US citizen moving to the UK

[Just Visiting]

I am an US citizen interested in moving and working in the UK.

I have some questions:

What differences in culture should I as an American should be aware of before moving into the UK?

What is the tax rate? Where is the lowest cost of living in the UK? What location has the best rate for employment and job growth?

Taxes, how does it work if temporarily working in the UK, both in paying the UK and US governments?

Any advice on how to look for a job in the UK while living here in the US?

What obstacles (if any) would I have if I decided to send/wire money home?

What steps should I take in order to gain a work permit and be able to work in the UK legally?

What jobs should I look for as an unskilled laborer?
I currently work as security and wondering if an US citizen can gain the necessary permits needed to work security in the UK while not being a citizen of the UK. If not, what other jobs should I look for in the UK?

I know I asked a lot of questions however please answer what you can and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you and have a good day.

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum. It has been a while since I was in your shoes. I've since moved on to Germany and then to France, but I'll try and help with at least a few of your questions:

>>What differences in culture should I as an American should be aware of before moving into the UK?

Lots of little things - but some of it may depend on where you're from in the US. I happen to be from New England, and while I was living in the UK I was struck by how much seemed "familiar" to me. I guess they call it "New" England for a reason.

There are lots of terminology differences - examples: a "jumper" in the UK is a sweater in the US, "petrol" is Brit for gasoline. Every line of work has lots of little differences like these. There are also attitude differences that can take a bit of getting used to.

>>What is the tax rate? Where is the lowest cost of living in the UK? What location has the best rate for employment and job growth?

I'll have to let someone else handle this one. But think how you'd answer the same questions if someone asked you them about the US. There may not be a single answer - and cost of living and job growth can vary according to what you're looking for and what sort of lifestyle you lead.

>>Taxes, how does it work if temporarily working in the UK, both in paying the UK and US governments?

Depends on how "temporarily" you're working in the UK. If you're working for a US company and just on a "business trip" you continue with your US taxes as usual. If you're resident in the UK, you pay UK taxes (and withholdings - there are more social insurances in the UK than in the US and those have to be paid if you're a UK resident). As long as you still have US citizenship, however, you must file a US tax return. There are provisions for avoiding double taxation, however.

>>Any advice on how to look for a job in the UK while living here in the US?

Try to work through a US employer who could transfer you to the UK - short or long term. Or just look for a job and stay flexible enough to be able to make (and pay for) a quick trip over for interviews. The big thing, however, is that you have to have something to offer (skills or experience) that is not available in the local job market in the UK. Otherwise the employer can't justify hiring you over a local national.

>>What obstacles (if any) would I have if I decided to send/wire money home?

Other than the costs involved, no obstacles at all. Be aware that all movements of large sums in or out of the US (used to be > $10,000, now I think it's $5,000) are reported by the banks to the US Treasury Dept. There's nothing wrong with getting reported, but generally you will have to explain both the source of the money and the intended purpose of the money as part of the transfer process.

>>What steps should I take in order to gain a work permit and be able to work in the UK legally?

Usually, you have to find a job first - then your employer "sponsors" your visa application, by justifying their hiring of a foreigner to the UK authorities and paying certain fees.

>>What jobs should I look for as an unskilled laborer?
I currently work as security and wondering if an US citizen can gain the necessary permits needed to work security in the UK while not being a citizen of the UK. If not, what other jobs should I look for in the UK?

Not sure what's involved in security in the UK, but unskilled labor is probably the hardest field in which to try and find an overseas job. Unskilled labor is in plentiful supply in most countries and very difficult to justify importing from elsewhere.

I don't mean to be negative, but finding work overseas is not easy these days with immigration being such a hot topic for most governments.
Cheers,
Bev

[Stravinsky]

Originally Posted by Just Visiting

I am an US citizen interested in moving and working in the UK.

I have some questions:

What differences in culture should I as an American should be aware of before moving into the UK?

What is the tax rate? Where is the lowest cost of living in the UK? What location has the best rate for employment and job growth?

Taxes, how does it work if temporarily working in the UK, both in paying the UK and US governments?

Any advice on how to look for a job in the UK while living here in the US?

What obstacles (if any) would I have if I decided to send/wire money home?

What steps should I take in order to gain a work permit and be able to work in the UK legally?

What jobs should I look for as an unskilled laborer?
I currently work as security and wondering if an US citizen can gain the necessary permits needed to work security in the UK while not being a citizen of the UK. If not, what other jobs should I look for in the UK?

I know I asked a lot of questions however please answer what you can and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you and have a good day.

