American family moving to London with 3 little kids...

[Arty3542]

Hello all!

I have no idea where to post this... My husband and I might relocate to London at the beginning of next year. He has a job opportunity in Covent Garden. Our kids are 6, 4 and 2 years old. We will be moving from the NYC area. We are very excited but I'm very nervous at the same time. I'm so worried about being isolated and lonely.

Which area is best for American Expats? Do we try for a church/Christian school? Do we attempt to apply to the American School? I heard this is very hard to get into. Will we be in for a culture shock? Do you think it will be easy to make friends with people? Only asking because a couple people told me it's very hard to make friends, the British keep to their own. I didn't know what to say to that and thought it was a bit silly.

AIBU? ;)

Thank you in advance!

Fatsasuma and rubybleu, many thanks!

I just read the "homesick" thread and I wondering if getting homesick for is common? I know the first 6 months will be the most difficult. Has anyone ever lived overseas before?

One thing I do miss about the US (my Dad lived in DC for about 20 years) is the smell of the freezer cabinets in the supermarkets. Ours don't smell like that, I don't know why.

I've lived in a few countries and places, and 6 weeks and 6 months are the times when people tend to be homesick. Getting to know some expats before the move can really help.

I'd look into Crystal Palace as you could commute via Overground to Whitechapel way, or to Victoria for Mayfair. And lots of private and good state schools.

About the culture - agree that NYC is quite similar to London whereas small town Midwest is much more different. The problems tend to be when an American thinks they know England from watching Harry Potter and BBC shows and reading books, or otherwise isn't expecting an alien culture. If you expect a very different culture and it turns out more similar than expected, great, but bear in mind it works the other way too - Brits get lulled into a false sense of security by Americans fluent English and don't always make allowances for them not understanding context or nuance or generally how things work, in a way they would if the incomer had obviously non-native English. It's unlikely to be a major problem but best to be aware of the potential for misunderstanding.

Ha, CruCru, never thought of that!

Thanks, NotCitrus! I will check out Crystal Palace(love the name).

So do you feel that after 6 months the homesickness tends to get better? Or does it last a while? I plan to read a couple books about life in England and what the differences/similarities are. :-)

We hope to go to London this summer. It would be great if we meet a few expats!

So do you feel that after 6 months the homesickness tends to get better? Or does it last a while?

I actually think it can take a couple of years for homesickness to go away. Or it might not happen at all. It takes a while to really settle in any new place.

Also it can take years to get some of the subtler differences between the countries. I have been in the US nearly 10 years and still sometimes say things that no one understands.

But it's worth it IMO. I've moved across the Atlantic a few times back and forth but settled in the US now - originally from the UK.

"We hope to go to London this summer. It would be great if we meet a few expats!".

If you're here during July, Arty, you might be here for HeartsTrumpDiamonds Mumsnet meet-up-leaving-do (party) before she goes back to Canada. You would be more than welcome to come along (although neither the date, nor the venue is confirmed yet). There was a lovely US ex-pat at the last meet-up, which was only a few weeks ago.

Nice areas include: Primrose Hill, Muswell Hill, Crouch End, Hampstead, Chelsea, Nottinghill.

If his office is in Whitechapel or Aldgate, east of the City might suit. There are a couple of churches on your list in Hackney and Dalston. Victoria Park is a wonderful green space with an amazing village and great butchers. Lovely houses. Walk to Mile End and tube it to Whitechapel or Aldgate well within 30 minutes and it's a very arty area. A little further away from Hackney is Wanstead - leafy, green, great schools, parks, forests and a nice village atmosphere. We have Americans living here.

The one golden rule is standing on the right on tube escalators. Do that & you'll be ok.

Oh yes. Otherwise you'll have your passport handed back to you with a polite 'Heathrow's in that direction, madam' .

I didn't notice a bout of homesickness. In my opinion, it's because I didn't compare UK v US all the time. I just waded in and enjoyed everything. A few people I've seen on forums spent a fair bit of time bemoaning all sorts of differences (food, mixer taps, no plugs in the bathroom, and so on), and they were often the ones that struggled with homesickness the most. I miss individual people, of course, but I can't say I miss the US at all. But then, I'd miss those individual people if I moved across the US from them as well.

I probably should clarify that I'm a military brat and grew up moving every 2 years, so that may play a part in it.

What an exciting opportunity for you and your family!
I have nothing to contribute regarding schools or where to live, but I did grow up moving around for my dad's job so thought I would comment:
Your two youngest children will likely be ok and will adjust quite quickly. It might take your eldest a bit longer, and school will be a big change so be prepared to help with that. Especially a mid-year transition (if you move in January),

Regarding homesickness, best to expect that to hit. It will be better when you all make at least one set of good friends.
Once you decide where to live you should look into which church you want to attend. I live near Oxford and we have quite a lot of US folk at our church because of the University, and they've all found it a great place to meet and make friends: both local and expat.

Good luck with your plans.
I think that, ultimately, it will be a wonderful opportunity for you all!

My advice would be to research schools first - looking at ones that can be accessed from areas where your husband can commute in on the Northern or Piccadilly lines (as Covent Garden is served by the eponymous station and Charing Cross). In practice that is probably St John's Wood/ Hampstead to the north, Kensington/Chiswick to the West or looking at the schools in Dulwich (which can be accessed by the northern line from Clapham area). Just south of the river on the northern line might be worth considering given the big US embassy development being built at Vauxhall at the moment. With a budget of £10k I wouldn't move further out unless you want to be in the suburbs as commuting on the rail network is never as quick as the tube. Given your budget your pinch point is going to be finding places at good schools for the children not trying to find an affordable property...

VocationalGoat where in Maine did you spend your summers? I love Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont...

And never talk to strangers on the tube.....
Nothing to do with stranger danger, they will look at you as if you are crazy!
I have an Australian friend who made this mistake

Although it's ok to exchange eye-rolls & grunts if the service is crap that morning.

Easiest station to access Covent Garden IMHO is Holborn on the Central line. It's a quick 5 min walk to Covent Garden and avoids CG station which gets really busy, especially when you have to wait for the lifts. Central line opens up loads of opportunities in terms of where you can live.

I don't agree that commuting is necessarily quicker in the tube, some of the further out rail stations have fast trains into London that are much quicker than the tube.

One advantage of being a bit closer in is having backup options. I'm in zone 2 & if neither of my overground options is working I can get a bus & only be a bit late.

Oriunda OP has since posted to say she was wrong about Covent Garden. Job will be near either Aldgate or Mayfair.

I moved here a while ago.

Found Brits to be welcoming, easy to make friends, although lots of taboo subjects...

Never ask about finances. Never ask about sex, religion politics and orientation are bound to start arguments.

But all in all I wouldn't move away.