Busy_body:

Ain't talking about the coconuts, like I mentioned earlier even middle class people on salaries of £30,000 and above are suffering and smiling

My point is  that you cannot generalise and i am not defending any bloody coconut but i am trying to make you realise that there are two sides to a coin and alternate points of view.I earn £24000 per annum in a graduate job role in my first ever job out of school and i am not suffering but really smiling 

A guy earning 4 million naira per annum in oceanic bank in Nigeria in the same position may be better than me cos of all the tax deductions and all that but at this stage of my career and my age career aspirations and experience is more important to me than Money earned. Different horses for different courses.

I actually happen to like the UK. I know lots of Nigerians over there doing well for themselves. If you stay with the broke ones then you go suffer . If not, it is a nice place. What's not to love??

You take home roughly £1650 home a month after tax, so you cannot afford a mortgage in London cos of the income multiple, but assuming you have a mortgage of say £160,000, which is the average price of a one bedroom flat ^{(mind you its a flat not house)} in outer London, can you afford to pay the £1000 a month mortgage payment outta your wages? Is the remaining £650 per month enough for you to live on comfortably considering the fact that you still have to pay council tax, transport cost, bills, food, student loans, etc

Do you have enough money to raise a family?
Do you have enough money to send home to family back home?
Unless you live outside London, or you have a council flat, the most you can afford is to flatshare, again this is cool is you are single, but not ideal if you have a partner.

On the other hand someone earning the same £24,000^{(6,000,000 Naira)} in Nigeria can afford to rent a five bedroom duplex with swimmimng pool if they wish . . .

Don't get me wrong, this is a lot of money, but unless you go though the education system in this country and get lucky enough to make the selection for the graduate scheme, it would take people with menial jobs an average of 75 hours a week of more to earn this or they would have to work every God-given unsocial hours . . .

How many British are out there looking for jobs, how many times do they hear knockbacks like "sorry, you are underqualified" or sorry you are overqualified" for jobs paying only £15,000/annum? A lot of graduates work at Sainsbury and Tesco packing shelves or working at the tills, is this right? Did they need a university degree for this?

Why do you think the amount you as a graduate need to be earning, before you have to start repaying back the student loan is set at £10,000/annum, and this is because the government knows that some graduates would not earn this much An amount someone with GCSEs could easily earn

Busy_body:

You take home roughly £1650 home a month after tax, so you cannot afford a mortgage in London because of the income multiple, but assuming you have a mortgage of say £160,000, which is the average price of a one bedroom flat ^{(mind you its a flat not house)} in outer London, can you afford to pay the £1000 a month mortgage payment out of your wages? Is the remaining £650 per month enough for you to live on comfortably considering the fact that you still have to pay council tax, transport cost, bills, food, student loans, etc

Do you have enough money to raise a family?
Do you have enough money to send home to family back home?
Unless you live outside London, or you have a council flat, the most you can afford is to flatshare, again this is cool is you are single, but not ideal if you have a partner.

On the other hand someone earning the same £24,000^{(6,000,000 Naira)} in Nigeria can afford to rent a five bedroom duplex with swimmimng pool if they wish . . .

Don't get me wrong, this is a lot of money, but unless you go though the education system in this country and get lucky enough to make the selection for the graduate scheme, it would take people with menial jobs an average of 75 hours a week of more to earn this or they would have to work every God-given unsocial hours . . .

How many British are out there looking for jobs, how many times do they hear knockbacks like "sorry, you are underqualified" or sorry you are overqualified" for jobs paying only £15,000/annum? A lot of graduates work at Sainsbury and Tesco packing shelves or working at the tills, is this right? Did they need a university degree for this?

Why do you think the amount you as a graduate need to be earning, before you have to start repaying back the student loan is set at £10,000/annum, and this is because the government knows that some graduates would not earn this much An amount someone with GCSEs could easily earn

Balogun lehin okunrin just to correct the highlighted piece

It is £14grand!!

No at the start of the new academic year, they always say earn £15,000 before you repay, but once the course is in full swing, they change it to £10,000, plus they always say the interest you pay is minimal, yet the interest on mine which is £22,000 is now around £4,000. I am not done with them yet, I am still going to go back to university and collect some more free loan. then i am just going to get married and change my name, let them sue me to court for not notifying them.


