Anyone moved from the UK to to the US? How did it go?

[grannyinapram]

Looking at holidays online, not that we will ever go but I was just wondering what it would be like if we actually moved. Any one have any experience? is it all its cracked up to be?

We did NY for a year due to DH work. It was fantastic but wasn’t ‘real’ life for me, as it was always just going to short term felt like a bit of a holiday. In reality wasn’t that different from living in London. People are much more friendly though, they seem to love brits.

thetaleunfolds The school shooting one was a huge thing for me when thinking about moving there. DH kept saying how tiny the absolute risk is, and it is, but, as you say, children are aware of the risk - that’s what I really couldn’t stand. I was in CO a few weeks after the cinema shooting, and we went to see a film, and I felt so unsettled the entire time. I would never want my kids to experience that emotion in school never mind actually experiencing an attack.

It's my dream to go to the States (on holiday) - the landscapes look incredible. I spent hours watching stuff on YouTube , there are so many places I'd love to explore.

Just have to wait until covid's over and I have enough money which could be a few years yet for the latter.

My FIL is from UK and moved US 30 years ago- he’s now a citizen and we are in the family visa list (have been for 5 years but Trump halted progress).
If we are offered a Visa we will go.

On the West coast for 15+years and a 5 year stint in NYC. It’s super expensive where I live, which is a problem (though we lived in London in the U.K. and same thing there).

The lack of security - no NHS (and a screwed up private health care system), poor employment security, lack of social security, poor government investment in infrastructure, etc. - can make it a stressful place to live. Both in terms of worry about your own life (especially with kids) and with the visible signs of a income disparity.

However, it is also a place full of opportunity, optimism and a genuine enthusiasm for trying things out. And that is what attracts me. (Also, the weather!).

We moved back to the U.K. when we first had kids because we thought the U.K. would make for a better childhood, but after a few years we realised it was just rose tinted glasses that had made us think that and we moved back to the US.

I lived there for a year during college in the south and 10 years on the west coast as an adult.

It’s a very different culture, longer work hours, shorter holidays (2 weeks annual leave), I got 3 months maternity but some people get 2 weeks. I worked for a good company and had good pay and health insurance, without that it would have been a different experience.

We moved back when my kids were young as we needed more family support. I miss the outdoor lifestyle and the weather but am glad we came back.

@cheeseismydownfall

Like the PP said, our quality of life was much better in the US but I would worry about the consequences of financial knocks in a way we don't in the UK.

That depends on how you measure 'quality', I've met many Americans who would disagree with you.

I'm American. I've lived in the UK for 10 years with absolutely no plans to go back. Wouldn't recommend it. Certainly not now.

hansgrueber, yes of course, and it would depend where in the US you lived, but for us our money went much further, huge house, excellent heath cover, great schooling, better job opportunities, more outdoorsy lifestyle, pools in the summer, skiing in the winter.

The food was awful though. I was really uncomfortable eating meat especially.

Did 5 years there. Pluses and minuses. It's very expensive in the big cities, I don't just mean housing, everything from groceries to child activities cost nearly double

There’s much more of a financial and social safety net than many non-Americans think, I’m always surprised when people claim there isn’t one. It’s different to what we’re used to in the UK and it’s possible to fall through the cracks, but ending up destitute is not something I’d personally ever feel concerned about.

@ComtesseDeSpair, thanks for this. The US government provides medical cover for over 100 million citizens, income and nutritional support for the poor, and old-age pensions for everyone. It's not quite the Mad Max environment people on MN seem to assume it is.

I’ve been here 5 years and love it for the most part. Have made great friends and we live in a liberal suburban utopia akin to a nineties kids movie, where neighbourhood kids play basketball in each other’s yards and we catch up over potluck dinners. Houses are huge, and all the left-wing soccer moms secretly judge the Trump supporters. I find living here equal parts hilarious and horrifying. No real understanding of environmental issues or climate change. A lot of backing up an extremely racist system (though change is happening). Horrendously high medical costs. But lifestyle is good (though we’re not rich by any means).

But I do like the US narrative that anyone can “make it”. It seemed so cheesy at the beginning when we moved, but I’ve seen how kids are built up and championed by this message and I actually kind of like it. Less pessimism in general - every time I talk to friends and family in the U.K., they seem to be moaning about something. People do have similar challenges here, but wouldn’t moan just to make small talk. Most public places are also so much more kid friendly than I remember the U.K. being. Also, we’re kind of loved because we’re British. It’s an easy icebreaker because people just want you to say things in a funny accent.

