- Jan-Peter van Tijk
I wish I'd found InterNations sooner: It would have made my first few month as an expat in London much less overwhelming.
Living in Leicester
Leicester is the 10th largest city in the UK, and one of the largest urban areas in the East Midlands. In 2013, it was nominated for the UK City of Culture award and is known as being ‘the home of the Foxes’, in relation to Leicester’s Championship football team. Leicester is a historic city and evidence of Ancient Roman settlement with Roman pavements and baths can still be found in the area, providing a number of fascinating places for tourists and expats living in Leicester to explore. Popular places to visit in the city include the Town Hall which sits on a site which used to be a cattle market, as well as the Guildhall, which is a beautiful Grade I listed building. Its earliest parts date back to around 1390! The city also has plenty to offer in terms of shopping and nightlife, and Leicester can even boast a busy marketplace which is known for being the largest covered market in Europe.
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Moving to Leicester
Leicester is a very diverse area which has one of the most ethnically diverse populations in the UK. There are a number of inner city areas to live in as well as those on the outskirts for any expatriate moving to Leicester who prefers to avoid the city lifestyle. Getting around Leicester is easy thanks to a public transport network which connects Leicester to the rest of the UK via rail as well as an extensive bus and road network. Like most of the UK, Leicester has a maritime climate which means that expats living in Leicester will have to cope with cold winters and relatively cool summers. However, there are usually warm, dry periods in the summer months, particularly in June and July, to look forward to. Expatriates moving to Leicester with their family will find that there are a number of schools in the area, as well as the University of Leicester.
Working in Leicester
Leicester is described as having the biggest economy in the East Midlands, which is largely due to the presence of major companies such as British Gas, Jessops, DHL and more. The city is also an important center in the UK for engineering, of which there are many firms based in and around Leicester. Expats in Leicester will find that there are also many opportunities to work in the retail and leisure industries, largely as a result of the city’s two busy shopping centers. Other areas of work include finance and business with a number of leading companies having their base in the area such as Barclays, State Bank of India and HSBC. By joining InterNations, expats working in Leicester are able to join an exciting online expat community in which fellow expatriates can socialize, network and share information and experiences of working and living in areas like Leicester with fellow expats. Our website can be a great resource for finding information about sourcing work as well as about housing, communities and other information related to the city.