₦airaland Forum

Goke7:
you have two great opportunities, you and your hubby need to sit down and consider the pros and cons.

But in my own opinion, the continuous devaluation of the naira will make me prefer the NHS option but be warned the UK is no tea party, the culture shocks and peculiarity of the UK society will surely take their toll on your entire family (are you ready for this?) but if you can have a roadmap on what you'll like to achieve in the long term, I will say use the UK as a launching pad for your nursing career to land in North America as your final destination where your nursing career will find more expression and better value for your family. Are you ready? If you are then give it a go. You won't regret it. More importantly, get the 100% buy-in of your spouse before you make the move.

Thanks

giselle237:
For 5 million naira monthly I will take the Nigerian option. You would have access to family support and childcare support from your family. Never underestimate the importance and value of a support system… I will choose this over the nhs a million times.
You would also easily pay rent of 5 million a year and have the remaining 11 months of the year to be relaxed and still have your 55 million intact.
On this amount- 5m monthly your family can sustain easily on your salary alone unlike here where more financial stability/freedom would be from 2 working individuals.
There’s just a lot to say.. but this is my honest opinion.
If it is for travelling abroad on holidays or to give birth abroad with 60m you would be able to have more than a robust financial picture.

Thank you

Cyberknight:
Basically, this is your decision as to whether you want to live in Nigeria or the UK and the peripherals surrounding that decision.

The only question we can answer for you is this: What will life look like at the outset on a Band 5 NHS salary of about £30k in England and about £32K in Scotland and with your husband possibly earning an income of about 3/4 of that initially with a whole ladder of opportunities to climb ahead. In summary, it can afford you a decent middle-class life.

1. Your annual salary will give you a base monthly salary of about £2000 to £2200 before (6.1%) pension deductions, which are optional but advisable. This depends on your rostering (you earn more when you work night shifts and weekend shifts). You can also get additional work/shifts, such as working with an agency or the NHS bank.

2. Depending on your location, when your husband starts earning and how much you bring along with you from Nigeria, (e.g assuming you are coming to live in an affordable area such as up north in England or in Scotland as opposed to London or the big cities) that amount could cover your expenses (e.g. let's assume somewhere like the Tyneside in England or Dundee in Scotland, in the region of £800 - £900 rent for a 2 bedroom flat, £200 council tax, £200 electricity and water, £300-400 feeding, another £100 for transport. It will take you a while to either join the NHS staff bank or sign up with an agency. Do some research online as to what rent would possibly be in your actual future location in the UK.

3. Your husband could get a job on a shift or zero-hours basis which gives him the flexibility to work at nights or weekends or whenever he is not dealing with the childcare. He could also get a full-time job, but that would most likely require a bit of retraining/further education, depending on his skills and experience, and a balancing of whether the income he would earn would cover any childcare you would now need to pay for if his job takes him out of the house. He could also get something remote/hybrid, this can work depending on your shifts (some trusts can make lifestyle adjustments for staff with childcare responsibilities and assign you a pre-defined roster, i.e. your required 3 day shifts can be fixed on specific days). Getting a job won't happen immediately - even if an application is accepted on arrival, or shortly thereafter. Financially plan for up to 3 months of no income coming from his end, and there is no timeline.

4. Being a nurse here is a bit different from being a nurse in Nigeria. Think doing personal care for instance. However, UK experience will take you to Canada, Australia or the US where the pay is way better. That can be a 2 year plan for you.

5. As others have mentioned, your children will get free state school education wherever you are. It is not always the best available, depending on location. Some areas have not too good schools. Some areas are not good, period. University tuition is free for settled persons and above in Scotland (most likely not for long), you pay fees or take on student loans in England and Wales. To out it into perspective, fees in England are currently £9250 a year. These amounts can be substantial. However, there are also many good pathways to earning a very good living in this country through on-the-job training or apprenticeships which do not require university education.

Best of luck with whatever decision you take.

Thanks for this detailed explanation.

justwise:
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What is your husband's view on relocating and possibly working night shift considering your kids age? Does he have some skills that can get him a good job in the UK?

He is a civil engineer . No other skill asides that. And he is of the opinion that I should accept the job in the UK mainly because of the kids.

Congratulations on your job offers. Well done on having multiple options!
I really like this kind of analysis/debate. Let’s break it down:

*SCENARIO 1* - oil company job (5m monthly / 60m per annum)
Nurse - great salary for you & your family. Although the economic woes in Nigeria (hyperinflation) will eat into it and reduce the comfort this could have afforded you a few years ago, it is still decent (especially if you’re in a low cost city, not Lagos or Abuja). You can look forward to a long and fulfilling career in the clinic/hospital and rise to Chief Matron/Chief Nursing Staff

Husband - he can continue in his civil service job, no disruption and continue to strive to great heights in his career

Children - provides stability in the short term. They can continue their education in Nigeria, and perhaps study abroad at university age?


*SCENARIO 2* - relocation as NHS nurse Band 5? (Salary of £30k pa)

Nurse - starting afresh in a new country. Work for 5yrs to attain ILR/citizenship etc. Career growth not as easy as the oil company (no racism). Starting salary not great (especially if in London/South East England). Some nurses stay for a few years and migrate again to USA (more money).

Husband - major disruption for him. Needs to find a new job in the UK. Not sure of his line of work, if it’s easy to secure a job with his experience. Worst case, he will have to work menial jobs to augment family income while upgrading his skills to land professional job.

Children - coming into a new country. Free education at primary/secondary level. Can attend uni as a home student after attaining citizenship after 5/6yrs on sponsored visa.

Personally, if I were in your shoes, I would deeply reflect on my family’s long-term goals, and the kind of life I envision for my children. Most people want a decent life (security, good infrastructure, jobs opportunities, education for kids etc.), while some others swear that they cannot live outside of Naija because of our jovial and family oriented lifestyle (plus weather considerations). I’m in the camp of the former! I need a sane environment to function and I need a bit of predictability to plan my life, hence Scenario 2 for me.


Thank you very much

Please I need to make an important decision in my life and I need opinions expecially from people in the Uk. I am a Nurse in Nigeria who just got 2 job offers, the 1st is with an oil company in Nigeria with a monthly pay of 5million monthly and the second is a job in UK with the NHS. Please I need suggestions please, if you were in my shoes which will u choose. This decision is very important to me. And by the way I am 35yrs with a husband who is a civil servant here and 2 children (5years and 7years).