Hello fellas!

Some of you may remember my UK thread, now I'm starting another one.

Why? Because I went on an interview at the start of the month and I've just been informed that I got the job! I'll be working as a Registered Nurse in Stockton-on-Tees (somewhere closer to Newcastle than to London, AFAIK) on a 20K per year salary. So it's even better than the terms I've had on the last job I've applied for! Yippee!!

Now that that part is over with and I'm really sure I'm bound for the UK, I was wondering what the "dark side" of the UK is. I've just watched the Yob video and it's really disturbing. I don't want to bring my wife and kids to the UK only to have them harassed by some insecure white #%&*$#. Is that occurrence "common" in the UK? I know someone here has had it happen to them or to someone they know, but is there any way to avoid it? Maybe live in a better neighborhood? I'm a bit beefy for a Filipino so my size makes it easy for me to "stare down" some punks and most just leave me alone, but I expect to be medium-sized when compared to Brits... and maybe some Brit punk will think of me as easy meat. Sigh... time to take out the brass knuckles again, eh?

Another thing I'd like to discuss is the weather. I'm told it's going to be very cold there. I asked the Brit who came here "what's with all the fuss about the cold? It's not like we're going out in our underwear. I expect to be dressed properly when going out." And he says "sure, but it'll STILL be cold!" So I guess our *tropical* wardrobe here is only good for indoor/summer use in the UK? Will I be expected to be buying a lot of new, warm, thick clothes? Does this mean that there's a "summer" set of clothes and there's a "winter" set of clothes?

So, is anybody here on the northern UK area? I know you guys know your UK geography better than I, so any information on the Stockton-on-Tees area, the one you don't get from wikipedia or such, would be great. For one, I hear the housing is cheaper "up north" than it is in the London and southern areas... a quick search gives me a 2-3 bedroom house for about GBP300 pcm, so that's good when planning to bring the family over.

On a topic closer to my geek-ness.... I plan to buy a digital camera here so that I can take pictures before I leave, during the trip, and as I "get used to" the UK. However, I was thinking of buying a laptop there instead of getting one here before leaving. I figure it's better this way so that I don't get any nasty surprises when I get to UK, plus I figure the selection of laptops there is better than I could ever hope for here.

Just gabbing here folks, and wanted to spread the good news. Any information you can give would be highly appreciated.

Congratulations Ice, nice to see that it turned out well eventually! And in the North as well, which is typically cheaper (house-prices-wise) than the south. Outstanding.

With regards to the yob issues, it does happen, although it varies greatly depending on location and time of day. Generally, just avoid streets late at night, especially around pubs, since the beer has been known to flow. Chavs don't usually go up to houses though - that's extremely rare.
In all honesty, it doesn't really happen on that regular a basis; you'll just have to see how it goes.

With regards to weather, up north is a little colder by a couple of degrees, so it shouldn't be too bad. Still, keep in mind that temps range from 25-30C in summer to (potentially) -2 in the winter. Being a southerner, I'm not so sure about the Newcastle area, but one thing that it is in the UK is that it's windy. For example, summer clothes can be shorts and a T-shirt; winter clothes can be jeans, T-shirt, jumper/sweater, and coat. As long as you can cover those bases, you should just dress for the weather (which is why we always stereotypically talking about it).

On the subject of digital cameras and laptops, sounds good. Laptop selection and general purchasing options are pretty big here; you got the shops, and for everything else is the internet. This gives you the ability to shop around for lower prices.

The only other thing I suggest, if you haven't already, is to look at the kinds of red tape that you need to get done or have ready prior to entering the UK. Useful stuff can be found on http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/migrantworkers/index.htm although better information may be found through the UK embassy website or something like that. Better to get as much done up front, rather than picking up the pieces later.

Anyway, congratulations once again; I hope the UK works out for you

Stockton/Middlesbrough etc. are somewhat grey, old industrial towns which like most here have seen manufacturing decline severely at the end of the 20th century.
I'm sure that there are some nice places but I think of that as a "hard" area.
Hopefully someone from around there can give you a more detailed idea.

I wouldn't hold out much hope of 30C in the summer though - 25C would be a very good day.
Average temps run 1C- 20C. http://uk.weather.com/climate/annualClimo-Stockton-on-Tees-UKXX0141
& when the wind comes off the North sea in winter it's going to feel cold even for someone who was brought up here let alone from the Philippines- yes, we generally do have lighter summer & heavier winter clothes.

