Is England a good place to go and work?

Hello all,

A recruiter has contacted me regarding what seems like an attractive job opportunity in UK (in greater London area).

I am 33 unmarried and have no children.

I would be interested in any advice people could give regarding whether they think England is a good place to go and work.

In particular I would appreciate peoples thoughts on:

1. Medical insurance. I have been a member of VHI since I was 0 so I worry that if I go toUK then come back at some point and rejoin VHI and then got ill that I might not be covered. Could I keep VHI cover while I was living in England in case something bad happened?

2. Pension. I have some service in a defined benefit schme and have also built up some AVCs over the years. What impact will moving to UK have on my pension. I worry that when I go to retire either here or there that having 2 bits of pensions in both places would be worse than having only the irish pension

3. Taxes. How does the real tax rate in UK compare to Ireland. Is it more or less? Also is it easy to set myself up from a tax perspective in UK?

I am grateful for your advice.

Thank you

It's all subjective as to whether you think it's a good place to live and work...but as for the practical stuff...

VHI cover can't be retained if you live outside the state for more than 12 months, unless it's changed in the past few years.

Pension - you need to take advice on this. We had a pension meeting recently and the question came up and the bottom line is every pension plan is so different you should talk to someone about it. Be aware though that you also build up UK statutory pension entitlements from paying National Insurance over there.

Taxes - income taxes weren't a whole load different when I was working over there but the massive problem was Council tax. It varies hugely from area to area but I was paying £75 a week on a tiny 2 bed house as the single occupant (25% discount if you live alone)...when my housemate decided to move in with her boyfriend. Even £50 a week was a lot.

I lived in the West Midlands for about 18 months and to be honest I was quite lonely even surrounded by people. I was involved in a couple of groups and had lots of friends but it just didn't feel the same as being in Ireland.

Do you have friends in London? They can make a huge difference in any city. I'm from Cork but ended up moving from the UK back to Dublin and love it, but I had a strong circle of friends here already from one of my hobbies.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I lived in London for 10 years in the 90s and overall, I had a good time there. Having said that, it was never home however and I was always conscious ( it reduced over time), that I was an outsider in another country. In hindsight, going there was the one of the best things I ever did because I learned more and developed my career more then I would ever have done in Ireland. The best thing I ever did however, was to come home after then 10 years.

From a practical persepctive, with the income levies now in place in Ireland, the chances are you will pay lower tax and the basic cost of living is lower then in Ireland, especially outside of London. However transport costs, council taxes, water rates and the money you will spend flying home for weddings/funerals/holidays/matches etc etc will negate any tax savings. Depending on your commute, you could easily spend £2-3k a year on train and council tax alone.

Bear in mind VAT will rise by 2.5% in Jan 2011 as well