Moving to USA

caevans

maemaesmummy wrote: »

I use http://www.thefloridaforums.com/ which although it specializes in Fl they do cover other states and have members that will give free impartial advice covering all visa aspects.

Just had wee look at website, looks great thanks :-)

KME91

Hi, my boyfriend and I moved to the USA almost 18 months ago, he was offered the job of a lifetime here so we jumped. A bit of a different situation to you, we don't have kids, are not married and both have siblings in England who have healthy relationships with our respective parents, who in turn were very encouraging, albeit a bit shocked, when we announced we were moving. Even so, telling our parents and my boyfriends grandparents was the hardest conversation I've had in a long time.

We moved to Silicon Valley in California, where we found a huge community of ex pats from all over the world, so fitting in wasn't an issue, American accents are unusual here!

Having said that, moving 6000 miles presented us with a number of challenges logistically and emotionally. But it is possible to overcome them. Our life here isn't perfect, but we're realistic about that, it's not an extended holiday, it's daily life in a different place, it isn't going to be perfect. But we are happy, my other half is happier and more confident than he ever was in England, and my way of life is very relaxed and peaceful.

I don't know if we'll stay here forever, and we do miss family and friends, we particularly worry about our most elderly relatives. And when it comes time to have kids, I wonder what kind of support network we'll have. But for the time being it's working very well for us, and we know that when it stops being so good, we have family to return home to.

It was incredibly stressful when we made the move, I was terrified it would all be a horrendous expensive disaster, but for us it was worth it, and I will never regret making the move.

Good luck with whatever decision you make, if you want to know any more about my experience I'm happy to answer any questions you have

Torndao01

Hello caevens, I live in the US at the moment and have done for the last two years.

Please research the reality of living in the US. Healthcare, politics, jobs, education, religon and gun problems.

It is nothing like what people think, each state is really like its own country.

There is loads of real information on britishexpats.com, people on there who live all over the states.

I am returning at the end of this year.

Good luck what ever you decide.

Torndao01

maemaesmummy wrote: »

The schooling is way better there than here...

We have used http://www.greatschools.org/ to determine which school board area to move to.

So you believe everything you read on the internet.

I live in the US and have done for the last two years. I have two children one at Elementary School and one at Middle School. We will be using tutors when we get home to the UK to help our kids catch up.

BritAbroad

You've had a ton of good advice already. As the spouse of a US citizen, that will definitely help you in getting your green card. Please be aware that you may not be able to work until you have it.

I moved to the US from Blighty 3 years ago. Whilst it's been an adventure, it's not for the faint-hearted. I am close to my parents and I miss them a lot. The move itself was one of the hardest things I've ever done - when I got on the plane I was asleep before take-off and slept all the way there with total exhaustion.

People often think life is better over here - it's not, it's just different. Be prepared for a massive culture shock - we all think we know America from movies and TV, but in truth we don't until we live there. There are many aspects of life here I find bizarre - the politics, religion and attitudes to guns and healthcare are the most obvious. There's much to like and much to dislike about life here. It can be incredibly difficult to meet people over here and form friendships. My close friends over here are all expats - not for the want of trying but it seems to me that Americans just don't socialise to the same extent as Brits do.

I personally don't find the cost of living to be any less than the UK. Petrol is cheap, for example, but then your car and house insurance are many times the cost of the UK. So it balances out.

Under no circumstances underestimate the cost of healthcare!!!! I can't emphasise this enough. Even with insurance, it will still cost you a LOT of money. I just paid $500 for a scan recently. I need dental treatment, but I'm having to put it off as OH needed emergency dental treatment and that's wiped out our dental insurance for the year. So if I get my treatment just now, we're looking at a bill north of $3000. I needed a root canal and crown last year - that was $1600+ - after the insurance had paid their share. Medical bureaucracy is also designed to drive you completely insane - the insurance companies will reject claims if they possibly can and you get hit with a bill. Usually it's an admin error, but it's left to you to sort it out.

I know expat friends who like the schools here, and their kids were in good schools in the UK. So I think the school system varies widely in quality.

Depending on where you live, job opportunities can be hard to come by. Lots of jobs are restricted to citizens. I have my green card, and despite having 2 master's degrees and years of experience I haven't found a job. My expat friends here are in the same boat.

If you have the opportunity of a trial run, go for it. If you're not tied to a specific area or state, you might want to try some different places. The individual states are very different animals!

maemaesmummy

Torndao01 wrote: »

So you believe everything you read on the internet.

I live in the US and have done for the last two years. I have two children one at Elementary School and one at Middle School. We will be using tutors when we get home to the UK to help our kids catch up.

Yes I do obviously I have based my decision on schooling my 2 exceptionally bright prize winning children on just stuff I have read on the net :cool: I haven't done anything more than than before moving them 4000 miles. I'm that stupid.

Obviously it depends on the child and their learning abilities as to how they cope and if they need additional tutoring to "catch up" so to speak.

Gloomendoom

Torndao01 wrote: »

So you believe everything you read on the internet.

I live in the US and have done for the last two years. I have two children one at Elementary School and one at Middle School. We will be using tutors when we get home to the UK to help our kids catch up.

This echoes my sister-in-law's experience.

However, in my experience, at university level, there does not seem to be any difference at all between the US and the UK (sporting scholarships excepted.) Although, I suppose it will depend on exactly which universities you choose to compare.

claire16c

One of my friends went to an American school for a couple of years when she came home she ended up in the bottom groups for everything & it really messed up her education. Luckily as her brother was younger he had more time to catch up and got much better GCSEs.

But I agree with doom&gloom about the unis.

GlasweJen

One of my friends did an exchange in 6th year and went to North Carolina for a full school year. She already had her highers but wasn't ready for Uni. She said that she was on the "honour roll" for everything, won national competitions and on paper looked like some sort of genius but the reality was that the material they were covering was stuff she had done for her standard grades!

lama_pdx

You're being worryingly blithe about the healthcare. Most entry-level jobs do not in fact offer health care or other benefits, because they are part-time or a temporary contract. So you would need to be sure that this is sorted out up-front. Not all health insurances are equal, either--have a careful look at the benefits offered by a potential job: in my first job with benefits I had to pay £200 per month for a health care plan with a £1000 deductible.

Case in point: a friend of mine has a husband undergoing cancer treatment. Her health insurance company continually rejects claims for various treatments, scans, blood tests, "mistakenly" saying they were never approved and that she must pay the bill for thousands of dollars. She then has to spend hours on the phone trying to get them to sort it out, sending them more forms if needed. In some cases she has had to argue with the hospital to fill out the insurance forms correctly. She has to spend several hours a week doing this, constantly, and in some cases she has just paid a bill in order to move on.

She does all this during lunch hours and breaks at work. If she reduces her hours at work, then she'll no longer be a full-time employee, and thus no longer eligible for benefits like health care.

And all that is before the whole "taking care of a husband with cancer" thing.

I have found that people moving to the US consistently underestimate how bad this can be, and have failed to plan accordingly, and have ended up with huge debts and hassle. So I really don't mean to be Debbie Downer here--obviously I think there are brilliant things about living in the US--but be prepared and make sure you get yourselves some excellent insurance.