First Trip Across the Pond - Any Advice? 3

[kat6787]

Hello Everybody,

Sorry if this is a re-post, I did a search but what I found was mainly about how to find jobs overseas. The job part I already have worked out, it’s the actual moving overseas that I am trying to figure out now. I will be leaving in about 6 weeks to work in my companies Aberdeen office for about a year (I’m currently in the Houston office), and I just wanted to see if anybody had in tips, tricks, hints, must-dos, must-haves (more in terms of clothing than anything else), favorite restaurants, etc. It will be my first trip overseas and more than anything I just don’t want to look like a complete idiot when I get there. Any advice is very much appreciated.

Cheers,
Kat

 

[Jordonlaw]

No one has yet mentioned that you need a good phrase book. I moved to Scotland 7 years ago and still can't understand what some of these guys say, da' ken.

The other slightly stange thing is that Scottish banks are allowed to print their own curreny notes. So unlike the USA that has all bank notes the same size and colour, the UK has english and various scottish notes of different types. Confusing at first for overseas visitors.

 

[GRoStruc]

Kat,

If you’re heading across in 6 weeks you’ll get here for our summer, so warm clothing and waterproofs required....

OK, seriously, it gets fairly warm (for us) in summer, although probably around the same as spring for you. There can still be plenty of showers so a light jacket needed.

It can get pretty cold and wet in winter (and autumn and spring come to think of it) so warm waterproof clothing required.

For a flat (sorry apartment) expect to pay £600-£700/month, but you can of course go for more or less. Have a look at:

http://www.aspc.co.uk

, they list pretty much every flat or house for sale or rent around Aberdeen.

There are already a HUGE number of workers from overseas in Aberdeen so banks should be pretty used to it. Easiest thing is to get in touch with HR in Aberdeen that you will be dealing with. They should sort that out, or at least give you references on headed paper to make the process easier (i.e. allows you to avoid the proof of address etc). O&G companies are pretty good at shunting people around the world.

Restaurant wise try Nargile (Turkish), Goulash (Hungarian) or Rustico and Ciao Napoli (Italian). You’ll have to go to the Ashvale as well for some (award winning) fish and chips.

To comment on what some other have said:

Yup, not much daylight in winter (pretty depressing) but it makes up for it just now with only a couple of hours of darkness a night.

Not sure about the Scotch beer? To be honest we don’t use the word scotch at all, we’d call that a malt whisky (as opposed to a blended whiskeys) and you’d generally ask for the brand.

If you do want to try a few malts go to the Grill (a bar) on Union St. It might look, erm, intimidating to you but trust me they are very friendly and its not uncommon to find it full of tourists with the bar staff enthusiastically talking them through the various malts (they have a huge selection). Full of colourful characters.

Might be the way I’ve read it but ice cubes are plentiful, I’m sure we could provide all the ices cubes you could ever want. The correct way to drink a malt is with a little water to allow the more subtle flavour flavours to come through, but ordering with ice won’t raise too many eyebrows.

Saying all that, you’ll see many more bottles of Bud and Miller on the go rather than whiskey, stereotyping!

Currency is GBP, Euros won’t get you far. English and Scottish (and Northern Irish, although not common here) pounds look a bit different but are all legal.

Trust me, you can get plenty further north than Aberdeen (from up north!) and it’s worth a look if you have the time, Inverness is a nice city, and the West coast of Scotland is lovely as ScottyUK said.


There is a pretty lively social life here too, I’m sure you’ll get to know Belmont St. A few nights out will help you get to know the city, and make sure your colleagues tell you the truth about things!

Don’t worry too much about looking like an idiot, things aren’t that different. As I’ve said there are a huge number of overseas workers so the general population is used to a few strange accents. The trick will be getting used to theirs.

Sorry for the long post, but anything specific feel free to ask. I know how you feel; coincidently I’m off from our Aberdeen office to our Perth (Aus) office for a couple of years in about 6 weeks too.

Good Luck!

 

[Ussuri]

Any information I can provide I would be happy to.

