Moving to the UK

[Vigilia]

What does shire mean?

A shire is an administrative division of Great Britain and Australia. The first shires were created by the Anglo-Saxons in what is now central and southern England. Shires were controlled by a royal official known as a "shire reeve" or sheriff. Historically shires were sub-divided into hundreds or wapentakes although other less common sub-divisions existed. In modern English usage shires are sub-divided into districts.

According to wiki at least, a lot of county names in modern UK still end in -shire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shire

[SteveMc]

Just a heads up about the TV license, you sadly still need to pay for one even if you just use a TV for PS3/XBox or as a replacement for a monitor :/ Money grubbing BBC

I only use my TV for my Xbox and I don't have to pay for one, granted they come over and check more often, but they just flick through all the channels and make sure nothing is tuned in, no worries.

[Sta]

I learned something. I live in Berkshire... so if the Saxons didnt come up with the "Shire" bs i would live in a region called Berk? Praise the saxons.

[Popeh]

For some bent reason the weather gets anyone talking. I hate it, but I admit I've used it a lot myself sometimes when there's no escaping conversations. A few times I came home from work in London there would be 2 or 3 willing to talk, but not on the tube but on the proper trains.

It's that rite fine rain that soaks ya through ...

Most people in London i've crossed paths with are wankers, why would you talk to them? The 2 times i've visited London which thankfully has been a quick as I can Kings Cross > Piccadilly switch and back out again you're left feeling like it's a competition to see who can bang into you the hardest.

OP: Good choice on keeping out of that city.

[Keria]

If you like the cold I would recommend Yorkshire or anywhere in Scotland... /shiver. Those are the 2 coldest places I've ever been.

I used to live in Norwich in East Anglia which is a nice, medium-sized city with a good mix of finance/media employers and rent isn't too expensive. (I think about £350/month for a 1 bedroom flat.) I live on the south coast now, Brighton is popular with middle class media workers/gay people, a "cultured" city but very expensive to live there, expect to pay around £800/month for a flat. On the flip side it has really good nightlife/shops. Don't move anywhere in East Sussex, the job market is total shit in this area and the only jobs are for doctors/nurses.

[Elesirdur]

Go way up north to the Shetlands and you can have adventures like these:

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/f...a/shetland.jpg

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/f...onna/pony2.jpg

[The Stig]

It's that rite fine rain that soaks ya through ...

Most people in London i've crossed paths with are wankers, why would you talk to them? The 2 times i've visited London which thankfully has been a quick as I can Kings Cross > Piccadilly switch and back out again you're left feeling like it's a competition to see who can bang into you the hardest.

OP: Good choice on keeping out of that city.

That's very true, but I guess when everyone's in stress and just wants to get the hell out of there to wherever they need to go, it can be very unforgiving. And I guess I just talk to potentially network with someone, you never know, they might get you out in a pinch one day...

And to you all Norths out there hating South, touche is all I can say XD

But yes, it is a grim time to find a job, everywhere seems to be scared to employ people and such...

[Lliandra]

Wow the thread really took off just as i had to do an absolute shit brick of work

On the issue of Stalking, OMG GTFO OF MY TOWN! but you live in Derby now so i'll let you be. You don't know anyone called Ainsley Sykes do you? If you do tell him he's a nob from me lol ;P

On the issue of Deep Frying stuff, a lot of you Southerners may or may not have heard of the Parmo? :D I know you northerners know wut i'm on about! The sickly, heart-wrenchingly, high blood pressure..ly...treat that is a Chicken Escalople, breadcrumbed and deep fried, with bechemal sauce on top, followed by more cheese (Usually cheddar) and any other topping that you like! Mushrooms and garlic mayo OM NOM NOM.
Only have one in your lifetime or you may die lol. Yeah battered mars bars are teh win! can only have half tho before you wake up in Casualty.

I was born in Hartlepool but have lived in Boro and Stockton on Tees aswell. Lived in Great Ayton for a bit aswell but thats a littel village that no one will have heard of, aside it was Captain Cooks birthplace (yawn)

London is RIDICULOUS for rent/mortgages ; ; My house in Stockton cost me £139k, split with my partner. Not includin council tax (yay) and the rest that goes with it. Its 3 bedroomed and has a garage so not a bad deal. My Sisters ex bf lives in London. He has a ONE BEDROOMED FLAT for 200k. Get. A. Grip.

You could always buy out Newcastle Utd footie team...i bet its goin cheap lol.

