Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
Aug 27th 2008, 2:15 pm
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7
Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
Hi Folks, I honestly never thought this day would come but because my wife, kids and I have had such a terrible time these last 2 years we are actually considering a move to England. I am originally from Blackpool and my wife and kids are American. You name it and it has probably happened over these last 2 years to us, with my wife's parents dieing, her having to quit her job because of a serious medical condition, me losing my job, being trapped in a house we couldn't sell until recently and to top it all off we were forced to file bankruptcy because we couldn't pay our medical bills as our health insurance was c-r-a-p. I came over to the states nine years ago by myself and have not been back to the UK since, so I have no clue what to expect if we do decide to move to back....well I'll be moving back, it will be my kids first time in the UK.
So I will be interested to hear from anyone who can tell me about the challenges they faced when they moved back and how they felt being back and whether they regretted moving back or was it the best decision of their life........especially keen to hear how children who had been raised completely outside of the UK adjusted. Here are a few questions and thoughts I have for now as I plan to post many times to gather the information and opinions I need to help my wife and I make the final decision.
1) I'll be honest, one of the driving forces behind me considering a move back to England was I saw my brother for the first time in 15 years last week while he was on vacation in New York and it brought back all the happy memories. If you ever wanted to meet the UK's greatest supporter, you should speak to him. Now he lives in the south of England, on the dorset coast.........so for my first question...........what are the growth areas of the UK for jobs?
2) When I first came to the US, I was shocked and upset that not one bank or credit card company would look at my pristine credit from England. I had to start from scratch with zero credit and it was hard for the first few years. Ironically, if I go back to the UK, I don’t want UK credit card companies looking at my credit report from the US because of my bankruptcy. So will I be back to zero credit when I set foot on British soil or will I be asked for my credit history from the US?
3) I curious if anyone knew this. Before coming to the US, I used to work for the British Civil Service. Will the fact that I am now a US citizen as well as a British Citizen prevent me from working for them again because of a conflict of interest?
4) I have 8 year twins……………..so has the education system improved or deteriorated since I was last there back in the late 90s? One of the biggest reasons for returning is I want my kids to get a university education which is not only better but a lot cheaper than its American counterpart………….but a couple of years ago I was told that any child wanting to go to university had to be a resident in the UK, 3 years prior to starting a degree…………..is that true? I hear that students have had to pay more and more of the cost of tuition…………..even if by the time my kids go to university, they have to pay the full cost of tuition, I am positive it will still be significantly cheaper than over here.
5) Will the immigration process into the UK for my wife be as extreme as my immigration process into the US?
6) How are you treated by potential employers when you submit a foreign resume/CV. Obviously, searching for a job will have to be done once I get there but I thought that it would be a good idea to at least submit my resume to some target companies/areas to see if I get any interest before I arrive.
Any comments or opinions would be very much appreciated. Thanks
So I will be interested to hear from anyone who can tell me about the challenges they faced when they moved back and how they felt being back and whether they regretted moving back or was it the best decision of their life........especially keen to hear how children who had been raised completely outside of the UK adjusted. Here are a few questions and thoughts I have for now as I plan to post many times to gather the information and opinions I need to help my wife and I make the final decision.
1) I'll be honest, one of the driving forces behind me considering a move back to England was I saw my brother for the first time in 15 years last week while he was on vacation in New York and it brought back all the happy memories. If you ever wanted to meet the UK's greatest supporter, you should speak to him. Now he lives in the south of England, on the dorset coast.........so for my first question...........what are the growth areas of the UK for jobs?
2) When I first came to the US, I was shocked and upset that not one bank or credit card company would look at my pristine credit from England. I had to start from scratch with zero credit and it was hard for the first few years. Ironically, if I go back to the UK, I don’t want UK credit card companies looking at my credit report from the US because of my bankruptcy. So will I be back to zero credit when I set foot on British soil or will I be asked for my credit history from the US?
