a national park, beach, mountains, or amazing historic sites and cities. Many art galleries and museums are free, making them a perfect way to spend your spare time, especially when it’s cold or rainy outside.

Education

I have mixed feelings when it comes to education. I used to love the education system here, in England, until I started reading more about it. My daughter is due to start primary school in a few years, so I’ve already started researching how everything works here.

Kids start primary school before their 5th birthday and you need to apply a year before that. You can choose between 6 schools, but place is allocated randomly. It means that your child might end up in some school far away from home. In Poland, you apply to the nearest primary school and that’s it. It makes sense, especially because we’re talking about very young children here, whom can’t go to school on their own.

RELATED ARTICLE:
⪼ 2021 Cost of living in Liverpool (by a local)
⪼ 6 proven ways to deal with moving away from family
⪼ The Ultimate Guide To How To Pack For A Move In 3 Days
⪼ What To Pack When Moving Abroad – The Ultimate Packing List For Moving Abroad

Attendance is the most important thing in school. Yup, not even grades, but attendance. Nobody has 100% attendance at work, so why do we require that from children? I also don’t understand why the government gets to tell me when MY child can miss school. Why would I be fined for allowing MY child to stay home without getting permission from the headteacher first?

Uniforms are pointless and cost a fortune. Universities are expensive too. I considered going to uni at some point, but I can’t imagine having a huge debt in exchange for a piece of paper I might or might not use. Education level in schools is lower than in other European countries, so I don’t believe that universities are any different.

The only good thing I’ve learned about the education system so far is the ability to choose a home education for your child instead of sending them to school. It’s the only thing I’m considering right now, although School Bill makes it look less appealing.

Every day life

I guess I couldn’t forget about mentioning some things that bother me (or the opposite) on a daily basis.

England is full of beautiful, quant little towns and villages, although when it comes to renting or buying a house, it’s very difficult to do so. Housing is expensive, and prices keep going up, disproportionately to wages, of course. Those can be very low, especially outside of London. It’s silly, but office jobs sometimes pay less than factory ones which don’t require any previous experience or degree.

While I was aware of a countless number of accents in the UK, it surprised me how difficult it is to understand some of them. I’ve heard someone saying that Scouse accent is one of the most distinct and honestly, I’m not surprised at all. Listening to Scousers made me question my language abilities and I like to think that my English isn’t that bad at all.

• Save

Pros and cons of living in England: Conclusion

Every country comes with many different pros and cons, and the UK isn’t any different. Living here can be tough, but living in any country other than your own is bound to be difficult. At least in the beginning. Missing your friends and family might suddenly become a constant feature in your everyday life. It’s something that never goes away, but it gets better with time. Don’t forget to check my 6 ways to deal with moving away from family – they’ll help you survive first months in your new country.

Let me know in the comments section whether you moved or are planning to move abroad. Which country did you choose? I’d love to hear about your experience.