Edit: OH I SAW A FILTHY MACKEM EARLIER?! WHO IS IT?! GTFO!!

[The Stig]

Never heard of this deep frying stuff, at all.
But damn you, I'm hungry now.

The north is an absolute dream for houses..... so.... cheap.... and nice.

I been to Newcastle once to attend an assessment centre for British Airways. I'm glad I didn't get a job up there because I think I'm going to like where I am now. Besides it annoyed me that I got absolutely no feedback because apparently:

5000+ applicants --> 2000 applicants (online test) ---> 36 applicants (I was here), 36 applicants was "too much people" to give feedback on. I don't even know where I went wrong. And everyone else didn't seem competent, it's for an IT related job and some dude had a Nokia 3210 HAHAHAHA ¬_¬

Anyway, I remembered at the hotel, the receptionist handed me the keys... I only understood the first line "The lift is on your right". Everything else was garbage in, garbage out. I really couldn't understand her due to her accent, I basically smiled, said thanks, and ran away. Fast.

[liami]

The education thing, I'm not entirely sure. I've met some real retards now and again, but I will chance it and say UK people will generally be more polite/helpful. But it depends how lucky you are really.

I myself will talk to anyone that's willing to talk to me, and go as far as giving up my seat for the pregnant/elderly/disabled on any form of transport/public place, or even get up and help, say, a mother of 2 carry her shopping onto the bus, and off the bus if they get off before me.

As for the thoughtful thing, OUTSIDE London I'm sure if you're out and about on public transport/waiting for bus/train etc, you can easily strike up a convo with anyone (not chav/not foreign, white, usually). by saying "nice day eh?"

For some bent reason the weather gets anyone talking. I hate it, but I admit I've used it a lot myself sometimes when there's no escaping conversations. A few times I came home from work in London there would be 2 or 3 willing to talk, but not on the tube but on the proper trains.

Man, that really makes my day when i have a conversation with a complete randomer on the way or on the way back from work, actually restores a little bit of faith in humanity for me.
In reference to those GCSE grades, that was just for the higher level papers, where the minimum grade you can get is a C. Which is still absolute bollocks. Pretty sure it was at least 40% when i took mine, otherwise i wouldn't have bothered putting in any revision in.
You hear that they're planning on putting in for A* grade for A levels to show the "top tier" of people, just wonder how low the grade boundary will be.

And if you wanna live somewhere cold, then anywhere in England is pretty much a safe bet. I've been wearing my winter coat for the past week, and i live right in the middle of the country!

[Cesaria]

I've still got the filthy mackem accent (toned down a bit) but for some reason the kids around here can't place it for the life of them - got asked if I was Irish this morning. My other half has a stronger north-east accent which is worse because he talks really quickly sometimes (not as fast as his mum though) - could understand how people struggle with it.

I'm not cold at the moment for some reason - I appear to have turned into that sadistic teacher who has the classroom windows open in the middle of winter.

Can't remember the GCSE grade boundaries - I do some test marking but not those (I do SATs marking) and can't be arsed to look it up to be honest.

[The Stig]

Liami: I dread the A* and A thing... and yes, higher papers when I did it, was A* to D, and fail if you get below a D, which as you said, 40%. I'm sure of it too.

What are SATs (grades/boundaries) like now? I can't believe my dumb shit ass of a friend (4 years younger than me) got 2 Level 7s and 1 level 6 (English, Maths, Science, respectively) whereas I worked my ass off for 6 6 5 respectively. Another friend of mine who took the SATs with me, he got Level 3, 6, 2, respectively, he came from Hong Kong and hardly knew English, but he learned and improved extremely fast.

And I'm not cold (yet) either, although walking to the bus stop in the morning has me cold slightly, but once I get on and off at the train station and hop on the train and tube it, it gets extremely warm. Maybe towards the end of October will I grab my proper coat.

And poor you, teaching ... but good salary I bet though ... £35k?

[Cesaria]

I want the job that they keep plugging that pays £35k cos you sure as hell don't get that working in the classroom normally! I just do supply work as and when I get it.. pays the bills (sorta) and I get to have a lie in and not work if I can't be bothered one day which suits me just fine. Just waiting for all the full-time teachers to get ill like normal so I can get some money coming in.

I do the primary tests which are the level 3-5 ones (meant to get 4 at the end of primary). Feel bad for some of the ones I had to mark where the kids couldn't read or write but they'd had to go through the motions of sitting in front of this test paper anyhow - grrr.

