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Excessive drinking, bad weather and sarcasm: The most common reasons why expats hate living in Britain
Most foreigners enjoy living in the UK, but there are common complaints Almost half say British drinking culture is their least favourite trait Others complain about sarcasm and British cuisine
By Steve Robson PUBLISHED: 16:32 GMT, 28 August 2013 | UPDATED: 17:12 GMT, 28 August 2013

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Sarcastic humour, heavy drinking and miserable weather are among the most common complaints made by expats living Britain, a study has found. More than half of foreigners find British people fit their international stereotype to some extent - with many saying a tendency to drink tea rang true. While expats appreciate British manners and the ability to queue, almost half said the excessive drinking culture was their least favourite trait in people and 31 per cent regarded British sarcasm as unpopular.

Bad habits: Britons' excessive drinking habits is one of the main problems expats have with living in the UK

The study, conducted by a visa application help website, polled 1,402 expats living in Britain who had originated from various parts of the world, as part of research into opinions on the British way of life.

Downpours: Britain's damp weather was another popular moan among foreigners living here

The expats were asked if they liked living in Britain and 68 per cent said they did, but almost a third said

they did not. The most common reason for those who disliked living in Britain was the weather, with 38 per cent of expats agreeing on that. Almost a third did not like British culture and more than a fifth said they did not like British cuisine. Expats were asked for their opinions on the British populace, and the majority said that generally speaking they did like British people. The remaining 23 per cent said 'No, not really'. Liam Clifford, from GlobalVisas.com, the website that conducted the research, said: 'Moving to a new country poses many challenges. 'You might think you know all about a place from holidays and previous trips there, but actually living in a country puts an entirely different perspective on it. 'The majority of nationalities have stereotypes fitted around them and Brits dont escape this. 'With our imperialist past, Brits have influenced many countries worldwide, which means our stereotypes are, if anything, more entrenched than those of other countries. 'People probably come here with a stereotype-based preconception of what to expect. 'Its good to see from our survey though that, in the majority of cases, this reputation is actually enhanced upon living here.'

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Comments (95)
Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all Well if you dont like it...... - Poppy21 , South Yorkshire, 28/8/2013 22:23 Click to rate Report abuse "3. The Brit ability for sarcasm is a national treasure and should be celebrated, not complained about." Not many foreigners understand sarcasm or irony because they are only ready for serious conversations. The Brits are always ready for jokes and the throwaway line. Foreigners need three weeks notice for jokes too. Rating 79

- ken mist , paris, 28/8/2013 22:21 Click to rate Report abuse Returning British Expats think that too. In addition they hate the rip-off prices and the way the Daily Mail always mentions the price of someone's house in their articles - ken mist , paris, 28/8/2013 22:16 Click to rate Report abuse If I decide to move abroad the reason would be the constant rain -- it just mucks up everything. The other thing is all the countryside here seems to be private, or fenced off -- "Keep Out" signs everywhere. Mediterranean countries are more relaxed about where you walk. - Pete , Cornwall, United Kingdom, 28/8/2013 22:14 Click to rate Report abuse Then when the British become ex pats they take the culture with them. My husband's friend has lived in Madrid since 1984 and spends all his spare time drinking in English or Irish theme pubs. Last time we were there we said let's go somewhere Spanish for a change as we can't be done with all that English pub rubbish on holiday and he was horrified we even suggested it. He's from Yorkshire and goes on holiday to the resorts all the chavs go to like Magaluf. - elgar61 , Fife, 28/8/2013 22:09 Click to rate Report abuse OK! Bring on the red arrows!!!! But, although I am a Brit, and have lived in The Netherlands for the past 20 years, I unfortunately do find England to be somewhat behind the times in some things. And some people can be a bit naive in all manner of things. My daughter once told me that I was "so European". So what! I travelled Europe as an International truck driver for 12 years. Saw a lot, and learnt a lot. Found the love of my life in Haarlem, and settled down here. I am now 68yrs old, and I don't give a toss that some people in the UK cannot find their way around an atlas, or even know which country they are in, or even where that country is when they are on holiday. I rest my case! - Grahame , Haarlem, Netherlands, 28/8/2013 22:05 Click to rate Report abuse I would love to return to the UK to live but the house prices/rents are a joke so I cannot afford to come "home" I miss most of all the British sense of humour, the food, beautiful countryside, the history, the niceness of Brits and yes....even the so called drink culture. I hate the violence here in the USA. Sigh........ - Geoff , Miami, 28/8/2013 22:04 Click to rate Report abuse This doesn't sound like it's about expats - they're surveying foreigners living in Britain! Well, I suppose they're expats from SOMEWHERE. Don't like it here and don't like British people? Go home. - NoName , Yorkshire, 28/8/2013 22:03 Click to rate Report abuse Yes, do not bother to come here then. Rating 42 Rating 100 Rating 34 Rating 59 Rating 45 Rating 105 Rating 145

- Sandy Brown , London, 28/8/2013 22:02 Click to rate Report abuse That's funny. Many people from France, Germany, Eastern Europe and the Antipodes indulge in heavy frinking themselves. Where do all these upright teetotallers emanate from? Muslim countries? Considering many Muslims secretly drink, that seems unlikely. - Sceptical Man , Sittingbourne, United Kingdom, 28/8/2013 21:52 Click to rate Report abuse Share this comment The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Rating 83 Rating 42

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