4 planes, 3 currencies & 3 sim cards

Last week was pretty hectic, as hectic weeks go. I had 4 days on the go at my housekeeping job, which is fairly tiring by anyone's standards. I'd finish each day absolutely covered in sweat from head to toe (it is very humid in Copenhagen these days, time pressures of the job and the non-breathable uniform aside), cycle the 8km home and basically sit in a vegetative state until I recovered the use of my limbs. The week stretched out in front of me with promise, and would include 4 flights, a trip to Durham to meet those working on my study and my future colleagues, and a trip home to Ireland to see the family, all my friends, and enjoy being back in Meath and Dublin again.

On Tuesday, I hurried to get finished with my work, raced home to get my stuff ready, then headed on over to the lovely CPH Lufthavn for my first of two BA flights of the evening. I was fairly excited to fly with British Airways because they still give out free snacks, and there ain't no snack like a free snack. I had a pretty miserable ham and cheese sandwich on stodgy flatbread and coffee, along with a cookie I brought myself in case BA did not bring their snack A-game.

This shocking sight greeted me, but luckily the weather in Durham was more to my liking. Sunshine, a cool breeze, all the things you don't expect when visiting the north of England. 

The 2 days in Durham were absolutely fantastic. My future colleagues are all incredibly focused, kind, and regard work-life balance as of the utmost importance, which is a huge deal for me (living in Denmark, you come to expect it, and having lived in London, know how sacred it really is). 

There was much coffee drinking, meeting and greeting, and fascinating discussions about the work to come and work those in the department have been involved in. I'm really excited to sink my teeth into PhD life in a couple of months! In case you needed photographic proof that Durham is beautiful, I have included some snippets as evidence.

I stayed at the Premier Inn in town, they were so full of northern charm, caring and friendly, such a shock to the system. Danes are incredibly polite, but this is a whole other ballgame. After a few hours of walking around the town, and a surprisingly emotional visit to the Cathedral (along with a scone and a lot of whipped cream and jam), I headed to Newcastle airport to get on the world's tiniest plane home to my family. I had the good fortune to sit next to an academic from Cork who gave me so much good advice on my PhD. It pays to chat to those sitting next to you!

 

And then before I knew it I was home to this little fellah, buckets of tea and as many free range eggs as I could muster (and I mustered a great deal). I'll make another post about my trip to Ireland, because I think this is quite long enough! Suffice to say: British Airways food-pretty bad. Durham-beautiful. Shifting from Kroner to Pounds to Euro and back to Kroner- mildly confusing. Life-very excited.

Expat Once More: A Guide to the Ins and Outs of Moving Somewhere New

I've been flitting back and forth for more than 4 months now between Ireland and Denmark. I've probably spent more time in Dublin and CPH airport than some of the staff, and can get through airport security as efficiently as George Clooney in that travel movie Up in the Air. A number of Aer Lingus hostesses now recognise me and offer me free snacks, which, anyone can agree, is a rare thing in this cheap air travel age. I'd think of myself as quite travel savvy, I've lived in a couple of foreign countries and visited many more as a tourist, student or seasonal worker,and spent a lot of time in airports and weird, cheap hostels. I have to admit, though, the process is rendered a whole lot easier when you have a boyfriend that can photo memorise maps instantaneously, and a few friendly natives willing to show you the short cuts. Insider knowledge and quick wits are invaluable in these situations.

In three days time, just days shy of my one year anniversary of arriving in Denmark, I'm returning, for good. In my occasional absence my boyfriend has been a busy bee. He has gotten himself a job with a leading Danish bank, is taking Danish lessons so he can understand what goes on in meetings, and, possibly the biggest plunge of all, has bought an apartment. For those not familiar with the Andelsbolig way, it is an alternative ownership arrangement between outright private ownership, private rental, and social housing.

It means an individual buys a share in the housing co-operative and all residents in the building take a collective responsibility to co-manage the space and ensure it is a pleasant and safe place for all to live. It's a really excellent, thoroughly Nordic idea, and as someone who studied housing policy in college, I'm delighted to see how it works in practicality, in case its worth trying to pitch to the good people of Ireland. We're a jealously guarding our own private property kind of bunch, you see.

