Relocating to Scotland? Here's the REALITY behind it!

Рет қаралды 36,828

Күн бұрын

3 years ago I moved to Scotland from Australia and haven't looked back since, but that's not to say I've not had my fare share of trials, errors, low days and struggle points.
In todays video I'm going to share with you the 5 things you should know before making the choice to relocate to another country!
If you're a new gal to Scotland, feel free to join the main character Facebook group / 548229647157911 - a space where you can connect with like minded ladies and make friends as adult cause that shit is hard!

Пікірлер: 152

@chey3nne 10 ай бұрын

Love this video so much, thank you! You covered so many real experiences and its refreshing p.s. I

@kittytatt5144 10 ай бұрын

This helps alot me and my wife are so tired of how the u.s is running things rn and ready to get out of our comfort zone Scotland just seems right

@Flyforawhiteguy1982 10 ай бұрын

Same. Me and the wife ancestors from there and we are talking about moving over the blue

@kittytatt5144 10 ай бұрын

@Flyforawhiteguy1982 go for it my man

@pamelaadam9207 9 ай бұрын

You would a be most welcome we need working age folk

@BW9971 8 ай бұрын

I want to visit Scotland and Ireland. You all seem friendly. I have Scottish heritage on both sides of my family. I want to learn about my Celtic heritage.

@sandersson2813 8 ай бұрын

Scotland is an absolute mess. The grass is not always greener

@lisab36 9 ай бұрын

Found you on the FB ~ looking forward to my future visit to Scotland and meeting up with your group !

@lauraelizabethbaldwin 8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for sharing this, I love your voice and after moving to Edinburgh myself 16 months ago know this is super helpful for people wanting to move. ❤

@saintuk70 8 ай бұрын

Already a native - saying Edinburgh right ;) As for Scotland, yeah, have lived all-over Scotland, love it, always will love it, and won't move anywhere else on this planet. It's empty, really empty, and that's fantastic.

@Allapa-im9jr 2 ай бұрын

And that's the way it should be, as that's one of the great things about Scotland, it has a population for the Scots and less foreigners except for a select few from Commonwealth countries, the more foreigners that start coming in like Yanks, Ozzies, Kiwis and Canucks as well as Western Africans etc, the less great it will be. Scotland has gradually noticeably gotten worse in the past 25 years as more foreigners have come there and the infrustructure is starting to buckle with the strain.

@FoxyfloofJumps 3 ай бұрын

Wow, lots to digest, but it's all easy to mentally grasp, Thanks! I've been contemplating it, since a good friend is moving in the next couple of years to get married (very long term long-distance relationship there) but making the leap myself by myself is a new thing. (Always had family or parents doing the heavy lifting for me before because military family.)

@rileyhoffman6629 6 күн бұрын

Oooooh! Just found you. I'm a retired college teacher (PhD art history) and current author of literary fiction (recently: Rachel Hoffman, "Saltine" Otis Books) and hobby-watercolorist traveling to Scotland later this year with the idea of selling here, in Oregon, and moving to a western isle. I look forward to more of your videos. Thanks!

@andrewmcdonald6987 5 ай бұрын

I moved to Edinburgh as a student, then lived there for 23 years. I don't live there now but will always love it.

@user-cz4dr5pc6p 10 ай бұрын

❤ I just recently moved to Budapest. I feel ALL of this. I found it hard to describe the loneliness to my friends at home because I am always out with people doing things.

@ScotlandMagic 10 ай бұрын

Its a hard feeling isnt it! I hope this gave you a bit of peace knowing you're not alone!

@Anna08_01 10 ай бұрын

Welcome to Budapest! Hope you’ll enjoy it! 🥰

@jessicapotvin9058 11 ай бұрын

Love this info. ❤. Thank you lovely

@NataliaBeth Ай бұрын

This is a great video! Thanks so much for sharint

@ScotlandMagic Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@Jrhynie 8 ай бұрын

I have lived in England and the US. Lived in Scotland for 25 years now, originally the Highlands and now Edinburgh. Wouldn't live anywhere else. Only leave for vacations. Apart from the garbage parking in Edinburgh, the city is a wonderful place to live. Public transport is the way to go, cheap day tickets for the bus and tram.

