Globetrotta

I can certainly relate...the last bank of an 8 year career that spanned several banks there were 320 of us in a centre all with portfolios mine totalling around $170M performance management related products loans across commercial, residential, agricultural etc making new loans servicing existing this was really just at the end of when one could make ones own decisions up to limits then present those in excess before credit committees and we had to calculate everything by hand but we did get credit reports. Only 2 got jobs...I survived to the last 6. But then onto a university job that gave me a great 9 years before Lockheed and sometimes you leave when the people above you go that you like or the culture changes one must always have executive support well that was a rule I lived by and it worked for all those MBA wannabes they don't teach you that. We too had many who were even older than I am now that were just cast adrift ruined into trailer parks. Bank mergers and take overs were rife in Colorado due to it being the last state to have interstate banking and when it opened the borders JHC the flood...up until then one had to do participation loans where we shared risk with other banks on big deals like insurance reduce the burdern because they were so under capitalised. All great experinece and training and for what I ask myself. Smile and keep on while one is breathing!

calman014

All the more reason to become independent. Loyalty to your employer is no longer of any value it seems. You are just a number. Loyalty in the other direction has also been wiped out.
It's all about low wages and zero hour contracts these days, the whole work ethic is going through a massive evolution..but where will it end?..

Globetrotta

This notion of zero hour contracts is abhorrent almost as bad as the casual status here in Australia with 40% of all jobs being casual no guarantee at all although higher base hourly wage. In the USA early 90's period under Clinton he would brag about job growth and the joke was yep true and I have 3 of them jobs just to make a living wage. Your other point is spot on where does it end. Digressing to football, if one thinks back way before players agents and Bosman's to when Jimmy Hill managed as the player's rep to transfer power from clubs to players if he knew then what it would do to the game I wonder whether he would have fought so hard. Makes one wonder where it will go corporately with contracts, loyalty and a fair salary with bonuses et al. all but gone, the implosion must happen.

LoveFortheUK

Globetrotta, Calman
Thank you both. it's nice to read that someone else understands what's really going on around the world. I've been saying this for years and everybody thought I was crazy and an anarchist and so on. I'm not looking for trouble, I'm trying to prevent trouble by waking people up but either nobody cares or they're afraid. It's true IMPLOSION is imminent. If corporations and other people in power keep taking advantage, you're going to see chaos. It's already starting here in the US. You know something, I believe these power mongers want societal destruction instead of finding solutions to problems. One problem being what this thread is about, JOBS.

p.s. Is the job market that bad in the UK? I thought you could find a job if you were willing to work and not take advantage of their benefits.

calman014

Same everywhere in Europe..

holly_1948

Sadly, it's true.

It has already reached a point in Europe where a Euro in your pocket is worth more than a Euro in "your" bank account. True (for dollars) also in USA, but not nearly so acute. Coming very soon to Britain.
But very few will believe it until it is too late. The profitable way out of a bubble or Ponzi scheme is to panic before everyone else does.

Brighton2014

I am the UK citizen and my husband the US citizen. We just came back from the UK as I wanted to go home. We just couldn't make it work. Firstly, even though we hold senior management roles in the US, we couldn't find jobs. I didn't recognize London anymore - it felt strange after 12 years away and it has really gone downhill in that time. My husband had three or four interviews at some firms but then they wouldn't call him again. It really was a horrible experience. Everything felt so depressed and nothing was easy or straightforward. I am glad we went back as it made me realize how lucky we are here in the US. My husband had a great job offer 2 weeks after we came back to the US and I am now concentrating on my citizenship so I can have my elderly parents move here with us. That is probably somewhat of a minefield with healthcare etc but I will raise that on another thread. Hope this helps.

LoveFortheUK

London has gone downhill? Shocked to read that. I thought London was supposed to be the upscale, posh city that most of the population wants to visit. What should the citizens do to bring it back to life?

Brighton2014

To be fair to London, it still is an upscale city if you can afford a lifestyle that allows you to enjoy that side of it. Unfortunately, with housing costs far exceeding income levels, demand for jobs and housing, over crowding, crime, exorbitant taxes and a whole host of other government mandated schemes and rules that just add to the pain, it's not a place where I can enjoy the same lifestyle I enjoy in the U.S. I found a lot of my friends and family were tired of "battling" to get on the housing ladder or move up, and to find jobs that paid them their worth or allowed any flexibility or room for growth.

The level of general immigration has also added to the fundamental issues and this is certainly creating a divide. Government assistance programs are crippling the economy (IMO) and those receiving government aid and are not incentivized to live independently, and are stuck in the benefits system.

Healthcare is pretty horrendous (or at least the NHS socialized system is). it was not designed to support the numbers of users it does, and is crippled with the weight of demand. Education is also a major issue and getting your child into a good school is very difficult. Getting them into a halfway decent school is in fact a slog.

I felt overall that I wanted a better life for my family and especially for my daughter and returned to the U.S.

calman014

A very good post..I think it gives a very good illustration of the general state of the UK at the moment..especially for those like me who are still pondering whether to return to UK. It compares well to my own assessments of the status quo. The "London" thing is also a problem area for those wanting to live in or around the city.

yellowroom

London is approaching 'city state' status, it distorts the economy and the whole of the south-east of england.

There are other cities available back in the UK, most of which are less crowded and are more affordable for housing. Moving to another part of the UK would surely be easier than moving transatlantically?

there may not be the density of jobs in other parts of the country than London, but there are jobs out there, with a much better quality of life attached.

Brighton2014

Any town within a 50 mile radius of London has the same issues, expensive transportation, expensive housing (in some cases more expensive than parts of London proper, ie St Albans, Radlett, Windsor). My industry is not served outside of London in the main. If we couldn't find jobs in London then the rest of the country would have been a bigger issue. Granted, there are plenty of beautiful towns in the UK and if we could have made it work, we would have. I personally love York but it's very far from friends and family, and how would we support ourselves? I am glad I returned to the UK for the time that I did otherwise I would have always wondered. I miss people but I don't miss London. I have arranged to visit each year for a full month however and I really should have done that in the first place. My family come out here twice a year so I'm lucky I get so see everyone frequently. I am very glad to be back in the U.S. And now working on citizenship.

Anne

Hi Brighton2014, how long were you in London for?

LoveFortheUK

I'm so disappointed by reading all of this. My family heritage begins in the UK, especially London. What about other cities? (Bristol, Bath, Land's End, Manchester, Canterbury, Kent) Are there really no incentives for people to start working again? Is there any hope the UK government would change and let its citizens have more opportunities?

Brighton2014

We stuck it out for 10 months!!