Struggling in the US
 

I read about people in the UK wanting to move to the US and I have lived here in the U.S for over 25 years. It's becoming more and more of a struggle. Granted I have no college education, neither does my husband so we both work retail, low paying jobs with no health insurance. Its seems to me that if you don't have a good paying job with health benefits one might be better off in the U.K. Anyone else in a similar position feel the same way?

Re: Struggling in the US
 

I doubt many people are going to argue with you, and there aren't many weeks when there isn't at least one person comes to BE saying "have always dreamed of living in America". They invariably get told the same thing: it's not much fun if you don't have a reasonably well paid job.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

Have you lost your marbles? Sorry :p

Re: Struggling in the US
 

This comment should be a sticky..along the lines of buyer beware...

Re: Struggling in the US
 

Low paying jobs offer medical as long as your a full time employee .

Re: Struggling in the US
 

Despite my moaning in another thread of me being able to get a job on a par with the one I had in the UK, I'm lucky in that my wife earns well and we have decent insurance. If we ever split up and I had to survive on just my wages, I'd be on the first plane home! A lot of the people I manage are on the 10 to 12 dollar an hour mark. Some work another 40 hour per week job, others get by. America is definitely a country of the have and have nots.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

Actually most low-paying jobs are part-time with no benefits. Many companies won't offer full time hours because they don't want to pay for the benefits.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

I work at Goodwill.. full time but no benefits. I also work part time at walmart, again no benefits.. My husband is part time at sams club.. no benefits.. It's not easy to find a full time job with health benefits here in Mississippi. Sometimes I feel like giving up, returning back to the U.K and working a low paying job there but at least being able to see a doctor! Sorry for the moaning.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

You could try for a Starbucks job. Most people don't know that they offer full benefits at half time. Probably some waiting period.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

Yep, no nanny state to hold your hand here, you have to pay your own way and there's not so much of voting other peoples money into your own back pocket in the form of benefits.

As it should be :nod:

#responsibility

Re: Struggling in the US
 

I think the Nanny state is good for some.... Here in the U.S I work hard. I work 2 jobs yet have no health insurance and with a chronic condition which requires frequent blood work and meds it seems unfair.. but I guess others would look at it, like that's your lot in life.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

A friend was saying out where they were, bit south of us, that to pay rent in the nice little burb town with the good schools, and this isn't over the top nice, but a decent area, living on minimum wage alone one would need to work about 150 hours just to pay rent for a small family home :o

Anyway, to the OP, welcome to BE.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

And part time is 35 hours a week :o

Re: Struggling in the US
 

A friend did that, but they had to be there for a year before they kicked in...and they needed a average 35 hours a week which they weren't in reality able to get.

This was a couple years ago though, so might have changed and might not be as bad else where, but here it was hard to get the hours.

Re: Struggling in the US
 

35 hours of pouring coffee is tough work worthy of an employer not only paying you a salary but also covering you to the tune of $400 a month for healthcare benefits :confused: Do you people actually sleep with your head up your arse or what? :sneaky: Its easier than babysitting FFS.

The sense of entitlement needs to be left behind when leaving the UK for America. And rightly so :nod: