4.6 million British expats living and working abroad

There are now 4.6 million British expats living and working abroad, helping to shape the communities they live in, according the fifth annual NatWest International Personal Banking (NatWest IPB) Quality of Life Index. Australia (1.4 million), Spain (940,000) and the USA (794,000) are the three most popular destinations for British expats. The report says 41 countries each have a British expat population of at least 10,000 and 112 countries have at least 1,000. Dave Isley, Head of NatWest International Personal Banking, comments: "Either by design or accident, British expats are our ambassadors abroad and are playing a pivotal role in promoting values and best practices. Their contribution to local economies and communities - either financially or socially - cannot be underestimated." There are now 74,264 teachers from the UK working in British international schools. That number is equal to almost 14% of teachers in UK state schools. It is predicted that by 2013 the number will have risen by a further 54% to nearly 115,000. In the last year alone, over 500 new English-speaking international schools were opened across the world, with most development happening in Dubai and elsewhere in the United Arab Emirates, in Qatar, Spain and in China, employing a total of 192,000 teachers. Aaron Strutt, a broker at Trinity Financial, says: "We have seen an increase in the amount of ex-pats looking to buy property in the UK and we have access to a number of lenders that specialise in lending to those living and working abroad." May 25, 2012