Coming home to the UK

Most of us know that strange feeling of coming home after just a few weeks holiday; somehow everything looks a little different to how we remembered it – not always in a good way. If you're an expat returning to the UK after years overseas, this feeling is greatly exaggerated and the experience of coming home can sometimes be as unsettling as moving abroad in the first place.

The transition will be different for everyone depending on their circumstances and their reasons for returning, but a little forethought and planning will go a long way towards preparing you and minimizing any inconvenience and disruption.

So what are the key issues you might encounter and need to be prepared for?

Credit rating
It is not unusual for expats returning home to experience problems relating to their credit rating. With no record of a credit history, simple matters like taking out a mobile ‘phone contract or applying for a credit card, to more substantial issues such as getting a mortgage can present frustrations.

Tax
To limit your exposure to tax, it is sensible to plan in advance for your UK residency. Forward planning can even mean that in the year you return you can claim a full 12 months tax relief – while having only part of your annual income liable to tax.

You must contact HMRC to advise them of your change of residence status and make arrangements to register into the UK tax system.

Pension
If your pension fund is based outside the UK, from the date of your return, 90 percent will be liable to UK tax. In the case of a UK pension, tax will be liable on the whole amount – regardless of whether or not it was built up whilst working overseas.

Investments
Any investments you may have will attract capital gains from the moment you return to the UK. It makes sense to take professional advice and make any necessary adjustments to your portfolio before you return home. Treat this as an opportunity to review your situation and plan for the next stage of your life. For more information on financial issues, visit our financial page.

Property
This is a complex area and one where professional assistance is advisable. If you invested in a UK property while overseas, capital gains tax is likely to apply on your return. If however, you retained your UK home while abroad and manage to sell it for a profit, you may not have to pay this tax.

Pets
Within Europe, moving pets is not too difficult but if you are coming from further afield, it can present a challenge. There are specialist companies that will work through the red tape for you. For more information, visit our pets page. 

Friends
This is one of the most important areas to think about – and one where there will be no advisors to help you plan! Give old friends plenty of notice of your return – they will probably be pleased to help smooth the process. When you are back it will be down to you to make the effort to socialise with old friends and meet new ones. And staying in touch with those you have left overseas has never been easier with social networking, email and Skype.

For more information on repatriation, visit our repatriation page.

Cultural Briefing on the United Kingdom

Shaped by a colourful history and strong sense of tradition, the UK is the fourth largest trading nation and one of Europe's leading business centres. Supported by a long-established system of government and economic stability, it is an attractive base for overseas business, offering skills in areas such as research, development and technology.

For such a small country, the UK can present quite a confusing picture to the newcomer: Getting the name right for starters; The United Kingdom is made up of four different nations and refers to England, Scotland, Wales, and the six Northern counties of Ireland collectively. Britain is the island of England, Wales and Scotland, and England refers to the nation in the south of Britain only. Having got your head around this, you will need to get to grips with the numerous regional accents that remain strong despite the fact that the British are great travellers.

English speakers coming to live and work in the UK often think that a shared language – (and sometimes a shared history) will make for a smooth integration process, but there are a number of key cultural concepts and values to be aware of;

Indirectness
In business, direct questions often receive evasive responses and conversations may be ambiguous and full of subtleties. Consequently, it is important to pay attention to tone of voice and facial expression, as this may be an indication of what is really meant.

Stiff Upper Lip
A term often used to describe the traditionally British portrayal of reserve and restraint when faced with difficult situations. Open displays of emotion are rare and should be avoided.

Humour
The importance of humour in all situations, including business contexts, cannot be overestimated. Humour is frequently used as a defence mechanism.

Reserve
The British respect privacy and space. Displays of emotion, excitement, anger, pain or happiness may be considered bad manners. People from cultures where there is more personal social contact may see the British as distant, even cold and hard to get to know.

Understatement
Self-promotion is considered extremely bad taste. The British often "play down" their own importance while hinting at something more impressive. They want to succeed, but they prefer to be seen achieving success without a struggle.

Fair Play
The reason that the British will always queue politely. A deeply-held attitude and behaviour ensuring that no one will have more than his "fair share". Those who do have more don't show it (understatement) and those who need more don't complain (stiff upper lip.)

Communication
The British have a strong resistance to public disagreement. This can be very confusing to more direct cultures, which hear positive noises from the British but see no action to support what they are saying. Within British culture, criticism is exchanged and disagreements often occur. But they are always looking for friendly, diplomatic or polite ways to recognise the differences. For more general information on culture, visit our culture page.

Home is where the beach is

We just had to make room for the sea turtle when it came to choosing brand representatives for expatknowhow. These air-breathing reptiles are intrepid travelers navigating thousands of miles across the world's tropical and sub-tropical oceans - a satellite-tagged green turtle recently swam 900km in 28 days, visiting three UK overseas territories en route.

Members of the family ‘Testudines' - which also includes their close cousins, terrapins and tortoises - there are many different species of sea turtle. They take their home with them wherever they go, but no matter how far they roam, the sea turtle retains a strong sense of where it comes from – so much so that when they decide to start a family, the females travel back to lay their eggs on the very beach where they themselves were born. Perhaps their most amazing qualification for a place in the expatknowhow hall of fame though, is their ability to switch quite happily between two completely different habitats land and sea. Surely an example to any of us planning a change of environment!