Around half a million people leave the UK to live abroad each year. A survey by the British Council showed 72 per cent of 18- to 30-year-olds would consider living and working overseas, with cold weather, the high cost of living, extortionate childcare, a lack of work-life balance and even poor romantic prospects among their motivations for leaving the country. The i Paper’s Expat Files follows Britons who have taken the leap and settled elsewhere, detailing the ups and downs of their journeys.
Paul Knowles, 55, grew up in Newport, South Wales. After teaching at British international schools in Prague for 15 years, he relocated to Valencia, Spain, in 2017. He now supports himself through photography and private walking tours.
I studied fine art and photography in Birmingham and, after graduating, I got a job as an onboard photographer on cruise ships sailing out of Florida and around the Caribbean. They were great days, but after a year, I returned to Britain and took an office job in Birmingham. One grey day in the noughties, I was staring through a rain-spattered window at the dreary cityscape outside when I thought: there must be more to life than this.
I promptly quit my job and found work as a teacher at various British international schools in Prague. 15 years flew by in an endless round of bars, skiing weekends and socialising with friends. But after so many years there, I felt ready for another change.
