Life

Life as an Expat in the Isle of Man

by theminimalistmom |
Our expat experience in the Isle of Man.

Some of you have asked about our life as expats in the Isle of Man and what the differences are between our life in Vancouver and our new home. Thought I would share a few things. Back to more minimalism and decluttering after this post.

Expat life in the Isle of Man for a Canadian family.

Overall, the experience of moving overseas and settling into a small town has far outreached what we hoped for. Expat life was a smooth transition, we like our city, Douglas, pop. 21,000, and we’ve made some great friends. Many times during the summer Chris and I would be walking along the Promenade and one of us would remark, this couldn’t have gone better.

It’s true.

While we feel very lucky to be here, there are have also been some adjustments to our expectations for expat life. This is a small town. On an island. In the middle of the Irish sea. It’s different than our downtown life in Vancouver. Sometimes we’re not sure if things are very different because we’re in a small town on an island or because of the British-esque culture. It keeps us guessing.

No Starbucks. This fall I was desperate for a pumpkin spice latte. I ended up ordering a can of pumpkin online (almost $5 USD!!) and making one myself. It’s not that I really miss Starbucks, their coffee is just okay in my opinion, but I miss the availability and familiarity of them.

Vancouver is said to have the highest per capita of Starbucks in North America (maybe even the world). They really are on every corner and sometimes even kitty corner to each other. I miss seeing them. Expat life can produce some strange homesick symptoms.

The other thing I miss is a place for me to go and write for an evening. There just isn’t an option like that here. No chance am I going to a pub with my laptop.

Even in an English speaking country, expat life for an English speaker can be a challenge.

We’re both speaking the same language but we can’t understand each other. The real Manx accent is thick. I once got so flustered about not being able to understand the grocery store cashier that I ended up leaving my bank card at the till. We have Irish friends and Aussie friends and English friends and all of that has helped me keep my ears sharp. There are also lots of different words for me to learn – dodee (pacifier), press (cupboard) – but most of them make sense in context.

Island life is slow. I have emailed a few businesses and either never received a reply or it came 3-4 weeks later. If you are dining out they won’t bring you the bill until you ask for it.

Stark comparison to Vancouver where at the more busy restaurants they are handing you your coat and the bill as soon as they serve your post meal espresso.

While it can be frustrating overall I really enjoy the change of pace. It’s not just the shops – people here lead slower lives too. They take their time, they seem to socialize more, greet each other more and I’m still flabbergasted by the number of non-seniors out walking their dogs on the beach at 4pm on a weekday. The Manx people know how to relax and enjoy the fresh air. As we spend more time here I hope I do more of that.

Island life is expensive. The other day we were in Marks & Spencer’s getting a few groceries. There was Chateaubriand in the meat case but I couldn’t find the price. Chris went to go ask the casher. £29.99 ($45 USD) for 750 grams (1.5 pounds) of beef. Yikes. We went with a pot roast instead.

Not only are goods expensive but so are services like dry cleaning and babysitters. One surprising thing has been how expensive children’s classes are. The indoor play centre is almost £5 ($7 USD) per visit now that Henry is two. Our Friday morning movement and music class is £5.50.

In Vancouver these types of classes would be half the price. My guess is that it has to do with the tax system here. Low taxes so very little funding for community groups.

While groceries are more expensive than the already expensive Vancouver we are finding we spend less here. There just isn’t that much to buy. Fits in quite well with our less stuff mantra. Expat life has some silver linings!

We miss cultural diversity.

There are a lot of white people here. Sorry, did that sound crude? I grew up in a city with a large immigrant population and there just aren’t a lot of people of different ethnicity here.

I wonder a lot about what kind of effect it will have on Henry, seeing all these faces so like his own. I was reading this post from Lauren about Talking about race with (white) kids and it really got me thinking about different ways to talk to Henry about this in the future.

Related to lots of white people: not a lot of ethnic food options. We’ve had some great Indian food on the Isle of Man and the best Thai food of my life from this place down the street that opened a few months ago. There is a cool delivery pizza place that runs on Friday and Saturday nights with very nice Italian thin crust pizzas (trying to stay away from gluten so no pizza for me!).

Otherwise, it’s a lot of sausage baps and fish and chips. There is very little in the way of quick ethnic food at a good price. No Greek, Japanese, Lebanese or Mexican food. There are a couple of Chinese restaurants but we have been warned that they aren’t great.

Overall, this isn’t a big deal, we don’t like to eat out a lot anyways, but it does occasionally remind you how far away you are from your hometown. I miss you dynamite rolls, chicken shwarma and burritos.

