I lived in Moscow for 3 years and a year in Tomsk before that. My wife is Russian and I go there every year so I know what Russia is about.

I also understand that people either love it or hate it...

As for Scotland, well I live in a little town called Inverurie, near Aberdeen.....after you have been to the castles and the few things for the kids to see there isn't that much to do. We need to drive to go for a decent interesting walk in the park. The interesting museums and things to see are in Glasgow and Edinburgh, everybody is related to everyone else, being so small you can't screw up as people will recognise you. It's grey.....The local council is so much in debt they shut down all the places we used to take the kids to, eg the ice-rink, science park etc.....

Try Biomedical Engineering. It provides a service and it is technical as well. It offers a myriad of opportunities. You could work for companies that manufacture and repair medical equipment. Hospital also employ BMET's in house to manage and repair equipment. Siemens, Drager and Hamilton all have European Companies. Puritan Bennet is also manufacturing out of Ireland. For me, I took the hospital route because wherever there is a hopital, there is potential work for me. There are three levels in this career. A 2 year electronics with anatomy and physiology gets one into the repair side. The 4 and 6 year programs are for those who want to work on the design end of things. Salaries range from 50 to 100k.

Yeah, you're right, I haven't been there in 10 years.

I've heard a lot of good things about Edinburgh. Haven't been there but am planning to visit one day. There's something about those Scottish women...or maybe it's the whisky...or a combination of the two...:D One thing Scotland has is plenty of nature to go hiking in, nice semi-flat hills and mountains.

edit. I'm not sure if Moscow is necessarily that ideal quite yet, especially if you have small children. They are constantly improving and if you can dish out a little dough there will be all the services available. That said, the society is divided into classes and there is quite a lot of serious crime around. I'm hoping they'll get things organised eventually. But if you've made up your mind, there might be some money to be made in real-estate. The price of land in Moscow has been skyrocketing.

Edinburgh is lovely. Hilly, but lovely :)

Hmm if I bumped off the inlaws my wife would be sitting on a pile....OK would never do that I love them.

As far as crime in Moscow....I actually feel safer there than I do in London oddly enough.

Russia IMHO is badly reported in the world's press. Where there's a will there's a way....I will find a way.