Whilst the north is cheaper than the south £20K isn't an awful lot so I would investigate whether your family will be eligible for various things like Child Benefit, Working Families Tax Credit etc. etc.
Btw does that £300pcm incl. bills (electricity, heating etc.)? I suspect not.

Hey Ice, congratulations to your new job!

I live in the UK now for three years and I love it. Coming from nothern Germany I didn't have to adapt much weather wise but I'm sure it'll be different for you. And yes, you'll definetly need different clothes for summer and winter. Concerning the violence: I think the UK can be a quiet rough place if you end up in the wrong areas. But you have these areas in most european countries although the class divide in the UK is very noticable. Other than that the UK is a great place to live. Friendly and welcoming people, food that is much better than it's reputation (yorkshire pudding is delicious), beautiful landscapes (North Yorkshire moors, Yorkshire Dales) and intersting cities and towns (Leeds not being one of them IMO).

Best of luck with your new job and have a good trip.

Hi Ice,

I am in Darlington, a couple of miles from Stockton, and Stockton Town centre is not the nicest part of the North East but Middlesbrough (close to Stockton) has come on a long way in the last few years and Darlington is a nice town now. But there are obviously nice and not so nice parts everywhere.

If you like scenery then you have the North Yorkshire moors a short car journey south of you and the Lake District an couple of hours north, it certainly is a scenic part of England.

House prices and general day to day living is cheaper than the south. Violence is in every country and is not something you see everyday from my experience, but as Tbag said it depends where you find yourself in.

If you have some houses in mind and want to let me know the areas you are thinking I can let you know whether it's a good or bad area? Just a thought.

Welcome to the UK and we'll have you 'tarkin' like a jardie in nee time!'

I don't live in the UK but have some good friends there. It's absolutely tropical compared to where I come from

Hi Gopher. Thanks for the assurance re yob issue. You say the North is cheaper, does this hold true for goods like groceries and clothing? How about for PC hardware?

I do hope to have a laptop 2-4 weeks after I arrive, as I'll mainly use it to communicate with folks here --- so it's basically for email and chat. For gaming, I'll be saving up for a rig at around 500-1000GBP.

Red tape: Should I be worried about this? I'll be entering the UK with 20-30 other Nurses and we'll be joining an NHS hospital via a recruiting agency so I think they'll be covering the bases as much as possible --- the smoother our transition, the less work for them, I think.

Buff, the 300pcm does not include the bills, so yes, 20K with a family would be hard. I guess I'll be winging it a bit while I'm there and get a feel if I can support them if I bring them over. My youngest is still 7 months old so I'm not gonna let my wife work until he's about school-age.

What constitutes a "bad area" in the UK? I mean in the US, I've been told that low-income black neighborhoods (that's what I've been told, not being a racist here) are pretty dangerous places, so what are the "signs" of a bad area?


Mace, are you familiar with the North Tees hospital? I know they have 3 centers in that area, so I'm not sure where exactly I'm going to be assigned. Plus they tell me that even if I'm assigned at one area, I can be temporarily sent to the other center if I'm needed there (staffing problems or patient census). Anyway, how far are you from Stockton?

Hi Ice,

Well done on the new job!

I think your new employers will help you find a home in a good area. Also try and talk to other nurses already in-country if you can. There are forums for foreign nurses in the UK, too.

I think a comparative look at house and renting prices might show you a good area - generally higher is better. Google for 'Stockton Estate Agents' perhaps.

When do you start?

Hi Vitesse, thanks!

Yes, the employers are going to arrange housing for us for at least the first 4 months, after which it will be our option to continue renting the place or moving somewhere else. Like I said, I'm leaving with a bunch of other nurses, so my "housemates" will be 2-3 of those nurses. However, the long-term plan is to bring my family over so finding a good house in a good neighborhood is part of the plan... and the earlier I get this done, the sooner I can get my wife and kids over.

The employers hope to have us by end of January, but a more realistic time-frame (considering Visa and NMC processing times) would be mid-February or maybe even March. I'm told this is still considered "winter season" in the UK (which is the busiest time for healthcare, I'm told)... when does spring start?

Hi Ice,

Good that you have somewhere sorted for the first few weeks.

Jan / Feb are probably the coldest time here. Spring should get going about April. I'm a few hundred miles south of Stockton and it's warmer earlier where I live. I believe the weather in Stockton is influenced by the North Sea (even it's name sounds cold!) You'll be wanting your warm coat when you get off the plane!

This is going to be a life change for you and your family. I hope it leads you where you want to go!

Cheers!