muttymutt

Just wondering whether any of you lucky brits stateside, have ever had any regrets on moving over there? or whether you did something during your move that if you had the chance to do it again you would change?
Any major problemsor experiences that you faced when you started down the long road of immigration, or once you reached the US, anything you thought 'Oh, crap i wish I'd done that!!'

i know what curiosity did to the moggy but i would love to know your thoughts.

Duncs

If i could do it all again? I wouldnt! i wish i had never moved here at all. Britain has its problems but the grass is definately not greener over here.

Gross50

Depends on the circumstance of the move. most if not all brits being moved by my company have hinted that they would like to work here and are not sure how they will handle retirement.

moving over is kinda stressful and can be disatrous at times. always good to make a short term visit before the final one. one thing for sure, US is so different, may be thats why they call foreigners aliens.

other than the visa hurdle, the greatest problem everyone faces is lack of credit history.

suzieque

In some ways I am with you but I had to come my husband is in US air force and we were posted back.
I miss so much about the UK but then again there are things I love here and would miss.

I definatley would have packed up more British stuff and my wirly washing line LOL

Suzie

Pulaski

On the other hand I would. The move was stressful, and we would never have tried to settle in New York, but otherwise we're all round much better off here than we ever would have been in the UK.

If I'd stayed in the UK I would be mortgaged up to the hilt, and be working my way towards retirement with virtually no spare cash as it would all be going to pay off the mortgage on a three-bed shoebox, ..... with 20' of back garden.

muttymutt

I think my probelm is the grass does seem greener!! At present we are living in Spain, everyday is a bloody effort, stuff just keeps going wrong. We have been having Spanish lessons and doing pretty well. The people are lovely and obviously climate good, but there is still a language, culture and general understanding barrier.
Most Spaniards think the Brits have more money than sense,(some do!!) and most Brits have come out here and are trying to rip off the other Brits!! I guess I've just had enough of being paranoid and suspicious.
Kids are settled in a private Brit school which costs a bloody fortune and is crap.
I have just come to the conclusion that lifes to short to grin and bear it, while we are still young and the kids aren't at exam age, we should try something new and move stateside.
My other half is based eslewhere so employment is ok, family are behind us whatever we do, so at the moment there seems to be more pros for the US than cons.(even without rose tinted glasses on!)
just wondering what you lot think?

Patrick

the grass isn't greener, it's just a different type of grass. I don't mind living here but i was happier in the uk.

dunroving

I would have bought a house in the UK before coming here. Despite hearing stories about the "housing boom" in the States, where I live house prices have been stagnant for about the last 10 years. I had the opportunity to buy a house in the UK and didn't take it. The thought of moving back to the UK and trying to buy a house now scares the crap out of me.

I also would have opened a current account with Smile. I have an ISA and savings account with them, and if I had a current account with them, my interest rates would be a lot higher. I tried opening a current account with them after I came here - no deal.

And I agree - the grass is just different here - whether it's greener depends on what tint you have in your glasses.

Duncs

crab grass and lots of it!

BritGuyTN

Patrick pretty much sums up my own thoughts - its just different

a few of my friends moved here or are in the process of doing so to live the 'american dream' - the ones here are finding its not at all what they thought it would be like

to be honest - i like the european lifestyle better but i'm here to stay now so i've got on with it!

i for one thought personal taxation was better - thinking because you had health insurance you didn't need to pay national insurance.... completely wrong - you have to pay medicare and social security - neither of which you can take advantage of until you retire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!! (unless unfortunate cirmcumstances befall you)

be aware that if you move here the will be a 'culture and general understanding barrier' - just a different one to the the one you have in spain right now

BritGuyTN

also - does your spouse's employer offer the option to transfer him to a US office? caveats being either a manager or executive (L1A) or someone with speecialist knowledge (L1B)

If not you better have a shed load of cash to invest in a new company or the prosposed immigration is academic.....

scrubbedexpat099

I was just going to say the same, nothing that you have posted so far suggests that you could come here, whether you want to or not.

In many ways I think Spain, Valencia is where you live now?, is more familiar than the UK.

If you want the UK, go home, you will not find it here.

Duncs

The key difference here is money. This is a deeply unequal society the top 1% of earners in the USA have as much disposable income as the bottom 50%. The average CEO here makes around 400 times the average worker(40 times in the UK) and the top earning 400 people in the USA have as much wealth as the entire 500,000 odd who currently work for Walmart. If you are part of the top 1% then life here is great and everything is open to you. If not then its progressively tougher. The lower down the chain you are then the harder life will be for you and for your kids as well as social mobility in every field is linked strongly to parental income(its not just coincidence that only 17% of Harvard college students come from lower or even lower middle class families). For the aristocracy in the USA(yes there is one but its defined by money not titles) life is great for the rest of the unwashed masses it is getting harder every year. The inequality has reached an historic high (its as bad as in the middle of the great depression) and it may swing back again but i dont see any Roosevelt like political figures on the horizon so i suspect that it will worsen as it has clearly become structural. Things in the US will not be a silver lined cloud any time soon so unless you are or expect to be a millionaire i would stay in europe.

BritGuyTN

I completely agree

One of my friends is currently in the process of moving to boston on a K1

He keeps waffling on about the opportunities that america presents etc..... - I personally think hes living in cloud cuckoo land

jobs in his sector - IT - may be availble, but there are so many people applying... from seeing peoples experiencs on this board he seems wildly optimistic in getting employment at the same level he enjoyed in the UK (although to be honest I do not know what comparitive salaries for people of his experience are in the US)

it seems that everyone local i speak to has a masters degree, if not 2! I never fancied going back into education, but its likely I may do just that as an insurance policy for the future. not to put me above other candidates, but just to ensure I am in the running!

Duncs

to compare my wife has 2 masters degrees with good grades top 20% of her class from top 20 university. The only job she has found since graduation is as retail assistant, times are tough. I have a masters degree in law and i cant even get a job as a legal file clerk your UK education is worth shit here. people who think the USA is all the american dream and you will suceed with hard work etc are kidding themselves.