3) I curious if anyone knew this. Before coming to the US, I used to work for the British Civil Service. Will the fact that I am now a US citizen as well as a British Citizen prevent me from working for them again because of a conflict of interest?
4) I have 8 year twins……………..so has the education system improved or deteriorated since I was last there back in the late 90s? One of the biggest reasons for returning is I want my kids to get a university education which is not only better but a lot cheaper than its American counterpart………….but a couple of years ago I was told that any child wanting to go to university had to be a resident in the UK, 3 years prior to starting a degree…………..is that true? I hear that students have had to pay more and more of the cost of tuition…………..even if by the time my kids go to university, they have to pay the full cost of tuition, I am positive it will still be significantly cheaper than over here.
5) Will the immigration process into the UK for my wife be as extreme as my immigration process into the US?
6) How are you treated by potential employers when you submit a foreign resume/CV. Obviously, searching for a job will have to be done once I get there but I thought that it would be a good idea to at least submit my resume to some target companies/areas to see if I get any interest before I arrive.
Any comments or opinions would be very much appreciated. Thanks
Aug 27th 2008, 3:02 pm
#2
Retired
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 34,649
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
Can't answer all your questions but here are a few:
1. The U.K. is heading into a recession which will probably be worse than the U.S. Real estate prices have fallen recently, as has the value of the pound against the dollar (helpful for those moving from the U.S.). Rentals are also high.
3. From the British side, no problem as long as it does not require security clearance.
From the U.S. side:
http://travel.state.gov/law/citizens...nship_778.html
"The Department has a uniform administrative standard of evidence based on the premise that U.S. citizens intend to retain United States citizenship when they obtain naturalization in a foreign state, subscribe to a declaration of allegiance to a foreign state, serve in the armed forces of a foreign state not engaged in hostilities with the United States, or accept non-policy level employment with a foreign government."
4. The education system has deteriorated, in general. The Labour government introduced university tuition fees (having promised not to do so).
5. Start at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Your wife can become naturalised British after 3 years, although this waiting time may increase.
Your children should have consular birth certificates (available from the Embassy) + British passports.
1. The U.K. is heading into a recession which will probably be worse than the U.S. Real estate prices have fallen recently, as has the value of the pound against the dollar (helpful for those moving from the U.S.). Rentals are also high.
3. From the British side, no problem as long as it does not require security clearance.
From the U.S. side:
http://travel.state.gov/law/citizens...nship_778.html
"The Department has a uniform administrative standard of evidence based on the premise that U.S. citizens intend to retain United States citizenship when they obtain naturalization in a foreign state, subscribe to a declaration of allegiance to a foreign state, serve in the armed forces of a foreign state not engaged in hostilities with the United States, or accept non-policy level employment with a foreign government."
4. The education system has deteriorated, in general. The Labour government introduced university tuition fees (having promised not to do so).
5. Start at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Your wife can become naturalised British after 3 years, although this waiting time may increase.
Your children should have consular birth certificates (available from the Embassy) + British passports.
Aug 27th 2008, 11:32 pm
#3
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
Can't answer all your questions but here are a few:
1. The U.K. is heading into a recession which will probably be worse than the U.S. Real estate prices have fallen recently, as has the value of the pound against the dollar (helpful for those moving from the U.S.). Rentals are also high.
3. From the British side, no problem as long as it does not require security clearance.
From the U.S. side:
http://travel.state.gov/law/citizens...nship_778.html
"The Department has a uniform administrative standard of evidence based on the premise that U.S. citizens intend to retain United States citizenship when they obtain naturalization in a foreign state, subscribe to a declaration of allegiance to a foreign state, serve in the armed forces of a foreign state not engaged in hostilities with the United States, or accept non-policy level employment with a foreign government."
4. The education system has deteriorated, in general. The Labour government introduced university tuition fees (having promised not to do so).
5. Start at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Your wife can become naturalised British after 3 years, although this waiting time may increase.