It’s beautiful. Some days it feels like we are on vacation. The rugged cliffs and the sea and how quaint and Victorian the houses are – it makes a simple walk feel special. And that doesn’t get old.

Any ex-pats out there? I would love hear from others that have made a big move and how you adjusted to expat life.

  • Hi! Though I realize the post I am reading is very old, I have enjoyed it very much. My husband and I are considering taking our family away from the hustle and bustle of the United States for year. We’re looking for possible locations. We prefer something English speaking for simplicity’s sake, and as my ancestry is Manx, we’ve been considering the Isle of Man. May I ask you, what did you and or your spouse to do for a living on the Isle of Man? What brought you there in the first place? It may be within your blog somewhere, but I figured I would ask.

    We’re just in the beginning phases of considering this adventure. We do not know yet what we would do to support ourselves if we took time off from work for year. We do not even know which things are of importance to us yet, other then we probably would not like to be in a big city or in a place where none of us could speak the language We are hoping to get our kids away from the need for electronics, and to help them broaden their horizons, to give my husband time away from his extremely stressful job, and to bond more as a family. Do you have any thoughts about how TIOM would fit that bill? We have three children ages 11, 10, and five. Thank you!

  • Assume Vancouver Canada? I grew up in Vancouver, WA. I visited isle of man last year during the TT. I’d really love to move there. Did you retire and move or find work? Wondering how difficult it would be to get in.

  • Hi! I know this post is from years ago, but maybe that’s better. Are you still loving your life there? I am from michigan and I dream of the Isle of Man. My husband and I are in the right place in life right now to actually be able to move! We are considering IOM or Cornwall, perhaps Penzance. We have three kids – 12, 7, and 3. Are the schools good? I can only research so much online. Have you gotten used to the smallness that f the island? That is the part I live and the part that worries me. Let me know your thoughts, if you don’t mind. I’d like to know all the good and the bad!

    Thanks,
    Erin

  • My son is thinking about teaching there. I am interested to know if you anyone from the states that has made the move over the pond to the Isle of Man? How is the housing? Expensive? How about getting around? What towns and/or villages are the most beautifult to live and visit?

  • hi – my husband, me and our almost 4 year old son may be relocating to IOM next year due to work. However, I am concern about my son’s well being, especially not familiar with the “practice” of the people in the island. Also, this has made me think even more – which is more manageable, both me and hubs work full time, or just him. Hope you’ll be able to share some insights about the life with a small toddler in Douglas. Thanks

  • Lovely post, I’m considering moving to IOM as my fiancé lives there, born and raised. I live in Onario but born and raised in Victoria, BC, so I loved reading that you’re from Van. I have two teenagers, one is excited about the idea and the other is very unsure and scared. Immigration woes and financial strain is upon us, but my heart has found its home. It’s painful just being away for a day, let alone months. Any tips or advice for me? Thanks so much for this. Jen

    • Oh wow! That is so exciting. We really enjoyed our time in the IOM. It is really beautiful and the people are wonderful. The winters are harsh and long but if you like to cozy up inside with a mug of tea and a book you’ll do fine. We found we spent less living there than in a big city – simply not a lot to spend on! Keep your ear out for Canadians and say hi and introduce yourself. There is a Canadian that often throws a Canada Day party which is fun to meet other Canadians on the IOM. It’s a lovely place with a rich history. Hope your kids enjoy it too 🙂

  • Hi, I am now near Birmingham in the U.K. but lived in the isle of Man for a couple of years in the 1980s.
    I often think of my time there, I liked it very much, the variety of scenery and coastline. I had a motorbike and it was wonderful exploring the island on days off also the TT motorcyle races held on the closed public roads was and is a great world class event. With the sea all around winters were mild by English standards, summers were never very hot, a great bonus was the clean sea air and lack of polution..
    In the end I began to feel more and more trapped on such a small island, I knew that it was time to get off. Now that I am much older I find myself contemplating moving back again.

    coastlineI

  • I am currently living in Nova Scotia, Canada one of the most beautiful places in the world,, but am originally from Yorkshire in the UK. I love it here, but I miss my family so much so I am considering coming home. The thing is I don’t want to go back to what I had, I love my family and my job in the UK was good, but even though I want to live close enough to family to visit, I don’t want to be right on their doorstep. I have always thought about the Isle of Man or Ireland mainly because they are beautiful places and I love being near the ocean, or lakes, but it is getting a job. The IOM has rules about employment/work permit etc, even for UK residents.