I'm so lucky that I have this handy living situation ready to go, as I know that accommodation is one of the biggest sources of worry for those moving abroad, and I'm currently job seeking and fairly low on expendable income. The other areas that, for me, were the most difficult to navigate, were getting a social security number, opening a bank account, finding my way around, and meeting new people.

So here I present you with a basic guide to navigating your way around the beginnings of expat life, with handy click through links for further perusing.

Allow IKEA to become your temporary best friend. Take photos of yourself relaxing in IKEA showrooms. It is fun.

Accommodation

So you arrive in a brand new country, and maybe you have a job or a course to study lined up, maybe you don't. If you're lucky enough to have temporary accommodation or a college dorm, excellent, and if not, what to do? It's always worth planning in advance, no one wants to be homeless if their plan to find a place after arriving proves very difficult. Couch surfing, Airbnb, or a cheap hostel can be your best friend, and help you to buy time on the cheap while looking out for that dream apartment. As an aside, renting out a spare room on Airbnb is a great way to make some extra dosh.

Prior to arriving in a new city it's worth exhausting every possible avenue on that wonderful worldwide web of ours. A variation of Gumtree or Craigslist exists in almost every country, so get investigating. Do your homework by contacting people, join Facebook groups for those home hunting, network, and do your best to secure at least short-term accommodation before you arrive.

It can be hard to convince individuals to rent to you before you're in the country. In Denmark, getting a legal apartment can be impossible without a CPR number, and in London you might end up doing a Harry Potter and sleeping in a cupboard under the stairs for £500 a month. Do your research, be smart, and don't hand over money unless you're 100% certain the person is legitimate. Please please please, exercise caution!

Sites for housing:

• Gumtree
• Craigslist
• DBA
• Couch Surfing
• Airbnb
• Helpx (in exchange for bed and board you do some chores, simple as)

Once we moved our things using just a bicycle.

Legal Stuff

Every country has their legal hoops for you to jump through in order to become a legal resident. I would recommend, again, finding out absolutely everything there is to know about the registration system in the country you intend to go to. Any paper work you need to register abroad will be easier and cheaper to attain before you move, so make it your business to be prepared. File and document everything you will need, including payslips, tax certificates, proof of address, college transcripts and references.

It is worth checking out expat websites, forums and official government websites, as sometimes language barriers, untranslated sites or out of date information might leave you in the dark about a crucial item needed. If you need a visa, make sure it's sorted out long before moving day. If you don't have your passport with the correct stamp in it, you might find yourself sticking around a while longer. Pay close attention to the Dept. of Immigration websites for your homecountry and choice destination.

I've always moved to foreign countries; the UK, Sweden and Denmark, with the explicit intention to study, so I took letters of acceptance, academic references and my transcript of records from my Irish education with me, and was ready to show them to immigration officers, bank agents and landlords. As an EU citizen I was entitled to move freely within the EU so visas were not required, but if you wish to stay longer than 3 months in a Nordic country, you need a residence permit, and the UK migration authorities are notoriously difficult to deal with, so do your homework, and be prepared. It's always useful to have a few passport sized pictures of yourself to hand, you will inevitably need them for one form or another.

Banking

In most EU countries banking and having a social security number go hand in hand. If you're not a legal resident, you might find it really tough to get a bank account. In the UK I found it almost impossible, and that's in a country I live mere miles way from! Proof of address and a social security number are the minimum requirements to open a basic bank account in many countries, and it's probably becoming blatantly obvious how important paperwork and careful form filling is.

As sense would dictate, it's always a good idea to contact the bank in your home country before the move, and check if they have branches in the country you are moving to. Maybe they will be able to speed the process of opening an account for you. They can also provide you with costs and charges you might incur if you use your card abroad. This is always something to consider, because you will inevitably have to use your home card for at least a few days.

It might be useful to check the conditions of SEPA to be aware the changes in charges you may incur. It's risky to travel with large quantities of money in an unfamiliar country, so transferring large quantities of money safely through a currency exchange service is one effective solution. This can often be cheaper and less stressful than a visit to the Bureau de Change and can be done from the comfort of your own computer. Some companies need to verify your location in advance, so take time to become familiar with this service before you need to do a transfer.