Your children should have consular birth certificates (available from the Embassy) + British passports.
1. The U.K. is heading into a recession which will probably be worse than the U.S. Real estate prices have fallen recently, as has the value of the pound against the dollar (helpful for those moving from the U.S.). Rentals are also high.
3. From the British side, no problem as long as it does not require security clearance.
From the U.S. side:
http://travel.state.gov/law/citizens...nship_778.html
"The Department has a uniform administrative standard of evidence based on the premise that U.S. citizens intend to retain United States citizenship when they obtain naturalization in a foreign state, subscribe to a declaration of allegiance to a foreign state, serve in the armed forces of a foreign state not engaged in hostilities with the United States, or accept non-policy level employment with a foreign government."
4. The education system has deteriorated, in general. The Labour government introduced university tuition fees (having promised not to do so).
5. Start at http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk
Your wife can become naturalised British after 3 years, although this waiting time may increase.
Your children should have consular birth certificates (available from the Embassy) + British passports.
Aug 28th 2008, 4:21 am
#4
itchy feet again!
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Ex-Canada: now rural West Sussex.
Posts: 1,013
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
Hi Folks, I honestly never thought this day would come but because my wife, kids and I have had such a terrible time these last 2 years we are actually considering a move to England. I am originally from Blackpool and my wife and kids are American. You name it and it has probably happened over these last 2 years to us, with my wife's parents dieing, her having to quit her job because of a serious medical condition, me losing my job, being trapped in a house we couldn't sell until recently and to top it all off we were forced to file bankruptcy because we couldn't pay our medical bills as our health insurance was c-r-a-p. I came over to the states nine years ago by myself and have not been back to the UK since, so I have no clue what to expect if we do decide to move to back....well I'll be moving back, it will be my kids first time in the UK.
So I will be interested to hear from anyone who can tell me about the challenges they faced when they moved back and how they felt being back and whether they regretted moving back or was it the best decision of their life........especially keen to hear how children who had been raised completely outside of the UK adjusted. Here are a few questions and thoughts I have for now as I plan to post many times to gather the information and opinions I need to help my wife and I make the final decision.
1) I'll be honest, one of the driving forces behind me considering a move back to England was I saw my brother for the first time in 15 years last week while he was on vacation in New York and it brought back all the happy memories. If you ever wanted to meet the UK's greatest supporter, you should speak to him. Now he lives in the south of England, on the dorset coast.........so for my first question...........what are the growth areas of the UK for jobs?
2) When I first came to the US, I was shocked and upset that not one bank or credit card company would look at my pristine credit from England. I had to start from scratch with zero credit and it was hard for the first few years. Ironically, if I go back to the UK, I don’t want UK credit card companies looking at my credit report from the US because of my bankruptcy. So will I be back to zero credit when I set foot on British soil or will I be asked for my credit history from the US?
3) I curious if anyone knew this. Before coming to the US, I used to work for the British Civil Service. Will the fact that I am now a US citizen as well as a British Citizen prevent me from working for them again because of a conflict of interest?
4) I have 8 year twins……………..so has the education system improved or deteriorated since I was last there back in the late 90s? One of the biggest reasons for returning is I want my kids to get a university education which is not only better but a lot cheaper than its American counterpart………….but a couple of years ago I was told that any child wanting to go to university had to be a resident in the UK, 3 years prior to starting a degree…………..is that true? I hear that students have had to pay more and more of the cost of tuition…………..even if by the time my kids go to university, they have to pay the full cost of tuition, I am positive it will still be significantly cheaper than over here.
5) Will the immigration process into the UK for my wife be as extreme as my immigration process into the US?
6) How are you treated by potential employers when you submit a foreign resume/CV. Obviously, searching for a job will have to be done once I get there but I thought that it would be a good idea to at least submit my resume to some target companies/areas to see if I get any interest before I arrive.