I work in Aberdeen (Dyce) for an offshore contractor doing primarily structural work associated with subsea systems. I’ll cover a few aspects which could be of interest but if you have any specific questions just shout.

Aberdeen is quite a small city with a population of around 220,000. It is big enough to have everything you would need but small enough that you can be in the country in 30 minutes and in the Grampian mountains in a round an hour. There is plenty of stuff about to do.

The city itself is built mainly of granite, which means its grey. Add to that the grey skies and dull days some people say it is depressing. I like it though. It can be cold in winter but it seems the days of snow lying for weeks are gone. We didn’t get any snow last year, or if we did it was gone in a couple of days.

Accommodation: There is a shortage of property for both rent and purchase in the city. Most of the flats are old Victorian tenements. I think rental for a one bedroom is around the £400 -450 per calendar month. Two bedrooms are around the £600-700 mark. You would want to be looking in Ferryhill, West End, Rosemount, Dyce areas. Areas of the city to avoid would be Tillydrone, Torry, Seaton, Northfield. There are others in between neither particularly nice or nasty.

There are also a number of ‘satellite’ towns and villages around Aberdeen where a lot of people stay and commute to work. These would be Westhill, Kingswells, Newmachar, Balmedie, Portlethen.

Transport: Most people in Aberdeen drive which leads to pretty bad congestion in the morning. It typically takes me about 45mins to drive 6 miles. There is a bus service but I am not a fan of it. It is quite expensive and when you need it (going to and from work) its usually very busy. If you work in Dyce you can get the train from the city centre.

Social: The popular pubs, bars, shops and cafes are all within walking distance of Union Street (the main drag in Aberdeen) and there are ample of each. Belmont street is a popular street for pubs as that is about all that is on it. Drinks are on the pricey side £2.50 ish for a pint of lager.

It can prove tricky to get a bank account and national insurance number but it can be done. Your company should be able to help. I can also ask a colleague who recently came over from Eire and has just gone though the same exercise.

 

[SomptingGuy]

This is probably obvious advice, but nevertheless advice I should have listened to before my first overseas post. Do not fall into the trap of telling everyone how much better some things are back at home. An overseas post makes you appreciate your home all the more, whilst also expanding your horizons.

Some practical advice. Do not go into a pub and sit straight down. Pubs are almost universally self-service, so you'll need to go to the bar. Expect also to pay for each drink as it comes rather than running a tab. Even if you are eating, expect to place your order at the bar. Don't feel obliged to tip the barman either.

 

[Ussuri]

This is the link to the local newspaper, The Press and Journal. It would be worth a look to see what sort of stuff makes the news around here.

http://www.thisisnorthscotland.co.uk/

 

[schnipp]

I was in a similar situation three years ago as I spent 6 months working at my old firms plant in Selby, N Yorkshire.

Enjoy the pub life. The food is better than you'd expect and I still miss a real ale, as I can't find any here in Eastern Iowa.

Pay attention to what people are saying, you'll eventually get most of what they say. While the Yorkshire accent I had to deal with wasn't nearly as bad as the Scottish you'll get, after about 6 weeks, you'll understand most of what they say.

If you're keeping a bank back here and your credit cards, call them ahead of time to see if there are overseas transaction fees. I kept my home base here in the colonies, so it was important to know. Of the two cards I have, one had a fee and the other didn't.

ATM's generally have the best exchange rate and are very plentiful. I generally didn't worry about getting my GBP's until landing on the Isle.

Don't expect to go to a restaraunt before 7 PM. A group of us walked into one in York at 6 PM, one table was seated and we were refused as they were booked for the night.

The last advice I'll offer is to travel on all your days off. Even if only to Edinburgh or Glasgow. Get out and about and find things on your own. Watch out for the brown HT signs. That sort of thing really interested me personally, so I tried to find all the historical items I could.

Oh, to have the fish in Whitby again. . . .

 

[SomptingGuy]

Adding to schnipp:

My US credit card (yep, I finally managed to get one!) worked just fine over here with no hidden charges. A much easier way of moving money around than asking banks to send it. Can't say I tried ATMs here with my US card though...

