Greetings to you all,

It’s been a while since I posted or even visited this site. Been very busy, for one a new addition to the family & he has just recently turned one year old. Gee how time flies! Guess I’d better get to a point here!

Bit of a saga! A bit of background:
We currently live in South Africa, we, being myself originally from Scotland twenty odd years ago & my missus a local product of SA.

I was retrenched from a very good IT position in 2001 and being white (not racial comment but rather referring to the affirmative action recruitment policies situation here in SA) male over 40 decided it’s time to do my own gig. I started my own sound studio and have developed quite a niche market here and believe me that was no walk in the park, in fact it was a hell hot desert to get the business off the ground.

With the recent addition to our family (first) I now feel more than ever that SA has a very unstable future & in particular for our wee lad. The crime rate here is crazy & we don’t enjoy the outdoors & things that I feel that families should be able to enjoy with their children.

I have started researching & trying to open some doors to expand our business into the UK with a view to moving over to the UK. Not sure if it’s the romantic in me but I still get the tug for Scotland but feel that maybe from a commercial aspect closer to London would be wiser.

My wife is terrified of having to move over to the UK & I do understand (well at least I read the book, Men are from Mars !) her fears but I believe that sure it may not be easy & we have a great lifestyle here in SA but it is somewhat plastic. I use that term & is not meant to offend anyone but for me the basics of security as a lifestyle is being able to sleep at night without the slightest noise wakening you up in “alert mode??? (I know that UK has crime etc) rather than owning a swimming pool. Having been held up at gunpoint in a car-jacking I do tend to sleep light.

I’m sure that there are plenty of folk that have been away from the UK & returned and I’m positive that it is great for some & a nightmare for others. In spite of that I would still like to hear from people & their experiences, advice etcetera and in particular any ex-South Africans. I would also love to hear from anyone experiencing setting up business in the UK & their experiences.

Thanks

Hi Avery,
Oddly enough I have a South African expat friend who relocated from J'burg to London, then had a company transfer to NYC for a German stockbrokers. She hates the working atmosphere in New York and is going to resign soon and return to London or perhaps back to J'burg - she misses her sister and baby niece.

I often read the Daily Telegraph online and I remember that there was a recent article in the Property section about the large number of South Africans & Zimbabweans who are living in the Southfields area of SW London, near Wimbledon (now being called Sa'fields apparently). One MP reckons that there are at least 25,000 in his constituency! Your wife might find it more comfortable to live amongst her kinsmen and as you say, it might be better for your business to be based in the London area. Of course, it's very expensive, but if you read the other posts in this forum, there is likely to be a big property price crash in the UK within the next couple of years.
Keep in touch