Life Abroad in the UK
A few weeks ago, I asked the question via my Instagram stories if you had questions about life abroad. Overwhelmingly you did! I've took some time to write out your questions along with my answers. I hope these answers help give you clarity as you dream dreams of living abroad or make visions a reality one day.
How easy was the move job wise? Is it difficult to find work over there? My husband secured a job prior to us moving here. It is very difficult - not impossible - but it is very difficult to find work here if you’re not a UK/EU citizen. Or you don’t have a visa to work here. I have a visa because of my husband therefore, I can apply for work if I’d like to. Unfortunately, I can’t give you much insight as to how to find work here but I know it’s not easy. Especially at the present time. This isn’t the time to try and find work here as the country has closed it’s borders to only essential travel.. and they aren’t processing visas at the rate they once were.
Is it hard to find foods that remind you of America? For us, no because we have access to the American military base commissary. The commissary is the grocery store which has all the American food items. If we didn’t have the commissary then yes it would it be difficult to find food items. Occasionally some of the grocery stores here like Co-Op and Tesco will have a few shelves of various American food items. Typically it’s junk food unfortunately. There is more to American food than junk food!
Do your kids speak “British”? No. Though they’ve picked up on many of the British terms; they do not have an accent. But they can do a good impression!
How did you start planning your move abroad? It’s a massive process! Thankfully my husband’s company helped with some of it. I had to get quotes for shipping companies to send our house hold goods across the ocean. That’s only part of the process. Number one 1) Have a job secured 2) Make sure you have valid passports. If not, then apply asap. 3)Begin the visa process. This takes time. 4) Begin to get your household in order. This could mean putting your house on the market, selling cars, sell items or putting items into storage 5) Research the area where you’ll want to live 6) Arrange a shipping company to pack and ship your household goods 7) Research and take care of your animals regarding how to move them overseas (this was the most stressful part for me!). 8) Visit all your medical and health professionals to get final checkups and your medical history files. Also make sure you have a back up of glasses, contact lens, medications, inhalers, etc as establishing this in the UK can take some time. 9) Research the customs and culture of the country where you are moving. 10) Breathe! It is a lot of work and can be an overwhelming experience especially when moving an entire family. There are plenty more steps but this is a start. I recommend waiting until you arrive before looking to find a place to live. You want to be able to view places as the houses and apartments are much different here in the UK.
How do you keep your US citizenship while living in England? You don’t lose your citizenship when you move abroad.
Self-Employment in the UK. My answers here are limited. I am a dependent of my husband on his visa. My visa allows me to work here legally but I would pay UK taxes. I’ve established a US business with my travel and my photographer therefore I pay US taxes on my businesses. If I were to establish myself as a self employed (they refer to as sole trader) UK business, it would be a very different story.
How do you start? https://www.gov.uk/working-for-yourself
How do you find people react, respond to you regarding the US election and being American? Some people were curious as to my thoughts. But Brits as a whole are reserved people, unless they feel comfortable with you or you intiate the conversations, they aren’t likely to bring it up. When I lived in Italy during the 2004 elections, this was a very different experience. The Italians had no problem telling me how they felt about our elections, our choices at the time and what they desired for us. I will say, it gives you perspective when you realize the influence our country has on other countries when they are caught up in our news.
Can I come be your neighbor? Yes! Actually the cottage next door to us is for rent!
Did you move overseas require a large investment up front? Yes it does. Even though my husband’s company paid for the most of our move, we had to pay for it up front and then we were reimbursed. It cost over $30,000 to move our family. It’s not cheap. This includes the cost of shipping our house hold goods, the cost of visas and plane tickets. They didn’t cover everything but it wasn’t cheap.
When I was in my early twenties, I moved to Italy. I spent maybe $1000 to make the move to Florence. But it was just me and a large suitcase plus a guitar. I only had to pay for a plane ticket. I found a room to rent. It was much cheaper on my own. No pets, no kids, not major expenses.
Expat - I would love a definition. Expat is short for the word expatriate which simply means “a person who lives outside their native country”. And yet we have terms such as migrant worker, immigrant, refugee, etc. I found this insightful BBC article on the use of the word Expat vs immigrant.
What does it take for an American to move there? The two easiest ways: 1) You can visit the UK for up to 6 months without a visa. This is perfect for people who work remotely or are self employed 2) Secure a job with a company who have offices in the UK (or a UK company) prior to moving. For me personally, I would have an opportunity many times throughout the year to visit as I worked as a travel guide. Traveling here for work is very different from actually living here. My prior experiences here helped me acclimate to life in the UK but it isn’t the same as living here.
Is there access to quality mental healthcare? Mental health services are different here than the US. It depends on what you’re used to. No doubt they have quality services BUT the process to accessing that care is a different story. I often find it difficult to surround my American expectations to the British methods. If you go to NHS (the public healthcare), you have to be prepared to wait for certain services. Otherwise you have to go through private insurance which can be pricy. Also, the way mental health is approached here - depending on what - can also be different. Sometimes this can be a good thing, other times this can cause frustration. I would do you research and make sure to know what you need, what is important to you and be prepared to let go of certain expectations.