You have unfinished business here
https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-196824.32.html#msg3102825

busybody don come here again wt her busybody,i don tell u say make u LEAVE dis thread if u no get berra thing to post

BusyBee_{oni ijogbon omode} !

Tha student loan thing is confusing, i know peeps who only started paying back when they were earning above £14K

Thank God i aint embroiled in that quagmire


On the flipside

That bizness on that thread was dunnaw straightup 

Talk about cocktail sausages? u gettin it twisted, I GOT YEKINI BABY, still don't believe me? _{ask Danke/Tope2000!}

sharappppp diaa brash,wetin be ask danke na tope d two faced non pata wearing girl una suppose ask

You just wait till Danke sees this, she's gonna have 'erm chipolatas of yours skewered for desert

whatever90:

sharappppp diaa brash,wetin be ask danke na tope d two face non pata wearing girl una suppose ask

I no fit shout  

Busy_body:

I no fit shout

Why you no fit shout?!

U got potatoes stucked up ur throat or what?!

Big deal _{they dont call me Brash Seducing Sexy Piece of Chocolate for Nothing}

Busy_body:

You take home roughly £1650 home a month after tax, so you cannot afford a mortgage in London because of the income multiple, but assuming you have a mortgage of say £160,000, which is the average price of a one bedroom flat ^{(mind you its a flat not house)} in outer London, can you afford to pay the £1000 a month mortgage payment out of your wages? Is the remaining £650 per month enough for you to live on comfortably considering the fact that you still have to pay council tax, transport cost, bills, food, student loans, etc

Do you have enough money to raise a family?
Do you have enough money to send home to family back home?
Unless you live outside London, or you have a council flat, the most you can afford is to flatshare, again this is cool is you are single, but not ideal if you have a partner.

On the other hand someone earning the same £24,000^{(6,000,000 Naira)} in Nigeria can afford to rent a five bedroom duplex with swimmimng pool if they wish . . .

Don't get me wrong, this is a lot of money, but unless you go though the education system in this country and get lucky enough to make the selection for the graduate scheme, it would take people with menial jobs an average of 75 hours a week of more to earn this or they would have to work every God-given unsocial hours . . .

How many British are out there looking for jobs, how many times do they hear knockbacks like "sorry, you are underqualified" or sorry you are overqualified" for jobs paying only £15,000/annum? A lot of graduates work at Sainsbury and Tesco packing shelves or working at the tills, is this right? Did they need a university degree for this?

Why do you think the amount you as a graduate need to be earning, before you have to start repaying back the student loan is set at £10,000/annum, and this is because the government knows that some graduates would not earn this much An amount someone with GCSEs could easily earn

That is why i wont mind going back to Nigeria if i get a job from here but i am happy with the company i am working for  currently because i am getting valuable experience and not working in Tesco and i am learning a lot,  I am fortunate because i had no need for a student loan or need to do any menial jobs. These were well taken care of.I live with my siblings and the house expenses and morgage stuff is taken care of . I even have an interview with standard chartered bank nigeria in januray which i am strongly considering even though i have no idea how much they pay even though i will be more interested in the role they are offering me, Even my parents are putting me under pressure to come home to work but i have to see what happens.

The problem i have with the Uk is the Racial Bias/Discrimination. They select the best colour for the job and i am facing challenges where i work and we are only two blacks there. The credit crunch is also not helping matters. woolworths is about to go into administration and there are more job cuts everyday which makes it difficult for others to get a job.

All the same, you made some very great points and one of the best analysis i have ever seen on Nairaland

Busy_body:

You take home roughly £1650 home a month after tax, so you cannot afford a mortgage in London because of the income multiple, but assuming you have a mortgage of say £160,000, which is the average price of a one bedroom flat ^{(mind you its a flat not house)} in outer London, can you afford to pay the £1000 a month mortgage payment out of your wages? Is the remaining £650 per month enough for you to live on?

For real? Ha, thank God I decided against london. Omo, we are enjoyin here o! Solid 3 bedroom house complete with front parking and back garden, and the mortgage is less than £1000 a month! Wetin de that London sef, wey people de die put?

