We look at areas in Birmingham that are popular with relocating young professionals.

Harborne

A recent survey undertaken by property specialist Knight Frank, found Harborne to be the best place to live if you are a young professional.  Boasting picturesque nineteenth century housing, the area of Harborne is known for its safety and its friendly community. Harborne High Street is bustling with independent shops and cafes, as well as numerous bars, pubs and restaurants, all of which make for comfortable and sociable living for young professionals. Top picks include The Plough pub, which is bustling every evening of the week, and Buonissimo’s Italian restaurant.

In a visit to one of the new Free Schools to open its doors to pupils this month, David Cameron spoke about how they would be central to tackling failings in the schools system by encouraging “existing schools in the area to compete and raise their game”.  But Free Schools have not been received by the wider education community with such wholesale optimism, and within the coalition itself there is division - with Nick Clegg going head-to-head with the PM over the programme’s social mobility policy.

So, what are we to make of these new schools? Are they creating greater and better quality choice for families, are they - as many critics claim - further entrenching education by the middle class, for the middle class, or are we being left with a school system with baffling number of types of school or as one academic has put it – a “liquorice allsorts” system?

The terms modern interior design and contemporary interior design are often confused but in fact refer to two entirely different things.

Contemporary Interior design means  looks that are ‘of the moment’ current or  fashionable right now, whereas ‘Modern’ interior design is a specific style of interiors utilizing clean lines textures, space, form and function. Mid Century Modern  a (period from approximately the late 1920’s to the 1970’s) is very trendy right now making it Contemporary…

Confused?

Modernism, in essence was a rejection of the traditional, embracing new advances in materials

Modernism in the home sprung to life as soon as manufacturing techniques enabled the use of new materials in the making of  household objects.  Plastics, resins, alloys, laminate the dazzling assortment of new processes unleashed, on a frankly stunned world, icons such as Earo Sarins Tulip

America led the way in not only the materials but the designer’s quick to use such innovative materials and MCM (Mid Century Modern) was born.

As with every period in history, the MCM movement has left us with icons every bit as identifiable as say from the 1700s, which gave us Thomas Chippendale Cabinetry, and Josiah Wedgewood China and Robert Adams Fireplaces.  So here we have Eames  Chairs, Noguchi coffee tables a Le Corbusier  sofa just throw in a Florence Knoll Sofa or two and bingo, you are instantly achingly cool right ?

Wrong.

Vicky Tuck, former head of Cheltenham Ladies’ College, could be feeling a great sense of relief in September this year as she takes up her new post as director-general of the International School in Geneva. According to interviews with the national press, Ms Tuck has felt “beaten up” by the constant need to defend her previous position running a fee-charging, single-sex school.

Ms Tuck told The Times last year that she felt she was made to feel “slightly immoral” for running the prestigious independent girls' school. She said: “I won't miss the problem of us having to defend ourselves.”

There’s no doubt about it: despite all the unfortunate animals who are handed in to refuges because the kids (who were probably far too young to look after them anyway) got tired of them, or the owners changed their carpet and their pet no longer went with it, many of us regard our pets as members of the family. We spend vast amounts of money on them, and refuse to be parted from them unless it’s absolutely necessary.

My neighbours, for example, took their rabbit with them when they relocated to Dubai. He arrived somewhat hot and bothered, but was soon enjoying free ranging in their apartment (despite the fact that his claws were apt to skid on the marble floors).

When the neighbours returned, so did the rabbit – although he had to spend six months in quarantine, necessitating regular visits from his devoted owners, who live 50 miles away from where bunny was boarding – and he now rules the roost (if that’s the right phrase) once more, with a lovely lady rabbit to keep him company.

So I was interested to see that changes to the UK's Pet Travel Scheme are set to make it easier for relocatees to take their pets overseas – and bring them home again. Read the full article here.