@sandersson2813 7 ай бұрын

Edinburgh, like all Scottish cities is sadly FILTHY. Litter is everywhere.

@Jrhynie 7 ай бұрын

Certainly doesn't resemble where I live. Spotless, even down the town its clean. George St, Lothian Road, Queensferry Road, Princess St. Bin strike last year it wasn't I admit.@@sandersson2813

@Anna08_01 10 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for this video! I think you cover so many things that needs to be said, even if ppl would maybe think about those but would not take it too seriously! 🙏❤️ Off topic: may I ask that are you using dyson airwrap for your hair? Looks amazing! ❤🙏

@spyhunter66 8 ай бұрын

My wife and I relocated to Edinburgh earlier this year from the USA. Some of the surprising issues we ran into: 1. Navigating health care - even just registering for the NHS is quite an ordeal 2. Opening a UK bank account. Very difficult until you have a council tax bill. 3. Loneliness is REALLY tough.

@ronaldomadrebien7045 8 ай бұрын

First of all…….WELCOME to Edinburg I agree loneliness is tough, happily Edinburgh has lots of you can jump right in to. Have a look at U3A (University of the third age…….not sure how old you are ) There is free concerts at St Giles on Sunday evening to meet people. As always no matter where you are, be bold, say hello to people, if you don’t know them when you sit down, you’ll know them when you stand up !! Be choosy, you’ll know when you get a good fit. There is much, much more that I could have written about no doubt, historical societies, walking tours, etc, but as Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”……..start stepping !! Hope this helps

@neozeed8139 7 ай бұрын

Monzo made the banking thing a snap! So many banks shut locations outside of the 2 big cities, so its not even worth having a 'real bank account. Not to mention how difficult it was to get a real cellphone plan.

@elizagal7451 7 ай бұрын

Good luck with finding wonderful people and things to bring you joy. Cheers

@sandersson2813 7 ай бұрын

Those seem really petty things to be concerned about. You're making a big move and banks have a duty to ensure the people opening the account have a residence and are who they say they are. You don't get an easy ride just because "you are an American" Sometimes it seems to me that Americans expect the red carpet rolled out as if they are some sort of celebrity. There is red tape in EVERY country, and for good reason. If you went through the hoops of getting permission to live here in the first place then stuff like banking is a breeze. Besides there are things like Revolut which bypasses the need for a bank or can be used temporarily. It's GOOD that it is hard to register for NHS, the system is a mess and completely taken advantage of by people who have no right to use it.

@oneseeker2 11 күн бұрын

So how do ppl bank?

@gallaghim 4 ай бұрын

Interesting video. I have wanted to move to Scotland for years, but never gotten the courage to do it. Though I'm considering it for mid-2025. I am originally from England so I have dual citizenship which does help. Even with not having to worry about visas and such, it's super intimidating. I think the challenge scares me, and the loneliness, but I also feel that something like this could be exactly what I need to grow and get a much needed change. I've been living in Australia for a long, looooong time and just need to kick up the dust a little, if you get what I mean. Thanks for the first hand experience.

@HippocratesGarden 10 ай бұрын

Gotta ask.. have you checked out the baked potato shop just down from the castle off the Royal Mile? Been there twice and get there as soon as possible.

@kellyotterness 4 ай бұрын

Could you talk more about what you loved about Scotland initially and what made you feel excited to stay there during the 6 month trial period, despite these challenges? Thanks for making this honest and useful video :)

@ThePurpleSheep 16 күн бұрын

Awesome advice, thanks!!!

@meesharatzlaff 10 ай бұрын

ty for this video, you seem super sweet

@kaatverlent731 5 ай бұрын

Love the video! Do you (or anyone else here in the comments) have any tips for Europeans? I'm Belgian and not eligible for the Youth Mobility scheme. Navigating the different visas and schemes is honestly giving me a headache 😅 So would love to know how other people are doing it! Scotland is my soulplace and would love to relocate at some point in the near future 🥰

@breannanorris8232 9 ай бұрын

Omg how would I be able to join that group?! Is it a facebook page? Me and my husband are thinking about moving to edinburgh for 2 years and I am so scared about not knowing anyone..