@ busy_body

I thought student loan interest rate was ~4.8%? How come you've chalked up nearly 15% already or have you finished school for a couple of years without paying back anything?

My advice is - unless you have a very solid paying job, do not relocate right now - remain in your old job and continue 'managing'.

Debt, unemployment and general hardship is on the increase - even well off people are tightening their belts so they don't get affected - what do you think will happen to the illegals or the JJC's?

Even the Polish people with their EU passports are returning to Poland in droves, so why would you want to leave Nigeria to join in the mess? Unless you want to come and Help GB and AD pay off their humongous borrowings, I suggest you stay put.

That said, there are still some professions where you can get jobs, and if you believe the jobcentre abi na jobbank, there are still 600,000 jobs unfilled in the country at any point in time. If you are fairly stable in Nigeria, DO NOT pack up and move abroad.

@ post

for most people, the thought of NEPA gives them the strength to carry on in whatever country and difficulty they find themselves as long as it is not called nigeria.

student loan for international student is very high. the interest rate is and shocking. 4.8percent ummm not true. Most of the banks don't want to loan. Well Fargo might but the interest rate Don't try it if you are a foreign student please.

i know a guy who had to sell off his business to travel to Europe. He always complain the siblings oversea did not give him money to travel. kind of funny. . . he eventually left. Now what is he doing? selling things and looking for paper to work.

No where to lay fa.

Osisi, your story made me laugh.

@OP<

It isn't all fun and games like most folks think, It's work, work, and then more work,. . . .

and it also helps to prioritise especially if u are relocating with your family,

Good Luck to ya, 

*Hauwa*:

student loan for international student is very high. the interest rate is and shocking. 4.8percent ummm not true. Most of the banks don't want to loan. . .

He meant "student loans" from the SLC, not the banks

vicade:

That is why i wont mind going back to Nigeria if i get a job from here but i am happy with the company i am working for currently because i am getting valuable experience and not working in Tesco and i am learning a lot, I am fortunate because i had no need for a student loan or need to do any menial jobs. These were well taken care of.I live with my siblings and the house expenses and morgage stuff is taken care of . I even have an interview with standard chartered bank nigeria in januray which i am strongly considering even though i have no idea how much they pay even though i will be more interested in the role they are offering me, Even my parents are putting me under pressure to come home to work but i have to see what happens.

The problem i have with the Uk is the Racial Bias/Discrimination. They select the best colour for the job and i am facing challenges where i work and we are only two blacks there. The credit crunch is also not helping matters. woolworths is about to go into administration and there are more job cuts everyday which makes it difficult for others to get a job.

All the same, you made some very great points and one of the best analysis i have ever seen on Nairaland

Thanks, but thats why I said your situation is different. You did not have to sell the family silver because you wanted to go abroad at all cost.

TOYOSI20:

@OP<

It isn't all fun and games like most folks think, It's work, work, and then more work,. . . .

and it also helps to prioritise especially if u are relocation with your family,

Good Luck to ya,

and bills after bills

If you can't afford to pay for your heating then whose fault is it that u dress like an eskimo or freeze to death. No food or heating for lazy man. There is no place like Naija but England is not as bad as people say. You can be a cleaner to pay your bills and attend school but that is temporary. Quality and hard work is lawys rewarded.

And most people who find it tough over a long period of time are those who lack relevant documentation and are stuck in the country. That is another topic entirely.

You must be very daft. Do you pay heating bill at a hotel or bed and breakfast?

That is why i wont mind going back to Nigeria if i get a job from here but i am happy with the company i am working for  currently because i am getting valuable experience and not working in Tesco and i am learning a lot,  I am fortunate because i had no need for a student loan or need to do any menial jobs. These were well taken care of.I live with my siblings

The way you guys mention Tesco,our equivalent of walmart,it's high school drop outs that work those jobs here.
Oh you don't even have a place of your own and you pay no bills and you call yourself an adult.How on earth will you understand what it is to pay heating bills and rent?
Let adults who are taking care of themselves talk while you stick to what you do best.(I'm sure you know what I mean).

Ebony-Silk:

and bills after bills

Ahhh u can say that again, especially at this time of the year,

most people start to feel the pinch in January

when all those Credit Cards Bills start rolling in,

debosky:

@ busy_body
I thought student loan interest rate was ~4.8%? How come you've chalked up nearly 15% already or have you finished school for a couple of years without paying back anything?

