Relocating to the UK with a spouse and/or children? A move to London is difficult enough to undertake on one’s own, so throwing additional numbers into the mix takes it to another level with different things to consider. While by no means an exhaustive list, below are some items to consider as you start wrapping your mind around the task ahead:
- Join clubs! Be it sporting clubs for the kids or social/professional networking clubs for the parents.
- If children are of school age, research schools and get them enrolled (the Good Schools Guide is a great resource to start with). Knowing what school your children will be attending may dictate where you choose to live.
- Having children likely necessitates having your own car, so it will be important to make arrangements for either shipping your vehicle or buying a new or used one here (the latter is probably your best bet). You can drive on your home driver’s license for at least up to a year, but beyond that, you would need to get a UK license.
- Is there a family pet coming in tow as well? Some resources for relocating your pet can be found in my previous blog post, “Pet Relocations” as well as our London Living discussion thread, “Dogs in London?“. As far as getting sorted with a pet-friendly flat and services, I also address this in, “Relocating to London with Man’s Best Friend.”
- As an accompanying spouse myself, I had literally read cover-to-cover a book called, A Moveable Marriage by Robin Pascoe. She has other titles about expatriation as a couple and family at http://www.expatexpert.com, and I cannot express enough what an empathetic and practical resource she is for not only validating the negative emotions that can arise in the face of challenge, but also addressing how to proactively and constructively convert them into positive ones by working as a team.
There are assorted other factors to consider as well, so never hesitate to contact us here at London Relocation Ltd. to field your additional questions.
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Related posts:
- Guest Post: Moving to London
- Moving to London – The Moon Never Sets
- What to Expect in a London Flat – Part I (a.k.a. Size Matters…or does it?)
- What to Expect in a London Flat – Part II (a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven)
- Brief (or Grief) Counseling on Council Tax
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