nanabee

i am going to move to england for a year starting sept 2007. i am interested in settling in a small town around the southwest, or cotswolds area. any suggestions. anyone who has lived in these areas have suggestions would be helpful.

nytraveler

A little more info would be welcome.

Are you an EU citizen - so you're eligible to live/work there? Have you a long-term visa? Will you be working - and from where (home)? Will you need to be near transit to get to a job?

Are you looking to rent an apartment or a house? Will you have a car or do you need to be in/near a town center? What are you looking for in the town - services, access to msueums/music/libraries?

Really - without more info it's going to be hard for someone to give you any recos.

nanabee

thanks for your information. i am taking a year sabbatical from my middle school teaching here in san diego. i am a usa citizen. i would like to work part time as a substitute teacher, and maybe temporary or part time work in a local bed and breakfast while in england. sometime in the future i would like to consider purchasing a B&B in the cotswold/s.western part of england and this year would be helpful in that aspect.
i plan to purchase an older second- hand car to tour around in. i don't want to be in a large city. the allure of the cotswold would seem to be that there is access to larger cities like stratford-upon-avon, oxford, etc. and a short train trip to london.
i am in the very early stages of planning right now so any infor. is valuable. i have a phone number to speak to a british consulate here in san diego. so far, we have played phone tag. it is difficult to reach anyone at the british couns. in los angeles.

Carrybean

Do you have the necessary permits?

http://tinyurl.com/38ztjf

Barbara

There might be an honoary British consul here in San Diego, but that person can't do much to help you. You have to talk to LA or DC. Have you looked at the British Embassy web site? Here is a page that might help you:

http://www.britainusa.com/index_faq.asp?i=41011&d=4

rogerdodger

Legaly I don't think it can be done without a work permit and visa allowing for more than a 3 month stay. Many others have posted the same desire and when faced with the facts, they realized that it is very hard to do.

travelbunny

I am sure you have looked into it but as a teacher there are sometimes exchange programs. I have a friend who did this through the Circle in the Square program that her school was involved in. She was paid by her own school. It was benificail for everyone.

PatrickLondon

You might also to look at this:

http://boundforengland.blogspot.com/

Alec

School teaching is still regarded as a shortage occupation by the government, so getting a work permit is a fairly straightforward affair (no need to prove there is no qualified EU citizen etc). Easiest for you would be to contact supply agencies (substitute teaching is called supply teaching in UK), though most vacancies would be in cities, esp London. While agencies cannot process work permit applications, they can put you in touch with schools who can. You could contact Time Plan, a well-established agency that recruits a large number of overseas teachers: http://www.timeplan.com/main.asp?id=581_2214 Once a work permit is granted, you take a copy of it to the British Consulate that covers your State for your working visa. It could be for a period up to four years.

nytraveler

Just as with foreigners coming to the US you simply can;t pick up and move to England to live and work. for a US citizen it's illegal. To stay more thann 3 months (for whichtourists get an automatic visa) you need to apply for - and qualify for - a resident visa. Plus you have to obtain approval to work in the UK.

As noted above - thre may be some sort of programs which will make it possible to do so as a teacher - but it has to be organized in advance. No one would hire you if you sinmply walked in the door - it's not legal there - just as it isn't here.

Also - you would need to look into qualifications for teaching in the UK (I have no idea what they are - and since they differ somuch in various parts of the US - it will determine what type of school you are qualified to teach in. (You don;t say if you're an elementary or secondary tecaher.)

You would also need to look into teacher salaries and cost of living in the areas you're intreested in. May be fine - or might be a shock if you're used to US big city teacher salaries. (I heard from a friend who lived there with her husband on a job transfer that teachers are VERY poorly paid in the UK.)

janisj

&quot;<i>To stay more than 3 months (for which tourists get an automatic visa) you need to apply for - and qualify for - a resident visa.</i>&quot;

Actually you can stay 6 months w/o a visa.

But having said that, I think you need to do a LOT more homework. Working part time in a B&amp;B, even if it was legal, would not support you. That you are in the &quot;very early stages of planning&quot; is obvious.

How much time have you spent in the UK? Rents/real estate, utilities, private health care, petrol - are all much more expensive that you are used to in San Diego. Being a teacher you likely have free or highly subsidised medical insurance. You will not have that in the UK.

So unless you can 1) get a teaching visa (don't count on it but it is possible) and 2) have a huge pot of unemcumbered money - things wil be tough.

Why not do it legally and just go for 6 months? You can do that w/ just your passport, a return ticket, and proof you have enough money to support yourself w/o working.

StCirq

Hey, janisj: Can you explain to me why she can stay 6 months? Just curious, coz I always thought if you went on a tourist visa anywhere in Europe you were limited to 90 days. Does the UK have different regs from EU countries?

janisj

the 90 day limit is for the schengen zone. The UK isn't in schengen. (and other countries have different rules)

It has been 6 months in the UK for as long as I remember. Actually it is UP TO 6 months. 6 months or longer requires a visa.

StCirq

Cool! Thank you!

nanabee

I can't tell you how helpful all comments are. I am semi-retired and don't depend on my part-time teaching salary. Would the ability to live in England change if I was not receiving pay (volunteer) - could I stay for 6 months simply on a tourist visa? Could I leave the country after the 6 months and then re-enter?
The websites sound promising - will check them out.
Thanks again.

thereyet

What is the schengen zone? thereyet

thereyet

never mind. googled it. thereyet

janisj

nanabee: You can stay for up to 6 months w/o a visa - you just probably can't work for money. But you definitely could do volunteer work. Like helping out at a national trust property, or in a charity shop or something.

nona1

Nanabee ...but immigration will get decidedly suspicious if you keep doing 6 months, leaving, then coming back in for another 6 months. They'll know you've moved here without going through the proper routine.

walkinaround

if you want to volunteer, you can apply for a year long volunteer visa. i'm not an expert on this...just something else for you to look into.

you should also look into the general rules around volunteering. in principle, work is considered work whether paid or unpaid. however, there are exceptions and i don't know the complexities. so i'm just saying that you shouldn't assume you can volunteer anywhere if you are here as a tourist.

if you find some organisations that might need your skills (i'm sure there are many), they might be able to help with the year long volunteer visa. you may also be able to get some money for expenses (living, travel, etc) and still be classified as a volunteer. any local currency you can get would take some sting out of the exchange rate.