Hmmn, well I knew I was going to have some carry-overs, so spoke to the Manager of my LEA about repeating and changing course, and the almost zilch possibility of getting my fees paid the second time round. I could not collect my jaw from the floor when she said it was okay since it would be deemed as a false start I ended up staying 5 years at Uni

The best part was when I called in the final year to tell them that I had been putting 30 weeks as the duration of the course and had just discovered that my classmates were putting 45 weeks instead, guess what she said again, it's okay we can top up the payments you missed Naturally, I made sure I collected every single dime Only God knows how much I owe  

debosky:

That said, there are still some professions where you can get jobs, and if you believe the jobcentre abi na jobbank, there are still 600,000 jobs unfilled in the country at any point in time. If you are fairly stable in Nigeria, DO NOT pack up and move abroad.

Hmmn, the dodgy jobcentre where some employers end up getting free employees cos they say you have to do a week's unpaid training, only to send you packing at the end of the week, and replace you with another employee on unpaid trial

The way you guys mention Tesco,our equivalent of walmart,it's high school drop outs that work those jobs here.
Oh you don't even have a place of your own and you pay no bills and you call yourself an adult.How on earth will you understand what it is to pay heating bills and rent?
Let adults who are taking care of themselves talk while you stick to what you do best.(I'm sure you know what I mean).

this is very insulting and rude. just because he is squatting doesn't mean he cant' speak about his experience

I must say I really enjoy this thread.I travelled to the UK in 2006 as an EA in a bank back then and I didnt reaally see anything special there anyway.

Althogh I am considering going back next September to do my M.SC in Finance, i am not sure its a place for me .I would be 30 next month and am already earning N7M per annum here in Naija, wat else could I want in life.

Personally , I think UK is overated really, if u hv enogh though, just go dere for hols or study and come back to naija.Things might be hardi nitially here in naija, but with God on ur side, all will be well.

Y would one want to leave A GOOD JOB HERE(EVEN THOUGH MOST PPLEC OMPLAIN OF STRESS IN NAIJA) and wash gutters in UK.

Iya mi o gbodogbo fa!

Even the so called education we all go for there is a fraud.Check guardian newsapaper evry Thursday and see the volume of schools in UK that advertise forforeign students, they are just ripping us offf.No b say better work go dey derefor u when u eventually finish ur studies oo.

The £13,000 pounds I was asked to pay for my programme is still 'pinching' me sef .That money go buy better land fornaija oo.

UK is just dere really, except u wan go do fraud and Godhelp s u if ur caught.

I remember an experienceIhad backin 2004, I just started work den and needed like N500, 000 to offset some expenses for my parents, u wont belive my elder brother who been dey UK since like 4 years was just stammering on the phone when we asked him.Obviously he couldnt raise dat kind of money.

I was really pissed.Just N500K.IT was den i knew that place must be hell.

Lets just pray GOD touches our leaders so that Nigeria bcomes a better pl.ace cos we must confess things are hard over here in Naija.Peolple are jobless and suffering. Its really sad and pathetic

i am back.dont mind me just too lazy to go online when i get home after they don use my head and eyes finish at work;_{not complanining though}.Have been kinda lucky with my dealings with people here so do not really have horror stories to tell because i always tend to leave before my hosts start becoming hostile.
But now that i live here i basically think calling all people that live in britain miserly is kinda unfair.My house sometimes gets too hot now that i have to turn off the heating as it gives me a headache.So i guess being miserly lies with the individual.why would i be saving money and then get cold and freeze and then in turn get pneumania(hope i spelt it right).i love myself too much for that and also will not allow my guests to freeze cos if they are indeed guests they should not stay for an unspecified time that would dent my family purse.as difficult as it is i have found out that i save more here than i used to in naija.Maybe that was becuase i had no responsibilties but i think you spend alot of more unbudgted money in naija than here.My mom basically complains everytime i call about generator bills,food and so many hanger on's that you need to cater for which makes it diificult to budget expenditure.

