Reasons for returning to the UK
Nov 18th 2018, 9:16 am
#16
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Scot47, I do not examine anyone's mindset...(I have enough with my own) I just take what I have heard from my friends and colleagues from the countries where the British (which does include Scotland as well by the way) colonised and all except one (from Pakistan) don't have a problem with their past history in fact all (bar one) have said the brits seem to have the "hang ups" and we should move on. If you keep looking back you will never move forward.
Nov 22nd 2018, 5:54 pm
#17
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
I see the future. "The Prophet is a man without honour in his own land."
Nov 25th 2018, 7:27 pm
#18
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Hi, I think reasons for people returning are largely unique to each persons situation, at the moment there does seem to be a lot heading over from the USA, maybe it's the political situation or not, I remember when I first discovered this "site" the threads were mainly from Australia and Canada, it's different now though, who knows why, as my DWD use to say "it's the way of the world"
I am also having a hard time dealing with the extremes of wealth, abject poverty and the normalisation of segregation and racism. However, it's been a really long time since I lived in England (and I've never lived in London, which would be where I'd move to due to OH's potential job transfer), and perhaps I am deluding myself that things are going to be any different in the UK.
Nov 25th 2018, 8:36 pm
#19
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
[QUOTE=sherbert;12599200]Yes: I think for those of us in some parts of the US the cost of living, even with massively high wages, is becoming ridiculous, places are becoming overcrowded, commuting is a nightmare and the resulting quality of life coupled with the isolation/distance from other countries is not really worth the cost and stress imho.
I agree with the cost of living in the US. It’s not like it used to be. I believe that salaries have to be higher because of the massive premiums one has to pay for health care ever since the Obama Care Act came in. It has pushed up the health premiums to unreasonable levels, on top of which there are co-pays and deductibles on top. $1300 + per month is unacceptable for the premium for one person and with a large co-pay, never mind two people in a household. It seems even more unreasonable when you’ve never visited a doctor or a hospital! It never used to be like this until the ACA came in with Obama. When you’re self employed and faced with these costs, you have to charge more for your services. Therefore even your local handyman has to charge more for his services, which are so much cheaper to get fixed in the UK.
Issolation can be a problem. Distances are so great, unlike in the UK. We enjoy being back in England taking day trips, knowing that we will be where we want to be within at least an hour and not having to stay overnight to get back the next day.
I agree with the cost of living in the US. It’s not like it used to be. I believe that salaries have to be higher because of the massive premiums one has to pay for health care ever since the Obama Care Act came in. It has pushed up the health premiums to unreasonable levels, on top of which there are co-pays and deductibles on top. $1300 + per month is unacceptable for the premium for one person and with a large co-pay, never mind two people in a household. It seems even more unreasonable when you’ve never visited a doctor or a hospital! It never used to be like this until the ACA came in with Obama. When you’re self employed and faced with these costs, you have to charge more for your services. Therefore even your local handyman has to charge more for his services, which are so much cheaper to get fixed in the UK.
Issolation can be a problem. Distances are so great, unlike in the UK. We enjoy being back in England taking day trips, knowing that we will be where we want to be within at least an hour and not having to stay overnight to get back the next day.
Nov 25th 2018, 8:53 pm
#20
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
I never thought about the ACA increasing costs but it makes sense, although I believe overall the ACA is necessary and support it and another issue for me is living in a place where people can't access healthcare. I know the NHS has issues, but it's a available to all. Ironically, one of the reasons we have not left the US already is the healthcare as my OH has a chronic condition that requires hospital treatment every month or so. If you are lucky enough to have good, employer covered insurance, the level of service is superb (although we do end up paying over $4,000 a year in deductibles/copay). I know London is expensive but I currently live in the most expensive city in the US and on my last trip to London I couldn't believe how cheap everything was.
Nov 25th 2018, 9:34 pm
#21
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
I never thought about the ACA increasing costs but it makes sense, although I believe overall the ACA is necessary and support it and another issue for me is living in a place where people can't access healthcare. I know the NHS has issues, but it's a available to all. Ironically, one of the reasons we have not left the US already is the healthcare as my OH has a chronic condition that requires hospital treatment every month or so. If you are lucky enough to have good, employer covered insurance, the level of service is superb (although we do end up paying over $4,000 a year in deductibles/copay). I know London is expensive but I currently live in the most expensive city in the US and on my last trip to London I couldn't believe how cheap everything was.
The hospitals are charging far too much for their services. For example a simple apendicitis procedure in our area was £29k yet the surgeon only charged £890. The surgeon is the one who carries the liability should something go wrong. It doesn’t make sense! A paracetamol was $19.....where do they get these prices from?
Unfortunately not everyone has the opportunity to covered by their employer paid health premiums. The small business owner and the self employed guys get landed with high premiums.
The good thing about the UK is that you can still have private health care at a fraction of the cost in the US. After having paid those large premiums, I’m more than happy to go privately in the UK hence avoiding waiting lists. It works out cheaper in the long run than the US system. Not to mention the paperwork which goes with it!