    That is the main thing I will miss about Nova Scotia, if I move back being near the lakes and oceans and the friendliness of the people….Being an expat thousands of miles away is hard and there is so much I miss e.g, Cheap chicken in the UK a chicken costs around £3 over in NS it is $10 +tax, ouch. I miss Heinz Tomato Soup, in NS you can only get this at the specialised import shop, which make it very expensive. Body deodorant in spray cans, it all roll on here. Cost of living in NS is not too dissimilar to the UK, but some things are very expensive here. On the up side there is so much I love about living away, my independence and, again, the beautiful scenery and friendly people, I want to be in visiting distance but not so far and not so close…IOM would be worth looking into again…….

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  • Hi there 🙂
    Thanks for your post
    I’m hoping to ask a few questions about Isle of Man life
    We are currently living in malta
    We moved from Greece (I have dual US and Greek citizenship) when we got pregnant with my son as my husband works at sea I wanted his family around for support
    So we went off the the Shetland islands
    Which are lovely. But the darkness really wreaked havoc on my Mediterranean mind and I just couldn’t cope
    So we packed up and moved to Spain
    6 months in my husband changed companies and now our tax situation radically changed so we moved to malta to keep with the Mediterranean climate with the added bonus of a very beneficial tax system and english as the national language
    But I am really struggling with being here.
    It is so built up even the parks are paved over and you can just look at trees planted there with do not walk on the soil signs!
    I want my son to have the freedom his father and I enjoyed running around fairly rural places!
    The Isle of Man tax system while not as great as the Maltese system still helps us a lot
    So please lay it out for me truthfully
    What is the weather like? How often does it rain? Is it possible to get out for a walk most days? How much sunshine do you get usually? I just don’t want to be miserable and I also really don’t want to sacrifice my sons relationship with nature so I can have some sun in my life. Is it fairly green or does it have the same barren feel as Shetland- there are no trees there!
    Any info sincerely appreciated
    Thank you for taking the time to read this!

  • Hi, I’m travelling to the Isle of Man for a holiday tomorrow. I wondered if you could recommend some places to eat? And anywhere with free wifi!?
    X

  • I got here through your “grandmas won’t stop sending unwanted things” post (hee hee). We moved to New Zealand some years ago and found many of the same things that you did on the Isle of Man. Accents difficult, culture different, Goods and services limited. Very very expensive to live here. Pace of life slower, you are out of luck if you need fever medicine for the kids at night for instance (in the States, they have 24-hr drugstores). The attitude towards immigrants here is not always friendly, and we do cop a bit of flak for being Americans in particular. We found the housing stock was cold, overpriced and humid inside. The scenery is very pretty but did not compensate for all the downsides. The problem is that once you move here, your spare-cash buffer becomes eroded because the cost of living is so high. So it’s a bit of a poverty trap that way. You spend all your money to stay afloat and can’t save to move. We are ending up charging our move and anticipating that we will be able to pay it off once we jump back over the pond. I couldn’t recommend moving here. Nice place to visit though!

  • Hi,
    I’ve been living in Israel for the past few years. Parts of the country are very “Western” – the coffee is fabulous (much, much better than Starbucks), the diversity of food is amazing (Jews come from all over the world – Moroccan, Ethiopian, Turkish, the Arab hummous places are great) but lots of consumer goods are expensive and the quality isn’t great. To be honest, my parents bring me good quality kids clothes (I have two sets of twins, all girls, so we can hand-down clothing). I do miss my family and friends in Canada and the US but I like the warmth and pace of life of here more. And the beach! 🙂

    • I moved to Israel a year ago, and so far the changes have been great for our family. The biggest advantage has been financial. In Florida we couldn’t afford an apartment; even with two incomes, daycare for two children was soooo expensive, and we were in a lot of debt. In Israel we can get by on one income, we’ve dramatically changed our eating and spending habits so I can stay at home with the little one until he can go to preschool.
      I also love living in a city where everything I need is within walking distance, so I don’t need a car or a gym membership 😉 Some things are very expensive, like clothing, electronics, and appliances; but food, especially fresh produce, is considerably cheaper and I cook from scratch (almost) everyday. From eating healthier and walking everywhere I have lost about 10 kilos, and feel more energetic than ever.
      The hardest thing has been learning Hebrew, especially when my 4yo is learning at light-speed and now refuses to speak in English. I went to Ulpan, an intensive Hebrew course for new immigrants, and I learned enough to get by and run errands, but it’s been hard to make new friends. As far as the culture, Israelis are very nice to tourists, and if you’re family they’ll give you the world! But they tend to be more abrasive towards each other. Going grocery shopping is a survival test! It’s very common for people to cut in line, not open doors for you (even with a baby!), and forget about hearing Excuse me/Please/Thank you. I guess if I’m getting that treatment, I must be blending in well! And I also love the beach!

