02-10-2006, 02:39 PM
I've recently entered the US on a K-1 visa, but me and the soon-to-be-missus have sat down and decided we actually preferred it back on the other side of the pond. I concur with every reason eastendboy listed, and the other half is a serious Anglophile anyway, and she's almost more up for it than I am! I've been out here for over 6 months, and the rose-coloured glasses came off fairly quickly. Here are some of my reasons, in addition to everything eastendboy said...
I can't help but think about the time back in the UK last year - I was on a fairly average salary back in the UK, yet I had a reasonably nice flat, savings, two cars, loads of cool electronic and music gear, food in the cupboards, usually a night out every week, satellite TV and 2MB broadband, everything was paid up, and I usually had a little bit left over at the end of the month, even while Gwen (the missus-to-be) was staying with me and I was subsidising her. Granted, a little of this (petrol and some other travel costs, the occasional bit of stationery and electronics) was subsidised by expenses at my old job, but that's nothing a somewhat higher salary wouldn't address (let along two salaries, as Gwen, with her great qualifications and personality would be able to walk right into a fantastic job), and which I would get if I went for something more in "my" field.
My immediate thought is that, as a percentage of average income, the cost of living here in the US is considerably higher than in the UK, despite some things being cheaper. This is contrary to generally-accepted hearsay. Sure, petrol is cheaper, but cars are bigger and much less fuel-effieient - here, 30mpg is seen as excellent fuel consumption - there are cars back in the UK getting in excess of 50mpg. Nothing irks me here like seeing a tank-like Chevy Suburban or other unnecessarily large and globulous SUV with only one person in it, who's usually on the phone. You also have to drive a lot further to get to places, not to mention anything approaching a decent public transport system in most places - our drive to the barn where Gwen rides her horse every week is more or less the equivalent of driving to Oxford from London, and the drive I'm doing to work every day is more or less the same as the drive from London to Brighton. Groceries are roughly equivalent in price for most things, as are things like rents, phone bills (with the exception of mobile phones, which are way more expensive to own here - I can't believe you get charged here for INCOMING calls!). Things like domestic bills for gas and electricity seem considerably higher though. Taxation also actually seems higher, despite the fact that sometimes you can get some of this back. Now, throw in the fact that the UK has the NHS (the statistic that 90% of bankruptcies in the US are down to medical expenses scared the hell out of me) and a halfway-decent safety net should you fall through the cracks, the fact that our kids, when we have them, have the chance of subsidised university in the UK, and that the US has a currency that is only worth slightly more than jumping beans in the world economy, and you begin to see my problem. On the plus side, at least the US doesn't have the abominations that are council tax, speed cameras, chavs and "Max Power" magazine.
Oh, and the TV sucks too... not so much the shows - this is the country that brought us CSI, South Park, Drawn Together, Family Guy and Star Trek in its various iterations, it's the commercials every 5 minutes, the awful news coverage and blatantly partisan approach of some of the channels to political matters. Our satellite TV is off right now, and I don't miss it. We had all the good US TV shows in the UK, with a lot less commercials, and a load of other good programming to boot, and channels who are legally not allowed to be partisan on political matters. Let's just say, as far as TV goes, UKNova has become my best friend. D
We've stayed since I figured, after all the hassle of getting over here, it was worth at least trying to give it a proper go. But I've totally lost my enthusiasm for the place now. So, it looks like we're going to get married, then go back to the UK. I'm not even going to bother adjusting status here. Plus, the visa process for her to get into the UK is way, way simpler than going the other way. $500, an online form and one interview, and that's it, visa in hand the same day.
I can't help but think about the time back in the UK last year - I was on a fairly average salary back in the UK, yet I had a reasonably nice flat, savings, two cars, loads of cool electronic and music gear, food in the cupboards, usually a night out every week, satellite TV and 2MB broadband, everything was paid up, and I usually had a little bit left over at the end of the month, even while Gwen (the missus-to-be) was staying with me and I was subsidising her. Granted, a little of this (petrol and some other travel costs, the occasional bit of stationery and electronics) was subsidised by expenses at my old job, but that's nothing a somewhat higher salary wouldn't address (let along two salaries, as Gwen, with her great qualifications and personality would be able to walk right into a fantastic job), and which I would get if I went for something more in "my" field.
My immediate thought is that, as a percentage of average income, the cost of living here in the US is considerably higher than in the UK, despite some things being cheaper. This is contrary to generally-accepted hearsay. Sure, petrol is cheaper, but cars are bigger and much less fuel-effieient - here, 30mpg is seen as excellent fuel consumption - there are cars back in the UK getting in excess of 50mpg. Nothing irks me here like seeing a tank-like Chevy Suburban or other unnecessarily large and globulous SUV with only one person in it, who's usually on the phone. You also have to drive a lot further to get to places, not to mention anything approaching a decent public transport system in most places - our drive to the barn where Gwen rides her horse every week is more or less the equivalent of driving to Oxford from London, and the drive I'm doing to work every day is more or less the same as the drive from London to Brighton. Groceries are roughly equivalent in price for most things, as are things like rents, phone bills (with the exception of mobile phones, which are way more expensive to own here - I can't believe you get charged here for INCOMING calls!). Things like domestic bills for gas and electricity seem considerably higher though. Taxation also actually seems higher, despite the fact that sometimes you can get some of this back. Now, throw in the fact that the UK has the NHS (the statistic that 90% of bankruptcies in the US are down to medical expenses scared the hell out of me) and a halfway-decent safety net should you fall through the cracks, the fact that our kids, when we have them, have the chance of subsidised university in the UK, and that the US has a currency that is only worth slightly more than jumping beans in the world economy, and you begin to see my problem. On the plus side, at least the US doesn't have the abominations that are council tax, speed cameras, chavs and "Max Power" magazine.
Oh, and the TV sucks too... not so much the shows - this is the country that brought us CSI, South Park, Drawn Together, Family Guy and Star Trek in its various iterations, it's the commercials every 5 minutes, the awful news coverage and blatantly partisan approach of some of the channels to political matters. Our satellite TV is off right now, and I don't miss it. We had all the good US TV shows in the UK, with a lot less commercials, and a load of other good programming to boot, and channels who are legally not allowed to be partisan on political matters. Let's just say, as far as TV goes, UKNova has become my best friend. D
We've stayed since I figured, after all the hassle of getting over here, it was worth at least trying to give it a proper go. But I've totally lost my enthusiasm for the place now. So, it looks like we're going to get married, then go back to the UK. I'm not even going to bother adjusting status here. Plus, the visa process for her to get into the UK is way, way simpler than going the other way. $500, an online form and one interview, and that's it, visa in hand the same day.