The couple, both academics doing their Ph.D.s,were living in O'Shea's mom's house outside London and remotely teaching students attheir college in2021.The aspiring academics wanted to buy a home but couldn't afford anywhere with outdoor space in London. Davidson told BusinessInsider they wanteda better quality oflife and acheaper cost of living –but warmerweather than in the UK. They wanted flexibility in theircareers O'Shea said they could afford to buy properties in the Italian countryside without taking on a mortgage. "Academia is not a very stable career. You'recertainly not well paid," he said.They wanted to buy aproperty outright instead of taking on a mortgage to give them more freedom in their careers. Whensearching for properties in Italy,the couple settledon the Marche, a region onthe east coast,because it was more affordable than other areasthey considered. In May 2021,they found afarmhouse on the market for 200,000 euros,or around $218,000. O'Shea told BI they fell in lovewith the 44-hectare farm, which had an olive groveanda dilapidated farmhouse, as soon as they saw it. Thefarm had been onthe market for 30years, which helped the couple's bid to lower its price by 60,000 euros. Theyhad 80,000 eurossaved andcovered the rest by sellingtheir campervan and receiving aloan from O'Shea's parents. They bought the farm, including the farmhouse, for 140,000 euros, which is around $154,000,in October 2021,according to documents seen by BI. O'Shea andDavidson moved to Italyshortly after.
They work on thefarm alongside academia The couple's farmhouse was dilapidated and uninhabitable,they said. Courtesyof Lucie Davidson Thecouple were recently approved for a grant of328,000 euros to support young farmers and plan to spend 250,000 eurosto replace the farmhouse, which they said is not structurallysound. While they awaitplanning permission to replace the farmhouse, the couple told BI they are renting anearby property for300euros a month. They split theirtime between tutoring and working onthe farm andsaid they work seven days aweek most weeks. O'Shea,who finished his Ph.D. in 2022,spends one or two hours a day tutoring college students in the UK remotely in the morning. Heearns around £1,500, which is about $1.900a month from tutoring. Davidson told BI they spend much less on food andbills now than they did in the UK. After tutoring,hetold BI he spends between sixandeight hours a day farming oliveoil from the treesand picking lavenderto sell. Thefirst year,he drove the oil to theUK to sell atmarkets, but they have since shipped it over.
"I love farming," O'Shea said,"I think it's a real challenge and it's something that formeis a really nice overlap ofacademia." Davidson took an agriculturecourse this year and told BI that she relishedlearninghow to farnm alongside finishingher Ph.D. "Doing something really manual and concrete was so appealing,"shesaid. "When work is your own boss and you're doing what you want to do, then obviously it's exhausting physicallyand mentally, but it's not draining in thesameway because you are happy to do it," shesaid. Davidson and O'Shea don't earn enough from their farming business to live on and O'Shea currentlytutorsUK students remotely to supplement their income. They aim to makeproduce from their farm their main income in severalyears and plan onrunning olive grove tours fortourists in thefuture. They have no regrets The couple told BIthelifestyle suits them betterthan working in the UK did. "EveryoneI know who lives in London or in a big city in theUK and works in a traditional office job has said, since COVID, it is so much more unpleasant. It's so much more oppressive.The financialstress of it takesthejoy out ofa lot ofthings,"said Davidson. She said though there aren't many young people in theMarche, they'vemade friendsand feel a strong sense ofcommunity. "I haven'tthought, fora singleday,that I'd ratherbe back in London," said O'Shea. Ifyou moved countrieswhile working remotely andwould like to share your story,email
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