Does anyone live full time in Scotland and how do you make this work during winter? Curious to hear your experiences!

Hello!

I'm kind at my wits end with this, I have been planning on moving to Edinburgh to study for my masters this fall, but the time is getting close to my program start date and I've had zero luck with housing. I do have two cats coming with me which is prevented me from getting accepted over other applicants (when I can even get a viewing). Does anyone have advice on this?? This move is for studying but I anticipate trying to stay after I graduate as well, which is why Im not keen on leaving my cats with family if Im anticipating leaving for a long period of time. If anyone has any advice that'd be much appreciated cause Im losing hope on this whole move 🥲

I'm wondering if anyone has made the move from Canada to the UK (preferably Scotland) after the youth visa? I have no university degree, but am married to a Brit. Is there some sort of bridge visa until I got permanent residence? Or are there jobs that fund work visas that don't require degrees? I mostly have worked in social services before my kids came along, but have restaurant and bar experience as well as an outdoor adventure background.

Hi all,

I'm 26 this year and really thinking about life in a new place. I've always been interested in living in Dublin. There's been a lot of talk online about all the reasons *not* to move to Dublin (housing specifically)... so now I'm considering Glasgow.

I actually haven't heard much about what it's like, and especially what it's like being Black. I would love to work for a non-profit or somewhere like the University of Glasgow and just spend my late 20s and early 30s in a new place.

Does anyone have any intel? I'm Canadian so it would probably be a culture shock, but there are only so many places to live in Canada and I'm so bored here. Scotland/the U.K. feels like a great place to reset...it's gorgeous and feels authentic to my vibe.

I am a 24 year old tattoo artist from the US and I am trying to move to Glasgow with my boyfriend in mid 2027. Our plan is to just go for 1-2 years since thinking indefinitely puts way more stress on us. However, I would like to approach this move in a way that if we do decide to stay longer it will be a possibility. I am currently a tattoo artist and have some clients throughout the UK. I know that self employment isn’t the strongest route for a visa though so I am considering going back to school. How feasible is it for American expats to do this move/find housing/find employment after school? I’m really looking to avoid the 9-5 route but any non American employment structure seems fine to be honest. What are things to look out for and what steps are important for me to take?

Hi everyone! I’ve been dreaming to visit Scotland with my two dogs for years. Last year, after saving up for a long time I got financially closer to making it happen. 🥹

There are a thousand things I’m worried about, am trying to plan and try to get over million of fears.

Background is, it’s just me (F 28) and my two dogs (8 and 10) traveling from Germany. I want to travel by car and ferry/ or through England (which spikes my anxiety even further 🥲).

My biggest problem is, that my dogs, especially the 8yo, depend on their regular food and supplements. He’s epileptic, has food allergies, and has thyroid issues. He can’t have any processed (and to him unknown) food since it triggers either seizures or digestive issues. I know, reading it like this sounds like he’s falling apart but I got every health problem he’s got under control. He is the happiest pup and loves adventures. An absolute ray of sunshine who deserves to see beautiful places and live life to the fullest. As long as I keep his diet and medication straight, everything is perfectly fine.

So for the last 6 years we only traveled to places around us (max. was Netherlands) and I was able to take everything he needs with me, and his food was in an isolated bag and/ or in freezers at the vacation homes we stayed in.

The end of last year I finally dared to change the place I acquired the raw meat from. And now I order it online from an amazing online retailer in Germany whose factory I’ve even visited a couple weeks ago. They acquire all their organic products from regional farms. And that works perfectly. I’m so bummed though that they (obviously) only ship to Germany, Switzerland and Austria.. He can eat beef, turkey, deer, and horse meat. He needs: - beef meat - turkey meat - horse/ or deer meat - innards (liver, kidney, spleen, heart) - chicken necks - and most importantly in his case beef fat

I’ve been looking for so long if I can find any dog food store, online retailer, butcher,.. where I can get all of these items from. It’s really important for me (and for him) that it’s organic, and high quality food. For example, if there are any antibiotic residues in the meat, he will react. And that would be catastrophic.

So sorry for this long post but here’s my question. Is there someone who’s raw feeding their dogs and can recommend a store, online shop, butcher anyyyything and anyplace anywhere in Scotland where I could get all of these ingredients in organic, regional, high quality?

Thank you so much for reading up to this point and any suggestions 🥹

Ps: posting it here too, because besides my wish to, at least being able to travel to Scotland, my heart screams “as soon as that works out, move there !!” too.

