need advice on moving from us to uk with not a lot of money

eclipticstone · #1 (**permalink**) 14th June 2009, 09:03 PM

i am an electrician in us with little savings and a baby on the way. my wife and i are filled with contempt torwards the "live the american dream" lies of the us. wanting more for our new child as well as our 20 year old, what are the first 5 things i should be concentrating on? any suggestions greatly appreciated

Fatbrit · #2 (**permalink**) 14th June 2009, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eclipticstone

i am an electrician in us with little savings and a baby on the way. my wife and i are filled with contempt torwards the "live the american dream" lies of the us. wanting more for our new child as well as our 20 year old, what are the first 5 things i should be concentrating on? any suggestions greatly appreciated

Visa, visa, visa, visa and visa.

I have no idea about UK visas and immigration. But I can tell you that if you'd posted the same as a UK citizen wanting to escape to America, I would probably have some very bad news for you.

eclipticstone · #3 (**permalink**) 14th June 2009, 10:54 PM

so that means my family has hope? is it harder to get out there?

jlms · #4 (**permalink**) 14th June 2009, 11:17 PM

It really depends. The UK government is now enacting a visa system based on points. I am not familiar with it but I am sure you will find information about it in the UK's Home Office web site.

The Home Office is the ministry responsible for immigration in the UK.

Just in the off chance, if you have recent European ancestry you may qualify as citizen for a number of EU countries, which would allow you to work anywhere in the EU, that is something worth keeping in mind in the remote chance it amy apply to you (or your wife!).

Fatbrit · #5 (**permalink**) 15th June 2009, 01:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eclipticstone

so that means my family has hope? is it harder to get out there?

I'd be looking more at Australia, New Zealand or Canada if I were you. Although the recession is biting there, too. But they are more open to skilled trades.

jojo · #6 (**permalink**) 15th June 2009, 02:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eclipticstone

i am an electrician in us with little savings and a baby on the way. my wife and i are filled with contempt torwards the "live the american dream" lies of the us. wanting more for our new child as well as our 20 year old, what are the first 5 things i should be concentrating on? any suggestions greatly appreciated

There really isnt much work in the UK at all. I'm not sure why you think the UK is gonna be any better, I believe its more expensive, more crowded and has far fewer opportunities than the US? I left the UK in disgust 18 months ago! but good luck, I know how it is to feel dissatisfied

Jo xxx

Bevdeforges · #7 (**permalink**) 15th June 2009, 06:45 AM

I'd have to say, too, that of all the European countries, the UK is probably the closest to the US in terms of the "culture" you seem to be trying to avoid - get rich quick, easy credit, shop til you drop, etc.

But no matter where you go, you'll need some savings if only to get you started. You need to visit the place you're thinking of first - to see what the situation is on the ground and to determine if you think you could live there. There are some (considerable) costs to job hunting at distance (including making yourself available for face to face meetings), then the costs of applying for visas (usually between $100 and $500 per person in your family). In most countries, your 20 year old is considered an adult and will have to qualify for a visa on his or her own (i.e. job, schooling, etc.) and that visa may or may not be on terms similar to your own visas. And then there are the costs of moving a family overseas plus set-up costs in the new country.

Like fatbrit says, Canada or Australia may be better options for you unless you've traveled and know that you have an affinity for another radically different culture. But as an electrician, I suspect you're also looking at a certain amount of retraining in order to work in another country - different codes and regulations.

It's not impossible, but it's not something to jump into until you've explored all the angles.
Cheers,
Bev

Ogri750 · #8 (**permalink**) 15th June 2009, 12:00 PM

Regardless of the visa and immigration issues, you would find that your US qualifications would probably not be recognised in the UK.

Different voltage (230v Single Phase 415v Three Phase nominal)

Different frequency (50hz)

Different colour coding

Different regulatons (BS 7671 IEE Wiring Regulation 17th Edition)

eclipticstone · #9 (**permalink**) 16th June 2009, 12:19 AM

Could $10,000us sustain us with utilities/rent paid? or is that not enough?
and could someone please tell me where to find the uk electrical code book?

jlms · #10 (**permalink**) 16th June 2009, 12:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eclipticstone

Could $10,000us sustain us with utilities/rent paid? or is that not enough?
and could someone please tell me where to find the uk electrical code book?

As always it depends.

If you are really good, you could stretch that to 6 months, but I find more realistic to think it would last you 3.

Let me put it this way, that is around £6000, the minimum wage is around £12000/year ....