Like now,once we pay all the utility bills,i buy my monthly travel card,do my hair,food is bought in bulk and i do one or two of my ojukokoro shopping i get to stash away more than i used to in naija,Ha naija one thing will always come up for u to spend money on and its really difficult to budget expenditure.

between, i was joking with my hubby this morn that i think i want to keep my beloved green passport .check out what is happening in mumbai.at least no terrorist dey look for us.

*osisi:

You must be very daft. Do you pay heating bill at a hotel or bed and breakfast?


The way you guys mention Tesco,our equivalent of walmart,it's high school drop outs that work those jobs here.
Oh you don't even have a place of your own and you pay no bills and you call yourself an adult.How on earth will you understand what it is to pay heating bills and rent?
Let adults who are taking care of themselves talk while you stick to what you do best.(I'm sure you know what I mean).

you don't seem to get me.

why would you  relocate from Nigeria to come and live in bed and breakfast? or squat for a long period of time If you are visiting that is a diffeerent story but relocating?

Nigerian qualified Medical doctors i know  work in tesco,sommerfield and all that because until a few months ago the law aloowing them to practice in the UK was very very strict especially with work permit and some other stuff.

And i see no reason why you should say i am very daft. That does not seem very adult like. There are nigerians that also earn £400 per day as business analysts and they relocated from Nigeria.

And whymost  people consistently do odd jobs here is probably because they don't have a visa or their visa has expired and they can't get a good job and don't want to go back because they have been here for long and have nothing to show  And i do live in my parents house with my siblings and the house was paid for by my parents but i don't see how that makes me less of an Adult.

I will like to contribute to this thread. I am very happy that someone took the initiative to start a thread like this. As much as I agree with most of what the starter of the thread said, there are certain things that you cannot generalise as individuals have peculiar circumstances.

I have been in the UK for 10 months (i think it was 10 months yesterday). Although I cannot say it has all been bed of roses all the time, but I am still happy about my decision to relocate. I was a big salary earner before leaving Nigeria and there was never a time when I was leaving that I thought I was going to be an instant hit when I get to the UK. I have changed jobs during the few months I have spent in the UK so far and I get paid a lot of money. I am not saying there is no racism in the UK but I have never been a victim of it. I guess if you are a professional i your own field, they do appreciate it and give you credit for it. Presently, I am the only black person in my office and I earn a lot more that most of my colleagues that are white and with UK degrees. Please note that all my degrees were gotten in Nigeria.

Please do not misinterpret what I am saying. It is safe to come here when you have your papers with full right to work. I have seen friends without papers that languish in poverty here. Though, I try to help in my own little way. Contrary to what people are saying, there are people that can afford to accommodate others for an extended period of time without asking them to leave or pay rent. I have done that for people without having any people withem whatsoever. I still have two people staying with me and my family at the moment and my wife feeds them without ever complaining about them. When they have, they give her but we always understand when they have to take care of people back home or have school fees to pay.

To be honest, I sometimes think about my decision to relocate, especially when it comes to savings. I was saving more on monthly basis in Nigeria that I am doing in the UK even with a far bigger salary (more than £12k more than what I was earning in Nigeria). But when I look at the bigger picture (considering safety for your family, constant electricity, ever available water, spare time to spend with my family and friend, etc), I tend to convince myself that I have made the right decision. The only thing i am losing is a £200 less in my savings.

As I have earlier mentioned, it is not worth it coming here without your papers and ambitions. A friend of my started working with M&S when he got to the UK even though he has a degree in finance (he was doing well at the time). But after few months, he was able to secure a very good job. An illegal person would nothave been able to achieve this.

However, inspite of all I have said, even for professionals, this is not the right time to come to the UK. Stay where you are at the moment and make the best of it.

Let me allow others to say their piece.

tos:

I will like to contribute to this thread. I am very happy that someone took the initiative to start a thread like this. As much as I agree with most of what the starter of the thread said, there are certain things that you cannot generalise as individuals have peculiar circumstances.

I have been in the UK for 10 months (i think it was 10 months yesterday). Although I cannot say it has all been bed of roses all the time, but I am still happy about my decision to relocate. I was a big salary earner before leaving Nigeria and there was never a time when I was leaving that I thought I was going to be an instant hit when I get to the UK. I have changed jobs during the few months I have spent in the UK so far and I get paid a lot of money. I am not saying there is no racism in the UK but I have never been a victim of it. I guess if you are a professional i your own field, they do appreciate it and give you credit for it. Presently, I am the only black person in my office and I earn a lot more that most of my colleagues that are white and with UK degrees. Please note that all my degrees were gotten in Nigeria.