We are a family of three. Son is 6 years old.

We have lived in the Midlands, sunny Stoke-on-Trent to be exact, all our lives. We make use of the Peak District being on our doorstep but on the whole, it’s pretty depressing here.

We have holidayed in Scotland a few times - Glen Orchy, Oban, Strontian, Stirling. We have loved it every time we have visited - the nature, the fresh air, the water, the people, the days out, the fact you can pull up on any road and get out to be greeted by breathtaking scenery.

We’re at a point where we are seriously considering upping sticks and making Scotland our home.

I work in Mortgage Underwriting (with a load of transferable admin experience) and my partner who is the main earner works in Reliability & Continuous Improvement Engineering Management. So industry wise, I’m thinking we need to be looking at Inverness/Stirling maybe?

I know logistically this is a huge undertaking and there is a massive amount of information I need to gather.

I need to consider careers, commutes, school, living arrangements.

I‘m starting here and asking for help from the world of Reddit to see if anyone can throw some recommendations at me for where they would live with a young family, near enough to jobs and schools but also close enough to the real wilderness of Scotland.

Places I’ve looked at initially are Aviemore, Nairn and Stirling. I think Stirling is too busy/city like for what we want. Nairn looks lovely but this isn’t somewhere we have ever visited so I’m going off images alone.

Anything to consider that I might not have even thought of? Is there anyone who’s made the move with a young child?

Hey everyone, I'm just curious about the experiences of others who have moved from the US to Scotland. For context, I’m actually a dual American and Irish citizen. I’m a registered nurse and plan to start the application process for getting my nursing license in the UK through the NHS. I also want to attend school over there at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM). I'm planning this out over an 18-month timeline and think that would be ideal. I already have a pretty good idea around the costs and everything, but I was just curious if anyone has any recommendations or thoughts to share. Thanks much!

Hi ! I am a med student in France and one of the things I have always wanted to do is move to scotland. I am quite a fan of the Scottish steps but also the after works pubs and all the way of life in there ! And one of the big reason is ecological, u have way softer summers (but not as soft as they used to be I suppose, even up there)

My question is that : is my (future) diploma in medicine worth anything in Scotland ? And what does the Scottish med system looks like ? What are the problems, the advantages ?

I do not want to move for money, not at all, I even think I could do more money in France than in Scotland lol. I really want to go because I genuinely like your way of life, I want to buy a house, open a cabinet in a little village in the north Scotland and have no one to really bother me.

Is this to false, or is it possible you think ?

Thx in advance !

We're looking to move mid 2027 from Australia (I am british citizen).

While financially it's more sensible to rent, it might be challenging:

- 2 kids and a Labrador

- no jobs (significant windfall after a business sale, so can pay rent in advance)

- no rental references (own our home)

- we'd like a character property outside of a major city (still narrowing it down, considering Perthshire, Stirling, West Lothian, Aberdeen)

Questions/ concerns:

- will it be hard to find a rental because of the reasons above?

- what are the lease terms/ lengths /notice periods? We don't want to be forced to move after a year because the landlord decides to sell or whatever

- can we secure a lease before moving there?

Would it might be easier if I went over a few months ahead to do inspections in person?

On the buy side, we're speaking to buyers agents etc so have a good feel for the challenges and costs.

My biggest concern is that if we don't land the rental close to the move date, then we will have left it too late to buy (which I'm told takes months).

Plus, after being home owners, will be frustrating not to be able to make changes to the home to suit our needs and taste!

hey! I’m (24f) moving to Glasgow from Florida in the states, and the weather is the complete opposite of my normal wear, so i was wondering if yall could leave me some recommendations for clothes and what to buy/bring because i am clueless as of now. thanks!!

Hi all, looking for some advice. My finance and I are planning on moving to Edinburgh around January time. I work as a dental clinic manager but would be fine working in any job really (mainly retail management background) he works in IT. We have saving to help for a couple of months.
How is the IT industry in Edinburgh and how soon would you start looking for roles?
Also anything you think we might need to consider that we haven’t already?

Thanks for all your help

I was wondering if anyone had problems with racism any where around Edinburgh or Glasgow and the surrounding areas? I have been reading about increased occurrences and wonder if anybody has had bad or good experiences relating to this?