Whilst pubs are generally open all day, the restaurant comment is so true. A load of us Brits tried the traditional beer/curry/fight thing in Chicago once. Unfortunately the curry house closed before the pub, so we lost out. In the UK, pubs spill out into curry houses - the best way in my book.

Travel. One of my US colleagues spent a weekend here recently exploring by car. On motorways! My advice is to choose a destination, leave the car and walk. UK (and for that matter, European) towns were born before cars, so you get the best enjoyment on foot.

 

[schnipp]

My thing was that I wanted to get to Croft, Oulton Park, Cadwell Park, Lydden Hill, and Donnington. Places that generally don't have train stations within walking distance.

If you go from Aberdeen to the bigger cities (York, London, Edinburgh, etc), certainly the train is the best (from what I experienced.

When I had a free day and didn't want to take a train, I'd travel the North Yorkshire area by A and B route. I was looking for the out of the way places, though, so it suited my tastes. I wasn't paying for gas or car rental either, so the sticker shock didn't phase me!

 

[GRoStruc]

Yup, the petrol prices will be a bit of a shock, around £0.95/litre at the moment, which equates to around $7.20/gallon.

 

[KENAT]

Self serve bars/pubs has been covered but another thing is that most people in the UK don't eat out anywhere near as much as in the US.

For most nice or even middling restaurants you'll probably want to phone in advance to see if you need a reservation. Also tipping is typically a bit more conservative/less widespread.

US Biscuits do not exist in the UK.

UK Biscuits are what the colonials call cookies.

US Chips = UK Crisps (Lays = Walkers by the way)

English Muffins are available but it’s not like they’re everywhere as the name may suggest.

Even if the food is nominally the same it may be different. For instance most UK versions of breakfast cereals are not as sweet as the US versions. Even UK bread typically isn’t as sweet as US bread, it’s closer to what’s called French Bread here in CA.

“Food is kind of dull compared to US” maybe 20 years ago but not really any more. Sure there are bad places in the UK but there are bad places in the US too. If you want strong spices etc you’ll want to look at ethnic food rather than traditional British, Indian being the obvious choice. (By the way, I’ve never found an Indian restaurant in the US that was anywhere near as good as those in the UK) However, while typically milder the British food is very good, don’t turn your nose up at Steak & Kidney pudding, black pudding, Haggis etc until you’ve tried it. My wife (US born & bred) is a convert to several British foods I’ve introduced her to including real Kippers (not the canned kind) and crumpets.

The American & European style beers are usually called lager in the UK and real men will frown upon you drinking them. Lager inherently doesn’t taste that good, hence it is served very cold to disguise this fact. Traditional Ales etc taste very good and hence can usually be drunk at or just below room temperature however different types of beer vary and some are actually drunk quite cold. English pints are 20 oz not 16. Drinking a yard of ale is harder than it seems….


KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[SomptingGuy]

Brit-think, Ameri-think: A Transatlantic Survival Guide
by Jane Walmsley.

Every word is true. This is ideal for travellers in both directions. No bias, just good, funny info.

 

[kchayfie]

What KENAT says about lager versus real ale is all too true. However, I've struggled to find a decent pint of ale whenever I've been in Scotland - seems to me that they've spent all their time learning how to make whisky and never really bothered with beer. Don't let experiences of Scottish beer prevent you from trying a decent pint of English ale if you venture over the border. (of course there are exceptions to the rule but its easier to find bad beer up there than good!)

My only experience of Aberdeen is the airport - not bad for a one-horse town kind of size. Better than Inverness airport anyway. I expect you'll become extremely familiar with the place during your year!

 

[kat6787]

Thanks to everybody for the great advice. My list of places to go is growing longer by the day and I fully intend to see as much of the UK and any other countries I can make it to while I'm over there.

One more call for advice though. It seems like you can do most things by using the train, bus or walking to get around. The company has offered to lease a car (but that doesn't include a gas card) or offered a per diem to pay for public transportation. The apartment is within walking distance to the office so I'm not worried about how to get to work. I have no problems walking to get around on my time off when I can, but would it be better to get the car for when I want to explore the country? How easy is it to rent a car for the weekend once I get over there?

Again, thanks for all the advice so far.

Cheers,
Kat

 

[KENAT]

Didn't spend much time in Scotland itself but...

Unless it's improved massively in the last 4 years the public transport is a bit hit or miss in the UK.

For some things it's great for some awful. If you plan on visiting historic sites outside of city/town centers a car may be almost essential.

In London the tube/underground is pretty good for getting around.

The trouble with buses is it's not always easy to work out where you need to get off and the drivers are not always too helpful. So not necessarily a good option for touristing. Can be relatively expensive too.

Renting a car isn't too difficult but probably not quite as easy as US, more expensive too although it's been a while since I rented either place. I'm not sure what the situation will be with your licence, I'm not sure if it's like the US where if you're there more than a certain amount of time you have to get a local licence.



KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[GregLocock]

From memory renting a car at short notice is about 80-150 bucks a day (or more). If you book in advance for a reasonable amount of time it'll fall to about half that.

If you are there for a year buy a 5 year old ex company car for fun, and walk to the office.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[ajack1]

The train service has improved greatly over the last few years and public transport is usually very good in larger cities, rural locations are a different matter.

Most cities you have to pay to park and beware of wheel clampers, not sure if you have them in Houston but basically if you park illegally or do not feed the meter they clamp your car and release it for a large amount of money, I do seem to remember that the law is different in Scotland to England however.

As for car hire most of the same companies operate in the UK as the USA, have a look on the web at Avis, Hertz etc. Train and bus tickets are much cheaper if pre-booked or you buy say a week or month long pass.

I would follow Greg’s advice and buy an old car when you get over and sell before you leave, probably the least expensive option.

 

[Ussuri]

I spoke with my colleague about getting a bank account and national insurance number. To get the bank account they made an appointment with the Bank Manager and had to bring along the following documentation (1) passport (2) details of employment contract (3) payslip (4) proof of residence (5) proof that the company is registered in the UK for tax purposes. They got the National Insurance Number from the local Job Centre (which is on either Crown Street or Dee Street, I can’t quite remember).

If you want to see the country side you really do need to get a car. There are buses out to the towns and villages, but really nothing to any of the scenic areas. They are painfully slow as well. It takes two hours to get to Ballater on the Bus and you can drive it in 45min-1 hour. The link below is to all the bus timetables

http://timetables.showbus.co.uk/nscot.htm

As the others have said hiring a car shouldn’t be too difficult (don’t forget your driving license). You can also pick up a cheap run around for a few hundred quid at the car auction.

http://www.smag.co.uk/index.asp

 

[GRoStruc]

Kenat has got it pretty much right.

The train is pretty good for getting between the cities, but the buses vary and anything outside the city centre isn't great.

I read it that the company will be providing the car, you just pay for petrol (not gas here!) That's pretty good, petrol may be expensive but if you choose not to drive you're not paying anything.

Plus, site seeing is one thing, but when it gets dark in winter at 3.30 in the afternoon and you're standing at the bus stop in the sleet and snow waiting for a bus you might regret turing down the car.

 

[csd72]

In the UK the long distance buses are much cheaper than the trains.

In that part of Scotland, I would imagine public transport would be limited. Getting a car will also give you more options on where you can live.

Check out the parking situation at work though, parking can be very scarce in parts of the UK.

csd

 

[kchayfie]

Aberdeen is pretty darn remote from most of the UK and the connecting roads, while well kept, aren't brilliant either (no motorway, lots of single carriageway so if you get stuck behind a lorry you're there for weeks, etc). You'll probably find it works best to a) walk to work, b) have a car for exploring the surrounding areas and c) take the train or fly to other parts of the UK when you are going exploring the country. You can always hire a car at the airport if you're ultimate destination isn't on public transport links.

I'd still take the lease car option though. Little things like picking up groceries at the supermarket can become major chores if your home isn't near a decent shop. But then again, if you don't get a parking space with your flat and you have to pay for parking (a problem with some city centres but I don't know about Aberdeen), its worth giving some thought to how often you will really use it.