Overview
Objectives
This qualitative study of central and eastern European migrants (primarily Polish) was carried out in four case study areas (two in England and two in Scotland). The objective was to provide a better understanding of patterns of household formation, intimacy and social networking amongst East and Central European migrant workers in the UK.
Methods
The project focused largely on patterns of household formation, change and dissolution amongst these migrant populations. A number of themes were investigated in interviews with Poles in the UK looking at, for example, the communication and networking practices of these migrant populations with friends and family who remain in Eastern and Central Europe. Also explored were the participants' experiences of migrating and the associated familial process; their employment biographies since being in the UK; their housing biographies since being in the UK; their impressions and experiences of living in the UK (for participants with children, their experiences of the British education system); and their plans for remaining in the UK or returning to Poland.
Findings
The study found that participants' settlement processes did not necessarily correspond with the public perception of Polish and other A8 migrants as being temporary or circular. The perceived quality of life and standards of living offered in the UK compared to Poland meant that participants felt that they could not return to Poland. In addition, there were a number of factors that contributed to participants' settlement in the UK, besides obvious ones such as employment/wage labour.
For example, many participants were able to afford to rent their own apartment in the UK (and thus live independently of parents and in-laws). Another factor was the relationship between being able to afford a better standard of living in the UK in terms of accommodation, everyday expenses, and having access to many more free services and benefits for low-income families which are not available in Poland. The perceived differences in the education systems in the UK and Poland were another major reason for participants choosing to remain in the UK. However many parents of school-age children felt frustration at their inability to support their children's education due to lack of linguistic competence, and considerable variation was discovered across the four research sites in terms of the support available for integrating Polish children into British schools.
Despite this, to a certain extent the participants were disconnected from their 'national' community of other Poles in the UK, and their lack of linguistic competence also restricted their engagement with British and other communities. The result being the participants could not fully integrate, and their support networks and social capital were also limited to a small select group of close friends and relatives in the UK.
Publications & Activities
Social Relationships and Relationships in Context: Post-Accession Poles in Southampton
Population Space and Place (2015). 21 (5) 433-445
Authors: McGhee D, Trevena P, Heath S,
Continuity versus innovation: Young Polish migrants and practices of 'doing family' in the context of achieving independence in the UK
Migration Studies: Polish Diaspora Review (2015). 3 139-156
Authors: Heath S, McGhee D, Trevena P,
Parental Capital and Strategies for School Choice Making: Polish Parents in England and Scotland
Central and Eastern European Migration Review (2015). 5 (1) 71-92
Authors: Trevena P, McGhee D, Heath S,
Normality and Abnormality in the Embedded Temporalities of Post-Accession Polish Migrants' Narratives
6th Enquire Conference – Normality in an Uncertain World (2013). (University of Nottingham)
Authors: McGhee D,
Post-accession Polish migrants—their experiences of living in 'low-demand' social housing areas in Glasgow
Environment and Planning A (2013). 45 (2) 329-343
Authors: McGhee D, Heath S, Trevena P,
The domestic and housing transitions of Polish migrants in the UK
New Agendas on Youth and Young Adulthood: Youth Studies Conference 2013 (2013). (University of Glasgow)
Authors: Heath S,
Competing obligations and the maintenance of physical co 'presence' the impact of migration and structural constraints on post accession Polish families in the UK
Families, Relationships and Societies (2013). 2 (2) 229-245
Authors: McGhee D, Heath S, Trevena P,
Dignity, happiness and being able to live a 'normal life' in the UK - an examination of post-accession Polish migrants' transnational autobiographical fields
Social Identities (2012). 18 (6) 711-727
Authors: McGhee D, Heath S, Trevena P,
Trevena P, (2012) Mobility in Transition: Migration Patterns after EU enlargement
Amsterdam University Press
Family and household formation among Polish migrants living in England and Scotland
Migration and Ageing in the Highlands, CRFR (2012). (UHI Millennium Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands)
Authors: Trevena P,
Lost in transnationalism: unravelling the conceptualisation of families and personal life through a transnational gaze
Sociological Research On-Line (2011). 16 (4)
Authors: Heath S, McGhee D, Trevena P,
Divided by class, connected by work: Class divisions among the new wave of Polish migrants in the UK
Studia Migracyjne - Przeglad Polonijny (2011). 1 71-96
Authors: Trevena P,
Location, location? A critical examination of patterns and determinants of internal mobility among post-accession Polish migrants in the UK
Population, Space and Place - Special Issue (2011). 19 (6) 671-687
Authors: Trevena P, McGhee D, Heath S,
Post-Accession Polish Migrants' Comparative assessments on Privation in Poland and the 'affordability of life 'in the UK – reflections on 'return' migration
Royal Geographical Society with the Institute of British Geographers (RGS-IBG) Annual Conference (2011). (London)
Authors: McGhee D, Heath S, Trevena P,
Brain waste as threat to identity? Highly-educated migrants in low-skilled jobs
NORFACE Migration Network Conference, Migration: Economic Change, Social Challenge Conference (2011). (University College London)
Authors: Trevena P,
[Poster] Why do highly-educated migrants go for low-skilled jobs? A case study of Polish graduates working in London
NORFACE Migration Network Conference, Migration: Economic Change, Social Challenge Conference (2011). (University College London)
Authors: Trevena P,
Displaying connectedness: researching the transnational family practices of Polish migrant workers living in Scotland and England
Turning Personal Conference (2009). (University of Manchester)
Authors: Heath S,
The economic benefits of A8 EU in-migration to Southampton
(2009).
Authors: McGhee D, Leonard P,
Media
Immigration Nation: how tolerant is modern Britain Channel 4 News. 2013
Part of a Channel 4 News discussion on immigration: "Immigration Nation: how tolerant is modern Britain"
Immigration Nation: how tolerant is modern britain Channel 4 News website. 2013
Online article on Channel 4 news "Immigration Nation: how tolerant is modern britain"