A lot of questions

Tax rates; http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/MoneyTax..._PPC&cre=Money

Culture
Well, you'll find stuff a lot more expensive for a start!
Tends to be that the cost of living is less in the North than in the South, but then again salaries tend to be slightly more in the South. London is quite expensive for rent
I dont think most Americans I have met seemed to have too much of a culture shock coming to the UK ......

Security work is not particularly well paid in the UK, but I guess it depends what area you are talking about ...... personal bodyguards would probably earn well, but property security guards are more nearer miminum wages in the UK.

Have you treid searching job agencies in the UK .... try googling it

Good luck

[Just Visiting]

I have thought of calling temp agencies in the UK, the problem is the general expense of such phone calls.
Any idea on how to get around this?

[Just Visiting]

I have thought of calling around to see what temp agencies have to offer, but the problem is the exspnese of calling cards and what not in order to make such calls. Any way to make over seas calls cheaper ?

Plus say if I saved up enough for a flight over to the UK, how long should an average job hunt take and how much should I take for living expenses?

[Bevdeforges]

Look into an Internet based phone service for making calls to the UK. Skype is the best known, perhaps, but there are others - Wengo, Net2Phone and probably lots more. The real trick is working around the time difference to catch people in their offices.

>>Plus say if I saved up enough for a flight over to the UK, how long should an average job hunt take and how much should I take for living expenses?

It's impossible to put a time figure on it. How long does an "average" job hunt take in the US? Depends on your line of work, time of the year and the state of the economy, what your resumé/CV looks like, etc., etc.

It's also the case that very few employers will talk to you until you have work authorization lined up. What you need to do is to interest a potential employer by fax or postal mail - to the point where they will consider interviewing you "when you're in the area." That's when you book your flight - as a two or three week "holiday" - and with any kind of luck you clinch the deal, go home and put the paperwork in motion to move!

I spent a good year or so doing the letter writing part of the job hunt from the US (once I had settled on relocating to Europe instead of looking locally - but I wasn't limiting it to one country). I also had some overseas experience, and found that opened lots of doors. It really helps to have a good explanation of "why" you want to work overseas.
Cheers,
Bev

[LadyLily43]

Forgive me for interrupting; I hope I am not being too arrogant and all, but I was hoping you all would not mind if I posted; partly to share what I have learned through a bit of internet research about the differences between the cost of living here in the US vs. the cost of living there in the UK. but also to ask some questions that I have primarily because my husband and I are considering moving to the UK to live for a while.

First of all I hope I can make clear that my research may be a bit faulty because I am primarily looking at what I found from the perspective of a housewife trying to make sure our budget would work well in the UK, as well as being a person who has traveled and lived quite a bit through various areas of the US.

In any case I am not sure I totally agree that the UK is that much more expensive than living here in the US, and I hope you won't mind if I explain my thinking. First of all renting a flat; here in the US there are loads of cities where apartment prices can range anywhere from as inexpensive as $580/£290 per month in the smaller; less metro towns of some states; to as high as $65,000/£32,500 a month for rent in places like NY City; (Yes I am absolutely positive about the price; you can see it for yourself through a simple search engine search); so like there; it depends on where you live in the country... Then there is the simple immediate need for food...groceries can be a bit of give and take. Some items you have over there can be a bit pricier than here, and some can be just a bit more expensive, but others either work out the same or much more cheaply than here...Eggs, milk and beef being quite a bit more expensive; whereas tinned, canned, and fresh veggies being an example of either the same price or cheaper than many places here in the US...For a small example; we pay aproximately $1.98/99P per dozen of extra large eggs whereas on your Asda site I've seen a 12pk of barn eggs priced at about £2.44/$4.88.

Now gasoline/petrol of course is much more expensive over there, but I think your public transit is a LOT more extensive than some areas of this country...so it is a bit easier to compensate...I will grant here I do not know the price of the tube these days and actually would appreciate if anyone can let me know...I also will be EXTREMELY appreciative if someone can tell me where my thinking may be flawed since I know I have not covered everything...

Now if I might be allowed to ask my questions:
1) How are utilities handled over there? Do you have companies you call when moving to whatever city to set up any necessary services?
2) What about TV and Internet services; are there companies for that? Also I once read in some "obscure" web site that there are extra fees to pay for the TV's; that owning a TV itself can be complicated...is that true? And what is the general pricing for things like I've mentioned?
3) Also how much does it cost for gas heating and cooking?
4)*Final question I swear* How do I get cell phone service in GB?

Thanks everyone for your patience; it is appreciated...I hope I did not bore anyone...

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

First of all, feel free to "interrupt" any time you like. That's sort of what we're here for.