  • I’ve been following your minimalist posts for a while but never realised your expat history. It’s really interesting to read about how you’ve adjusted to island life and what you enjoy and what you miss. I’ve been an expat in Switzerland for 5 years now – I was fine for the first three but started to get homesick after me son was born. Every suddenly became harder, particularly trying to navigate everything in a different language. Really nice to hear more from you.

    • Nice to meet you 🙂

      I think I will have a similar feeling when and if we have a second child here. I am really trying to get involved and embrace life here. I don’t want to be counting down days and years and just ‘getting through it’ if you know what I mean. I want to build a life here. 10 months here and I am still working on it.

  • PS Oh, and meant to say we’re a rowing family as well! (Loved your post on just missing the Olympics–wow). My step daughter rowed for GB juniors and is now rowing for Durham uni, and son and daughter also row. Weekend mornings are spent at the boathouse, rain or shine!

  • Hi there! It’s taken me a while to stop by but at last I’m here! What an amazing blog–I am so inspired by the minimalist posts (I love the one above this about cataloguing your home, as well). I used to be a magpie then after several moves realised I much preferred being a minimalist! Much of my stuff wehn to eBay, carboot sales and charity.

    And it’s great ‘meeting’ another expat. Reading about your experiences on the Isle of Man are interesting. I’ve been in the UK (from Minnesota) for over 20 yeasr, but have yet to visit the Isle of Man. I live in Essex now. Would love to hear more about your expat experiences!!

  • Oh, I relate to so much of what you’ve said (even if I am a little late). I’m an American ex-pat living in Carlisle, which is about as far north as you can go in England before being in Scotland. Carlisle is technically a city (we have a cathedral after all), but it feels like a big town to me most of the time. They opened their very first Starbucks just a few months before I moved here, but it isn’t very popular as most people seem to prefer Costa. And I was completely shocked when I discovered there was no Japanese restaurant here. No sushi? No tempura? No udon? But, but…

    Just wanted to say I really enjoy your blog, I stumbled upon you when I was googling for information about having a baby and being a minimalist. I’m 5 months pregnant and have sensed quite a bit of pressure to BUY. EVERY. SINGLE. THING. a baby could possible ever need or want, and I just don’t want to. Newborns seem so uncomplicated, they need to sleep and eat and be appropriately clothed, after everything else is peripheral. I’ve enjoyed following your journey into embracing less stuff and have learned quite a lot.

  • We did the reverse move. We went from a village on the east coast of Scotland, to a big city in the American Midwest. I miss the sea, I miss being able to walk down a street of shops, and I hate being hustled out of a restaurant – yes, the question “would you like a dessert?” comes when I’ve only just started my main course, and then the bill is there as soon as my spoon has hit my dessert!

    • Will connect when we plan a trip over. Still debating when. Want to go see my sister and I have some close friends competing in the Olympics this summer. Would love to go watch them race and cheer them on. Only thing is – Olympics = expensive! Still trying to figure our an economical way to see them.

  • Oh and I’m also currently living in Vancouver (although will be heading to Europe in March to live in Germany) so I can understand the lack of cultural diversity and food very well! 🙂

  • Hi there! My sister just told me about your blog and thought I would find it very interesting since I actually lived on the Isle of Man for a year as a GAP student after high school. I lived in Castletown and worked at King William’s College (and the Buchan School), but I know Douglas and the surrounding areas well. The Isle of Man is really a beautiful place and there is lots to explore, but it is also very isolated (although cheap flights now help a lot.) I can relate to all those things you mentioned! Look forward to reading more posts about your life there. Cheers!

  • I can relate to the lack of ethnic diversity. I am originally from Chicago but have been living in Texas for the last 5 years. I recently went back to visit Chicago after being away for years and the thing I noticed the most was the ethnic diversity there. There were so many nationalities represented there compared to the South. I never knew I missed it until I went back to it.

  • Funny how you get so used to the multicultural aspects of life, I love that most Canadians have such diversity at our fingertips.
    My husband grew up all over the world, and I sometimes regret that we are not doing to same for our kids. Although we travel a lot, it is not the same as living there. Good for you to seizing the moment, and going for it.

    • Thanks, KT. My husband works for a company with offices all over the world so the possibility of another big move is out there. Happy here but a move to a bigger foreign city would be interesting.