@kenlongfellow 10 ай бұрын

I choose to go to Scotland at least twice a year for month-long stays since 2014 (COVID years excluded). I know your feeling of 'hiraeth' (longing) and "tinteán" (meaning ‘fireplace’, so the saying is “there’s no fireplace like your own fireplace” and it’s essentially our version of “there’s no place like home” or "hearth and home"). The barriers to expatriating to Scotland are numerous but when you feel as I do, the constant visiting suffices. Congrats on your success in relocating.

@user-ox6ie9tw1u 2 ай бұрын

I'm so glad I found this . I'm moving there in July with my mother from and don't hate me... lol America. Marrying a Scotsman I met when he was over here for couple years . We've been friends over 20 years and I'm excited but very nervous and want to fit in . My mom's all alone and has Parkinsons so he said ofcourse she'll live with us . Right now he has a house in east Lothian, but the only bedrooms are upstairs. She's in a wheelchair so he sold that home he put so much time and work into and bought a house on the Isle of Lewis. Sorry for going on . I'm. Excited but so scared , nervous about fitting in .

@user-ff2gm5ex9d 4 ай бұрын

As a person with a "skilled worker" career, I have some concerns about obtaining a work visa. My husband will apply for employed full-time skilled work while my job as an independent contractor seems fuzzy for obtaining a visa in Scotland. I saw AIS in London offers a service to help skilled workers with these decisions for the UK immigration. I do plan to reach out for their help when the time comes. I'm just curious if you and your partner used an agency to help with choosing the work visa to apply for and getting your documents filed? I am also curious to learn which visa type worked for you as a self-employed couple? As an acupuncturist, working for someone else is rarely an option and not the best scenario for making a decent living wage. I hope to find a clinic to work in that is established and has a sort of contracted/rental type situation which is already tricky in the USA, but as an immigration issue I can see this making it difficult with the UK laws in place for relocating long term. Our goal is permanent residency, then citizenship. I would be so heartbroken if my career kept us out!

@highlands2hammocks 11 ай бұрын

So glad that you enjoy our moody weather 😂

@BillelisArt 11 ай бұрын

this is epic!!!!

@pixiwix 6 сағат бұрын

Wow this comments section is surprisingly toxic for such an unoffending, helpful and genuinely pleasant video. 😂

@ScotlandMagic 5 сағат бұрын

😂 tell me about it! Glad you enjoyed it though :)

@moiramcculloch9790 6 ай бұрын

Oh! I'm on the main characters club page on fb. Nice

@JohnHarthomstowCEO 3 ай бұрын

Great video. I love Scotland. People here think I'm crazy - I've lied in the Caribbean, Thailand, Hong Kong and Florida, so they think I must miss the endless sunshine. But honestly I don't really enjoy that, I love the intermittent weather in Scotland, I like the cloudy days (you know a place is really beautiful when it's still beautiful in a storm), and the people are generally so friendly. It took a while for me to adapt, but something about Scotland just feels like 'home' even as an American immigrant. Cosy is how I'd describe it.

@Allapa-im9jr 2 күн бұрын

But it's not your home, it's the home of the Scots. And there is many places all over the world that evokes these feelings even when it is not your country, Scotland (Alba) is no different, it is a nation that makes up the top half of the island of Great Britain (Albion). The point is there are feelings and there are facts, and feelings don't reflect reality like facts do.

@JohnHarthomstowCEO Күн бұрын

@@Allapa-im9jr Who are the 'Scots' according to your definition? Does it include people who are genetically identical to Scots but born in the US, Canada, separated by a generation or two? Or just those born in Scotland? Seems like you are the one relying on feeling over genetic facts.

@Allapa-im9jr Күн бұрын

@@JohnHarthomstowCEO Obviously it doesn't include Yanks and Canucks, as they are their own nationality and ethnicity, as well as essentially their own seperate genetic cluster at this point, and it's not 'seperated by a generation or two', it's typically 8 to 9 generations back before some Yank or Canuck can find an ancestor who actually was from Scotland.

@xxboxofmuffinsxx4252 9 ай бұрын

I just think the accent is cool. I need an excuse to talk to my family like im some LOTR Loch Ness monster crossover. But in all seriousness, I think the light aviation (ultralights, paramotors, aviation sports, etc) is great there as about half of videos ive found on YT are in Scotland. The architecture is pretty cool too.

@aslire110 7 ай бұрын

very nice videos but all of them are in german ...