Banking:

• Opening an account in Denmark or the UK
• SEPA information

Getting Lost Creatively

I have a pretty bad sense of direction, if I'm being honest with you. The first few times I used the tube alone I got lost more times than I'd like to recall, and it's just as well that I had given myself a lot of extra time. Travelling around a new city can be hell. You have to deal with a different currency, a foreign language, a potentially poorly sign posted route (Dublin has no indication of where you are on its buses, I still have to ask the driver to shout for me when I'm going to a new place. Ridiculous), an alien ticketing system, and maybe dodgy characters that might give you hassle because you have a backpack and an expression of sheer uncertainty.

Do your research before you go, find out what the cheapest ticket system is. If you can buy an Oyster card or equivalent, do so. You'll save money, and the card might be refundable too. If you want a map that is a little bit different, for some creative fun on the weekends or while you're still job hunting, Herb Lester and Associates have beautifully designed and informative maps for a number of different cities.

My favourite thing to do when I get to a new city is seek out the place where the cheap bikes are sold. They usually aren't in great shape, and in some of the dodgier places they might have been stolen mere minutes ago. But you can use your own discretion, and if you're lucky you might get a good deal. Then, get a map (a Google map, if you're so inclined), and just go. Nothing beats finally ditching the buses and trains and getting out onto the streets. I find my way around every new city like this, sometimes with my GPS turned on and my Maps helping me along the way.

If you can't cycle, learn, and if you think the weather is too bad, buy weather-appropriate clothing. It's free, it's quick and it's the fastest way to get to know your locality, unless you have a chauffeur and it's something you never have to worry about. Which I hope not, because that would be terribly boring for you.

If you're not keen to buy, many cities do rental bike schemes, such as:

• DublinBikes
• BorisBikes
• CPH bike rental

Everyone Needs a Good Map:

• Michelin Guide
• AA road maps
• Herb Lester

Making Friends

You have your temporary sublet apartment, your second hand racer bike, a debit card and a bottle of the strangest and most popular local tipple (Fisk, what are you?). Bad news is, it's a Friday night, and you have no plans, and only a few acquaintances. How do you have a good time, when you're just new in a city and don't really know anybody?

Quite simply, you have to get out of your comfort zone. You packed up all your things and moved, didn't you? You're not about to sit at home and gaze longingly at what all your Facebook friends are eating on a Friday night, oh no! Get out there, join clubs, societies, groups, go on dates, go dancing, be open to new possibilities. The time to siphon out the good stuff from the mediocre comes about a month from now. Whittle away at the friend list once you have a friend list to work with.

Join Meetup.com and go on as many fun activities as you can. Be open, ask people about their stories, gravitate towards people you build a rapport with. If you feel a connection, ask for a Facebook or phone number and suggest you meet again. Don't be a creep, and take social queues. But put yourself out there. The worst they can do is decline your Friend Request. If you have housemates that seem up for it, go out with them for a drink, be polite to anyone they introduce you to. By opening up your world you might meet some really cool people.

I think the internet is an invaluable tool, so if you have a college class with a fun bunch of people just once a week, make a Facebook group and suggest cool things you can do on the weekend. Post on message boards for new expats and go to any networking events offered. Join a language class and make an effort to get to know the others. When I studied in Sweden, I took a folk dancing class, and ended up becoming the best of friends with a few people in it. We started going because it was kind of corny and kitsch, but ended up loving the experience and being the most loyal attendees.

Make Some Friends:

• Meetup.com
• counchsurfing.com (check the forums for regular events)

So there you have it, a short guide written from my own world view. Hopefully it’ll be useful to people similar to myself; young, with little ties and obligations, motivated to work hard, be successful and have fun. I recently contributed an expat tip to the new Expat Tip Page on the HiFXwebsite. There you'll find lots of Expat tips from seasoned travellers, and there is a link to each contributor if you want to delve into their world. Click on http://www.hifx.co.uk/resources/expat-tips/ to mine and others' tips! I encourage everyone to move very far away at least once in their life. Even if you eventually return to the place you come from, you'll come home with opened eyes, a set of new experiences and opinions, and a different take on the world.. Happy travelling!

Guardian Article on Wages: 'Workers suffer deepest cut in real wages since records began, IFS shows'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2013/jun/12/workers-deepest-cuts-real-wages-ifs

As one who spent a year and a half working in the UK in service industry jobs, this article really rings true. Living in an expensive city, paying above and beyond acceptable rates for accommodation of inconsistent quality, with wages very far from the basic 'London Living Wage', I know the burden of working long hours for inadequate wages.

