transatlantic_chap

I guess when I said 'salaries in the UK are fairly low' I was confining it to my own particular field. Most of the jobs I look at here pay in the high £20K - low £30K range, whereas the same kinds of jobs (i.e. ones I could feasibly get) often pay in the high $50Ks. I know that there are hidden costs (tax, healthcare, summer camps) but when you factor in the cost of living here in SE England, it's not much of a comparison. I realise that I could head up to Sheffield or Norwich and find a lot more affordability, but there would also be a commensurate drop in salary and job availability.


The sweet spot for me seems to be US college towns -- good jobs/salaries, cheap housing, good schools, friendly vibe, low(ish) crime.

Moses2013

You say the jobs you are looking at pay in the high $50Ks, but where are those jobs and how easy will you get one?


You say college towns, but maybe bring some examples you think would match.

transatlantic_chap

Well, I lived in Urbana IL for several years, so I am drawn to similar places: Madison WI, Ann Arbor MI, Bloomington IN, Ithaca NY, etc.


As for ease of landing a job, that's the conundrum. I have loads of experience and interview very well, but sometimes feel that people would rather hire someone who lives on their doorstep, than take a chance on someone from overseas. I am not looking for relocation expenses or visa support, and many places have said they would be happy to consider a candidate from the UK (interview via Skype, etc) but it's not the easiest way to go.

Pulaski

That is likely the case, especially for moderately paid positions. When I hire, I rarely consider anyone who isn't within 200 miles or in an adjoining state, whichever is less, and for the simple reason that experience tells me that I am wasting my time interviewing people from further afield. I hired someone from Florida once, who crashed and burned in spectacular fashion after his wife refused to move, and I got a very hard time from my bosses for hiring him despite him having been a spectacularly good candidate on paper, and plenty good enough in the interviews.

Consider renting a PO Box from The UPS Store. You can then use their street address, and use "Unit #" or "Apt #" rather than Box number. You can also get a local VoIP phone number. I have stumbled across several potential hires doing this and I think I hired one, ..... and I know I hired someone using a friend or relative's address - because their phone number and résumé showed they lived much further away. IMO it shows a strong commitment to moving to the area, and I would have no problem interviewing and hiring someone using a PO Box address.

robin1234

Hmm.. Faculty, librarians, academic support (lab managers, instructional technology etc.) are definitely "moderately paid," but I think it's the norm to regard any applicant based in the U.S. or Canada on an equal footing in terms of drawing up a shortlist. If abroad, only likely to be considered if there's not a good pool of applicants...

mrken30

With regards to salary, I think you forgot to take into account you need probably at least 6 months of salary saved, if not more in case of losing your job. Also in the UK most employers match at least 5% of pension contributions. In the US you are lucky if you get 1.5% match

Pulaski

Because that's what everyone in America does, right?

Pulaski

Maybe it's different in academia? Or maybe those skills are more specialist than I hire for?

mrken30

The people that I work with do, except the ones on H1B who live on loans. I'm not sure how many people take advice from Suze Orman

Anian

I don't know if you've done the maths, but that's not much of an increase.

Pulaski

I agree, and then add in medical insurance, child care, the cost of fresh food, property taxes (in many areas), car insurance, poor public transport and/or the need for two cars, etc. the result is that the US is not obviously better. .... The current exchange rate has exaggerated the income difference though.

Moses2013

Let's face it, nobody can really say unless a specific job offer comes up. When you look at salaries vs. cost of living, I do agree that when it comes to housing prices the South East doesn't look great, but that's no different in many larger cities in the US, because you have more people and more competition.


I don't know your profession and when you say quality of life, what do you mean? While the one person in the US might have the bigger house, maybe the other person in the UK is happy in a smaller apartment, likes to go on holidays and actually has more holidays and so on.


You'll find poverty in both countries.

mrken30

and the maintenance of wooden houses is far more than that of brick built houses.

Pulaski

My personal opinion is that holding six months cash is unnecessary if you have a two income household. Have a cash safety net, sure, but not that much unless you have only one income.

If you have investment income that would further reduce the size of the cach buffer you would need.

mrken30

I work with a fair number of single people , or people who are the sole earner in the family. I am fortunate to live in a place where you can live on a single salary. What you say makes sense.