Judging by the number of companies that specialise in moving pets, there must be lots of people who would be deterred from making a relocation move by the thought of leaving their furry friend behind, so removing barriers to taking pets abroad will, perhaps, make relocating overseas that little bit less of a wrench.

What’s been your experience of moving with pets? Share your thoughts with others by leaving a comment.

My colleagues will be impressed to see that I’ve managed not to mention guinea pigs once …

Louise Whitson – Guest Blogger

My attention was caught this week by a very interesting article from MediCare International with the arresting title Don’t be a drug smuggler!

With people relocating to an ever-increasing number of countries worldwide, all of which have their own definitions of what’s legal and illegal drugs-wise, it’s vital to ensure that you are fully aware of the regulations of your destination country well in advance of your departure.

Importing innocent-seeming items, such as prescription medicine for a chronic condition or a favourite herbal remedy, could get you into very hot water indeed in your new location.

So don’t forget to check the regulations governing the import of drugs and medicines to your destination country, and plan well ahead.

Have you got an example of a medicinal product that, while perfectly legal in one country, is illegal in another? Then share it with other relocatees by leaving a comment.

One of Britain’s greatest assets is ‘le shopping’, as the French call it. And it isn’t just for adults. If you’re looking for clothes for the children, you have an amazing choice, whatever your budget.

At the top end, most of the designer stores have childrens’ ranges, including Burberry, Diesel, Polo and Armani. Keep an eye out wherever you live for tiny boutique shops that have selections of designer clothes, too.

In London and the big cities, mid-range clothing can be found in Selfridges, House of Fraser or John Lewis. Selfridges stocks Jaspar Conran for kids, which is inspired.

John Lewis is incredibly handy – it’s one of those shops that Brits really miss when they live abroad, as it has everything under one roof, from clothing to household and electrical goods. It also competes with Clarks’ shoe shops as one of the best places to buy kids shoes, and includes a fitting service.

Marks & Spencer has been famous as the place to buy underwear and socks. These days, it has stepped up hugely on the clothing front, with some innovative ranges for adults and children. It competes with BHS, which has also improved its clothing with comparable, reasonable items.

So, you need a new fridge or TV for your new home – who do you look to for advice? A Which? Report is often the first port of call when looking for independent reviews of consumer products. But, following the launch of David Cameron’s Public Services reform this week and his emphasis on ‘open data’ – it is possible that the champion of consumer choice will be given the opportunity to report on public services including schools, colleges and universities.

When making a major move, those with families know that the most stressful and crucial part of making a successful transition is finding the right education provision for the children involved. Most families make those decisions based on visits to schools and word of mouth but another major deciding factor is the facts and figures - league tables, OFSTED reports and attainment statistics.

Today in Westminster, an education committee will meet teachers and students from the recent Channel 4 series 'Jamie's Dream School'. In the same week Everton FC have announced their plans to throw the weight of their brand behind proposals for a new sports-focused community school, and writer, Toby Young is forging ahead with the opening of his new ‘parent-led’ free school this year in West London. It seems you cannot turn the pages of a newspaper these days without a well-known face popping up to express their desire to shake things up in education. And most interesting of all – the government appears to be listening.

The launch of a new private university this week by some of the world’s top academics has thrown some serious educational debates into the spotlight.

Professor AC Grayling launched the privately funded New College of Humanities (NCH) earlier this week in response to what he calls, "the economic reality" of cuts to public humanities funding. The college is promoting a philosophy of learning which some believe is dying out in our current education system; “Our students will be challenged to develop as skilled, informed and reflective thinkers, and will receive an education to match that aspiration”, says Professor Grayling. The college has also highlighted the urgent need to prepare students for the world of work outside the confines of the campus. But, while the media is alive with debate about learning styles, arguing about whether students are suitably ready to enter the workplace and the accessibility of such an elite institution, thousands of International Baccalaureate students have been quietly taking top-university places, the highest paid jobs and are being praised for their skills as just such critical thinkers.