Hello!!

Hello everyone!

I’ve been lurking for a month or so and finally decided to make an account. I am so happy I found you, my boyfriend and I are in the process of figuring out how to apply for settlement and I spent days googling and finding next to nothing before I stumbled upon this place.

I’m currently in Missouri and my boyfriend is RAF in northern Scotland. We’ve decided to get married so I can move over and are starting all of the steps to make that happen. Unfortunately he is about to deploy until the end of December, so we can’t really do anything until then      But we are both using the time to get everything organized so we can move fast once he’s back! We’re planning a Vegas wedding in January and buying a house in Scotland in February in hopes that we can get our visa application in before he has to be out for another six weeks for work. Wish us luck!

I’ll definitely be seeking advice on the settlement application. I’d also love to hear magical solutions about jobs     I currently work as a project manager in events, but feel like where I’m moving in Scotland is not going to have a lot of opportunities for that career path. I’ve been learning computer programming, but have also realized I will not qualify for cheap tuition when I move over so my plan of a two year program at a local college is out.

I’m excited to join a community of people who have gone or are going through the process. The only thing I’m less excited for than the application process is the four month wait to get to start!

Hello everyone!

I’ve been lurking for a month or so and finally decided to make an account. I am so happy I found you, my boyfriend and I are in the process of figuring out how to apply for settlement and I spent days googling and finding next to nothing before I stumbled upon this place.

I’m currently in Missouri and my boyfriend is RAF in northern Scotland. We’ve decided to get married so I can move over and are starting all of the steps to make that happen. Unfortunately he is about to deploy until the end of December, so we can’t really do anything until then      But we are both using the time to get everything organized so we can move fast once he’s back! We’re planning a Vegas wedding in January and buying a house in Scotland in February in hopes that we can get our visa application in before he has to be out for another six weeks for work. Wish us luck!

I’ll definitely be seeking advice on the settlement application. I’d also love to hear magical solutions about jobs     I currently work as a project manager in events, but feel like where I’m moving in Scotland is not going to have a lot of opportunities for that career path. I’ve been learning computer programming, but have also realized I will not qualify for cheap tuition when I move over so my plan of a two year program at a local college is out.

I’m excited to join a community of people who have gone or are going through the process. The only thing I’m less excited for than the application process is the four month wait to get to start!

Mmmkay, welcome to the forum! 

Hello everyone!

I’ve been lurking for a month or so and finally decided to make an account. I am so happy I found you, my boyfriend and I are in the process of figuring out how to apply for settlement and I spent days googling and finding next to nothing before I stumbled upon this place.

I’m currently in Missouri and my boyfriend is RAF in northern Scotland. We’ve decided to get married so I can move over and are starting all of the steps to make that happen. Unfortunately he is about to deploy until the end of December, so we can’t really do anything until then      But we are both using the time to get everything organized so we can move fast once he’s back! We’re planning a Vegas wedding in January and buying a house in Scotland in February in hopes that we can get our visa application in before he has to be out for another six weeks for work. Wish us luck!

I’ll definitely be seeking advice on the settlement application. I’d also love to hear magical solutions about jobs     I currently work as a project manager in events, but feel like where I’m moving in Scotland is not going to have a lot of opportunities for that career path. I’ve been learning computer programming, but have also realized I will not qualify for cheap tuition when I move over so my plan of a two year program at a local college is out.

I’m excited to join a community of people who have gone or are going through the process. The only thing I’m less excited for than the application process is the four month wait to get to start!

Welcome to the forum! We're here to help

I'd think again about wether a two year college about computer programming will be worth it.

Finding a job in computers is all about the latest buzz words and what you can actually do, and UK schools are generally useless at that.  I'd be concerned that you will be learning outdated skills from people unable to find a real job in programming, and paying a huge amount for the privilege.

I'd recommend that you look on jobsite to suss the market, right now cloud based stuff is paying well.  Then spend 6 months at home with pluralsight or some other learning programme and bust your butt studying.  Then apply for a low paying job using that skill.  Work there for 6 months or a year, making sure to always learn new stuff.  Then quit and get a higher paying job.  Keep learning, then go contract for $$$$$$$

Welcome to the forum Loving how many new people are joining lately! It's awesome!

We've got a fair few members based up in Scotland

Welcome to the forum! I’m one of those living in Scotland, always glad to help.


