How long did it take you to make friends in the UK?

From the sound of it, it seems as though it is more difficult to make friends in the UK versus the US. From my experience, Americans will usually speak to anyone, regardless of class, and it doesn't seem creepy but friendly rather. I suppose it depends on where in the UK you're living in, but in your experience, how long did it take you to make friends in the UK? How did you meet them? School? Work? Etc?

I suppose it depends on where in the UK you're living in, but in your experience, how long did it take you to make friends in the UK? How did you meet them? School? Work? Etc?

Glasgow is quite a friendly place... i had no trouble making friends once i started working.

I think it depends really. I had no problem immediately making work-friends and they're all really great. Though it is a bit of a weird dynamic because everyone here tends to keep their work mates in one private little group and their school/social mates in one private little group and the two rarely ever mix. So, this means that I have a large group of really cool work mates but it is fairly superficial in terms of actual relationships and we only spend time together at work and we go out for a night out maybe once a month or so. I'm not complaining per se, because my first month here I couldn't find work and I didn't know anyone at all and it was pretty lonely so I'm thankful for the friends I have now.I still miss having a close group of friends who I could rely on for anything though.

I've made my friends via work.   But its best to prepare yourself now, the british are reserved, and alot of the time if you try to randomly talk to them they look at you like you have a hidden agenda.  Its harder to make friends here than in the USA, but not impossible. 

Also, joining up with a club or group, such as a book club for example, would help to mix in circles of your interests.

I was fairly unhappy my first few months here since I couldn't work or start university classes for almost a year.  I am shy, but very social, and was used to having a lot of friends around, and to be home alone with nowhere to be on a daily basis was hard for me.  But about six months ago I joined a sport team (roller derby!) and it has been amazing.  There are usually weekly practices and social events and an automatic group of acquantinces with something in common, not to mention excercise and keeping fit to make you happy.  I would definitely reccommend joining a team or group of sorts, especially to anyone who has to go long periods of time without working!

I came to Scotland to do a Ph.D., so I made friends pretty much immediately because of meeting other students and the people I worked with. I've generally founds Scots to be quite friendly.

It was about 2-3 years before I started making friends, but that was mostly because I didn't put myself out there as much as I should have.  Also, my hubby is really shy & didn't have an extensive social circle for us to start with - plus maybe it is a man thing, but he really doesn't keep in touch with his old friends that much (spread throughout the country) - like even those who attended or were invited to our wedding which was mostly his family & friends (since we married here).

Anyway, it did take getting into the workplace in a job that I am okay with before I started making more friends - but as someone else mentioned, my work friends are sort of more superficial & revolve around work - lunches together during a work day, and the odd night out for drinks or dinner after work.

Surprisingly, I've met most of my local friends that DH & I both see regularly through this here website!  The majority of which are British/American couples like us.  It's not because I especially set out wanting to meet Americans per se (or want to limit myself to that - no way!), but maybe it's just that we have that shared cross-cultural experience in common now.  Anyway, that's how it worked out.

We are both busy with our jobs & doing up our house, etc...so we don't get to see our friends as often as we'd like sometimes (maybe that's a 'getting older' thing - I don't know?)...but now I feel like my social life is just as rich and full (if not more so!) than it ever was in the US. 

Oh also I've met and am friendly with a number of my neighbours - some of whom I've met on the bus to/from work in city centre.  I go out for dinner every now & again with a couple of older (than me) neighbour ladies & that's fun too!  I find people here in Yorkshire, northern England & Scotland, in general to be actually quite friendly & outgoing on the whole.  I can't speak for the south because I've not lived or traveled around that much down there. 

I've had similar problems...I'm not overly outgoing, and neither is DH.  I have one friend whom I still keep in touch with from my uni days (over here - I still have a few more back home), but we have very little in common and only get together for things like barbecues every once in a while.  DH has a couple work mates and I have people I know (wouldn't go for the 'friends' title yet - it's a new job) from work, but those never mix nor are the source of great fulfillment.

Other than that, it's a bit lonely...if we had the money, I'd love to join a sports club or something, but right now that's out of the question.  Ironically, I find it harder to bond with people in a big city, but maybe that's just me not making much effort.  Right now we're semi church-shopping, so I really hope in the future that can be source of meeting like-minded couples who have moved beyond the getting-pissed-every-weekend stage in their lives, which is the problem with being a young couple (24 and 25).  I think it's a bit HARDER being younger because generally people our age don't have the same priorities as we do.

If you have school aged children you can meet other mothers through them but be prepared to have to work at it.  You may find that you will have to do the majority of the inviting before you get a return invitation.  You must understand that unless you encounter a Brit that has also been an expat at some point in time they will have no idea of what it is like to be so far away from home and friends and family and living in a different country/culture.  It may not occur to them that you have no friends in the area, they will be busy with the lives they have always had.  This can happen anywhere really.

Much will depend upon what type of person you are and where in the country you move to.

most of my friends here locally are DH's friends....I'm not super close to any of them, but slowly I'm beginning to form more individual relationships with them rather than have be solely my husband's friends.  I made a couple of friends through my university course as well, but we pretty much all went our separate ways after we finished our degree so I only keep in touch through the internet.  Overall, I've found it hard to make friends but I don't think that has anything to do with the UK, really.

Additionally though, I have some absolutely lovely friends here that I met on the internet (several through UK-Y in fact!) and that has really helped as well.

Overall, I've found it hard to make friends but I don't think that has anything to do with the UK, really.

This, too.  Obviously, everyone's different and if I were living a similar life in the US (far away from my college friends), I would probably have the same troubles.

It actually took me less time to make friends after moving over here, than it did the time that I moved from Kansas to Florida.  So I do agree that often it's more an individual-oriented issue, than something that is the place's fault. 

I've moved around a lot (both in the UK and to the USA and back) and generally work on the idea that it takes 2 to 3 years to make proper friends.  If you're lucky you'll 'click' with someone more quickly. 

I don't think it's to do with being in the UK or US it's just part of being older with more baggage/children etc.  It's more difficult to make friends when people are busy with existing lives (which are often full) - they often don't/can't find the time to fit more in: it's not that they're being unfriendly. 

When you go somewhere new you're the one with the time and space to fill and I've found that you're the one who has to make more effort because unfortunately you're the one who needs new friends - they might not!

I do agree that perhaps Americans are more chatty and friendly but in my experience that didn't translate into making friends more easily.  People would chat to me then that would be it - no follow up!  I don't think the no follow up was because they were American though.  I've found it happens in all sorts of places - but not with any intention to upset or not be friendly.  People are just not talking to you with the same agenda that you have when you're approaching them.

Stick at it though and you'll make good friends - often for life!

I agree that it's not exclusive to the UK.  

I left a nice little social network for a 'good' job in a small town.  Basically spent the next two years holed up in my house, talking to my friends on the phone, developing hobbies - learning how to keep myself amused.  It took almost that long to make the one good friend I found at that job.  

I'm in a uni programme with people of all ages and social positions - and don't find any of them to be cold or unfriendly.

I don't have any UK friends. I have my husband, my daughter and my MIL.