I think I got immune to the cold after a winter of doing yard duty on a hillside in the middle of County Durham - I'm the one who goes out to fetch kids from the yard in a short sleeved shirt while colleagues are putting hats and thick winter coats on.

[The Stig]

Ah, supply work. Indeed that is not bad pay for the lifestyle, and from my experience when I was in school (years 8-11) although they get abused bad in some ways, sometimes, it's actually "fun" to have lessons with them. Although most I've seen just come in, tell us to "take notes from X textbook" and call it a day, or let us watch a video (especially in Science) and call it a day. I do admire the ones that try hard to try and teach you stuff.

But I suppose now that I know the age range of the kids you teach, it's not as bad and kids do actually want to learn at that stage.

And I would love your job. Sure, I'll feel bad too, but it'd be fucking funny to see what they come up with. I remembered reading some of my old excercise books of stuff and I just literally caved in thinking to myself "What the hell was I thinking back in?"

On the subject of kids that can't read/write, I've got a really funny picture I want to upload, but can only do so when I've finished work. Might make it my sig to but ... check back at 10pm or something lol. I'll put it here. I found it too funny and innocent.

Creeps: Teaching is always a good thing to do. The UK has a shortage of teachers, so anything "decent" is desirable, and if you take a teacher's course thing you get like £5000 to help you with your "fees". * Cesaria could probably tell you more.

*Estimated Value....

[liami]

My partner applied to do primary school teacher training last year with a 2:2 BA and she didn't get accepted in the 2 places she applied for, didn't bother this year.
But she said something like there's a shortage of male primary school teachers which is probably why she didn't get in. Still realy sucks though that they do huge advertising campaigns to say theres teacher shortages and then reject people when they apply.

[Popeh]

And to you all Norths out there hating South, touche is all I can say XD

I don't hate the South, I have nights out in Guildford often and people are great. It's just London . . .

My opinion is slightly unfair though, being that i've never actually wandered into the city.

[Cesaria]

The teacher shortage is highly regionalized and subject specific. There's no real shortage in primary where I am, and it's harder as you move up the payscale (no room really for negotiation in teaching pay - it's set nationally) and become more expensive, which is the trap I'm drifting into now (I'm not that fussed, I like what I do at the moment in that I actually get to do the fun stuff and avoid all the paperwork and stupid staff meetings where they make you do PE activities that the 4 year olds have to do etc etc... and I'll probably get out of this game altogether at some point - although it's got one hell of a good pension scheme if you got in at the right time... I did).

Some parts of the country there are like 200 applicants for every single teaching job in primary, and supply teaching in secondaries particularly has died off since teaching assistants can cover classes now. London and the South-East struggles more because of the cost of living, and certain subjects struggle - particularly Maths and Science I believe but don't quote me on that because I don't have much to do with secondary.

As for the howlers the kids come out with - I swear most teachers could write an entire book about them and people wouldn't believe them. Although the lesson plan I got presented with at 8.30 yesterday morning had even ME scratching my head in disbelief... at the top, in big letters, 15 minutes before the kids come in... "Get an adult's bike"... I'm good, but I can't work fricken miracles guys!

[The Stig]

£35k/year was estimate, but in the tube, the adverts say "Why not teach? You can earn (up to I guess) £42k/year"...

Never knew such issue existed with teachers though.

Popeh: No problem, my opinion on Newcaste/The North is unfair too as I didn't go anywhere but stayed at the hotel and then to the assessment centre, where all the "big boys" came from the South.

EDIT: Hometime! Will post funny picture when I get home.

I wonder if I'll bump into Wop ... maybe if I head to the station and scream Wop every 5 seconds someone might come greet me

[drwaffles]

You hear that they're planning on putting in for A* grade for A levels to show the "top tier" of people, just wonder how low the grade boundary will be.

Wow, it's not enough for them to make high-flyers in secondary schools feel like they've unerachieved, now they want to extend the feeling of inadequacy when kids score an A in their subjects to colleges too? I got 6 A*s at GCSE without too much effort and I still feel the implementation of A*s was a retarded move.

Here's an idea - if A grades at GCSE and A levels are depreciating in value, why not bump up the difficulty of the courses rather than introduce a new grade that can be attained simply by working a bit harder for easy exams and undermines the confidence of kids who should be ecstatic that their work is A-grade standard? So glad I'll have finished A levels by the end of this year, college sucks balls aside from the social aspect.

[Obev]

I did IB instead; fuck A-levels.