@Charlesinthebox631 8 ай бұрын

I've been doing a bunch of research on the pros and cons of moving to Scotland so I can get out of America, I just don't want to be away from my family and friends in case it doesn't go according to plan. I really just want to pack up all my things and go to Scotland

@sandersson2813 8 ай бұрын

You can't just move to a country because you want to.

@neeti__patel 7 ай бұрын

Actually, you can do it. If you have a solid plan in place, your dreams are achievable. It probably won't be an easy journey, but you can move if you want to.

@sandersson2813 7 ай бұрын

@@neeti__patel My point is that Americans especially, think they just move anywhere. Unless you have skills, experience and qualifications you can't.

@nicolemurphy2629 7 ай бұрын

@@sandersson2813 depends where from from england to scotland you just get a bus or train 😂

@nicolemurphy2629 7 ай бұрын

@@sandersson2813 and by the time you have the skills , experience and degrees your retiring 😂

@AbenteuerSchottland 8 ай бұрын

Hi! Greetings from Perth (Scotland). We moved in October 2020 from Germany to Scotland 🙂Just subscribed to your channel - I'm looking forward to watch your videos and learn about your expieriences. I've got a KZbin Channel, too - maybe have a look at it. Have a great time, Sebastian 🌞🌞

@andy60460 10 ай бұрын

Nice one!!!

@autumn8034 8 ай бұрын

You talk fast please slow down

@oneseeker2 11 күн бұрын

I am Southern, we don't talk or hear fast😅

@annvd71 Ай бұрын

I live in Scotland, but going back to the Netherlands after 11 years. Not had a good experience here.

@Allapa-im9jr 2 күн бұрын

One less foreigner to Scotland is no bad thing.

@user-hu6lr3vr7g 5 ай бұрын

I want to relocate from Australia to Scotland but the twist is that I am Scottish but I moved to Australia 20 years ago. I am over living in Australia, I have done everything here and I have never felt Australian, Aussies are not welcoming even after 20 years. i don't have rose coloured glasses, I have Black tinted Glasses, I think Scotland is awful but home for me, I just remember the worse of the place but I am native to Scotland so it's literally my home, I am from nowhere else. I think I am going to move to a different part of Scotland though. It might help with the Black tinted glasses.

@malcolmthomson3352 8 ай бұрын

Speaks far too fast. Exhausting

@TS-hx4qd 3 ай бұрын

You can slow it down put it in 0.5 speed, she was a little slow for me so I put it in 1.5 speed. Lovely little features on this app to adapt it for yourself x

@brittscott4673 10 ай бұрын

Did you check out Glasgow before you decided to settle in Edinburgh?and what is your opinion on the contrast btwn the two cities,pros and cons of the two. It would be interesting to get your take on the two cities as a person who it's all new to rather than someone who grew up in Scotland. It's great to hear from native Scots also,but as a person who it is all new to I would like your opinion on the two.✌️❤️🎵

@amandahunter4034 8 ай бұрын

I lived in Edinburgh for many years, and worked in Glasgow. Edinburgh is definitely better - calmer, more cultured and a bit more casual.

@sandersson2813 7 ай бұрын

I lived in both and Glasgow is a Poundland substitute. Largely ugly, constant rain, horrible accent, scum everywhere and never far away from total poverty.

@paddysmyth90 6 ай бұрын

@@sandersson2813woooft. Where in Glasgow did you stay? Very harsh.

@sandersson2813 6 ай бұрын

@@paddysmyth90 I lived a street back the Botanics. A nice area, but surrounded mile shit like Maryhill. First time I realised that supermarkets stock for the quality of their demographic. If I ever had to live in that area again Is live in a village outside like Milngavie or Strathblane

@paulinekelly8016 6 ай бұрын

@sandersson2813 plenty bad places in Edinburgh as well. I don't come from Glasgow or Edinburgh so I'm not biased.

@bobsimpson4298 5 ай бұрын

Non-native English speakers will not find this easy to follow, as the speech is too rapid. I think slowing down her delivery would be beneficial... I gave up about half the way through...

@sophrosyne3760 3 ай бұрын

Take a breath once in a while.

@QuentinStephens 6 ай бұрын

Slow down!

