Reason to leave

Reason to leave

More than half of Brit expats don’t want to go home, according to new research. And if they do, it’s most likely thanks to family pressures or ill health.

October 14, 2010 3:21 by shafeer

The UK’s Daily Telegraph this week carries a survey on the intentions of British expats to return home. The survey, carried out by Lloyds TSB bank, found that more than half of British expats believe they will never live in the UK again.

The survey interviewed British expats in South Africa, the USA, the UAE, and Hong Kong. According to the paper, expats in the UAE and Hong Kong are the least likely to remain expats for more than 10 years. And of all those surveyed, 56 percent say they will never live in the UK again.

When the time does come to pack their bags, the reasons – across all age groups and countries – are most often related to family pressure or poor health.

“Research shows that moving countries carries with it a huge emotional investment and it take on average one to two years before an expat establishes a social network and starts to feel settled,” says Jakob Pfaudler, managing director Lloyds TSB international. “Coupled with the fact that most move to advance their career, it is no great surprise therefore than once they start to reap the benefits they aren’t contemplating moving yet again: over two-thirds of respondents with more than £500,000 in liquid assets are not planning a return to the UK.”

No kidding. If Kipp had the earnings to amass that kind of kitty we’d be pretty keen to keep on with it, too.

Most Kipp readers are expats, so we thought we’d ask: Do you think you’ll ever go home? If you will, when do you think your time be up, and why?