How's Scotland, Ireland, and Wales?

[radioguy]

I'm sure to people who live there, it's an atrocity to include all three places in the subject line.

I'm currently employed as a professor at a university. I have my M.D., but I fell in love with teaching so I instruct different classes in the field of biology. I currently work in the United States, but I'm sick of living here. I'm obsessed with Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.

I'm just curious how good or bad the economy is there. In the States, the economy is *crap*. If you just showed up here and looked for a job you would die of starvation. Is it like that across the sea? Would I be able to find a job teaching at a university? And how's the sailing? I'd probably have to sell my Cat22 (ha!)

[dhays]

I heard an interview on NPR the other day where someone was quoted as saying that 1/3 of families in the UK have at least 1/2 of their income supported by the government. Now, Ireland may be different, but that give you an idea of Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

[radioguy]

Do you mean government assistance stuff, like the equivalent of our welfare, unemployment, etc?

If so, that sucks :\

[dhays]

Originally Posted by radioguy

Do you mean government assistance stuff, like the equivalent of our welfare, unemployment, etc?

If so, that sucks :\

Yup. That's it.

[radioguy]

I wish I could change the title of this thread to Australia / New Zealand

[ffiill]

A third of the people here in UK have half their income supported by the gov.-that would be nice if it were true!
These days we all live in a world economy and other than sly little games played by the big boys cost of living is much of the same relative to local incomes.Example of sly little games would be microsoft selling Windows 7 in US for half the price it sells in Europe but not letting us buy in th US market place;same with Dell Computers.
Our one big expense over here is fuel-Europe has stopped us using duty free diesel the alternative being road fuel which is just under $2 a litre so about $9 a gallon!!
As for college lecturing jobs same as everywhere else-if you are what they want you get the job.
Now for sailing-there is still a persistent believe here in the UK that sailing is for the rich and everything to do with boats seems to have a price pemium on them despite the fact that this isnt true.However because of the world recession there are great deals to be had in second hand boat market.
As for sailing whilst hereabouts in NW Scotland we are at same latitude as Hudson Bay/Alaska gulf stream warms it up no end.
Scenery similar-loads of blue water and shell sand beaches-plenty of very remote sailing.
Some pics to follow

[martin6651]

Stay away from here(Ireland) the economy is in the crapper and the government don't give a monkies(sh1t)

[motovationcycles]

Wife and I were in Ireland last week. The economy is worse off then than ours in the U.S. 14.5 % unemployment. I really wanted to go sailing while there , but never got a chance. We did go to Skeries and watched the jr.dinghy races. We also watched organized motorcycle roadracing on the closed public streets the same day.

[LiamM]

Phew - some harsh views on Ireland - without even mentioning the sailing!

Yes, the construction sector has collapsed and the banking casino has had its last spin but other sectors are doing fine.
I'm an IT nerd, a contractor, and I sleep easy.

As a medic, recognition of qualifications would be the main issue but, as guidance, hospital consultants earn in the region of €200k before private consultations are considered.

As a lecturer, you would need to live a little more humbly!

Check the sites of University College Dublin, Trinity College Dublin, Royal College of Surgeons Ireland, University College Cork and NUI Galway for lecturing positions.

There will also be biomed lecturers needed in the second-tier institutes of technology.

On the commercial front, Ireland has a large to vast pharma industry - for a MD, there must be opportunities there.

If you are towing kids along, state schools are free and good.

Access to university is based only on the points gained from final high-school exams - popular courses need high points.

Thus, if you are the son of a billionaire of the daughter of a politician and you don't have the points for law in Trinity or medicine in UCD, you don't get in.

There are no college fees.

I hope that my country's cultural and social reputation needs no embellishment but I really believe that Ireland is a good place to live.

Now back to sailing.

Those Cork guys reckon that they have the oldest yacht club in the world (1720). I can't vouch for that but they do run the best saltwater related pissup ever - it's called Cork Week.

We seldom want for wind (and have few frost days in winter) and on the east coast there is opportunity to cruise to Wales and the Isle of Man and, venturing north, the Scottish Isles.
Even at close quarters, there is a thrill to crossing borders!
Heading south and west, you get into wild Atlantic and stupidly beautiful scenery.

My advice? Go for Galway or Cork - a young man's dream!

[ScottUK]

Of the two (UK versus Ireland) I would say, economically speaking, you might be better off in the UK on the whole but can't say for your specific field. Ireland has undertaken severe austerity measures compounding the retraction. While the UK government has also taken measures to restrict spending the extent is not as severe. That said, your specialised field would greatly aid your employment outlook. However since both places have national health services your overall income will likely be lower than the US.

NZ also has a national health structure so would likely impact your overall income. But having your qualifications immigration should not be a problem especially so if you had a job offer because NZ is currently losing population. Though NZ is a great place to live and also for the outdoors a consideration should be made of the isolation of the country.

Sailing the west coast of Scotland is one of the prime cruising grounds that can be found. Though I have only sailed the north and west coast of Ireland they are also quite special but can be rather remote with minimal infrastructure for cruising.

NZ also has a national health structure so would likely impact your overall income. But having your qualifications immigration should not be a problem especially so if you had a job offer because NZ is currently losing population. Though NZ is a great place to live and also for the outdoors a consideration should be made of the isolation of the country.

My sailing in NZ is limited to rum races in Auckland, a day sail in the Bay of Islands and a day sail north of Auckland on Omatako's and his wife's boat (a very generous couple!) but from that and travelling around the sailing appears to be spectacular with lots of variation.