How can expats in London live in luxury on a budget? Just ask Lenna Ntala of Move to England. Here is an excerpt from this article:

Go shopping as frequently as you want

Go for a walk in Oxford Street. Visit Primark for clothes and shoes in really low prices. There are several other shops with good offers, too, especially at the end of a season. Shop around a bit to find them.

Do the shopping for your house wisely. Go to Wilkinson’s for everything that you need around the house; they are really cheap. When it comes to food, go to cheap supermarkets like Tesco and look out for special offers. It is also a great idea to shop locally. Try convenience shops with exotic products in your neighborhood, such as Indian shops, that sell food in bulk. Buying halal meat is a good idea, as it is usually cheaper.

Travel around in your free time

Do it cleverly, though. If you want to save money and keep fit, follow the trend and buy a bike. Second-hand bikes are inexpensive and can save you lots of money. Get the bus instead of the tube and buy a Travelcard if you use it a lot; if you are a student, you are entitled to a discount. In the unlikely case that you are tired of London, explore other English cities. Travel by train if you are entitled to a discount Travelcard or book tickets with Megabus from as little as 1 pound.

In addition to Move to England, you can find more more information on our Living in the UK for Expats network and in our London for Expats section.

When a family moves abroad and decides to have a baby, it can be a difficult decision as to where they will deliver the child. In some instances it can be easy. My wife’s cousin was pregnant while living in Haiti, and there was never any question as to whether or not she would return to the U.S. to have the baby. She did.

In other countries, however, American and British expats will find that they will receive more care and benefits than in the U.S. or in the U.K.

Here is a report that describes one expat’s experience having a baby in Luxembourg:

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Luxembourg

How recently did you give birth in the country that you are reporting on?

2010

Describe your experience giving birth there. What type of facility did you go to? What (if any) type of pain management did you use? How long did you stay in the hospital? Was it a positive experience? Etc…

I did not attend the birthing class (my friend went to the class that the Maternite offered (which is free 8 sessions of birth preparation, taught in French). The most important thing is to learn how to breath during labor.

I gave birth at the Maternité Grande Duchesse Charlotte (the other one in Kirchberg I heard is also good). I stayed for 5 days (I had a normal/natural delivery but I had some difficulty with breastfeeding). I shared a room with another lady, and she’s pleasant, so I actually enjoyed having a roommate.

The whole experience was wonderful, I could always ring the bell when my baby cried or when I needed something. I was new to the motherhood, so I really had no clue what to do, how to breastfeed, how to change diaper, and so on. The staff insisted that I ring the bell whenever I needed anything. The food was great. The facility was excellent. I’m very pleased with my stay at Maternite.

Have you (or your partner) had a baby abroad? Please share your experiences with other expats, and help them navigate the process of giving birth in another country!

Homeschooling for expat children has been a reality for a long time. Parents can find it challenging to meet the needs of their children, even if they do not have any special needs that have to be taken into consideration. Lack of space, language barriers, and costs involved with international schools are just a few of the barriers that can get in the way of a successful international relocation for a family with school-aged children. That doesn’t even take local home-schooling regulations.

Here’s a recent thread from Expat Exchange member Rootstock that covers the topic of homeschooling in the U.K. One of the children has Autism, which obviously is a special cirumstance that has to be taken into consideration.

We have two children, one in first grade, and one in second grade. The second grader has an Autism spectrum diagnosis and dyslexia. He is able to be in a regular classroom with certain accommodations and he goes to a daily “pull-out” dyslexia reading program at school.

I’m *considering* homeschooling my children while we are in England. (Which may only be a year or so.) My reasons for this are related to my son’s special needs, but also due to a desire to have flexible time to explore the country and the city of London.

If anyone has had a similar experience in the U.K. or anywhere else in the world, please share your experiences with Rootstock. There have been some suggestions, such as Mumsnet and Ofsted.

Anyone interested in teaching abroad knows that – just as in their home country – their qualifications are going to be requested when employment is sought.

An old thread on our Canada Network for Expats was recently resurrected. It addresses how to teach in Canada with credentials from the UK.

Canada (federally in partnership with the provinces) has begun to create standards that will make it easier for certain trades to mobilize with their accreditation from one province to another. Although another response indicates that your teaching license in BC is not valid in Ontario, the process has begun to change. In Ontario, you can submit your foreign credentials to the Ontario College of Teachers should you wish to teacher K – 12.

Click into the link above to read or add to the full thread about Teaching in Canada with UK credentials.

Here are a few other articles about teaching abroad on Expat Exchange:

Teach Abroad: Been There, Done That – A Q&A with Janice Ireland, a British Teacher who has Taught Overseas and Returned to the UK.

And a recent article about how to Teach in China.

Have your retired in France? An Expat Exchange member on the France network inquired about some advice for retiring to the “Bordeaux area or possibly Villeneuve-sur-Lot”. He’s already received a bit of advice about what it is like there:

Shopping is plentiful in Bordeaux, as there is everything from pituresque boutiques to international brands you would recognize.

There is a Bordeaux Wine School, if that appeals to you.

The cost of living in Bordeaux is supposed to affordable relative to other parts of France, such as Paris.

Also, we recently added a new Retiring Abroad report, and we’d like to encourage anyone who hasn’t filled it out yet to please do so. Expat input is invaluable to those who consider following in expats across the globe.

You can add your own Retirement Report in one of two ways:

If you are an Expat Exchange member (it’s free to join, you can Link it to your Username, or else submit it anonymously.

Expat packages are a frequent topic raised by potential expats that have been offered an expat assignment. For those in this situation, the expat package is something that must be picked over time and time again before one they even consider accepting the expatriate assignment. This is particularly true of those going on an international relocation with a family.

A recent survey conducted by ECA International showed that take home pay from expat packages for middle managers in Hong Kong have fallen to 10th among Asian cities:

Expatriates in Japan receive the highest net take-home pay in the region. ECA’s MyExpatriate Market Pay Survey shows that the average net take-home pay for a middle manager on assignment to Japan is US$98,000. Expatriates at the same job level in Hong Kong receive almost US$80,000.

“Expatriate market rates are influenced by a number of factors that don’t affect local market rates,” said Lee Quane, ECA’s Regional Director, Asia. “For example, changes in cost of living indices and location (hardship) ratings, typically used when calculating an expatriate salary, will affect the levels of salaries awarded to expatriates in the country, in addition potentially to more traditional market influences.”

As an aside, one of the constant refrains we here from expats living abroad with families is that they wish they had fought harder to have their children’s schooling costs included in their package.

Here’s a little more information on Expat Exchange about expat packages…

Expat Package Information

Expat Package Negotiation

Expat Package Information from an expat in Egypt.

Expat life can be fascinating and frustrating all at the same time. A recent article in the Irish Times about Expat Irish in New York provides a window into the life of this group of expats and how they have changed over the years. Here is a little about how Photographer Norma Manly came to document the New York Irish Center and some of it’s members:

When Norma Manly arrived in New York earlier this year on a photography internship, there was a slice of New York life she knew she wanted to document. But at first, it seemed to be hidden. “Everybody had been telling me that there were loads of Irish around,” Manly says. “But I didn’t hear any accents on the subway. It was only when I did a bit of research online that I found out about the New York Irish Center.”

“Norma called and asked to do a study of our senior members,” says Paul Finnegan, executive director of the New York Irish Center, based in Long Island City, Queens. “I said, well, don’t just come in here and start snapping. They’re not exhibits in a zoo. All you’ve got to do is be with them for a while and they’ll open up to you. And they loved her by the time she had to go back.”

The article provides insight into the Irish expat experience in New York through the stories lived by those that migrated from all over Ireland to the Big Apple. As the article notes, what Irish expats found waiting for them has changed dramatically over the decades.

Those interested in making a move in the opposite direction – from the U.S. to Ireland, will find all kinds of advice on the Expat Exchange’s Living in Ireland Network.