Britain's workers have suffered more financial pain since 2008 than in any five-year period of the modern age, according to research by a leading tax thinktank that shows employees have sacrificed pay to keep their jobs.
Describing this downturn as the longest and deepest slump in a century, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says workers have suffered unprecedented pay cuts of 6% in real terms over the last five years.

Historically, real wages rise by about 2% a year. This suggests that people are more than 15% worse off than they would have been if the pre-crisis wage trends had continued.
Analysing downturns going back to the great depression, Paul Johnson, director of the IFS, said: "This time really does seem to be different … it has been deeper and longer than those of the 1990s, the 1980s and even the 1930s. It has seen household incomes and spending drop more and stay lower longer."

The report finds that since the start of the recession real wages have fallen by more than in any comparable five-year period. It also highlights an "unprecedented" drop in productivity as output has tumbled faster than employment.
Official figures on Tuesday brought little comfort for ministers looking for a manufacturing revival to turn the tide on productivity. Hopes that a pick-up in industry would lead to better balanced growth in the UK were dented by data for April showing the first decline in factory production in three months.

The Office for National Statistics said factories were producing 10% less than they were in 2007, before the onset of the recession in early 2008.
David Kern, chief economist at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: "Our manufacturing exporters are still overly focused on the weak eurozone, but low domestic demand has also limited progress."
The service sector was facing its own challenges from demand being sucked out of the economy by the squeeze on wages, economists warned.
"This period has seen the biggest squeeze of real pay in decades," said Michael Pearce, at Capital Economics. "We're not expecting this damage [to households' real pay] to be reversed any time soon, highlighting one reason not to get too carried away by recent signs of economic recovery."

The IFS says much of the sharp drop in pay is down to widespread nominal wage cuts for workers staying in the same jobs, rather than being driven by inflation outpacing pay growth or people losing high paid jobs and taking worse paid roles.
One-third of workers experienced nominal wage freezes or cuts between 2010 and 2011, and 70% experienced real wage cuts, the thinktank says, blaming in part a drop in the number of unionised workers.
A new TUC campaign for pay rises this week chimes with that finding. It launched with the claim that the UK's annual pay packet had shrunk by £52bn since the start of the financial crisis.
The IFS said the silver lining was that employment had held up and so there was no repeat of the policy errors of the 1980s when millions were allowed to "leave the labour force altogether and receive disability benefits or lone-parent benefits, or move into early retirement".

Claire Crawford, programme director at the IFS said: "The falls in nominal wages that workers have experienced during this recession are unprecedented, and seem to provide at least a partial explanation for why unemployment has risen less – and productivity has fallen more – than might otherwise have been expected.
"To the extent that it is better for individuals to stay in work, albeit with lower wages, than to become unemployed, the long-term consequences of this recession in terms of labour market performance may be less severe than following the high unemployment recessions of the 1980s and 1990s."

A Treasury spokesman said: "As the IFS says, the UK is recovering from the 'longest and deepest' recession in a century. Despite this, the labour market has remained strong: one-and-a-quarter-million private sector jobs have been created and more people are in private sector employment than ever before."

Taxing Matters

Claiming tax back, registering to be taxed, all that fun stuff that comes with leaving one country and moving to a next. It's such a pain. Luckily, the Danish system is so straight forward and I don't even have to fill in a form like I thought I would have to, just gave them a call. As it works out, I don't know if I'll stay here much longer after my course is finished, so the lady marked the form out accordingly, and chances are I won't have to pay any tax at all. How lovely.

HMRC, on the other hand, are never fun to deal with. Granted, I called the 'foreigner' number and didn't have to wait on the line for 10 minutes, but sadly the lady was able to tell me a letter has been sent to my Danish address because more information about my P45s is required. What information I don't know, because she couldn't tell me, and I haven't received the letter yet.

And so we wait. With my ever-decreasing bank balance, I know I am owed tax back, but who knows when I will get it. And I don't get paid in my new job until June, which feels like a lifetime away. Oi vey.

On the plus side, I made all my calls through Skype, and it cost literally a few pence. I could not be happier.