There is no doubt that the United Kingdom is one of the better places in the world to live. Although the weather can get cold enough for snow in the winter, this is not a common occurrence. The country does get a lot of rain, but this means there is a lot of greenery. Plants do well, and in the spring and early summer, flowers are everywhere.

There are lots of jobs available, especially in the big cities and the suburbs surrounding them.

The United Kingdom consists of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. The history of this area dates back more than 2500 years. There are many Roman ruins, and the mysterious blocks at Stonehenge date back 10,000 years or more.

The government consists of a King or Queen at the top, who no longer has much authority, but who is still considered to be the head of the Kingdom. There is an elected Parliament and an unelected Senate, which serves as a check on Parliament. Elections are straighforward and not corrupt.

Indeed, the whole country is a relatively safe and pleasant place to live.

British society is relatively tolerant of immigrants, and there are many enclaves of particular nationalities or cultural groups. However, immigrants are expected to obey British law, not Sharia law or any other religious law.

The educational system is excellent, and the health care system is first class. Being a free society, however, you will find many people who disagree with those statements, but criticism is a normal part of a free and open society. Indeed, in High Park in London, there is a "Speaker's Corner" where anyone can get up on the platform and give a speech on any subject.

The bad news is that the cost of virtually everything is more than you expect, including food, housing, transportation, clothes, and appliances.

In this section of my web site, I have gathered several articles about living and working in the UK; hopefully you will find some of this advice useful and pertinent to your own life. I will add more articles over time as I find them.

Please browse the list of articles in the menu at the left, and click on a title to read that article. The article will appear here, in this frame.

Good luck with your future.

Doug Anderson

Learn English Faster

Emigrate to Canada

Last updated 14 Feb 2008