Moving away for work?

[SilentP]

Just a query I wanted to fire at you guys, since hopefully amongst you there's enough experience with this kind of situation for your to throw your 2 cents in.

I'm finding it difficulty to find work here in London for the job I have training for (Civil/Structural Engineering CAD Designer), so I'm beginning to think about trying for vacancies in other places.

I've currently had agencies ask would I be willing to try work in Aberdeen and Oslo. For the first option, it would be possible for me to come back home for the weekend fairly easily, while in the second scenario it would be a more long term thing in terms of living situations.

For those who've moved away for work, how did you find it? What did you for living arrangements? In terms of going to a foreign country, how difficult did you find it (before you ask, no I don't speak Norwegian, but I'd be happy to learn if I did get the position)?

 

[marillion]

I did this while my wife was still finishing up college.. We lived in the tiny college town of Portales, NM.. I got a job in Albuquerque and came home on weekends until she graduated and we moved up to Albuquerque over Christmas.

It was a pain.. We had a young daughter and it was taxing on my wife to have to take care of her while finishing up her studies AND working. It was hard on me because I missed them and the drive, while not hard, was tedious at best.

I was lucky enough to be able to stay with my parents through all this, and didn't have to worry about rent...

My brother and sister-in-law spent the first 10 years of their marriage like this, and I'm happy to say they weathered it fine.. She had to go to a different school to get her Masters, so they spent about a year apart, seeing each other on weekends and holiday breaks... Then they moved several times as he found work teaching or curating at museums... She usually stayed at whatever job she had at the time though.. It was hard, but they did it.. My brother would usually find the cheapest studio-type apartment he could find with reasonable security and just live meagerly so they could afford travel expenses and such...

 

[Sean Aaron]

I personally haven't done this, however I had to think seriously about the possibility because I was potentially facing redundancy a couple of years ago with no alternative prospects lined up.

I've met people who did contract work in Scotland, but lived in England. Coming up from London seems like it would be quite difficult; especially if you have young kids. What they did was stay at a B&B to save having to find more permanent digs, but I expect if this was a permanent gig, you'd want something more like a self-catered flat.

I didn't move to Scotland for work; just up and left the States with no job on the other end; only time I've been out of work since 1993, but I'm happy to say it worked out though it was touch-and-go there. In your case you'd presumably have something lined up before relocation so not as bad. Expect to go through some culture shock (yes, even in Aberdeen). Give at least six months; maybe a year before packing it in.

 

[Holdfast]

Expect to go through some culture shock (yes, even in Aberdeen).

More, one suspects...

 

[Robert Maxwell]

I lost my job in Indiana and moved to New Jersey for a new one. Culture shock? Very yes. But it's doable.

 

[SilentP]

In my case, I would have a job confirmed there before making any living arrangements. Depending upon the length of the contract, I would either see about renting a room somewhere for shorter contracts, or a small flat for longer contracts or a permanent position.

 

[LitmusDragon]

Consider the pros and cons carefully. I moved from Ohio / Kentucky area to western Oregon and it's been great overall. Better scenery, no sales tax, better food and beer. There are certain things about the culture here I don't like, but then there were certain things about the culture in Ohio / Kentucky I didn't like either.