To a large extent you're right - the cost of living in the UK depends on the area, just as it does in the US. Some parts of the country are more expensive than others. A couple of things to remember, though - VAT (which is roughly akin to sales tax in the US) is 17.5% (I think) on most things other than food and medicines (I think - I'm in France, but I think most European countries have lower rates for those two items). That makes for an automatic rise in prices of at least 10 - 12% if you're coming from a US state with sales tax.

As for the petrol - prices in the UK are about the worst in Europe (higher certainly than here in France). Public transit is not available everywhere, and is not usable in many areas for much more than commuting in and out of the nearest major city (i.e. London). A car is pretty much a necessity these days in many areas. And I just saw a statistic that said that the London Tube is the most expensive city subway system in Europe (at something like £4 for a single ride) - something to do with the lack of government subsidy.

There's also the difference in what you spend your money on. Health insurance is one big difference - at least if you're on the NHS. And even private insurance costs far less than in the US.

Originally Posted by LadyLily43

Now if I might be allowed to ask my questions:
1) How are utilities handled over there? Do you have companies you call when moving to whatever city to set up any necessary services?
2) What about TV and Internet services; are there companies for that? Also I once read in some "obscure" web site that there are extra fees to pay for the TV's; that owning a TV itself can be complicated...is that true? And what is the general pricing for things like I've mentioned?
3) Also how much does it cost for gas heating and cooking?
4)*Final question I swear* How do I get cell phone service in GB?

OK:
1. Basically, yes, but if you're renting, the rental agency may take care of simply transferring the utilities to the name of the new renter. (That's how they handled it when I moved in.) Even the telephone just transferred - I carried on using the same phone number that had been in the house before. Depends a bit on how the landlord wants to handle things.

2. There is a television tax in the UK - something over £100 a year for any television in the house. (This is common throughout Europe and goes to pay for the "national" channels - the BBC in the UK.) Where cable isn't available, there is satellite tv, which uses a dish and a receiver/decoder that you pay for by the month. Sky is the major satellite provider for the UK. Not sure what the current monthly fee is, but it's similar to cable (in the US) - or was last time I checked.

3. Can't help you there. Gas isn't as available in much of Europe as it is in the US, and where it is (at least for cooking), it is often bottle gas (well, gas stored in a big tank underground). But many homes in the UK have a gas "fire" for heat in the living room. (I never did figure out how to turn the darned thing on! ) The house I rented had "central heat" which consisted of water heated by a small gas-powered heater that was then pumped through the radiators. I'm fairly sure it was the same heater that also heated the water for use in the shower. Sounds feeble, but heck, it worked!

4. Oh, there are many mobile phone companies in the UK. Chances are, they'll find you! There are starting to be some companies that will offer you Internet, phone and television, all over the Internet - through a single provider. It sounds great - but if your Internet service goes down (as it occasionally does), you're stuck with no fixed phone and no tv as well as no Internet surfing. With separate services, you at least have some backup.

Cheers,
Bev

[oddball]

For a mobile phone check out www,mobal.com , phone cost $48.00 , has a world wide sim card , can be used in 170 countries on this 1 sim card , there are no fees , all you pay is the actual minute usage which are competitive . cost nothing to look . Colin

[LadyLily43]

Originally Posted by Just Visiting

What obstacles (if any) would I have if I decided to send/wire money home?

I can actually answer this one more specifically; that is unless there has been a change or two within the Picadilly Circus area since I've been there back in 1985...if not; then if you actually live in London; even in what we Americans might call a subburb of London; then as long as you can get to Picadilly Circus; you should be able to find the American Express office there...you can wire money home from there, and any family you might be wiring to in the US would only need to have either an American Express office in town, or an agent of American Express...for example if your family has a K-Mart in town; I think they do American Express transfers, and I think the fee is still somewhere around $12.50 though don't quote me on that part...You just go up to the counter; tell them you want to wire money home; tell them how much; they will do the conversion rate plus tack the fee on and then tell you how much the total is...

I do have one or two more questions to ask though if no one minds:

1)The TV Tax; is that £100 total or per tv? I ask because right now we have three TV's; so; though we are planning to either sell or give away most of our belongings to make the move less expensive when we are ready to move...once there it will give us a greater idea of how many TV's we can afford for our residence there...

2) We were actually thinking wherever he might work; that we might live in a smaller village nearby so that even though HE might need a car to get to and from work; *though we were also counting the train as part of the public transit*; I would be primarily relying on either a bicycle for my son and I in the village; or our own feet, but just in case we were to live somewhere in London; how easy is it to purchase and use the Oyster card, and how much does it cost? We were thinking about even getting one for each of us while we would be visiting in November as well...

3) The VAT...what types of things do they put the VAT on?

Thanks Again
T. Vandal