How hard is it finding a housing at a reasonable price? That depends on WHERE you look for housing. London is one of the most expensive cities in the world. Then again, you can find affordable places to live. Cotswolds are expensive vs where we live is more affordable. If you live off a main train line, especially if it has access to London, this can also cause the price to increase. The website www.rightmove.co.uk is a great place to begin looking at places to buy/let (rent).
Here is an article written in 2018 comparing/contrasting cost of living.
Is there good public transportation in the countryside? Depends. There are train stops and local bus systems to a degree. But the smaller villages won’t always have this as an option. The countryside won’t have car services like Uber and the taxi’s can be expensive. I’d say this is still better than the US. That said, if you live the countryside, it’s best to have a car. You can get by without if you’re in a village with a train/bus stop but you’ll be relying on that schedule.
The community aspect of the pubs. Like the pubs seem like a hub for community. Pubs are very much a gathering places to this day. Decades ago, there were many more pubs in the UK but sadly it’s expensive to keep them going. A few articles on the pub culture and history here, here and here.
Is there a large homeschool community there? There are homeschool communities throughout the UK. My go-to resource on all things homeschool (and she’s a Brit) is Leah Boden. I know Wild + Free has various groups that meet in different counties. Again, this is an area where I don’t have much knowledge. Leah is a wonderful resource to start with.
Rental budget for a couple to live in a beautiful countryside town. This depends on WHERE in the UK you’re located. Like the US, some places are more affordable than others. Consistently the northern part of the UK is more affordable. There are many lovely villages here in the county where I live - Northamptonshire - that I believe are affordable. Rightmove.co.uk is a good place to look for places to let (to rent).
How to deal with UK healthcare. When we moved, we have to pay an NHS health surcharge when applying for our visas. This gives you access to the NHS which is the UK’s healthcare system. If you have private insurance through your company, you can use this as well when visiting private doctors. Just be aware that more than likely you will have to pay the total fee upfront and then submit a claim to your private insurance company to reimburse you. You have to be prepared for the finance cost. Whereas with NHS, most serves are free or cost a fraction of the amount… BUT you often have to wait weeks, months or even years to have things taken care. Especially right now with COVID - it can take a year for even an appointment to happen. It depends on where you’re located and what needs to be addressed. Also, the way they go about the processes are very different. It’s taken time to understand how it works. I can’t say I’m any more used to it. I recommend doing as much as you can in the US before you leave or when you’re home visiting if you have issues you’d rather not wait on.
Do you have to be well off financially to move? I would say yes and no. Yes because moving costs a lot of money regardless but moving internationally isn’t cheap. Especially if you’re moving household goods and animals. People don’t realize how incredibly expensive it is to move pets overseas. For one pet, it can cost a minimum of $3,000-5,000 depending on the weight/breed. Also, if the country you are moving to has a currency that is valued higher than the dollar then you have to also keep this in mind. The GBP is worth more than the USD. We not only pay more for rent, utilities and petrol but we have to also convert that to USD.
Visas are very expensive when it’s all said and done. If you are moving for work, they will pay for this but often you have to pay for this upfront. Our family cost over $10,000 for our visas. We had to front that cost.
That said, when I moved to Italy as a 20-something, I did so without spending loads of money. But I was single and not bringing a pet or household items with me. Just a few suitcases.
Do you still vote in American elections? yes we vote by absentee ballots.
How long does your passport allow you to stay? Your passports are good for 10 years. Our ability to stay here legally has more to do with the type of visa we have vs our passports. Obviously you need a valid passport. But it’s the visa that allows us to be here past 6 months. Our current visa is good for five years and expires August 2022. I hope and pray we can continue to stay longer but who knows what will be in that time.
How is it different than America? It’s a totally different country. Not much feels like the US. Even though they speak English here, it can at time be either 1) difficult to understand the accent 2) term are different which can leave you confused and unsure.
It’s different in a million different ways. Here are a few books you can read on all the differences between the US & UK:
Things I like better? What do I miss about America? I like the pace of life here in the countryside. I appreciate that people aren’t in a hurry and no one ever says they’re busy. People make time for one another. Our village looks out for one another vs shaming each other via FB neighborhood groups. I appreciate the public footpaths and the freedom to walk all over the place. I love the National Trust and English Heritage sites. There is nothing like this in the US. There are places like the Biltmore Estates but it’s one house and costs a small fortune to visit. Here, you can pay one annual fee and have access to hundreds of estate homes, gardens and parklands. I like taking the train into London whenever I want. I love all the history and how they preserve buildings and places vs tearing them down. I could go on and on about all that I love about life here.
What I miss about America: My family and friends most of all. I miss silly things like good Tex-Mex and BBQ. I miss certain cultural aspects that are hard to put into words.. like road trips and summer cookouts and thanksgiving. I miss accessible minor urgent care clinics.