Firstly, I am overwhelmed by the amount of responses, and I truly appreciate all the advise and comforting comments.
Due to the NJERSEY weather, I haven't been able to start my job properly yet, I think the lack of structure has certainly had me nervous as I haven't been able my to get into a routine, and also I've got way to much time just sat round thinking about home.
To be honest, the only thing I'm missing is my family, and its probably just the comfort of being in my house and having them there. I do Skype with them, and it is lovely when I see them, it's just the 'goodbye' that's hard.
I'm living with 3 other Brits, who have all spent 3-4 years working in the US, so that's good, but being young lads, i think I find it hard to speak with them regarding my feelings, as I haven't really built up that trust level yet.
I certainly hope I can suppress these feelings, as I genuinely do want to make the most of this experience.

It's normal to be homesick occasionally. I find it especially hard when I hear about friends or family getting together and I'm not there.

There was guidebook to international relocation that I was given years ago and it said that you should try and book a visit home after you've been in your new country for 6 months. It gives you something to look forward to but also enough time to settle in a bit and start making a new life. I don't know if that's possible for you on a 9 month contract?

Otherwise, I spend a small fortune in Trader Joes and Wholefoods! If it's really bad, I go to Ikea and have lunch in the cafeteria there.....

Make a point of doing something that you can report back to them that isn't related to your feelings . Even if it's just going to the supermarket and finding the brand of <product> that is closest to the one you normally use. (This information will not go astray, trust me!) Or even just being able to tell them how bananas Americans are about peanut butter and soda ("there are ENTIRE AISLES").

Sometimes expats who are further along can make the worst company. There is an element of "I got over it and am up to the adventure stage", which can make them less inclined to talk about the things that might hold you back. My first roommate was a fresh arrival as well (different country), which worked out well - we could share the shocks of arrival, without being able to indulge in homesickness.

I remember phoning my mum in tears on my first evening. Being my mum she said 'Chin up, it'll be fine. Bye then!' And she was right...

Everybody does.

Endo14, being an ex-pat is a bit like going off to Uni for the first time, you'll make friends just because you're going through this experience together and they will become your new family. So, unlike another poster on here, I think it's a really good idea to search out other Brits/Europeans especially if they are also new arrivals. I howled like a baby yesterday because I got a "thinking about you" card from one of my friends from France. She became like a little sister to me and I miss her as much as my family.

Honestly...I think whenever you want to start any new life, this happens again and again.

I don't think it's a question of suppressing feelings so much as accepting them- we all feel weak and tired and confused and hurt and vulnerable etc etc from time to time.
Also knowing where and when to express them.

Some expats will be totally supportive- some will not; some Americans will befriend you- others will not. You've tossed yourself into the superpower nation which is the most confused group of individuals on the planet. Just try different things. Depending on your beliefs, depending on the support system of your community/ job...

I'm almost twice your age and every single time I decide to start out on something else I get the same jitters.

But I fulfilled ambitions I never could have in the UK too, so now I know however tough it gets- it was worth it.

Hang in there!

I think it's important to get out there and integrate with the new culture you find yourself in, and since it's only for nine months, you should make the most of it!

I arrived here in October 2014, so I'm still quite the newbie; when I started feeling homesick (it was after a devil-may-care period of throwing caution to the wind and not really accepting my situation as any more than an extended vacation) it would be brought about by seeing things that aren't even barely part of British 'culture', like an NHS ambulance, people driving on the left side of the road, blue road signs.

I alleviated it by embracing it, really. Indulge in what I missed - BBC shows (you'll find a way to watch them ), movies with British actors in, podcasts based in Britain, even listening to the BBC World Service helped.

Missing family though can be helped with phonecalls or Skype, just be thankful your timezone is only 5 hours removed from GMT. Over here on the West Coast it gets really difficult to arrange these.

Good luck!

Just to echo what everyone else has said, it does take some time to settle. I've been here 17 yrs now, and l still miss family and friends, and loads of things from back home, tremendously. I came over and married an American girl, and l remember saying to her after just a few months, that the novelty of living in FL had worn off for me, and l really missed my family a lot. I didn't know if l was going to be able to stick it, but it did get a bit easier as time went on, but it took me quite a long time.

I'm not much of a socialiser, so l had no great desire to go seeking out other Brits, or looking for new friends, l just made sure that l called home regularly and looked forward to my visits back there or to family coming over here. Not a great solution, but it helped.

I think this is something that all of us have gone through, some it hits harder than others. Anyway, l wish you well, and hope you'll try and stick it out as long as you can. I think u might regret it, in the long run, if you give up the great opportunity that you have right now, and go back to the UK. But it's your call at the end of the day, believe me, l feel your pain, but try and stick at it, if you can ! Good luck !

Agreed. I couldn't have survived without other expats. Totally unrealistic to expect total integration from the word go.

endo 14:

Look at the response you've received.
You've obviously struck a chord of recognition
And tho peoples feelings about their own move to the States vary greatly - one thing is clear and consistent:
Not one person in this thread supports your inclination to pull up the stakes you've hardly even begun to set and return to the UK now.

It's too bad that the weather has interfered with the work you've come to do.
Getting into the rhythm of that job and developing relationships (which you're bound to do given the nature of sports coaching) will probably change your outlook tremendously. And if it doesn't - well then - you've a firmer basis on which to make a decision.

But even then (if you still feel as you do now) - 9 months is such a short time...36 weeks...and now - already only 35 (or is it 34?)

I hope the weather changes.
Soon

Not when I first arrived, I was newly married, living in a big city (I moved from a small village to the second largest city in MI) everything was new and awesome. I was in a 'honeymoon period' in every sense of the word. It soon changed.

I had to wait to get my work permit, so I couldn't go out and get a job right away. It was winter in MI, no one was outside unless they had to be. I didn't have a drivers license and learned very quickly that US public transport is nothing like UK public transport, needless to say I got my license as soon as I could. I knew no one other than my husband. my days in the first couple of months revolved around talking to my family on the phone, wasting away time online and housework. It got pretty depressing waiting around for my husband to come home from work! Things did get better though, I made friends, I got out and about but even now 13 years later there are times I get pangs of being 'homesick' but they pass.

I have been in Cali for nearly three months now, haven't really had any homesickness yet but I do miss my brothers. When I left the uk I really wanted to be positive and do my best to have a fresh start in life even though I was full of doubt and worries about the future.

I have taken the approach of trying to embrace the American way of life and found it to work at least for me. It has been a breath of fresh air meeting new people with new and positive outlooks on life, especially the 'can do' attitude Americans seem to have.

So that would be my advice, go out there and make friends and enjoy the experience.

Oh yes, the 'can-do' positivity of Americans is breathtaking ( especially when they 'can't do'- like healthcare! ) but it's catching.
'Fake it 'til you make it' people say.

I've had a tough time the past few years ( because of healthcare ) but I never regret coming here for a minute.
I feel more American than English now to be honest...and from day one most of my friends/ acquaintances were Americans.

Oh I didn't write what I meant to. My dad in the UK was just diagnosed with dementia; that has made me feel bad for not being there or able to help, and triggered a homesickness I haven't felt for a long time.

Or more likely Fake it then Flake it.