radion

OK,
So another post for a bit of thinking....
Do you feel better off for moving to the US as opposed to staying in the UK.
Regarding your lifestyle, do you have a better house, better environment, poss. better hours, better relationship with the other half etc etc...

Do you feel more settled in the US rather than in the UK....

And finally for this post, do you visit the UK and feel you are happier in the US or feel like coming home to the UK....

helwardman

After nearly 2 years in the USA I would say the following is true of my situation:

1. I have a better house than I could ever have afforded in UK.
2. The immediate environment in which I live is at least as nice as that which I left in UK.
3. My income is higher than I was getting in UK.
4. My working hours are worse and amount of vacation time is also worse.
5. I own two cars which are newer (and better models) than I could have afforded in UK.
6. I have access to more (and better) restaurants, cinemas, shops etc than I did in UK (but then I did live in quite a rural location).

I visited England a few weeks ago (for the first time since I moved here) and I can't say there is anything about it that I miss. Everything seemed surprisingly small and a bit grubby to me compared to where I live now. The service in restaurants seemed pretty terrible and the prices high.

USA isn't perfect but it has it's good points. I just wish the weather would cool down for a while!!

JulesNYC

I've been in the US for 13 years so that pretty much speaks for itself

I have a house 10 miles away from NYC and I would never have been able to afford one like this back in the UK (it would have been a tiny shoebox for the same amount of money).

My hours and holidays are great - mind you, I have been at the same company for 11 years. I get 5 weeks vacation and work from home. Hours are pretty flexible.

Weather-wise, we get all seasons here in the Eastern US. I'm happy with that (but not fond of digging out the car from under 5 feet of snow in the Winter)

Love the food here, but the food in the UK is more appetizing to me. Don't care what anyone says, nothing beats English pub grub in my opinion.

When I do go back to visit, I appreciate the rich history in the UK and do all of the touristy things! If I could afford it, I would buy a holiday home in the English countryside because it's beyond compare in my opinion.

I have strong ties to the UK but love my way of life in the USA. I'd probably also never have gotten my driver's license if I were still living in London - that's not a negative though because public transport in the UK is excellent and much cleaner compared to NYC.

mekadag

Hi

I have been in the US for 7 years now and just about to move to california (August) because I cannot stand the midwest i have been here for three years. When I reflect upon this question :
1. I have a wonderful house i could not afford this in London
2. have a better lifestyle etc
3. good vacation - i am a professor on a 9 month contract so three months off if i want or i can teach in the summer.
4. Funnily enough i work less here than in the UK - have less students ie 60 undergraduate students in the UK to no more than 25-30 here in graduate school.
5. love the landscape here
6. love the diversity in california - i did not realize the whole world lives in the US (california)
like the positive thinking of americans - and think the UK could be so much better by appreciating what they have
7. Like the more democratic feel in academy
I miss my family and friends in the UK and look forward to visiting
london looks a bit old and drab ( i was born in east london) but i now love london more than i ever did because when I am there I have explored many areas that I took for granted. I have also explored other parts of england and appreciate its beauty.
I listen to british tv and listen to radio programs.
As i am getting older it is becoming more difficult because i want to spend more time with my daughter and grandson and siblings. I also watch a lot of 1950s films programmes from Britain even though they are romanticised reminds me of the 1960s in london. I see myself returning one day and living out my life with my family around me.
Julia

caleyjag

As a scientist the US is the place to be, hands down.

The research universities are in a different class. National laboratories are on a different level to anything in Europe. Finally, many of the world's leading tech companies are American.

Moreover, a lot of these institutions and corporations are concentrated on the West Coast, which for other reasons is my favourite place in the world.

So no, I have absolutely no regrets at all. West Coast is where it's at!

JulieinAustin

I personally don't feel better off in the US; but then I moved to Austin in the height of a recession when there really isn't a lot of opportunities around and unemployment is sky high. My husband on the other hand (the reason we moved here) is making a lot of money and is doing really well with his business and self employment definitely seems the way to go here.. If it wasn't for his business doing well we would have left a long time ago.

