British expatriates prefer life abroad

expat life on the beach abroad

According to a recent survey, nine out of ten British expatriates claim to have a better quality of life in their foreign homes than they previously had, or would hope to enjoy, back in the United Kingdom.

A whopping 87 percent of expats feel that their work life is more evenly balanced against their personal life and generally they make around £20,000 more in income. Almost all the expats quizzed in the recent report by NatWest said that their home away from home had surpassed their own expectations of what expat life could be like.

In 2008 a similar report showed that 26 percent of expats foresaw a return to England, that figure has now fallen to 19 percent.

The report was conducted by the Centre for Future Studies for NatWest’s International Personal Banking Division, they interviewed 1,306 British expatriates around the world in popular destinations like Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, UAE, New Zealand, France and more. The head of the NatWest IPB, David Isley, said: “The fact that fewer expats say they will return to the UK in the future, compared to three years ago, proves that the pace of life, work-life balance and earning potential abroad means life as an expat is sunnier in more ways than one - and that they are weathering the financial storm.”

The report covered topics such as healthcare, education, financial well-being, personal safety, natural environment, weather, culture and leisure. Isley added that “It seems the grass really is greener for Brits living abroad as our study shows.”

In terms of money almost all of the expats who took part in the survey claimed to have gained a raise of wages within the last few years. The highest raises were found in Hong Kong and the UAE, 19 and 17 percent respectively. A total of 59 percent of expats felt that after five years of living abroad they will be significantly better off than if they had stayed in the UK.