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Thank you for the welcome everyone!! Hopefully it won't be too long before we're starting the application process and I'll be on here asking all of the questions 

Thanks for the advice jimbocz! It's good to hear that not going to school is actually a good thing. Do you know if it'd be easy getting a first job that's remote? I'll be up in Elgin, Scotland. I haven't been able to find many tech companies around, but I may be looking in the wrong places.

Rick Stephens, are you around Inverness? If so, it looks like we'll be almost neighbors!

Thank you for the welcome everyone!! Hopefully it won't be too long before we're starting the application process and I'll be on here asking all of the questions 

Thanks for the advice jimbocz! It's good to hear that not going to school is actually a good thing. Do you know if it'd be easy getting a first job that's remote? I'll be up in Elgin, Scotland. I haven't been able to find many tech companies around, but I may be looking in the wrong places.

Rick Stephens, are you around Inverness? If so, it looks like we'll be almost neighbors!

Yes, I live in Inverness. Not far at all!


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Hi and welcome! You've come to not only the right place but the best place. I'm sure by early 2019 or so you'll be happily living in Scotland with your partner! Ask any and every question you want here. Everyone is super cool! 

Thank you for the welcome everyone!! Hopefully it won't be too long before we're starting the application process and I'll be on here asking all of the questions 

Thanks for the advice jimbocz! It's good to hear that not going to school is actually a good thing. Do you know if it'd be easy getting a first job that's remote? I'll be up in Elgin, Scotland. I haven't been able to find many tech companies around, but I may be looking in the wrong places.

Rick Stephens, are you around Inverness? If so, it looks like we'll be almost neighbors!

I think it will be a challenge getting a first job that's remote.  I'm not sure where everybody gets the idea that IT jobs all involve never coming in to the office but I think in reality those jobs are rare. 

I think it will be a challenge getting a first job that's remote.  I'm not sure where everybody gets the idea that IT jobs all involve never coming in to the office but I think in reality those jobs are rare.

Gotta agree with this. From looking on job boards Elgin has no technology industry at all, it's mainly retail, laborer, and customer service w/ a smattering of other jobs. If you want to train and get a foot in the door somewhere as a junior programmer you'll want to see if there's anything within a commuting distance that is a tech hub. Sometimes employers will let you work remotely part of the time, but many roles want you in the office and also able to travel!

Thanks for the advice! That's a bummer to hear that remote work and tech work in Elgin aren't super feasible, but I'm much happier knowing now in the planning stage than once I get there. Inverness is only about an hour away, I'll look into job prospects there and see what's likely. I'm completely ok with changing careers when moving over, but I don't want to pour effort into a field where I will have an equally hard time finding a job!

Thanks for the advice! That's a bummer to hear that remote work and tech work in Elgin aren't super feasible, but I'm much happier knowing now in the planning stage than once I get there. Inverness is only about an hour away, I'll look into job prospects there and see what's likely. I'm completely ok with changing careers when moving over, but I don't want to pour effort into a field where I will have an equally hard time finding a job!

It will be effort but get to know the area you're in, and maybe your husband will have some connections? You may find something that interests you that won't require a new education. If you can be flexible it will help your prospects.

He doesn't have any great suggestions (on this particular front, in other areas he has many) as he is from Cornwall and so doesn't really know the job market there outside of RAF. But I haven't thought of asking any of his non RAF friends, they would probably have some ideas. Thanks for the suggestion! I've gotten tired the last few years of my theatre prospects and barely making minimum wage even with a bunch of hours and experience. I'd just gotten out of that into a better paying job in the US, so it's a bit disheartening to feel like I'm going to go right back to something minimum wage when I get to the UK. I know I'll have to do it for at least a few months, but I want to do everything I can to be able to get started on a new career path as soon as I can. But I'm happy to be flexible with whatever that career path may be!

Welcome to the forum . Feel free to make a thread in the Visas and Citizenship section, and we'll be happy to answer all of your questions .

I'm guessing your boyfriend is based at RAF Lossiemouth? I haven't been up there myself but I have several colleagues working on the base and they say it's a lovely part of the world . I'm a civil servant, but I work on RAF bases within the Operations Wing - I'm currently halfway through a 2-month deployment in the South Atlantic .

In regards to jobs, it might be worth seeing what jobs are available on the RAF base - I know of a few military partner/spouses who have found work on base .