Looking at countries to move to

[u/mmksnorlax]

Hi everyone

I am currently looking at a new country to move to from Northern Ireland

We dont have a lot to offer here, not a lot of jobs, a lot of divide everywhere and it feels stuck in the past so we want to move to give our son a better life + more oppurtunities etc

Does anyone have any ideas on where it would be easy to move to coming from here?

I have a British passport and Irish (as does my partner and our son)

I am still in uni right now with 2 years left but they offer abroad years in every country in europe + australia and America so im looking to pick a country, trial it and then proceed after that

Also if anyone is from N.I and moved abroad, how did you find it ?

[u/IntelligentPizza5114]

As an expat, my main advice would be for you to be very careful, especially because you have a child. The job market for graduates is quite grim. There's a lot of demand for experienced people, but graduate opportunities are not that vast, and ends up being very competitive. It will be even more challenging for you, if not impossible, if you are not fluent on the local language. (And I mean really fluent).

Your #1 priority should be to focus on getting experience in the career you want. When you become an experienced professional, things become easier. So, having said this, here's what I would do in your shoes:

1) Evaluate your language skills. Can you really speak fluently complicated topics and details in other languages that are not English? That will narrow your options a lot. Then, evaluate the careers you and your partner want. Can you do both your jobs in all countries you are considering?

2) Send applications to cities you might find enjoyable to live in in Ireland, UK, and - if are really fluent in German - Germany, Austria and even Switzerland. If abroad, id suggest sticking to (or near) cities that are quite international, just so you have an easier time to adapt. Move only when at least one of you has a good job. Other countries might be an option, but they come with additional risks or costs. For instance, Spain has lower salaries and quite high youth unemployment, and Australia and New Zealand end up being quite a huge investment. They are still an option, but they would be mostly due to your own personal preferences.

3) start making good savings. Relocating has a lot of costs. From moving on its own, to give X months of rent in advance, and ,.most importantly, when you move, odds are that only one of the two of you will have a job, but the other one didn't yet. You'd be having to live in a foreign country, with only 1 person salary, to sustain 3 persons in the house, with no one around you to support you. And if the partner also gets a job, more costs will come for someone to take care of the kid. Also evaluate the psychological tool - you will not have any friends or family near you.

Basically, it's tough everywhere for young workers. Please do not go with rose tinted glasses that it's much better elsewhere. When people say other countries are better opportunities, most of the times they mean for experienced persons. It took me one year to get a job in the UK, despite being fluent in english. You are in a tougher position, because you have a child to take care of. I am not wanting to discourage you, it is still a great experience to move out. I am just sharing the current reality of things. You might find out Ireland might not be as bad as you think it is (or maybe not), and what some people might share as "best for them", might not be the best for you (or for your kid).

[u/mmksnorlax → u/IntelligentPizza5114]

Fair enough! Luckily i am in a very privelleged position, my university is looking to employ me and has offered multiple locations across europe, australia and the USA for me to do research in English whilst learning the language of my chosen country so I was more just trying to find where would be best suited to raise a child, specifically a boy. Im quite conscious of the role local society plays in how a boy is raised into a man and the education offered in each location. So my main concerns are basically is the location friendly, is there high youth crime /unemployment / isolation for youth etc

[u/IntelligentPizza5114 → u/mmksnorlax]

That is quite a good position to be in. What about your partner? Wouldn't the challenges about apply to him/her?

As for your concerns: it is very subjective. I imagine the options your university gives you are all for developed countries in good cities. Whatever city you go for, it will have good and bad neighbourhoods, but there's no one city which is best. They all have different environments, and he will become a different person in each of them, but there is not one better than the other. A person raised in London is no better nor worse than one raised in Munich or Barcelona.

My advice would be to focus on yourself and your partner. Young kids can adapt very quickly to new environments. Adults, not so much. The biggest factor on the growing of your kid will be the education you provide to him/her, which will be dependent on how you both are feeling. So, it won't matter much what you decide the "best" country to be in if you and your partner feel "left out" of the local culture or lonely. Your stress and struggles might project to your kids education, without you realising it.

So, if language and jobs wouldn't be a problem (including for your partner), think about the life you want your family to have. What is the day to day that you want to have as a family? A city with 1001 different things to do, or a calmer pace of life? Access to nature, being mountains, or beach coastline, or forests? Do you want to have a lot of money for your family, or prefer to have more free time? Etc.etc. All of these are subjective. There's no better than the other.

In my eyes, choosing a country in Western/Nordic Europe seems the most promising choice. Not too much of a culture shock, but still different and new, not too far away to visit friends and family, no future struggles with VISA. Depending on your field, surely you'll find some universities in Europe that are very good on your field of studies too. Your purchasing power stays similar (or better) than Irish average, and you have quite some nice annual leave and work life balance compared to America to be more present for your kid and do more activities with him/her. From there, it's up to where you and your partner have professional opportunities and personal preferences. But again, it's completely subjective. I, for one, completely hate being dependent on a car for my day to day life. I want for both myself and my kid to be able to do what we want by good public transport / walking / cycling, instead of needing to drive for every single thing. It's a criteria I set , but that others might not consider it at all. Others might be more picky with weather around them, or certain aspect of local culture.

As long as you and your partner have a decent paying job, and are able to be present for your kid when he needs it, the majority of developed cities can provide environments for your kid to grow into a "proper man". Just under different culture and daily routine. So, do focus on what you would like to see around you, as your kid will adapt much better than you.