Pulaski

Probably. They subtitle TV shows with people from Louisiana! .... which even in my opinion is wholly unnecessary.

BTW my accent is fairly muted, but I have short/ clipped vowels, with a hard "a" in bath, and very short "u" in tub. "My" usually comes out as "mi" or "m' ".

retzie

To the OP: Maybe I missed it, but have you ever actually visited the US?

Jerseygirl

I don't want to be a Debby's Downer but something that many expats don't consider when moving from the UK is...what happens to the children if one parent returns to the UK and the other doesn't? This is a scenario we hear time and time again on BE. I'm only mentioning this because your wife seems so very keen to go home and you despise the US.

Sally Redux

Emigrating can put a big strain on a relationship. That scenario is the last thing on people's minds but it certainly does happen.

Everyone who loves the US is going to say go for it, everyone who had problems is going to urge caution. A good point that someone brought up earlier is what about OP's profession? Is he going to be all right about giving that up?

AmerLisa

My husband gets 25 days + public holidays, he did in his old company (AT&T) as well...

Yes a lot of jobs (mainly blue collar, although our neighbor works for the gas company and earns two PTO days a month, unfortunately not front loaded) do the lowly one week, but not all.

Bob

You've been in your job a while though, right?

It's not standard to start off with such a generous allowance, certainly with paid sick being on top.

AmerLisa

Interesting you ask that...

AmerLisa

My husband did and with his old company as well. I'd say it's pretty standard with more professional jobs.

Pulaski

I started off with 21 days, then the rules changed a few years ago and new hires get 18, bumping up to 23 after 2 years; I went to 23 at that time. I got the extra 5 days after ten years.

I get no paid sick, unless I am off for over a week, then there is "short term disability".

scrubbedexpat091

Doubtful in any border state, Mexican's are a dime a dozen, and anyone from those states hears a Mexican accent multiple times a day. Maybe in some small midwestern town its possible, but not in Texas or any state with a high Mexican population.

English accents/Australian etc, are not an everyday occurrence, and people become interested when they hear one. Human nature really. When I was in Australia I was asked multiple times per day if I was from the US or Canada, didn't bother me, I know I sounded different to the locals.

Sally Redux

It's understandable, but I did get fed up with it. It always underlines the fact that you're an outsider. One of the best things about being back, totally unremarkable again

AhCrap

Which is exactly what it is but no one has the balls to go out and outright say it, except for maybe Joe The Plumber.

The truth of the matter is I don't really blame for having that view. I mean the numbers for those assault weapons is 0.0145 per 100k for homicides and 0.015 for non fatal assaults. Combined it is 0.0295 per 100k. The average year the mass shootings kill about 35 people, about half if not slightly more than half are domestic violence. In fact California just had a man kill four family members by stabbing them to death and then stabbing the dog to death as well.

If someone where to come out and outright say that those mass shootings or just all the gun deaths are an acceptable cost people would come out and say that person is selfish and insensitive but then ignore the fact that they themselves engage in behaviors or purchase products that kill just as many people if not more people on a per capita basis than firearms. For example Alcohol kills more people on a per capita basis in the UK than firearms kill(suicides, homicides, accidental gun deaths) on a per capita basis in the USA. Sexually transmitted diseases kill more people on a per capita basis in the USA and possibly the UK than guns do in the USA; in fact HIV alone kills more people in the USA than all homicides in the USA each year.

I get the impression that a lot of the opposition to guns isn't really so much about saving lives but is really about just being opposed to guns in principle, they just don't like firearms. They will claim it is about saving lives but if you were to suggest similar legislation on lets say Alcohol or on casual sex that would save just as many if not more lives they would be opposed to such legislation.

scrubbedexpat091

If you start high enough up its possible, but lowly workers probably not as common.

I know with the jobs I had, I got anywhere from 0 vacation to 1-3 weeks depending on the company. The most generous was the airline. 2 weeks after 1 year, 3 weeks after 5 years, 4 weeks after 10 years, and 5 weeks after 15 years in addition to sick time (using sick time excessively could lead to termination so it was not really a benefit to use to take a vacy) of 3 days in year of hire, 1 week after 1 year, 2 weeks after 5 years, and 3 weeks after 10 years. Sick time did not roll over nor paid out, unused vacation did not roll over, but was paid out on the last check of the year if not used.

Other then that company, there was no paid vacation time but most companies were flexible with time off, of course it was unpaid, but they were not the kind of jobs that you'd be missed from, so if you asked for 1 week off 2-3 months in advance you would get it, and approved time off did not count toward attendance, but the downside is it was unpaid time off.

Now I get government mandated vacation pay, but I never actually take the time off, they just add 4% to my check, and the money is more beneficial to actually taking the time off. I am still entitled to the time off, but it would be unpaid because they add 4% to my wage in lieu of paid time off. Its up to you to save the money if you wait time off paid.

I am at 10 days a year right now + various paid holidays, but since we operate 24/7 we don't get the holidays off, just extra money so I don't those days as potential days off or holidays like some do since I work 90% of the time.

On the US side my sister is in lower management at a mail order place in purchasing, and 10 years now, and she still doesn't get paid time off, she can take 2 weeks a year off, but its unpaid.

Her husband in contrast is a blue collar worker, and he gets 3 weeks paid vacation, and 10 personal days and 5 sick days per year, and he has only been there 2 1/2 years.

My dad works for a government agency, so he gets more time off then I can even count, every holidays, plus several weeks per year of vacation and personal days. I think they can bank their vacay as well since he is close to retirement has stopped taking time off, so my guess is he is banking the days now so he can retire earlier.

My mom works for a hotel, been there 10 years, and she also gets no time off paid, can take time off, but not paid for it, so she never takes time off.

Just some examples how time off can greatly vary.

scrubbedexpat091

I don't even think I sound different then Canadian's, but I am asked if I am american a few times a month, so I suppose I must somehow sound American, but I have no idea how people can tell, when a Canadian speaks (except for Quebec and Maritimes as they sound different then western Canadians) I don't notice them sounding any different the someone from the US west coast, so its still a mystery how they pick up my American accent.

I was born and raised in California, so not like I have a NY/Boston/Southern accent or anything noticeable.

Sally Redux

Ten-gallon hat?