Reasons you wouldn’t move to US

[Preiu]

Dh has been offered a job in the US. The increase in salary would put us into a completely different wealth bracket but I really don’t want to move.

• fear of home invasion with guns
• school shooting - guns in general I guess
• American exceptionalism attitude annoys me
• Being away from family
• Not having Europe on doorstep

Can I ask if you have any other reasons

Hundreds of children don't die in their classrooms each year. What are you talking about?! You think the whole country just puts their kids on the bus each morning and gets on with their day thinking, "Oh well! If my kids get shot at school today, Freedom!"?! What I am saying is I have lived here in the US for almost 20 years and guns are NOT and haven't ever been a day to day reality for me. That is an absolute fact. And this comes, as already stated, from someone who is VERY anti gun, who votes and lobbies anti gun. One school shooting is too many but your hyperbole is absolute nonsense.

America being full of Americans puts me off!

Sorry but a lot of what you say here is just completely wrong.

Charming post. Are you always this delightful?

I would love the opportunity to move to America, very jealous!

@CheeseSandwichRiskAssessment, respectfully, what have I said that is wrong? You only have to read through the thread to see that gun crime is the number one reason why many people would not wish to move to the USA. This is not only the case for British people but for most people in the other developed countries of the world. Unlike most “news” in the USA which is very localised, people in the wider world are far more aware of what goes on in the USA than many American people are of anything outside the USA. Gun crime in the USA is completely out of control. Our one and only school shooting was twenty-eight years ago and we were so shocked and appalled by it that pressure was put on the government of the day to take measures to ensure that such a thing could never happen again. There were already at least thirty-four school shootings in the USA by the end of June this year. These are incontrovertible facts. Yet you still wonder why the rest of the world looks at you shaking our heads. If l am almost completely wrong then so is nearly everyone else on this thread, or is it that we don’t say the things that you want us to say?

I find some of the comments about the US, from presumably mainly Brits, to be completely ignorant and offensive sooo........

😅

The accents!

This would be the no1 thing putting me off.

For me it would mainly be holiday allowance, the general work to live culture and being away from family. But also guns and general right wing culture, depending on which state you live in (could be better than the UK if you live in a liberal state).

In terms of healthcare if you are a high earner you are likely to have a gold plated policy through work that is far better than what you would get in the UK. Obviously it would be a different story if you didn't have healthcare.

For holidays I also think it's better there as you have amazing national parks. just missing the European city culture.

Because the accents in Britain are all so great aren't they? 🤨

Guns and heat.

Guns
Schooling - children carrying door stoppers in their backpack to wedge a door shut ?? expensive college tuition
Abortion laws
The healthcare system
Homelessness - very mentally unwell people on the streets
Poor holidays
Poor sick pay
Poor maternity pay
So far away from Europe
Biden
Trump

Crazy weather - either too hot or too cold
Earthquakes, tornadoes etc

The whole needing to go in an aeroplane would be a major stumbling block for me. 😱

But I am quite shocked by some people's ignorant assumptions about a massive country of which they have very limited experience (as a Brit living and traveling in the US for 30 years I am aware that my experience isn't the whole truth either), so it's understandable, if not commendable.

I would love to move to the US. I have relatives over there and I really envy the lifestyle and standard of living that they have.

Some of these things depend so much on where one is in the USA. It's as huge and varied as Europe.

I chose not to move to work in the USA when I had the opportunity, because (a) I have a 'pre-existing condition' from childhood, which means that it would be difficult for me to get affordable health insurance'; (b) I have disabilities that prevent me from driving, which would make life very difficult in most parts of the USA. But I know people, who have had good experiences of living and working and raising children there.

Been to the US loads. Generally love it and there have been times I might have considered a move with work. Not saying politics as thats a shitshow globally. I don’t like:

• guns
• drugs/poverty extreme in some areas
• cost and availability if what I consider high quality cheese
• extreme weather a bit scary (although I also kinda like this too)
• maybe the driving culture in some places, not everywhere
• private health insurance as a philosophy
• cost of uni (although getting bad in UK)
• the way high school culture is depicted although not real experience
• tipping is getting out of control

What I love:

• the people 100%
• the geography. Variety and scale of it
• there’s a lot of cool history in a non-EU way
• food (although expensive to get good stuff)
• customer service
• space in homes
• outdoorsy culture in lots of place
• dollar bills
• most of the accent
• lots of things!

It's expensive! I know people focus on big salaries but the cost of most things is substantially higher too.

A very simple example that I looked at on amazing the other day -

*On the UK Amazon lots of high-back boosters on sale in the £40-60 bracket
*On the US Amazon they start at $100 (so £80)

Last time I was in the USA I couldn't believe how much a trip to the grocery store cost Vs the UK

I think work-life balance is also v variable depending on job and location.

Same as the uk - I worked 80 hour weeks standard in London. My brother in the us never cracks 40 (easy) hours working from home. He also has similar vacation days and excellent health cover / sickness day provision.

With the difference of course being statutory minimum is at least double in the UK.

I agree the tipping is out of control, it's starting in the UK though too since covid. Very irritating.

A relatively small thing, but billboards aren't allowed in all the states and some restrict where they can be and which type etc.

I would say wait until after the election OP but may as well work on the assumption Trump will win. Do you want to be close to that ?

The top selling high back booster on the USA site is 41.99, decent range of stuff from 40 dollars, through to 60 range and then the higher price ones.