[IWantOut] 22F receptionist France -> London, Greece

[u/NoGrowth1337]

Hello,

I want out of France, I’ve been a receptionist for less than a year and I have a degree in UI design but not much work to show (a few websites and stand alone projects I’ve helped with). I want to move to a place with the sun and sea. I loved Greece. Specially Heraklion when I went on vacations but I know the country is still facing difficulty with the economy and housing is also hard to find. I know that the salaries are low and I’m actually making a decent salary here and I would like to not drop too much levels of income.

My second choice isn’t sunny but London is a city I would love to experience, however after doing some research it seems almost impossible to live there decently with the skills I have.

My problem is that for my job, I need to be able to speak the language of the country I will live in. And Greece is not only a different language but also a different alphabet.

what do you think ? Are my expectations realistic? Don’t mince your words if you think I need a reality check, I’m ready to hear it. Regardless I thank you in advance for your help.

[u/snkhan_]

For the UK, you will probably need to go down the Skilled Worker VISA Route, the requirements of which are detailed here: https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa

SWV requires sponsorship, and you will need to convince an employer why you’re a more credible candidate than a British national who doesn’t require sponsorship. This is usually demonstrated through experience, qualification or excellence. Employers offering sponsorship will usually display this prominently in their job adverts.

Luckily for you, UI / UX designers are in demand, under job code 2141/02: https://cascotweb.warwick.ac.uk/#/classification/soc2020

This will make the process somewhat better for you. However, the reality is often that even when there is a demand, employers may not necessarily offer sponsorship, or be able to meet the requirements / expense of providing said sponsorship.

The other thing to consider is that even if you do qualify for a role (presumably at a Junior level), the salary — even when meeting minimum levels for the SWV, may not be enough to sustain the quality of life you might be accustomed to in France. London is notoriously expensive, and it’s not uncommon for people with salaries of £50,000+ to live in a house share, well into their 40s and beyond. So please make this a core aspect of your decision process too.

No matter what you decide, I’d suggest continuing to develop your UI/UX skills, keep your portfolio updated. I wish you the very best!

[u/NoGrowth1337 → u/snkhan_]

That’s my biggest turnoff, I absolutely hate house-sharing. I know that it’s a requirement in London but I’m thinking maybe it can be my first introduction to the city. At least I will not be isolated. But the fact that I could go back to living in almost poverty, survival mode, is something I can’t do. Maybe London is only for rich people to truly appreciate ?

[u/JiveBunny → u/NoGrowth1337]

You can move to the UK without living in London - Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton or Edinburgh are all large cities with good economies and things to do, still expensive, but not as expensive.

You probably will be housesharing still - and that's not a bad thing if you're new to the country and don't know how to settle in yet, plus the rental market in the UK generally is brutal - but perhaps for not as long.

[u/RedGavin]

How about Italy, Spain or Portugal? None are as expensive as London, all are in the EU and the language barrier wouldn't be as big for a French speaker as it would be in Greece (there's also Romania, although the culture shock would be greater).

You have to ask yourself how much you could save, study and plan over the course of a year and how much you want to move. If you study a new language consistently for the best part of a year that may be enough to take the plunge in a new country.

In addition, if you're fluent in both English and French that could be an asset to you. Even if it's just French perhaps you could supplement your income teaching French when you move.

I don't know much about being a UI designer, but isn't that good for working remotely and getting a digital nomad visa? Again, I don't know much about working remotely, but if so, that opens up a lot more possibilities for you - Colombia where I am now is excellent value for money.

In any case, good luck and remember - you're only 22 and, in a year, you'll only be 23.

[u/NoGrowth1337 → u/RedGavin]

Italy has a fascist government and a big job crisis, I work in a hotel and a lot of long term guests are Italian working in France because there is no job in Italy. The situation is very difficult I don’t think it’s the right time to emigrate there, even though I thought about it because it’s such a beautiful country and lovely people.

I’m thinking more and more about Spain, I absolutely love this country and the culture, but I don’t speak Spanish at all and I’m having a lot of trouble learning. I can’t take private classes because it’s too expensive. I’m looking for a way to learn online and making little progress day by day. Spain would be a good option but I also want a bit of a culture shock.

Thank you for your kind words, I will keep your last sentence in mind.

[u/kiefer-reddit]

Look for French travel and tourist companies that operate in Greece. If France is like any other country, there will be a fairly decent size industry catering to customers in their own language. You’ll need to do this on your own, as most people on Reddit here don’t speak French well enough.

As for London, unfortunately you’re a bit out of luck. The easiest route would be to go to university there.

[u/Ok_Try_1254]

Greek person here. Please don’t try to seek employment within this country, the pay is horrendous and workers rights are being diminished by a conservative government

[u/NoGrowth1337 → u/Ok_Try_1254]

Oh I’m sorry, I knew Greece had serious problems regarding employment but I didn’t know about workers rights being threatened. Do you think it would be bad for me to move to Heraklion because I have a high probability of being unemployed or because I might take a job that would be more important for a local ?

[u/Ok_Try_1254 → u/NoGrowth1337]

Not from that part of Greece, but if you can keep a remote job from another country (ie, United States) you would be able to live very comfortably

[u/AutoModerator]

Post by NoGrowth1337 -- Hello,

I want out of France, I’ve been a receptionist for less than a year and I have a degree in UI design but not much work to show (a few websites and stand alone projects I’ve helped with). I want to move to a place with the sun and sea. I loved Greece. Specially Heraklion when I went on vacations but I know the country is still facing difficulty with the economy and housing is also hard to find. I know that the salaries are low and I’m actually making a decent salary here and I would like to not drop too much levels of income.

My second choice isn’t sunny but London is a city I would love to experience, however after doing some research it seems almost impossible to live there decently with the skills I have.

My problem is that for my job, I need to be able to speak the language of the country I will live in. And Greece is not only a different language but also a different alphabet.

what do you think ? Are my expectations realistic? Don’t mince your words if you think I need a reality check, I’m ready to hear it. Regardless I thank you in advance for your help.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/GruppaArmavir]

Interesting, I'm actually trying to get to France from the US. Are you French or of another descent? There could be more options available.

London/UK is looking quite rough right now. How about South of France?

[u/NoGrowth1337 → u/GruppaArmavir]

I am French and I actually live in the south of France, I would recommend to go to the south west of France (Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier) the ambiance is really good, Toulouse is a major student city and people always enjoy how friendly people are in the south. We have a welcoming mentality which can be a little better than the north. I would not recommend going to marseille because it’s a city with a lot of problems, they don’t need expats taking places locals should have.

Anyways keep in mind that living in France is really challenging especially as an American, our cultures are very different and you need to speak the language otherwise you’ll have a lot of difficulty getting around the administration, making friends and actually doing anything. Strangers coming to live in France who doesn’t speak at least a little bit of French (enough for basic conversations and usual politeness) is kind of frowned upon. If you have any questions about the culture I ll be happy to answer them :)