To think leaving UK is the best Option now

[LeavinUK]

We are thinking of leaving UK now to move to Dubai or USA. We have two young children who are in nursery, not in School yet and one will start school next year.
The reasons are the state of UK. Looking at the state of NHS, the waits are so long if you ever have to go to A&E, you can access better healthcare of you have insurance in any other country. Another reason is the ever increasing tax, we both work full time and I have the potential to earn six figures but I am staying at a flexible job to earn under 6 figures and I am forced to not get a promotion or switching to High paying jobs by the fact that I won't be eligible for 30 funded hours of Childcare which I I think is very unfair on hard working people who want to progress in career while having young children. UK doesn't feels like a family friendly country overall.
We also don't feel safe now going out to city centre etc which have become a ghost town and so much of illegal immigrants loitering around and so much increase in crimes.
Our friends who moved to Dubai are able to afford full time house help, nanny and a driver while earning similar to ourselves. While, here we are struggling with young kids and paying huge taxes. I have family in USA who are earning big bucks and paying much less taxes and being able to save and invest better for retirement while we will be working till 68 potentially 70 which is totally insane.
AIBU to feel leaving UK is the best option now and have you made a move or considering moving?

Decent jobs in the US have private healthcare provided, so that aspect is covered. "Dangerous" areas/schools etc are mostly in specific areas typically "down town" and some very strange often more rural areas - there are plenty of "nicer/safer" places to live, work and go to school if you can live in the "nicer" parts of town or the "nicer" more rural/coastal areas.

My son works in a big UK financial services firm and says there's a "leaving do" almost weekly for someone leaving to work Dubai, USA, Canada or Australia. He can't remember anyone leaving to move to a competitor UK based firm!

There's certainly a very worrying brain drain leaving the UK at the moment.

Every country has there own challenges but the government should try to actively tackle issues like healthcare, crime, education etc with the ever increasing taxes. Moreover, about Dubai, they are very strict with crimes and about house keepers and nanny, they are paid employees and not slaves, it's absolutely ridiculous thing to suggest, there's a min wage there and there are rules around employment.

Well, yes. When I lived there, the European and US ‘expats’ were always exactly the same kind of person. The ‘I’m all right, Jack’ type who have no interest in precisely why it’s so ‘safe’, and there’s endlessly available, dirt-cheap domestic labour.

(You may ask, with justice, whether that doesn’t make me the same kind of person, but going there wasn’t my idea, or even DH’s (he was sent to open a UAE branch of his London-based company), and I did leave again, rapidly.)

So when are you leaving, OP?

Given the forced choice of these two options I personally would move to the US, to California or maybe the SouthWest which I thought was amazing a few years ago. So much more variety and interest and scope for exciting life than ive ever heard about in Dubai, plus I like a lot of things about American culture. But in reality I like it here in the UK so I'm not going anywhere, and I'd be a bit cautious at moving to the US during this administration.

If I were going to move anywhere else I'd look at Germany or Sweden.

You really need to educate yourself.

I've had a fair few health problems over the years as has one of my daughters and I cannot fault the NHS, of course it's not perfect but I dread to think how much our healthcare would have cost in the US. I'm so thankful we don't have to worry about that here.

https://www.walkfree.org/global-slavery-index/country-studies/united-arab-emirates/

Please read more about the abuses in Dubai. It's not the utopia that is painted, especially for migrant women.

Take it you know little about safety of women in Dubai.
I'm so intrigued how you know people you are walking past are illegal immigrants. Have you asked to see their visas?

Have you been there in July/August?

their own challenges.
It sounds as if either of those countries would suit you well. You've got deep pockets and the right attitude.

I am in another country and people are talking about leaving all the time. I have also lived in the UK so do know there are differences.

I honestly think that nowhere is without some issue right now.

Each place has different problems though, so you need to decide what issues you are willing to live with.

Please don't think you are going to be going somewhere new and everything is going to be perfect. It doesn't work like that unfortunately.

If the op is typical of the “ brain drain”, I think we’ll be ok.

There is no minim wage in Dubai (whole UAE afaik) . Only that under certain salary you must provide things like accommodation (bed space).
There are rules around employment everywhere, doesn't mean modern slavery doesn't exist (incl uk)

Packages are dropping too. No taxes, but everything has fees attached.

Why would you support a regime that is sexist homophobic and racist ? Hope your kids arnt gay female or brown ?

get health insurance

"Decent jobs in the US have private healthcare provided, so that aspect is covered."

Eh? You're not aware that people often pay colossal amounts in out of pocket expenses even with insurance?

I am in no delusion to think everything will be perfect and most likely I will miss UK but we are struggling even with good jobs and me not being able to progress in my career just because I don't want to become high earner due to the tax implications and end of any childcare hours funded by government. The taxes are only going to go up but very little improvement in the public services, I don't see when this will get better.

There are massive problems in Germany and Sweden, too.
Nowhere is a Utopia. However, if you're white, very wealthy, happy to live in a compound, rely on cheap migrant labour and are ok with guns, you should be fine, OP.

I have family who returned from Dubai. The only way they could have a nice lifestyle out there was because of company allowances for residence and education and company support. I can't believe you can do better there than here on the same salary.

Honestly go and enjoy Dubai! Don’t listen to the naysayers! You do you!

Oh don’t you know? This OP will simply be an Ex-Pat. Not an immigrant. /s

Odd. I’ve never felt unsafe in the daytime and rarely at night in a range of cities including London. Where have you seen/heard these reports? I mean, yes, rape and assault obviously happen more than they should but you are still more likely to be attacked by a man you know than some random on the high street in the daytime (or nighttime actually).

Isn’t it obvious? They are innately racist and homophobic. Let them go experience Dubai.

Indeed.😀

(In fact, there used to be a saying ‘Failed in London, try Dubai’…)

If you want to go, go but you could also consider moving from where you live because it sounds really rough if you’re scared to go out in your city centre.