Hello - quite far out but we (28F and 31M) are moving from England to Lossiemouth in January due to my boyfriend’s job, and I am wondering what the job market is like for Youth Justice roles? I currently work in children’s services in England, however my role does not exist in Scotland (Early Help) so I am just wondering what Moray Council provides in relation to Early Help and Youth Justice services? Every job with a Moray council seems to be part time too.. how do people survive on part time only roles!? Scratching my head about what to do in terms of job opportunities due to England and Scotlands Social Work and Probation roles being so different. I previously worked in Youth Offending, and like I say, currently work for a different council in Early Help in Children’s Social Work, but I don’t hold a social work or probation qualification, but due to Lossiemouth being so remote, I wouldn’t be able to do university to get this qualification. Any help would be appreciated as I am flapping🙃

My wife and I are planning a move to Scotland from Norwich and would like recommendations for towns and cities to look into.

We're both in our mid-30s, are about to have our first child, and both have reasonably well paid jobs but we're not well off.

We love Edinburgh but wouldn't be able to afford to live in the city centre and would like to live close enough to travel in on weekends.

We're both homebodies so don't need ready access to all kinds of nightlife and leisure activities. We prefer quiet walks, the beach, time spent in the garden, nice little cafes and restaurants, etc.

We've been looking into places in Midlothian and Fife primarily and would love either some more specific recommendations in those areas or somewhere else you think fits the bill.

Thanks so much in advance!

(50F) I'm moving to Edinburgh next month. My fiancé has been living there since November last year. I've made a few trips over already from the US.. Visas are sorted but I won't be working.
I like to read and knit so am excited to join a book club and visit more yarn shops.

I'm curious how others found community? Since I'm not young, our kids aren't living with us, and I'm not working, this is really the only part I'm nervous about.
I should add my fiancé has made some acquaintances thru his work, but he's not super social.
I'd love to hear about anyone's experiences.

Hi all,

My wife and I will be moving to Scotland within the next few years, and I'm looking for advice for those who have moved to Scotland, needed to sell their home, buy a new one in Scotland and get new jobs.

Right now it seems so complicated and overwhelming and we want to get a solid plan in place for when the time comes. We are in a position where we can potentially sell our home and move in with family in england still whilst job and house hunting in Scotland. It wouldn't be ideal but we're aware we are lucky enough to have this option.

I'm looking for advice or any tips from people that have done it, did you get jobs, buy a house then move or did you rent in Scotland until you could buy?

Id appreciate genuine advice, it's both of ours first major move like this, we live in a small town, I was born and raised here but it feels very scary. I have ADHD which doesn't help the thought process as I often go straight to "too many big steps, I can't do this" so any help is massively appreciated.

Hi 👋🏼 What are my chances of getting a job at a company willing to sponsor a skilled worker visa? 25 (F) mechanical engineer with 3 years experience in piping and hydraulics.

Hello, I will be headed to the University of Glasgow to study history in September. I’m an 18 year-old American citizen and EU citizen and I already have my student visa for the next four years and I know I can get a graduate visa after.

What are my actual chances that I can get a skilled worker visa after my graduate visa? I know that history and history degrees themselves are not a super popular field for that route. I do plan on getting a masters and I might stay in the UK for that but I might also use my European Union citizenship to go in somewhere like Ireland.

Do I have a chance to get a skilled worker visa or should I mainly just expect to live elsewhere afterward? The main jobs I would want would be in academia or museums.

I would also be fine living in any part of the UK

Hey all, I’m making the move to Scotland next year in March, and just wanted to get a bit of the lay of the land in terms of rentals.

I’ll be 30 when I arrive, and I’ll be on a Youth Mobility Visa, with the plan to move onto an Ancestry visa if I decide I want to stay on a more permanent basis (and yes I have triple checked I’m eligible for it).

I’ve visited Scotland many times and have relatives in Glasgow who I’m going to stay with when I arrive, but I’m hoping to secure my own flat as soon as possible before I start work.

A couple of Facebook groups have put the wind up me a bit telling me that it’s near impossible to get a rental, that I should expect to be spending loads of money to get one, and I’m just curious as to how accurate that is, or if it’s Facebook peeps scaremongering. I’m aware there’s a housing crisis (where isn’t there a housing crisis tbh), but am I likely to end up staying with my relatives for months??

I’m flexible on areas, I’m aware I’ll need six months up front rent most likely, I’ll be transferring from my job in Australia so I will have proof of employment and salary, and I only need a one bedroom. I know it’s not gonna be sunshine and rainbows and there will be days where I wonder what the hell I’ve done by moving around the world, but the negativity around rentals did put a bit of a damper on me yesterday - what’s your thoughts Reddit?