Generally speaking the working hours here are much longer, less holiday.. practically no rights as an employee (it's an at will state)... expensive healthcare and health insurance (here you think twice about going to the doctor.... not good). I also don't enjoy having to drive everywhere; I really miss not having to have a car and having everything conveniently located together, everything is much more of a chore here because of that. The weather here in Texas is really extreme and although I've always loved the sunshine, here it's just unbearably hot and uncomfortable. I miss the clothes in the UK and the food. In fact I really miss the food a lot... whoever says British food is bad really doesn't know what they're talking about!! I am sure my relationship with my husband would be much better in the UK because we'd both be able to take more time out together.. here it's difficult to get away from work and we're constantly tired.

That said Austin is a great little city. Low crime rate and awesome really well mannered people.. that is probably what I would miss about this place when we do hopefully leave...something the UK is definitely lacking at the moment

md95065

Yes to all of the questions.

When I visit the UK I start counting the hours until miy flight back home (to the US, of course) before I have even got off the plane at Heathrow.

steve100100

Me too. I have no desire to ever visit the UK again. I have been back twice in three and a half years and that's it for me.

N1cky

Our house here is much bigger and spacious and having a pool and spa in the back yard is wonderul (not that it would have been any use in the UK), however as we only rent, I miss owning the home I am living in, you can't change things as much as you would like.

The weather in spring and autumn is wonderful. May-August can just be unbearably hot, I miss having fresh air as you sit in the house with all your doors and windows shut to try and keep out the heat. It also gets dark really early even in the summer, it's like someone flicking off the lightbulb.

I miss the easy going, joke around, sarcasm of people in the UK. Working envioronment here is very PC. Working hours and vacation time is a nightmare, I see less of my daughter now than I did living in the UK. I miss being able to walk to the shop and sitting outside a restaurant to eat without looking at a car park or road.

Financially, I earn slightly less in my job. My husband earns way more and has many more opportunities.

My relationship with my husband is better for the move, although we aren't happier (we were happy anyway), we are certainly closer. A big move, starting again, financial hardship, having no friends other than each other can put a big strain on a relationship. I think we have come out the other side stronger for it.

I don't feel as settled here as I did in the UK. I haven't been back yet, but am looking forward to visiting, hopefully next year.

Poppy girl

100% better of in the US
Lifestyle is great, huge house, great weather, independent contractor so work hours I make my own...There is no other half, divorced but plenty good looking men to date lol.

Yes way more settled in the US the lifestyle the climate the way of the life suit me.

I go home twice a year and after 2 days I am ready to come back to the US its great to see mum but thats it, I hope and pray it will not be for many years to come but if nature takes it course and mother goes 1st, then I will probably never return to the UK ever again.

Bob

Better off, naaa, not financially at least
Lifestyle? Even less likely to own a house around here...the environment is alright, work hours are shit and even worse getting a job.
Relationship is solid but location wouldn't have changed that.

I don't visit the UK because we can't afford it....says it all when I can get a ticket for myself for peanuts.

Don't think the US is better or worse than the UK. Just another place to have a roof over ones head. With hindsight, would have stayed in the UK for another 10 years and gotten to a senior position before moving over but oh well.

made of kent

I agree with working hours and weather, but all of the above

caleyjag

One thing I must say is that I am very lucky - I grew up in the Highlands of Scotland, a very beautiful place in my opinion.

I do miss it greatly, however there are no decent science jobs up there. As such, it's much more of a straight choice between Oxbridge and the West Coast, and that is MUCH easier to make.

Even if you took out all the skiing and surfing, the complete lack of rosy-faced Etonian twats is enough to justify a move to the US by itself!

radion

I am surprised by some replies, not in a bad way but very interestingly, as you start to think you know someone and they surprise you...thank you all for your valued input...

Xebedee

It was pretty naff in England in 1987, so the "American experiment" was a good idea then and to a certain extent, it still makes sense.
Its not a good place to live a simple and social existance tho. For those reasons, I've never actually settled (feel like Robinson Crusoe sometimes) and this year made a promise to myself to go home by my 55th birthday. But that won't be for a few years and meanwhile, I'll try to get back once a year or at least every two. For sanity's sake.

Its been a very rough emotional road and not one I'd recommend unless you are young, savvy and driven.