Any comments or opinions would be very much appreciated. Thanks
So I will be interested to hear from anyone who can tell me about the challenges they faced when they moved back and how they felt being back and whether they regretted moving back or was it the best decision of their life........especially keen to hear how children who had been raised completely outside of the UK adjusted. Here are a few questions and thoughts I have for now as I plan to post many times to gather the information and opinions I need to help my wife and I make the final decision.
1) I'll be honest, one of the driving forces behind me considering a move back to England was I saw my brother for the first time in 15 years last week while he was on vacation in New York and it brought back all the happy memories. If you ever wanted to meet the UK's greatest supporter, you should speak to him. Now he lives in the south of England, on the dorset coast.........so for my first question...........what are the growth areas of the UK for jobs?
2) When I first came to the US, I was shocked and upset that not one bank or credit card company would look at my pristine credit from England. I had to start from scratch with zero credit and it was hard for the first few years. Ironically, if I go back to the UK, I don’t want UK credit card companies looking at my credit report from the US because of my bankruptcy. So will I be back to zero credit when I set foot on British soil or will I be asked for my credit history from the US?
3) I curious if anyone knew this. Before coming to the US, I used to work for the British Civil Service. Will the fact that I am now a US citizen as well as a British Citizen prevent me from working for them again because of a conflict of interest?
4) I have 8 year twins……………..so has the education system improved or deteriorated since I was last there back in the late 90s? One of the biggest reasons for returning is I want my kids to get a university education which is not only better but a lot cheaper than its American counterpart………….but a couple of years ago I was told that any child wanting to go to university had to be a resident in the UK, 3 years prior to starting a degree…………..is that true? I hear that students have had to pay more and more of the cost of tuition…………..even if by the time my kids go to university, they have to pay the full cost of tuition, I am positive it will still be significantly cheaper than over here.
5) Will the immigration process into the UK for my wife be as extreme as my immigration process into the US?
6) How are you treated by potential employers when you submit a foreign resume/CV. Obviously, searching for a job will have to be done once I get there but I thought that it would be a good idea to at least submit my resume to some target companies/areas to see if I get any interest before I arrive.
Any comments or opinions would be very much appreciated. Thanks
Hiya Vermontbloke
I'm a recent escapee from Canada, and absolutely loving the fact that I'm rediscovering the UK. Been back just about two months now, and whilst we've met with a few frustrations, most things have gone smoothly. I started a thread about the banks over here and the difficulty of opening an account if you can't provide proof of address, but then Barclays said "No problem, we don't need it"! We decided against Barclays after all that as they went in for the hard sell and wouldn't listen to us regarding the type of accounts we wanted. Different people have had different experiences. We also found that our excellent credit history in Canada counts for absolutely nothing here, but thanks to that existing bank account, we've been issued with credit cards by them.
As to employment, Mr Oldbag and I have secured work within a very short time of returning, and continue to have agencies on the phone asking if we're still available for work. Very gratifying, especially after almost 4 years of the door being slammed in our faces in Ontario!
I can't answer any of your other questions, unfortunately.....but I wish you all the best as and when you do decide to make the move. It was certainly the best decision we made.....even better than the one that took us back to Canada four years ago.
Aug 28th 2008, 6:41 am
#5
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 63
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
VermontBloke,
Your story is similar to mine in some ways.
I don't think any part of the UK will be immune from the economic downturn, it seems to get worse by the day and economic forecasts are constantly being revised. Make sure you have an emergency fund is probably the best advice if you move back.
I had the same problem getting credit - my first CC was a retail store card and I wrote and told them my situation and about my credit in England and they approved me.
I don't think they will ask you for your US credit history so yes, you will probably be back to zero. We are living in very lean times and the credit crunch has severely restricted people's ability to borrow.
I can't answer #3.
# 4 - yes, you have to wait 3 years to get UK tuition rates otherwise you're charged overseas tuition rates, from what I hear anyway. Someone confirm this? Tuition fees have only been introduced in the last 2/3 years or so, but still much cheaper than the US.