Please do not misinterpret what I am saying. It is safe to come here when you have your papers with full right to work. I have seen friends without papers that languish in poverty here. Though, I try to help in my own little way. Contrary to what people are saying, there are people that can afford to accommodate others for an extended period of time without asking them to leave or pay rent. I have done that for people without having any people withem whatsoever. I still have two people staying with me and my family at the moment and my wife feeds them without ever complaining about them. When they have, they give her but we always understand when they have to take care of people back home or have school fees to pay.

To be honest, I sometimes think about my decision to relocate, especially when it comes to savings. I was saving more on monthly basis in Nigeria that I am doing in the UK even with a far bigger salary (more than £12k more than what I was earning in Nigeria). But when I look at the bigger picture (considering safety for your family, constant electricity, ever available water, spare time to spend with my family and friend, etc), I tend to convince myself that I have made the right decision. The only thing i am losing is a £200 less in my savings.

As I have earlier mentioned, it is not worth it coming here without your papers and ambitions. A friend of my started working with M&S when he got to the UK even though he has a degree in finance (he was doing well at the time). But after few months, he was able to secure a very good job. An illegal person would nothave been able to achieve this.

However, inspite of all I have said, even for professionals, this is not the right time to come to the UK. Stay where you are at the moment and make the best of it.

Let me allow others to say their piece.

GBAM.best piece of advise to offer at the moment to anyone.esp if you do not have papers.even with papers sef still not advisable.The Uk is in for a tough next couple of years but as i love to say'The GRACE of the lord is my sufficiency' in all situtations.Some millionaires were made in the worst recessions so it is well.besides i survived SAP(structural adjustment programme) for those not born then.i _{think i should say my parents sha but at least i still had food to eat if not i for don die}

Well,

Everybody got reason(s) to move abroad,  well depends on individual and know what he/she is doing

what of people that are roasting in Nigeria! that got no hope, earning so low and got the opportunity to move abroad for greener pastures,  but not advisable for those that got good jobs in Nigeria to move abroad, for vacation better off!

Its better you study a lucrative course abroad and come back to Nigeria as HOT CAKE! thou he no easy for Nigeria oooo,  Jobs no dey,  and the ones wey dey pay very low,  only few pay high and you must be very lucky to get it

I ve lots of EGBON graduates & of diff,  categories that re jobless even those that I know that don't knw me,

I think some people posting THREAD here,  yayayaya that critizing abroad for menial jobs are those that are brought up with silver spoon or are opportuned to get a good job, people no dey work for restaurant for Nigeria? All hands are not equal

They never saw FIRE!!! I MEAN ROASTED almosT got burnT!!! as in FRUSTRATED!!!!!!

If you had gone through HELL in Nigeria,  una 4  know say KAKI no be Leather!!!!

Make ppl wey dey abroad come house now, wey they complain say he no good, make una come ENTER BATTLE field for 9ja for jobs, una go hear am!!

May God help us!!!

To add a little to all whats been said above, unlike Naija, in the UK [in my experience] employers seek hands-on certification added to some experience in the field for employment to go through nicely. . . They really dont look at how many degrees you have.
I initially arrived here to do my Masters degree, but ended up having to do 4 more certifications each taking up almost 6months on the average to complete. I did this while on an income which was better than my salary in naija but still insufficient for proper life here, but over the years i've been able to build slowly and climb that ladder. . . I was a branch manager/business development manager in a massive company in abuja and my salary was very generous, but today i earn the equivalent of my monthly naija salary in approximately 40hrs here [i.e 5 weekdays of 8hrs each].

Advice to anyone considering coming over here:

Be sure to have your papers complete, and be sure that the papers allow u to work without restriction.
Be sure to get into a course to bring u up to speed with your chosen discipline, it doesnt have to be a degree course.
Be sure to have accommodation, transportation, feeding, and personal care fully taken care of, if possible be sure to spend your first few months with a family member or friend.
Be sure to stay out of trouble

Hope this helps