  • Hi Rachel,
    Thanks for sharing your experience living on the Isle of Man. I always love hearing about expat living.
    We’ve been enjoying Southern France very much. The food here is expensive too compared to back home in Edmonton. We haven’t eaten out since October because 1) it’s expensive, and 2) We’ve changed to a mostly all plant based diet (except for one day a week when we eat some chicken or fish , to keep our stomachs used to digesting meat). But the food here is AMAZING! What I love is that much of the food is locally grown, or many from different parts of France, so we’re enjoying trying out different French foods we’ve never heard of before. The cheese is incredible, and I think that after here, we’ve been spoiled forever because of the delicious fresh breads from the boulangeries.
    Life is definitely slower here, and we’re loving the warmer weather to be able to ride our bikes everywhere.
    I’ve noticed significantly less overweight people here compared to Alberta: Alberta has one of the highest (if not the highest) rates of obesity in Canada. The Mediterranean diet has a lot of vegetables and the portion sizes are considerably smaller, and people are more physically active here – riding bikes and walking instead of driving everywhere (but, the weather is a big factor too).
    I was pleasantly surprised to find it more multi-racial than I expected. There are many North Africans, and sprinkles of Asian communities, but of course not as multi-ethnic as our native land.

    • Hi Jenn,
      Southern France sounds lovely. Every time I read your blog I think, could we do that some day? We’ll see.
      The cheese in France really is incredible. Even the cheese in GB imported from France is amazing. Not eating dairy right now but when I do: Cambazola on a slice of tart apple topped with a walnut. So so good.
      PS. Really enjoyed your post about school lunches in France. Shame on us North Americans with our one course of sandwiches.

  • About not bringing you the bill at the restaurants, I LOVE THAT! I know it’s a small thing, but I so appreciate that. That’s one of the things I like about other countries. In the USA they bring you the bill almost at the same time they bring you the food! What’s up with that! The Island of Man sounds lovely.

  • Except for the Starbucks (I’ve never lived near one) I can relate to all of this. I spent my junior year studying at Sheffield University, and it was the experience of a lifetime for me. One particular language barrier moment that stands out is the time I tried to obtain a ham sandwich from the dining hall. It became something like a Monty Python sketch until the poor lady behind the counter finally had a breakthrough moment: “Oh, you want AHM!” My husband and I decided we had more opportunity here in the states, but I often wonder what it would be like to pick up and move someplace entirely different as a family.

  • I live in Crawley, Sussex, near Gatwick Airport, and would feel as out of place in the Isle of Man as you do! I am used to London life, and towns in general, and we have plenty of coffee places here. It is also very multicultural, at my children’s school there are 39 different languages spoken, and lots of different ethnic restaurants/supermarkets. I agree about things being expensive here, those prices sound typical for children’s activities.

    • Good to get some perspective from others living in the British Isles. The Isle of Man is a strange and beautiful corner of the world for sure.

      Hopefully we get a bit of diversity (and ethnic food) when we go off island. My sister just moved to London so I am sure we will be over there at least once to visit her.

  • I don’t remember my time living outside of the US very well. I was born on the island of Okinawa while my Dad was stationed there, moved to the US 3 months before I turned 3. I would love for my husband and I to be able to give our children the experience of living in another country.

    BTW your calling a town of 21,000 a small town made me smile. After my Dad retired from the Air Force my parents bought a house in a township that had 200 people, 800 hogs and 1,000 head of cattle. We live in a bigger town now it has about 45,000 including the students from the University.

  • Good post! We’ve been living in Germany for almost seven years, so I can relate. Before I had my son I would volunteer to drive people to the airport two hours away just so that I could get a (very overpriced) Starbucks mocha! Other than that I’ve loved it quite a bit- the food is delicious (lots of Indian and Thai for us as well!) and we’ve learned to buy less (like Europeans!) so the cost is offset. The language barrier was very difficult to overcome but I’ve managed while my husband still struggles.
    The ethnicity point is interesting. We had a very awkward moment a few months ago when my two year old made the monkey sign in reference to Jaime Fox during a movie (I feel bad even sharing that!) but it made me realize how different it is here, how ‘white’ it is, and how it’s affecting his perceptions. Where I grew up in Florida it was pretty diverse, so it had never occurred to me that I’ll need to go out of my way to expose him to different types of people. Now I know, and thankfully we’re moving back home this year so it’ll be a little easier.
    I also completely relate to the vacation feeling! Where we are most Germans call the Mosel Coast, it’s breath-taking most days amongst the vineyards. Makes it really hard to imagine leaving!

    • If there was a Starbucks two hours away… but we are a bit isolated here. We were watching a movie the other night and there were aerial shots of a car driving on a highway out of a city. It really hit me, we can’t do that here. We have to take a ferry or a plane if we want to do a real road trip.

      Thanks for sharing your experience with your young one. I know that can’t be easy. I guess I will somehow need to encourage more diverse immigration to the island! 🙂

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