I think it's easier for a woman to move to the UK than a man - that's what I was told and I don't think it will be as harsh going to the UK than the US.
Your story is similar to mine in some ways.
I don't think any part of the UK will be immune from the economic downturn, it seems to get worse by the day and economic forecasts are constantly being revised. Make sure you have an emergency fund is probably the best advice if you move back.
I had the same problem getting credit - my first CC was a retail store card and I wrote and told them my situation and about my credit in England and they approved me.
I don't think they will ask you for your US credit history so yes, you will probably be back to zero. We are living in very lean times and the credit crunch has severely restricted people's ability to borrow.
I can't answer #3.
# 4 - yes, you have to wait 3 years to get UK tuition rates otherwise you're charged overseas tuition rates, from what I hear anyway. Someone confirm this? Tuition fees have only been introduced in the last 2/3 years or so, but still much cheaper than the US.
I think it's easier for a woman to move to the UK than a man - that's what I was told and I don't think it will be as harsh going to the UK than the US.
Aug 28th 2008, 6:45 am
#6
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Southwestern Illinois, USA
Posts: 1,902
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
VermontBloke,
Your story is similar to mine in some ways.
I don't think any part of the UK will be immune from the economic downturn, it seems to get worse by the day and economic forecasts are constantly being revised. Make sure you have an emergency fund is probably the best advice if you move back.
I had the same problem getting credit - my first CC was a retail store card and I wrote and told them my situation and about my credit in England and they approved me.
I don't think they will ask you for your US credit history so yes, you will probably be back to zero. We are living in very lean times and the credit crunch has severely restricted people's ability to borrow.
I can't answer #3.
# 4 - yes, you have to wait 3 years to get UK tuition rates otherwise you're charged overseas tuition rates, from what I hear anyway. Someone confirm this? Tuition fees have only been introduced in the last 2/3 years or so, but still much cheaper than the US.
I think it's easier for a woman to move to the UK than a man - that's what I was told and I don't think it will be as harsh going to the UK than the US.
Your story is similar to mine in some ways.
I don't think any part of the UK will be immune from the economic downturn, it seems to get worse by the day and economic forecasts are constantly being revised. Make sure you have an emergency fund is probably the best advice if you move back.
I had the same problem getting credit - my first CC was a retail store card and I wrote and told them my situation and about my credit in England and they approved me.
I don't think they will ask you for your US credit history so yes, you will probably be back to zero. We are living in very lean times and the credit crunch has severely restricted people's ability to borrow.
I can't answer #3.
# 4 - yes, you have to wait 3 years to get UK tuition rates otherwise you're charged overseas tuition rates, from what I hear anyway. Someone confirm this? Tuition fees have only been introduced in the last 2/3 years or so, but still much cheaper than the US.
I think it's easier for a woman to move to the UK than a man - that's what I was told and I don't think it will be as harsh going to the UK than the US.
One question - why is it easier for a woman to move to the UK than a man
Marmalade (who is a woman)
Aug 28th 2008, 7:55 am
#7
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 7
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
VermontBloke,
Your story is similar to mine in some ways.
I don't think any part of the UK will be immune from the economic downturn, it seems to get worse by the day and economic forecasts are constantly being revised. Make sure you have an emergency fund is probably the best advice if you move back.
I had the same problem getting credit - my first CC was a retail store card and I wrote and told them my situation and about my credit in England and they approved me.
I don't think they will ask you for your US credit history so yes, you will probably be back to zero. We are living in very lean times and the credit crunch has severely restricted people's ability to borrow.
I can't answer #3.
# 4 - yes, you have to wait 3 years to get UK tuition rates otherwise you're charged overseas tuition rates, from what I hear anyway. Someone confirm this? Tuition fees have only been introduced in the last 2/3 years or so, but still much cheaper than the US.
I think it's easier for a woman to move to the UK than a man - that's what I was told and I don't think it will be as harsh going to the UK than the US.
