4 Reasons Why Expats Leave the UK (+ tips to stay)
It’s really easy to see how great being an expat is on social media – but it’s not the full picture. If you want to be a successful expat, I think it’s super important to understand why expats leave the UK and if you find yourself having similar thoughts, please know you’re not the only one. The UK is not for everyone.
So grab a cuppa and let’s dive into why expats leave the UK and my personal advice to avoiding these scenarios.
1. It’s not what they expected
It’s so hard to get the real image of what a country is really like through social media. We only want to portray the best bits, so often times Youtube videos and social media posts remove the bad parts of living abroad – and there’s a lot of them.
But the bad parts very much exist and they are unavoidable if you become an expat – it’s just whether you can adapt and go with the flow.
Maybe you didn’t expect the dark, damp winters.
Maybe you didn’t realise what the work environment is like.
Maybe you didn’t expect the food or the personalities or the roads.
It can literally be anything, and sometimes, everything!
Expat Tip:
Going into life in the UK with an open mind is a great way to give yourself the best possible chance of living here successfully. Understand that there are good and bad parts of life here, it’s all part of the experience.
2. They miss family + friends
Many of the expats I’ve known over the years ultimately leave the UK because they want to be near their family. I totally get it. This is the hardest part of living abroad for me personally, even after nearly 8 years. This is the reason I would leave the UK, if it ever happens.
Some people are just not willing or unable to handle being away from family – and that’s OK. But living abroad long-term won’t work for you.
Expat Tip:
Schedule a Facetime call or zoom call (whatever tech you use) with your family. Maybe every Monday night you have your weekly call. Whatever you end up scheduling, it means that you will be much more likely to keep that connection alive and won’t play telephone tag back and forth trying to connect all week.
3. Visa runs out and unable to stay
A couple expat friends in the UK have had to leave because of their visa. As Canadians, and now Europeans that the UK has left the EU, you can’t simply show up and stay in the UK because you want to.
Getting a visa and then maintaining a visa can be really difficult. I’ve known loads of people who have simply been unable to stay because they don’t have a valid visa, or their current visa is going to expire and they’re unable to renew it.
This sucks! And it can be next to impossible to avoid if it happens to you, so it’s certainly something to keep in mind.
Expat Tip:
If staying in the UK long-term is your goal, plan ahead. What visa are you working towards next? What documents do you need to prepare now, for a visa 2 years away? Plan ahead and start early.
4. unable (or unwilling) to change
Being a successful expat means you must be willing to learn, to change and to go with the flow. British culture may be very different to your home country and you have to be willing to learn and adapt to it.
Not to say you should change everything about yourself, but you need to be willing to adapt to life in the UK, otherwise you’ll never feel really at home.
Some people are simply incapable of changing and find life in the UK impossible – it happens.
Expat Tip:
Immerse yourself in British culture and enjoy how fun it can be to learn something new. It doesn’t need to be everyday and be overwhelming, but little by little it’ll become second nature.
My expat advice
One thing I will mention is that you don’t have to 100% love the UK to love your life here. No place is perfect, and just because you experience a wobble or some uncertainly, doesn’t mean you should pack up and call it quits right away. I hated the first 5 months. It was horrible. But I waited, I tried my best, and eventually it all clicked.
Give yourself time, try out life in the UK fully, and then make a decision on whether it’s right for you.
