ameliafirefly

I moved to the US when i was 14 (im 28 now) so 14 yrs ago...well i say moved but really i was brought (by my parents, against my will) but i was 14 and had no choice. i started school in America and was absolutely miserable, and the only way i got through the next 4 years of high school was by knowing that when i turned 18 i could go back. well it's been 10 yrs since i left high school and im still living over here. it just been 10 more years of college and work and relationships and a million other things that have got in the way. I did go back once in 2006 and i loved it, but it was only a holiday.. No matter how much time goes by america just doesnt feel like home to me, it never has. I know alot of people on here left england by choice but for me i kind of just feel like a displaced person.. it's true what they say home is where the heart is. (people who havent left their own country, dont understand)...I don't have any close family i can stay with in England, my degree doesnt transfer at all nor does my job so i would have to start completely over, and i have virtually no savings because i have so many bills here. I hate living in Florida, its hot and humid all the time, no seasons, bugs, nobody walks anywhere, crime, guns and drugs everywhere, people are fake.. it's just depressing and miserable...and i feel like im going to be stuck here forever, i dont want to be one of those people writing on here "wanting to move back after 60 years"

ldollard

I've got to be honest, you have nothing holding you back here, i dont even know why you are writing this post.

If i was in your position, i've save about $5000, buy a ticket and leave. If you had any relatives you could stay with i'd go with the $2000.

You're young and its a piece of cake at your age, my wife and me moved twice back and forth between the UK and USA then settled eventually in Florida as well then moved to the Los Angeles. Trust me moving when you have ties and family is way more difficult.

Just be honest with yourself nothing physically is holding you back here, so you're only here in the US emotionally figure out why that is.

I hope this doesn't come off as harsh. I just want to tell you not to live in regret. Its a miserable way to live.

hullabaloo

HI! Just to get some basics: you are a dual citizen, not a green card holder right?

If so, go back to England - in fact, do a RTW with 12 months in England at the start (reason being RTW tickets are about the same price as a return). Do a CELTA course so you can work while traveling.

It's easy to sit on the couch and say you have an idealized version of England and feel you lost your lost youth - yeah yeah. Don't worry about it. I grew up in England and drank a lot of beer from 16-28 as did most of my friends. You missed out on that

Serious point: save a little money ($5k is about the minimum) and throw yourself out there. I really suggest RTW - just get out there. It's very subtle but you come back different.

Mummy in the foothills

What is your Degree and work surely something is similar in UK? sometimes for jobs it doesn't really matter what the degree is in, they just want to know you got one and finished what you started, so many people are a year short or stop not long after starting.
If you are still a green card holder I'd get citizenship before going, that way theres no problem coming back to the US relatives as needed.

quoll

I'm with the others. Work really hard for a few months to get yourself a financial lifeline (sell stuff, two jobs etc) then hold nose and jump right on in! Check out the Gumtree for major cities work and accommodation prospects, be prepared for any work to begin with then hone your career. You are young enough to make this a fabulous move!

ameliafirefly

completely true. thankyou

ameliafirefly

Thankyou..I have a bachelors in nursing, but i was told it doesnt transfer well, and i would have to take courses in the uk, which i don't really want to do.

Hotscot

Also suggest taking a trip to the Oregon Coast. Feels very UK'ish in parts. Especially the countryside and weather.

Also suggest North of San Francisco. Bodega Bay, Russian River area.

Both very different from Florida.

Go spend a week or at least a long weekend.

(I feel for you though. I'm dying to get back to Scotland after seeing a lot of the US for 12 years. Family thinks I'm nuts for wanting to leave California and maybe that's the case but with dual citizenship it's easy to try both sides of the Atlantic.)

Mummy in the foothills

I wouldn't believe that unless I was told by the Nursing council.
Read about registration here. http://www.nmc-uk.org/
You should actually email them to ask your question seeing you are a UK citizen and not a non EU nurse.
A Brit with an RN license and BA in nursing isn't the same thing as an American with an RN license and BA in Nursing.
I'm pretty sure you could use your BA to do other things within the hospital especially if you have worked in any specialty areas. Or even do Pharmacy rep type stuff too. That's what my friend with a BA in nursing did, she went on to be a Pharmacy Rep of some sort.

sallysimmons

Agree with everyone else - you're young just go for it!

At your age my husband and I moved to Canada without any money or any clue what we were doing. He had a job but I didn't and I didn't even realize I wouldn't be allowed to work (duh!) Luckily my old company found a way to hire me again in Canada and it all worked out in the end. We were poor at first but we had a great time, learned a lot and eventually made more money and bought a house.

This is the time of life to do whatever you want. What's the worst that could happen? So you have to take a few courses - you'll probably need them to get used to the different healthcare system anyway. It'll be a fun adventure with lots to learn and in the end, if you don't like it, you can go back to the US. But you'll never spend your middle-aged years wondering 'if only...'

Good luck!!

saudivisa

come and stay with me. Just do it. Its freaky, I know. But what a ******g adventure.England rocks.I dont give a toss if you are black, fat, lesbian, a page 3 model, whiter than me or a Jahova........just d o it.

Mummy in the foothills

You should also ask Tel8 what she thinks, she's another member on here who recently moved to London. She moved to US at 2 and has just moved back after about 20 years.

Beccarose

I couldn't agree more. At 28 I felt on top of the world and like I had it all going for me. I was divorced and with 2 young kids. Trust me, that feeling does not last very long, do what you can for yourself now and run with it. If the US is not cutting it for you (I am born and bred American and the US is not even cutting it for me!) then listen. Too many of us haven't listened to our inner feelings, or wait a really long time before really listening.

Tel8

Hi Ameliafirefly!

I dunno if you're situation has changed yet, but I second what the others have said so far- you've got to take the plunge! I was in a similar situation (although I was brought to the US when I was about 3 years old!) where the States just doesn't feel like home at all - and funny enough, we were in Georgia, so not far from you! But ideally, if you job transferred and you didn't have to worry about making ends meet, would there be any reason for you to stay in the US? For me it was hard leaving my parents, and growing up away from extended relatives made me feel like they were strangers and they wouldn't want to take me in. As it turned out, I was wrong on both counts, and getting closer with my family is one of the absolute best things about living here now.

I know it's scary- especially financially speaking, but the UK is different- you won't have to make everything work by yourself, there's a bit more support here and there are ways to do things that aren't going to take forever, particularly where your course is concerned. I don't know about the nursing field specifically, but have you checked to see what sort of the courses- if any- that you'd have to take? Sometimes they offer a version that's shorter, a few months maybe if you've already got other qualifications, and that's not too bad, especially if it's part-time. I would say, don't assume anything until you've talked to them first. It really surprised me what I was still able to get considering I thought I'd be completely on my own.

If you ever want to talk just message me! Good luck!

-Tel

kampaicharger

I was 12 when my parents brought me out to Australia and I am about to go back for the first time in 44 years.

I have no fears, concerns or hesitation for the simple reason that I see it as just another adventure in life which is just too flamin' short.

I mean this in nicest way but.....

Get orf ya backside and get on that plane while singing yippee kyaaaaaa.
If it don't work out then it don't work out, as Forrest GUMP said:
"It Happens"

Most of all have fun......