According to the Office for National Statistics, net migration to the United Kingdom in 2018 was around 627,000 people. In a report released by Full Fact, the UK’s Independent Fact-Checking Charity, the most common drivers for migration to the country are economic and labor factors, as well as the abundance of study opportunities.
Whatever the reason you are moving to the UK is, one thing is for certain – it is crucial to plan and prepare. There are more requirements to fulfill for international relocation. Therefore, you need to have ample time to set things in order and also to take into consideration the personal changes you have to make.
Indeed, the bulk of all the things you have to stay on top of can prove quite stressful to deal with. However, there are proven, effective ways of diminishing the stress of and mitigating the risks involved in the process. Here are seven valuable tips for relocating to the UK.
1. Download and use a moving checklist.
You can easily find one from international removal companies’ websites. Do check out Pinterest as well where there is an abundance of checklist samples. You can use this material as a guide for the different tasks that you need to do in preparation for the move.
These checklists are greatly helpful as a lot of them even offer suggestions on when you should call the utility companies, visit the bank, and procure important documents. They even include tasks that most people forget such as saving important people’s contact information and sharing your new address and contact details to the people you’re leaving behind.
2. Create a schedule and assignments board.
Once you have an idea of the different tasks involved in preparing for the move, determine when you can take care of them and the people who can help you check off these tasks.
Make sure that the schedule, assignments, and checklist are big and visible to everybody. This way, it will be so much easier for you to see every day if tasks are getting done at the times that they should and whether you can cover some of these tasks early for time efficiency.
3. Do not scrimp on the services of an international moving company.
Find one that is reputable and really targets customers moving to the country. If a moving company’s services specifically include relocations to the UK, you can be certain that it is aware of the unique international requirements to meet that you may not know of.
It is worth noting too that some worldwide moving companies even offer information on schools in the area you will be moving to, employment services, housekeeping, and police hotlines. So, make sure to invest in top-notch international moving services.
4. Downsize your possessions.
This is the most reliable way of reducing the cost of moving overseas. The fewer items you have to transport to the UK, the less you will spend on moving services.
Therefore, go through all your possessions and determine which items you truly need to bring with you. When you go about this, think about whether you will save more money by bringing the items from your homeland to the UK or if it will be more economical to just make new purchases.
5. Learn about the culture of the country.
It always helps to familiarise yourself with the way of life in the UK. Find out about local traditions and how people manage day-to-day living. There are blogs to check out and perhaps consider reaching out to people who can share their knowledge with you.
Doing this may prevent culture shock and the likelihood of committing embarrassing mistakes, help you assimilate more easily, and make new social connections.
6. Take the time to learn about the community you are moving to.
Go online and jot down information about the community you will be moving to. Make sure you know all the important landmarks so you can easily navigate your way around on the day of your arrival.
The last thing you want to happen upon arriving in the UK is to waste a lot of time being lost through being totally unfamiliar with the area. This can lead to delays, confusion, and hassles for the moving company.
7. Use your smartphone as a moving buddy.
Keep track of the logistic services that you are using, manage your expenses, find your way around, and keep yourself safe using your smartphone.
Download the different apps that you can use for such purposes and make sure that you have a working phone plan that will easily allow you to make calls once you get to the UK and connect to the Internet even when there is no public WiFi to use.
Good Luck
These tips create a more organized process for your move to the UK. By implementing these, you can worry less about starting fresh in an unfamiliar land and just focus more on how to make the UK feel like home.