Today we have the opportunity to interview George an UK citizen that have been in Bulgaria for 15 years, and during this period he have been able to see first hand many changes in the country, from entering the EU, and all the challenges and opportunities that open since that moment.
Name and nationality:
My name is George St Clare and I am a Yorkshireman from Great Britain.
Tell us a bit about you and what you do
Along with my wife, Nataliya Atanasova, I am based in Balchik in the North East of the country and have been for the last 15 years since 2004. We run one of the more popular Expat support and interest groups on Facebook with a little short of 12,000 members, primarily focused on the North East of Bulgaria, but extending to cover the whole of Bulgaria – Bulgaria Expat Dream Living.
Having run various businesses related to computing, property and food retail in the UK, Middle East, Malta, Russia the Ukraine and France, Bulgaria seemed a good country to come to wind down in and that is what happened in 2004. We still continue in property and food retail in Bulgaria.
Why and when did you come to Bulgaria?
2004 was the year in which I moved to Bulgaria from Malta. The property business I was involved in at that time in Malta seemed to be winding down and Bulgaria looked like a good, fresh business opportunity for property businesses, which it certainly has been and continues to be despite the current downturn – there are still plenty of opportunities.
What do you like about your country of origin?
British Lion George, id his nickname
Although I left those shores many moons ago to live and work in Middle East, Malta, Russia the Ukraine, France and Bulgaria, I still feel that Britain is one of the best countries in the World. I have travelled back often and truly appreciate what a beautiful country it is – especially places like The Lake District, The Peak District, The Pennines in my home county, Cornwall and many other locales. I also miss the sense of humour and the “banter” in the local pub. The people are among the friendliest I have ever come across in any country. The food is also second to none – pies, proper fish and chips, Sunday roast. The list is endless!
What are some differences between your country and Bulgaria?
All the countries I have lived in are very different. When I moved to the Middle East, I was struck by the huge emphasis placed on religion. Russia was very different. There was again emphasis on religion, but not to the same extent as in Qatar. Doing business was easier as it was far less formal than the Middle East.
Malta was pretty much a contrast to Russia and the Middle East. The language was very interesting as it is influenced by English, Italian and languages of many other races. Bulgaria is completely different to all the above. I find the bureaucracy here much more intimidating than in any of the countries above and it is not getting any better. As long as you are not dealing with officialdom, the people are very friendly and generous. As I speak Russian, I understand the Bulgarian language more or less 100%, but do not speak it fluently.
What do you like about Bulgaria?
Generally, the Bulgarians are very friendly people and will share whatever they have with you, especially the poorer people in the villages. Because of poverty in some places here, as in other countries, expats can be perceived as very wealthy and resented or even targeted because of that, though this, thankfully, is relatively rare. The attitude tends to be extremely laid back and I am sure the concept of “time” does not exist as such for some Bulgarian people! Whilst in Russia, I found that the populace largely embraced Western ideals very quickly after the fall of Communism. That has proved, to my surprise, not to be the case here – many still adhere to Communist principles and would love to go back to those “golden years”!
What was the most difficult bureaucratic procedure you have undergone so far in Bulgaria?
Bulgaria is a country of challenges! The first challenge was to actually get my personal belongings imported into the country in 2005 – this took two months and frequent visits to customs posts in three different towns. The mentality here is very different to that in the West and the bureaucracy is particularly stifling. This would be acceptable if the procedures were the same in every area, but each area seems to have different “rules”. I had thought things would be simplified after entry into the EU in 2007, but that has proved to be very far from the case.
Mention one important experience you’ve had in Bulgaria :
The thing I probably enjoy most in Bulgaria is the open roads (though not the potholes!) and not being stopped for speeding every two kilometers as in some countries. On the other hand, driving can be quite dangerous because of the combination of powerful cars and “bought” licences. The countryside is, of course, a great joy and does enable you to “get away from it all”. As a smoker, I benefit from the relatively low prices of cigarettes as others may benefit from the inexpensive rakia! Bureaucracy is the thing that I find very irritating. Sometimes you just walk into an office and that’s half a tree gone!
What languages do you speak other than your mother tongue?
Between us, Natalya and I speak English, Bulgarian, Russian, Ukrainian, French and a little Polish
What countries have you been to?
For work and business: Qatar, France, Malta, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria. Outside of those, all of Europe, the US, but not Japan and China or India, Pakistan.
How is your business going ?
At the moment, I run a real estate agency: Bulgarian Best Properties, which was set up in 2004 and based in Balchik. As most of the British expats have latterly chosen to relocate out of Bulgaria for different reasons, this has created a vacuum in that market. However, the Russians are generally moving in to create a new market. Overall, the market is in the doldrums and anyone in this business will just have to ride it out. It is bound to get better, but, I feel, not until mid-2020 at the earliest. My plans are just to stick with it and expand the businesses when everything picks up again.
As an adjunct to real estate, I saw there was a market for British food for the British expat community in 2007 and opened the British Lion Food Store in Balchik, specialising in all the British Favourites. Owing to the exodus of many British expats, though, I am now moving into Russian and Ukrainian foodstuffs to cater for the ever-increasing Russian population and tourists.
What advice would you give to other people who would like to come to live in Bulgaria?
Since property is so cheap in Bulgaria, a number of people tend to buy over the net without actually coming out to see the property at all. This can be a grave mistake as photographs will not show you everything about the property – it may look good on the website, but could be a complete wreck when you actually see it in real life. Also, it may be in a bad area or one that is not to your liking. Always come out and view different areas and different properties yourself before making any commitment to purchase.
Bear in mind that it is very difficult to find well-paid employment or even employment in Bulgaria.
Ensure that you have adequate funds/income to tide you over and to build the life that you want.
If you are going to set up in business for yourself, do plenty of research to ensure that there is a need for the business you will be setting up and that it is in the right area for what it is. The key is a lot of research beforehand.
You will miss friends and family, so you must have the character to be able to handle that emotionally. Of course, these days, there is always the net and skype, so you can always be in touch, albeit not face to face.
It is always helpful to become acquainted, at least, with the language prior to coming out. If you know even a little Bulgarian when you get here, this will go a long way towards acquiring new friends and getting respect for having made the effort. Many Bulgarians, especially the younger generation, do speak English, but by no means all.
Thank you George for taking the time to participate in Expats Stories, and we wish you good luck in Bulgaria
