If you are planning to move to England, you’ve plenty of amazing aspects of the country to look forward to enjoying. No doubt, you’ve chosen to move to England because you’ve fallen in love with everything it has to offer. However, as with any long-distance move, you should expect to experience some level of culture shock. Just like any other country, England has its quirks and individualities and knowing what to expect will help your adjustment period become that bit more manageable.
Sorry For Everything
In Britain, you are brought up to be extremely polite, to the point where many English people apologise for absolutely everything. A person may almost bump into you and they will apologise, and likely expect you to do the same. The onus is on avoiding inconveniencing anybody else in any way, which can be tough to get used to because it appears over the top, even to the most polite visitor.
A Certain Type Of Humour
There are specific types of humour associated with being English, with sarcasm and irony being the most confusing for visitors. It comes in the form of teasing somebody but usually whilst smiling, which is what makes it confusing.
Talking About The Weather Constantly
In general the UK is never extremely cold or extremely hot, which is why heat waves or snow reach the news. Nonetheless, small talk almost always includes the weather because Brits love to talk about it.
Left-Hand Drive
In the UK, drivers drive on the left-hand side of the road. As most other places drive on the right, this can be tricky to get used to, even if you’re just crossing the road.
Regional Dialects
Regional dialects are strong in England, and it can be difficult for people from one end of the country to understand the other, so there’s no surprise visitors find it hard to get used to how different people from different places sound. The type of words used for common items vary greatly between different regions too, which is also very confusing at first.
Culture shock is something that can affect even the most open minded person, who is completely prepared and excited for their relocation. Expect to feel a little overwhelmed at first and give yourself the time to naturally get over the culture shock. Watch this video about one person’s experience of culture shock when moving to the UK to get a broader idea of what to expect. You can also find information about identifying culture shock and getting through it in this handy UK Council for International Student Affairs guide.