@BillelisArt 6 күн бұрын

hurry up

@katealison6087 8 ай бұрын

This looks like really good content - but you're talking so fast it's quite hard to take in. Just some well intentioned feedback.

@InFltSvc 9 ай бұрын

How do you clean your nose?

@linarez90 10 ай бұрын

This is so general.

@ScotlandMagic 10 ай бұрын

Thank you :)

@danpictish5457 11 ай бұрын

Well done. Become a citizen!

@pamelaadam9207 9 ай бұрын

Wait until we are independant first

@Allapa-im9jr 2 күн бұрын

@@pamelaadam9207Never going to happen, the Scots don't want the EU over their country of Great Britain, Scotland makes up the Northern part of Great Britain. And foreigners in Scotland like Yanks, Canucks, Kiwi's and Ozzies are treated like foreigners in Japan, they are classified as their own seperate non-Scottish group, they are not truly part of Scottish society.

@judis6224 6 ай бұрын

Want pure scottish.

@user-lb9xg7hw7i 4 ай бұрын

You talk so fast! Slow it down

@barneyboy2008 3 күн бұрын

.75

@irenemacginley6022 9 ай бұрын

You speak too quickly....I can barely keep up with you...😮

@BillelisArt 5 ай бұрын

Keep up

@ninecatsmagee8384 8 ай бұрын

Have lived in Scotland for 20 years now and raised a family here. Edinburgh and the rest of Scotland aren't the same thing. Edinburgh's a challenge. We lived there four years and it's historic but dirty and crowded. Just finding a parking space can drive you mad. The highlands are another subject. Gorgeous up here and idyllic. Public services are still wonderful almost wherever you go. The rest of what you've mentioned is the same anywhere. Think practical on how you're going to settle in and the connections you'll need. Housing anywhere in Scotland is difficult to find and expensive. Try to work that out before you arrive. We took an entire summer when we first arrived finding a rental and I'm sure it's worse since then.

@lauraelizabethbaldwin 8 ай бұрын

Wow what a rude comment! Don’t watch it if you don’t like how she talks 😂 why does the internet give the right to be mean to people online? Also this is her reality and she’s sharing her perspective, such is life .. yours may have been different and that’s fine. People resonating with her will take something from this video. I moved to Edinburgh a year ago and everything she says is spot on, I don’t find Edinburgh dirty and crowded, I find it beautiful. Have a lovely day 😊

@aelurusb7604 5 ай бұрын

Useful content but you honestly speak way too fast. Even as a native English speaker I struggled to keep up with you.

@fireman3857 Ай бұрын

Slow Down. I missed half of what you were saying.

@mollyscott1651 Ай бұрын

you could put it in 0.75x playback speed to slow it down

@NM-so8kh 5 ай бұрын

Scotland is a great place to live but is declining rapidly sadly. We need as many immigrants like the person in the video as possible. Our country has too many net dependents and we need people who will contribute.

@Allapa-im9jr 2 күн бұрын

There's already far too many immigrants in Scotland, especially in the past 4 years, it needs to be brought back down to the way it was in 1998/1999. It's the SNP that has been ruinning it for some natives, wreaking the economy for them, taking them to the hilt and letting more foreigners in which deprives Scottish placements in their own nation, which is only causing more natives to move to get away from them. The areas the immigrants have moved to has changed rapidly in atmosphere, and not for the better, Scotland was so much better in every way in the 90s. Scottish people need to come first in their own country, natives before foreigners, the same as any other sensible successful country.

@halloweenville1 9 ай бұрын

You talk so fast, take a breath.

@Venusianlovebites 8 ай бұрын

You can just slow down the video speed to your liking 😊

@halloweenville1 8 ай бұрын

@@Venusianlovebites What???? so she sounds like a zombie, and the video becomes twice as long. How about (I don't move MY mountain) and she moves hers, seeing as we are the viewer and all.

@Venusianlovebites 8 ай бұрын

@@halloweenville1 🤣🤣🤣 dead

@halloweenville1 8 ай бұрын

@@Venusianlovebites Don't die too hard.

@dallassukerkin6878 8 ай бұрын

@@halloweenville1 I have to agree, aye. I was going to reply like kpop and suggest slowing the video speed ... until I tried it and realised that it is so off-putting if you do that!