Nov 26th 2018, 4:44 pm
#22
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Even after living there for 13yrs New Zealand never felt like it was my home. So we returned to the UK 18 months ago and are as happy as Larry!
We can see family and old friends whenever we want and it seems so much easier to make new friends too.
We can see family and old friends whenever we want and it seems so much easier to make new friends too.
Nov 27th 2018, 6:12 pm
#23
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Having been away for so long, I feel like a total foreigner in the UK anyway, so moving to London would be like moving to a foreign country with the added bonus of most people being able to understand sarcasm. I never hankered for England when I was living in Europe (I popped 'home' for the odd weekend and that was enough) and what I hanker for now that I live in the US is not really England, it's ease of travel between countries, less expense, a more socially/environmentally/politically conscious environment and life that doesn't revolve around how big and shiny your car is. I know many people dislike London and I also always said it was great to visit but I'd never live there. On my last few trips there, I saw the city in a new light and thought life there might not be too bad. Anyone moved there recently and can shed light on the pros and cons?
Nov 27th 2018, 9:25 pm
#24
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
I could live in London - if I had oodles of money.
Nov 28th 2018, 8:16 am
#25
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
I know many people dislike London and I also always said it was great to visit but I'd never live there. On my last few trips there, I saw the city in a new light and thought life there might not be too bad. Anyone moved there recently and can shed light on the pros and cons?
So far we are very happy with the move - pros for us are:-
- Transport network - it is just so easy to get pretty much anywhere we want to go - we have a train station at the end of road (but far enough away not to be bothered by train noise) and bus stops all over the place.
- We like the immediate area we live in - East Dulwich. A good 'high street' with decent shops/cafes/pubs/restaurants/cinema, easy access to central London.
- Very dog friendly - got decent parks locally and I have been surprised how many pubs and some cafes are dog friendly.
- Access to culture - theatre, museums, galleries, music, festivals, talks - so much going on.
Cons -
- Housing costs - no doubt about it the cost of housing is expensive.
- It's all a bit grubby! I think there is a lot of dirt about - I can feel the pollution in the air - that has eased a bit now the weather has changed, but certainly it was very noticeable during the hot, dry weather in the summer. Our street has no space around the buildings for bins to be hidden away so they are all lined up along the pavement - can't say I like that, and again in the hot dry weather that was a bit 'whiffy' on occasion.
I don't know about Scot's 'oodles of money' comment - for sure housing is expensive, but I tend to think that if you can get that sorted within your budget it is possible to cut costs elsewhere. There is no need for a car. There are ways to reduce transport costs - eg a UK bus pass can be used on the buses (but not the tube). There are lots of resources to access cheaper/cheap/free activities eg the Londonist website, time out , today tix, TKTS half price ticket booth etc.
Compared to Dorset, our council tax is half the amount, and utilities are much less (mostly because we have a much smaller area to heat).
Hope that is useful - happy to give more details if you like
Nov 28th 2018, 6:35 pm
#26
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Thank you Rebs, this is extremely helpful. A couple of questions: How easy was it to rent a place with a dog? And what kind of rent are you paying and for what and in what part of the city? London cannot possibly be more expensive than San Francisco but it would be good to know what you get for you money!
Nov 29th 2018, 12:40 pm
#27
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Thank you Rebs, this is extremely helpful. A couple of questions: How easy was it to rent a place with a dog? And what kind of rent are you paying and for what and in what part of the city? London cannot possibly be more expensive than San Francisco but it would be good to know what you get for you money!
Of course there were some which were clear in not accepting pets, and others that we ourselves rejected as not having outside space that we considered suitable, but in the main we seemed to have quite a few to look at. I used Lets with Pets for advice on where to search for rentals.
We pay £1800 per month for what I would consider a small 2 bed flat in East Dulwich. We have the basement flat with a small private garden. Our maximum budget was £2000 and we looked at flats in Balham, Forest Hill & Blackheath all within that budget. If you have a nose around Zoopla/Rightmove/Openrent you should get a pretty good feel for the sort of things that are on offer. Google maps seems pretty accurate with regard to checking travel times.
Nov 29th 2018, 9:07 pm
#28
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Thanks Rebs, that's again exactly what I wanted to hear. £2000 is a lot but still about a grand less than what we pay here for a 2 bed and it's good to know that you didn't have trouble with the dog. If indeed we decide on London (a couple of other places in Europe under discussion at the moment), I'll be back in touch for more info!
Dec 4th 2018, 9:41 pm
#29
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
Ready to move back and be with family. Have lived in the USA since 1987 which is greater than half my life. Don’t want to miss any more holidays with family
Dec 5th 2018, 1:37 am
#30
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Re: Reasons for returning to the UK
yes, to be where I belong. To see what I missed out on. I'm getting a little discouraged but I'm still gonna go. Dont want to be coulda, shoulda, woulda.
