Moving abroad

gem75

You should really watch the Panorama programme - Poor America to give you an idea of what the US is really like.

It's available on iplayer.

But basically if you can't afford health insurance, say if you lost your job, then its tough you can't get medical treatment even if you are about to die.

Nottoobadyet

I was born and raised in america but have been living abroad since I left as a teenager.

I'll be honest - I wouldnt move there now. The economy is far, far worse than in the UK, especially for young people. Nearly all my school friends have seen their careers move into the slow lane. Teaching is always a solid choice but you'll be up against massive competition from Americans of all ages.

That said - I think moving abroad to explore new horizons is an amazing thing to do at any time in life, especially when you're young. Africa is a very exciting place for ICT these days, have you thought of coming down this way? Check out this guy: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/06/science/fertile-ground-in-africa-for-computer-science-to-take-root.html?_r=2&scp=1&sq=kampala%20zachary&st=cse

ever

You've gotten lots of input, so I figured I'd provide another extremely informative site regarding immigrating to the US: http://visajourney.com/

Curlywurli

gem75 wrote: »

You should really watch the Panorama programme - Poor America to give you an idea of what the US is really like.

It's available on iplayer.

But basically if you can't afford health insurance, say if you lost your job, then its tough you can't get medical treatment even if you are about to die.

I watched that and found it shocking. I never imagined it would be like that. I thought things were bad here.

My Mil had always wanted to move to America and thought about it for most of her life. She then went to visit her brother and although glad she'd been, she realised that she could never actually live there.

Sparklyfairy

You can earn considerably more in the USA in some professions & pay much less tax as well. Take a look here & see what the average salary would be in your field to get an idea of how much tax you'd pay. This site is for the UK, but click on the US one to get the relevent figures. My dh (mech engineer) gets paid a pittance in the UK & can easily double his salary & pay only 13% tax - with med insurance for the family as a part of his benefits.

Jimfox_84

I am interested in moving to Oz. does anybody know how hard/difficult it is?
The US sounds a bit tough but from what I have heard Oz is little different.

Why is the UK so bloomin easy. We'll sink if we let any more people in. Lol

19lottie82

Jimfox_84 wrote: »

I am interested in moving to Oz. does anybody know how hard/difficult it is?
The US sounds a bit tough but from what I have heard Oz is little different.

Why is the UK so bloomin easy. We'll sink if we let any more people in. Lol

If you are 30 or under (I’m guessing by your user name that you are?) you can get a young persons working visa, which enables you to go out there and gain employment for a year.
If you can get an employer to “sponsor” you, you can get a residents visa. However, from what I believe it costs thousands of dollars , so you need to be able to offer skills that are in short supply in Australian nationals.

It all comes down to what you can offer Australia.
If you are a Doctor or Engineer (for example), then you have a much higher chance than if you are a bartender or shop assistant.

TheEffect

Thanks for all the responses.

It's very early days as I'm only just completing my second year of university. It seems there's so many places you can move to in the world, quite easily too, however the states is not one of them.

It's a dream of mine to live there one day and I hope it's one that materialises, but for now, I'll concentrate on getting my degree, possibly a masters or PGCE and see where life takes me.

angelil

^^ I'll say the same to you as I said to the OP: what are you basing the idea of Australia on? Do you have experience of the place or just think it would be cool?

WolfSong2000

Speaking as someone who tried (and failed) to get a job in the USA, it's not easy. I was "lucky" in that I had a potential employer willing to pay all my visa and relocation costs (which was thousands of pounds), and they wanted to offer me a really good job - average starting salary was around £30k *however* I couldn't get a visa because I didn't have a "directly relevant" qualification...I had the experience (hence the job offer), plus a masters degree, but it wasn't "directly relevant". So yeah...that fell through.

I will echo what others have said...living in USA is very different to just visiting. I have many friends all over USA, some wealthy, some not, and those who aren't are really, really struggling right now. Healthcare is phenomenally expensive, even when you have insurance. if you get sick/lose your job, you're hung out to dry.

If you're still in uni, got for a J1 summer work visa (through a company such as BUNAC). It'll give you a better idea of what it's like to "live" in America...it's not perfect as you're only there a few months, but it's an eye opener.

Also, the USA is a big place and different regions are *very* different from one another. Me, I'm a big fan of the East Coast and the South, not so keen on the West Coast and little experience of the rest. my ideal place to live would be Washington DC (spent last summer living there - wonderful place). I'm still holding out hope

As another poster mentioned, however, Africa could be a good bet. I'm also looking for work in Somaliland (not to be confused with Somalia!). They're crying out for teachers there. If you want more info, just PM me