Americans are very fond of Brits. I'm a New Yorker and we get loads of British tourists and ex-pats working here. I've also had many British patients who came here for medical treatment. You lot are much nicer to deal with than most other overseas visitors.

I think the fact that British television programs are so popular here helps too.

While I agree that the US isn't the wild west it is made out to be (in terms of a social safety net), their were neighbourhoods in the city I lived in where I saw poverty that was like nothing I've ever seen in the UK. Tbf the city often ranks highest in the US for the economic gap between rich and poor, and for very poor prospects for African Americans.

And yes having an English accent makes life easy! I swear I got my (competitive) job because of it. Even months down the line my colleagues still couldn't get enough of it.

I moved to NYC in my 20s. It was exactly as I’d imagined - fabulous, glamorous, endless opportunities, eating out all the time and ordering in the rest. I lived in amazing apartments, made some wonderful friends and had the absolute time of my life.

I moved back to the UK after I had kids as I didn’t want to move out of the city but equally didn’t want them spending more than their early years in the city. I miss it sometimes but I know moving back would never be the same as my carefree younger days.

Far better auality of life in the UK, lived there for two yrs could not wait to come home.

This is so interesting, DP and I looking to do inter company transfer (his work) and get married later in the year.

It's been approved at his end, so a case of logistics within the next year.

Any advise on spousal visas? I would want to be able to work too.

Thanks

*Quality

I spent a year in a city on the West Coast as a student, and loved it. The city was great: fantastic shops, bars, restaurants. But also gorgeous countryside nearby. I've always loved the idea of spending a few more years there, but i also know that the reality would be 2 weeks of annual leave, living in a nondescript suburb because anywhere nice or central is unaffordable, etc. It'd be nice for a few years but can't imagine moving there long term.

@MissConductUS

There’s much more of a financial and social safety net than many non-Americans think, I’m always surprised when people claim there isn’t one. It’s different to what we’re used to in the UK and it’s possible to fall through the cracks, but ending up destitute is not something I’d personally ever feel concerned about.

@ComtesseDeSpair, thanks for this. The US government provides medical cover for over 100 million citizens, income and nutritional support for the poor, and old-age pensions for everyone. It's not quite the Mad Max environment people on MN seem to assume it is.

True. It just varies by state, and can vary quite a lot. We live in a state that’s near the top of the charts with what is offered. I’ve friends who live in other states and the situation is very different - less access to Medicaid, no state mandated pregnancy leave, etc.

We moved out here in 2016. We are dual nationals so no messing about with visas or anything. It’s been great in some ways - we weren’t going to be getting on the property ladder in London any time soon, but we managed it in about a year over here, we have both progressed our careers to the point where we make too much to move back (we’d make a lot less, even in the SE). And in some ways it hasn’t been great - having a baby out here cost thousands even with great health insurance, there is no real job security, child care costs even more than it did in the UK.

Swings and roundabouts really. I miss some things, am happy about others.

2 years, in the leafy suburbs of an East Coast city. Lovely friends, lovely church, lovely home. Homesick every single day. Could not wait to come back. I miss the friends I made and nothing else.

DH was offered a job out there. He tried to sell it to me with the idea we would be able to travel and see the US. But I knew the 2 weeks holiday would only be used to come home and see his parents and that was it.
Also even though the salary looked good in theory when I looked at houses we couldn’t afford anything at all and would have ended up in a small apartment.

@KingAndQueen, what type of visa has your partner got? My OH did an inter company move on an L1 visa. If he has an L1 and you want to be able to work here you would need to be married prior to you moving here, ie you couldn't move, get married and then apply. Your visa would be an L2 and basically piggybacks your partners. The US doesn't recognize de facto relationships when it comes to work visas. At the best of times it will take several months to get the visas but I think its well worth the time and effort. I'm now a perm resident and call the US my home. Good luck!

Just to clarify on the holiday issue, the amount of paid time off you get depends on the seniority of your role. You might start with two weeks, but it goes up from there. I get four weeks and 10 paid holidays, with unlimited paid sick time. That's quite common here if you're in a salaried position.