Your story is similar to mine in some ways.
I don't think any part of the UK will be immune from the economic downturn, it seems to get worse by the day and economic forecasts are constantly being revised. Make sure you have an emergency fund is probably the best advice if you move back.
I had the same problem getting credit - my first CC was a retail store card and I wrote and told them my situation and about my credit in England and they approved me.
I don't think they will ask you for your US credit history so yes, you will probably be back to zero. We are living in very lean times and the credit crunch has severely restricted people's ability to borrow.
I can't answer #3.
# 4 - yes, you have to wait 3 years to get UK tuition rates otherwise you're charged overseas tuition rates, from what I hear anyway. Someone confirm this? Tuition fees have only been introduced in the last 2/3 years or so, but still much cheaper than the US.
I think it's easier for a woman to move to the UK than a man - that's what I was told and I don't think it will be as harsh going to the UK than the US.
With regards to immigration, I just looked at the UK Border Agency website and it appears that my wife will have little if any hassles moving permanently. It even went so far as to say that if she has been married to me for longer than 4 years and we prove we intend to live permanantly in the UK, she can get her permanent residency on the spot when she arrives with me. That should be one less thing to worry about.
Now is there a website I can go to to look at schools for my kids.....by this I mean isn't there a government website that publishes how well or bad each school is doing?
If I had a choice, I would rather move back to the north of England, Leeds/manchester/newcastle etc than down south but then again having driven all over the US, living anywhere in the UK will be fine especially as it will be like living in a small US state.
So far no one has given me their experiences regarding moving their furniture etc....would appreciate it if someone could if possible
Aug 28th 2008, 8:15 am
#8
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Sep 2007
Location: NI (back from Toronto)
Posts: 3,409
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
As far as moving furniture goes I would bring as much as you can. We just moved back from Toronto to Northern Ireland after almost 9 years. We brought a 20 ft container and it cost us about $8,000.00. It may have been cheaper to just go to ikea and buy new stuff but to be honest there's enough running around once you move back without having to replace every last household item, especially all the small stuff like can openers, knives and forks. dishes etc. Mind you there is a lot of stuff we brought with us that we should have got rid off before we left.
Aug 29th 2008, 12:38 am
#9
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,397
Re: Wow!!!!Where to start!!!
Well you didn't exactly paint a happy picture but I appreciate the response. Another question for people who moved back.................did you move your furniture, cars etc back to the UK or was the cost too much that it was just better to flog your stuff and start again once back in the UK?
To date I have not seen any economic figures that point to the recession in the UK being any worse than anywhere else, in fact last quarter we were doing okay in comparison to the rest of the eurozone and no worse than the States.
That said, the job situation here is seriously a lot tighter than it was 6-12 months ago and will probably stay that way for at least 12 to come, if not more. I suppose it depends what you do and how much experience you have doing it.
As has always been the case, schools vary. This site may help you. Lots of schools have improved, others havent. Cant say Im a fan of some of the changes but I would still argue your kids are going to get a more well rounded education in an average school here than an average school Stateside.
http://www.schoolchoice.co.uk/
Your credit will start from scratch. Getting credit is pretty dam hard for lots of people right now though.
The immigration process coming this way is still considerably easier, if not considerably cheaper than the other way. Probably not much in it cost wise these days, all told.
EDIT: Cars no good here from the US, same as most electrical, if youve got some real expensive stuff and are happy to run it on transformers then bring it. But white goods, etc etc, just don't bother. Will your US furniture fit in a UK house, style and size wise?
Check out some websites to get an idea of what replacing furniture is going to cost you, you can work out value of yours and cost of shipping in comparison. Ikea, M&S, BHS, DFS, John Lewis, Furniture Land, no idea what your tastes or budgets are. As Elain said, pack all the rest because replacing everything is a nightmare.
Last edited by Tootsie Frickensprinkles; Aug 29th 2008 at 1:09 am.
