Is it worth leaving Wales and moving to Kent?

Question

I'm Welsh and my BF is from Kent.

We live in South Wales but I'm getting sick of life here, despite it being my homeland. I can't get a govt job/local auth job as I don't speak fluent Welsh.

Not only does my BF have to put up with constant crap from anti-English Welsh Nationalist morons, but there are no jobs! He's a qualified mechanic but can't seem to get work here - the last few jobs he applied for were given to Polish immigrants (who work for £4 an hour). As a qualified mechanic he is entitled to £8-£10 an hour but I guess the employers would rather employ foreigners than pay a decent wage. He's perfectly capable, skilled and experienced.

The local councils are a joke round here too. They let families who fall on hard times and lose their homes to mortgage repossession languish in B&Bs or throw them on the street as "intentionally homeless", but they'll give houses to teen mums, people who have never worked etc

I feel moving is our only hope. How are things in Kent?

jagman - you are a MORON!!!

and no you don't have "cause to be anti-English" give me some definite historical fact why you do. And be careful because I have a degree in Welsh history so I won't accept "oh they were nasty to us a few hundred years ago".

You are exactly the sort of idiot who is making me want to leave Wales.

And incidentally, Kentish people are lovely, I have been there a lot with my BF and they have NEVER been racist against me for being Welsh, most love my accent and are fascinated with Wales.

People like you give Wales a bad name.

the "banning" of the Welsh language is not something that really bothers me to be honest and it was mostly done to make sure these children were able to speak the language that would enable them to move around and get jobs elsewhere than sloggin away down the pit in their local village.

The mine owners were all greedy and it was nothing to do with their being English. Greedy people are everywhere. It wasn't Englishmen who owned the put in Senghenydd where 400 men died because of unsafe conditions.

As for English people buying property the problems with Welsh people buying houses cannot be totally blamed on English peopel buying houses - mostly on ridiculous house prices generally. Have you seen how much a house in Cardiff goes for these days? Most are in the hands of the Pakistanis.

And these are your "reasons" why I should feel animosity towards my BF's people who are actually really lovely?

Yes I think you are a moron. You are talking rubbish.

If you want me to "dislike" the English you'd better come up with something a bit better than those poor paltry excuses above.

Bidia - we left Cardiff because the house prices were too high. We had to move up the valleys where you can get a house for £75k. £120 is out of our price range.

Answer 1

Check out a location called "Ebbsfleet". It's a new town in the making near Gravesend and Bluewater. It has just opened a new train terminal and is starting to build houses. I have no irons in the fire. I am Irish and came to live in Thurrock in 2000, so I kinda know where you are coming from. I like Wales, but as a place to pass through! You and BF have the world in front of you and Kent is a HUGE county. Thames Gateway is shortly to start developing the whole of the Thames estuary on the Kent and Essex side

Answer 2

I moved away from Kent 10 years ago as the concrete encroached. Sure there are little bits of countryside, but you can hardly walk a mile before you stumble on the next town. Kent is the car park of London, endless traffic, ruthless materialism and all the same problems as a city.
Having said that, I sympathise with you about South Wales, it's deprived and not that pretty. Of course work is an issue for you, but try and find a balance between wages and quality of life, sure you might get paid more somewhere else, but probably because no one wants to live there (have you seen the wages in Saudi!). My advice is, got out of South Wales, but don't try Kent, you'll regret it. You might as well just go and live in London.

Why not turn the situation on it's head and look for oppotunities abroad......

Answer 3

The grass is never greener on the other side. I moved from a big city to Cornwall. I had to change my whole attitude and even work because the wages were lower... very much lower. Yes housing is difficult... but it is difficult everywhere. I love living in the country.... walks are free. You appreciate nature and you have to look at things from a whole new perspective. See my 360. The views are fantastic. You won't get that in Kent. Re-think very hard before you do. You don't have to go to Kent you could find a neutral place that both you and your boyfriend have never been before... parts in the country and nearer a smaller city for work. Good Luck Keep talking to each other you will find a solution that suits you both.

Answer 4

Kent's fine. But housing is very expensive. The North-west of Kent is really Greater-London these days. There are plenty of jobs in the region, but you need to earn quite a lot to live there. Mid Kent and the coastal towns can be nice places to live, if you can find employment.
Have a visit; see places like Tonbridge, Faversham, Ashford, Broadstairs. If you want to be nearer London, the East Kent Area (Darford / Greenhithe) is more affordable than West.

Answer 5

I know several Welsh people who've settled in Kent, mainly after studying here. But be warned, Kent has one of the highest immigrant populations in the country, so you will face the same competition.

Answer 6

best get the Englishman back into his own country and you can come and join him and put up with the racist comments from his fellow countrymen. At least we Welsh have cause to be anti-English
It would appear somethings were missed out in the history you read for instance the banning of the Welsh language. The fact that to become a constable in the South Wales Constabulary in the early 1900s you had to be able to read and write in both English and Welsh to become an inspector you had to be English and an ex-army officer. Take a look of the treatment of the coal and slate miners by the English mine owners. look at how the English have driven up the prices of houses in North Wales so that young people wishing to buy in their own country cannot afford to whilst the holiday homes remain empty for 70% of the year. Wake up and see whats going on around you whilst millions have been poured into South Wales the north is still on its knees
Whilst you may not agree with me that does not make me a moron however it could be construed as moronic to reduce oneself to throwing insults as apposed to the use of reasoned argument. You should fit in well amongst the beer swilling football chanting chavs in s.e. england

Answer 7

Cardiff is great. Houses are expensive in kent, at least in cardiff u still can get a house in 120k.

Answer 8

MOVE TO SPAIN LEARN SPANISH AND GET A MECHANICS JOB HERE DONT SAY YOUR A BUILDER THOUGH WELL LAUGH AT YOU HOUSE PRICES ARE GOING UP BUT THERE IS STILL SOME DECENT PLACES FOR 50 -70000 EUROS

Answer 9

Try this website for info about towns in the UK:
http://www.lovemytown.co.uk/

Answer 10

Wales is much better place to live.