Hello! Possible move to Brighton in two years

Hello everyone!

I've been lurking the site for a while, and there's some great information here. It seems like a wonderful community.  My wife and I are just beginning the initial stages of long term planning.  We are set on moving overseas, and currently love the idea of moving to Brighton.  If anyone has any tips, feel free to share!

We're both young (under 25) and are currently working in good, if not terribly exciting careers.  I will be finishing a master's degree in about two years time in communications with an emphasis in social media.  I currently work in the marketing department of a major corporation analyzing the impact of social media on customer service, and will have three years of specialized experience along with a master's degree; hopefully enough to land me a job in the UK.

Brighton appeals to us due to it's location (the coast, ease of access to London, and ability to explore the rest of Europe by car being relatively close to Dover), it's job prospects (fashionable retail for my wife, influx of high tech companies for me), and it's cost of housing.

We're basically looking for quality over quantity.  A newly renovated, well located one bedroom flat would be perfect.  We don't need a three bedroom house for the two of us and our cats.  Does anyone else have any suggestions that meet the above criteria?  We love to get out and walk, so proximity to shopping, restaurants, and pubs is a must.

Thanks everyone for your help!  I'm sure you will be seeing much of me over the next couple of years while we plan our move!

Hi and welcome.   Just on the practical side, have you researched visa options?  Are one of you a UK citizen?

Welcome to UKY!  

I'd check out the visas board for visa options, but be forewarned that the visa landscape is in flux. You may also want to investigate if either you or your wife have access to citizenship of an EU country, as it would simplify access to living / working in the EU.  

I'd also check out the Chartered Institute of Marketing
http://www.cim.co.uk/home.aspx

and http://ww2.prospects.ac.uk/p/types_of_job/marketing_executive_job_description.jsp

to understand professional fields in the UK.

HTH.  

Welcome to UKY!

Mirrajay is right, you really should look at your visa options first.

Wow, thanks for the quick responses everyone!

We have begun to research Visa options, and that's part of the reason we're starting our search so soon.  Neither my wife nor I have any real ties to the EU.  I have second cousins in Leeds, but that's about as close as it gets.  We would have to enter the country on a company sponsored work permit.  However, we are planning to meet in the next few months with legal help to sort out our situation and give us an idea of what we will need.

As Work Permits are no longer issued, you're probably going to be looking at a Tier 2.

Edited to correct link.

Wow, thanks for the quick responses everyone!

We have begun to research Visa options, and that's part of the reason we're starting our search so soon.  Neither my wife nor I have any real ties to the EU.  I have second cousins in Leeds, but that's about as close as it gets.  We would have to enter the country on a company sponsored work permit.  However, we are planning to meet in the next few months with legal help to sort out our situation and give us an idea of what we will need.

There's a few of us in Leeds if you'd consider the North! 

As Work Permits are no longer issued, you're probably going to be looking at a newcomer link: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/workingintheuk/tier2/general/ [nonactive] .

Edited to correct link.

Thank you for the link!  It's most likely that I would qualify this way, as well.  I'm in the initial stages of communicating with my company to send me to their UK headquarters to perform a role that only I and one other person in the company currently serve in.

There's a few of us in Leeds if you'd consider the North! 

We're taking ALL suggestions at this point.    Obviously, my cousins are biased and attempting to sway me to the north as well.

Thank you for the link!  It's most likely that I would qualify this way, as well.  I'm in the initial stages of communicating with my company to send me to their UK headquarters to perform a role that only I and one other person in the company currently serve in.

Tier 2 visas can be extremely difficult to get, although it may be easier if you can get a transfer within a company you already work for. Another option, if you can qualify for it, is a Tier 1 Highly Skilled Work visa, which means that if you can score enough points for qualifications, age and previous earnings, you can move to the UK without securing a job before you go. However, the rules for it are strict (and seem to keep changing) so you would have to be able to meet the exact requirements to qualify.

If you aren't looking to move until after you finish your degree in two years I would save worrying about it at this time.  Enjoy getting your degree and don't get it just because you think it might lead to a visa.  A  few people here have been trying to get to the UK for years and each time they are close the requirements change. 


What was true even two months ago, no visa caps for instance, is no longer true now and they can change things with little notice.  

There have been a few people here who

Edited: Because I shouldn't post early in the morning I swear I thought I saw that you said you were going to talk to someone about moving.  D'oh.

Good luck -its hard without the ancestry UK/EU ties or a significant other to marry and I hope that in 2 years time it will allow you to meet your dreams.  I'm on a work permit and its the best thing that's ever happened to me! So good luck!!!