Moving to America – what should we be considering?

[Ms B]

I appreciate the honest responses about working life in America, I want to make an informed decision about moving.
What are the advantages of living in America instead as opposed to the UK?

[Fatbrit]

Originally Posted by Ms B

I appreciate the honest responses about working life in America, I want to make an informed decision about moving.
What are the advantages of living in America instead as opposed to the UK?

It's different. As Iceland is from Thailand. If you can't embrace and withstand difference, don't make the move. Many make the mistake that because the UK and US share a language, they are very similar. Nothing could be further from the truth.

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by Ms B

I appreciate the honest responses about working life in America, I want to make an informed decision about moving.
What are the advantages of living in America instead as opposed to the UK?

I've lived in three "foreign" countries and personally, I find it fascinating to just be able to compare and contrast the different life styles. It does completely change your outlook on life and people - if you allow it to.

There are plenty of expats who spend their entire time overseas complaining about the things that aren't like "back home." And what's worse, when they do finally move back home, they find that things have changed in their absence, so they they aren't necessarily happy to be back. If they had stayed where they were, they would have changed along with everything else and never would have noticed the differences.

Living the expat life - for a while, or permanently - is an adventure. Sometimes it's darned annoying and even inconvenient. But it's always a learning experience. And frankly, once you have some genuine "international experience" on your CV, there are lots of interesting opportunities that pop up - even if you go back home after a few years.
Cheers,
Bev

[twostep]

Bev you hit it right on. One reason why I do not mingle much with "my folks". When in Rome - spaghetti!

[synthia]

OK, so we have mosquitos. But we also have blue sky at least part of the day for about 360 days a year, a dry season when it really doesn't rain at all, and 'rain on schedule' (between 3 and 5 pm) near the coasts. Oh, yeah, the coasts. We have beaches. And more beaches. And you can't really get very far away from them. (I live on the west coast, and when they launch the shuttle over on the east coast, I can see it in the sky. albeit as a moving dot, with my naked eye).

You will find British goods in the supermarkets and in 'Enlgish shops' anywhere there are tourists.

American employers are pretty much slave drivers. Your husband will probably be expected to put the employer first, and, as mentioned above, put in long hours for no extra compensation. Vacations are stingy, and you might be restricted as to how much you can take at one time. For instance, you may get three weeks a year, but not be allowed to take more than two at one time.

The cities are much like the northern US in that people are hurried and rushed and traffic is bad, but other places are quieter and easier and much more of a relaxed life style.

We aren't really big on formal clothes, especially in the west. I once went a whole year and a half without wearing closed shoes (I wasn't working).

The sales tax is 6-7%, and the hotel tax is 12.5%, a bargain compared to NYC's 25%. We definitely feel that it is the responsibility of tourists to pay our taxes for us.