Moving to the UK can give you a meeting with a magnificent country, open up a lot of opportunities or disappoint. It largely depends on how exactly you approach the choice of a particular place. Therefore, it is very important to figure out where in the UK it is best to live for Russians or other visitors from the CIS countries.
Russians in the UK are almost everywhere
It is worth considering that this should be assessed taking into account the position in which you are and in what capacity you are moving to the country.
In general, without knowledge of English, it is not worth moving. But if this is the case, and you plan to learn the language already in the country, then the best option is large cities. There are many more language courses, more orientation towards foreigners. On the other hand, if you prefer to study a foreign language by immersion, then in this regard, the harsh English outback will be the best option.
The importance of having a Russian-speaking community.
The largest community of Russian-speaking migrants is, as you might guess, in London. Also, quite a few large ones are located in Glasgow, Bristol, there is a community in Oxford, Liverpool. Whether it is worth focusing on or not is a moot point. On the one hand, the Russian-speaking community can get legal and organizational assistance. Through it, it is often easier to find housing or find a job, even with a poor knowledge of the language. However, establishing contacts in such a community often leads to the fact that the migrant communicates in Russian for a longer time and does not completely switch to English. Assimilation is also difficult from time to time.
The importance of having all the benefits of civilization in one place.
In Russia, citizens are accustomed to the fact that cashless card payments are available to almost everyone, shops, restaurants and pharmacies work around the clock, and taxis travel around the clock at the same rate or with a slight surcharge at night. The difference is especially noticeable in small towns and villages. Therefore, the question is what the migrant is ready to get used to.
Desire to receive full-time education.
It should be noted that in the UK there are quite a few Russian cities suitable for life, but not all of them can boast of large educational centers. For example, many advise to take a closer look at the seaside city of Newbury. It has a potentially very promising real estate market (prices are growing steadily from year to year), an excellent situation in terms of ecology, and many beautiful places. However, there are no large universities here. So education can be received either in small centers, or remotely, or by correspondence, going to other cities for the period of the session.
Are you ready to help with the move?
If you are going to the UK to someone, for example, to relatives, to the groom (or bride), at the invitation of the employer, then this is one situation. In the first case, you can take risks and choose the best place for yourself, taking into account the environment, real estate prices, job prospects and other factors. In the second, you need to understand that in the English outback, realtors may not know how to work with foreigners, and booking hotels from another country is not always convenient. And in general, no one will wait for you. That is, you will have to look for an intermediary who would help with organizational issues.
Crime environment.
Pretty quiet in Bind ham and Tollerton. However, not all English people can afford to live here. Therefore, it is worth considering this factor, of course, in combination with the others.
A question of priorities.
Ultimately, the best place to live for a Russian-speaking migrant is the one that satisfies his request. The easiest way to move organizationally to London. The best education combined with a large number of programs for citizens of the Russian Federation is Oxford. Tolerant attitude towards visitors – Glasgow. The optimal combination of good vacancies, a prosperous crime situation, beautiful architecture and excellent ecology is York. Therefore, before deciding on a choice, decide what you need.
An English village not very far from London could be the best option for Russians
In the process of discussing the best option for moving, cities are usually mentioned. However, Russians in the UK report that some live well in the English countryside. Here, real estate prices are much lower, and you can both rent and buy. The ecological situation is favorable. At the same time, a modern English village, which is located about 100-120 miles from a major city, is far from what we are used to seeing in Russia.
They work according to a certain schedule, they are most often closed on weekends, there are no round-the-clock ones. You cannot buy branded items or specialized clothes (for example, sports or maternity clothes) in rural stores. Not to find here furniture, décor items, special equipment, jewelry. But all this can be ordered in online stores or just go to the nearest major city.
Pharmacies work here, and there are usually several of them. And at least one will definitely be a veterinarian.
There are post offices in every locality.
Usually there are several.
Often there are gyms with swimming pools.
Libraries still function in the English countryside. There you can take not only books, but also periodicals. There are also large stands with current announcements in the libraries. And there is also wireless Internet, and for the UK, the speed will be quite good.
There are also kindergartens and schools in large villages.
That is, we are talking about a fairly modern settlement, and not about what they are used to in Russia. There are no boutiques, large shopping centers, restaurants (with very rare exceptions), hotels, cinemas, entertainment centers, clubs, exhibition halls and other things in the village. For all this you need to go to the city. However, everything necessary for life will be there.
And there are exceptions to this. In particular, if the village develops in a tourist direction, then there will be hotels, restaurants and so on. True, and the price of real estate in this case rises sharply.
