We have posed many questions in the course of writing this book and you doubtless have many others in your head as your plans gradually evolve and develop. In meeting a wide range of people interested in the potential of downshifting and relocation, both professionally and informally (and numbers are certainly growing year on year), there are recurring questions which we tend to be asked. Putting our heads together in one of our ‘Blue Water’ meetings, we’ve come up with the following as some of the key questions, with possible responses.
1. We’re Moving From A Large Town/City To A Small Village. Will The Locals Welcome Us?
The simple answer is that you have to earn the welcome and work at integrating into the community. You’ll meet a whole range of attitudes and ‘chips on shoulders’ which are far too complex to consider in any depth here. Understand that some people will see you as comparatively rich ‘townies’, coming into the community and paying a sum for property which many locals may not be able to match. Although it’s likely to be a local who is receiving your money, and who has set the asking price, and although it’s often
only outsiders like you who are willing to buy properties in need of refurbishment, these facts are often conveniently forgotten when attitudes are being aired.
It really need not be a Scottish/English/Welsh thing, unless you respond negatively to the suggestions. Tread softly. Try to bring something to the community, but even there, realize that your potentially broader experience of life may be seen as a threat to the status quo rather than as an asset. Look on it as an interesting exercise in interpersonal skills -join one or two clubs and develop some allies within the community. You can guarantee that you will be talked about behind your back, so it helps to have a few spies and allies in the various camps. Think of it as a bit of a game and don’t take things too seriously or rush matters. It takes several years to become integrated into a small community – estimates vary between five and twenty-five!
2. To What Extent Must I Have Planned Everything Before I Finally Take The Plunge And Decide To Downshift And Relocate?
The immediate response to this question is ‘go with your heart but use your head’. You can’t think of everything, but you do need to get a strong feel for the community and area to which you’re planning to relocate. Visit at different times of the year. Check out the availability of facilities and services which are important to you: is it acceptable to have a 15-mile round trip to buy a newspaper, for example? As we have underlined in several chapters, detailed planning must include a review of financial matters. This is most likely to be the medium- to long-term stumbling block, so go down that route with your eyes wide open.
Are your decisions to downshift based on alternative (income-earning) activities which you will enjoy doing or are they driven by a narrow dislike of your current work and domestic arrangements? Self-employment is a variable game, with periods of famine as well as times of feasting, so are you ready for the rollercoaster ride? Talk to someone who is self-employed and a sole trader (perhaps a current neighbour or friend – you don’t have to relocate to work for yourself) and find out some of the realities. They need not be negative at all, but you should be aware of them.
If you’ve been an employee in other companies up to this point and are setting up in business for the first time, talk to people to find out the requirements. If you’re planning to keep your new venture small and personal, without employees, it’s surprisingly simple to set up in business. There are various business advisory services available, usually free, to help point you in the right direction. There are also various grants and other forms of assistance that you can pursue, although you will be required to jump through administrative and official hoops, which may or may not be acceptable to you. It’s certainly worth asking.