I've been contemplating living in the UK. Am I crazy???

[SmileyBoy]

Lately, I've seriously been thinking about moving to the UK (namely London) after I finish graduate school. London is a city I've been DYING to visit in the past several years, and I've done a little research on the city, and I've come to the conclusion that it would actually be a great city for me to live in.

I think my future career could accomodate it. I'm planning on becoming a stadium architect, and I know for a fact that HOK (based out of Kansas City) is the most world-renowned firm for designing stadiums and arenas, and they have a huge branch office in London. I'm thinking once I get my master's, I could apply for work there. I'm thinking I'd have a good chance to immigrate to the UK, because I would have money, lots of education, and a high-paying job lined up for me.

I was originally thinking of moving to Canada once I got my bachelor's (going to grad school in Winnipeg and then staying there), but now I'm seriously thinking of the UK. My father would hate me for this, because he absolutely HATES the British for some reason.

Any UK DU'ers out there care to tell me a little more on how things are in the UK (politically, culturally and economically)?? Thanks.

[imenja]

1. London is EXTREMELY expensive these days

I lived there in the mid 80s, and I enjoyed my stay. I wouldn't want to live there permanently due to certain cultural issues, but it's a great city with no shortage of things to do. My understanding is that you have to have a lot of money to get by there today.

[passy]

2. England is nice but it rains a lot.

It makes the whole place look grayish black and damp.
However the people are really polite and generally friendly and helpful. They are also open and non-judgmental although being American you will have to learn to speak more quietly in public so as not to draw too many stares or have people think you are a tourist.
You must also remember that most Brits think * is a complete and utter moron and they will blame you for electing him.
London in itself is one of the most vibrant cities on earth, it's chic, bohemian, elegant, trashy and cool.
It's not that violent compared to American cities, but that's probably due to the fact that UK citizens are not allowed to have guns.
If you want to get an idea of how funny Londoners can be, download some episodes of "Coupling" or any other British comedies as they are quite representative of how the people are there, but whatever you do, do not ever start watching "Eastenders".

[sinkingfeeling]

3. You will need 2 to 3 times what you live on now to survive in

London. Just a prediction, but I belive the British pound will cost about $2 US by year-end. Then London is a very large, beautiful city and the cost of living there is much higher than in a smaller English town.

[MADem]

7. Yeah, it is expensive

The only other option is to sharply curtail your lifestyle. I cringe at the prices there.

[tjwmason]

4. Property prices

As has been said these are very high, certain parts of central London are among the highest in the world (my parents own a studio apartment worth £250,000, or $473,000) further out they get somewhat lower. Basically this is a smaller place than the U.S. and so demand is much higher.

The weather is moderate, especially the south-east.

Culturally London is magnificent. I'm not sure what areas of cultural life interest you most, but London has probably got it all. Many of the galleries and museums are free, including some of the best in the world (e.g., the British Museum, the National Gallery, Tate Britain). London is the capital of Britain in pretty much all regards - whereas D.C. is the political capital, New York the economic capital, and Los Angeles (to some extent) the cultural capital, over here it's all based in London.

It's biggest problem derives from it's age. If you go into the City (which is roughly a square mile of the very centre) it's still a mediaeval street plan. The London Underground (alias the Tube, the sub-way system) is the oldest in the world, and parts of it still look pretty original from the Victorian era.

Politically, there will probably be an election in the late spring. The outcome is almost certain (a Labour victory), though it is fair to say more due to public apathy with the Conservative Party than enthusiasm for Labour. Generally politics are slightly more left-wing, and they seem less polarised - for example gay-marriage is not on the agenda, but we have just created civil-partnerships without any great fuss.

Economically, we're doing well. We have survived the past few years better than continental Europe. London is the richest part of the country. Unemployment is low, as is inflation. Things are a bit questionable for the next few years, especially if the housing market fails (see above, many people have vast amounts of equity invested in their properties).

Also worth noting, access to Europe is very easy. Central Paris or Brussels are both less than 3 hours by train. Travel within the European Union is utterly hassle free for British citizens, I would guess so for Americans too.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

9. I think our politics is more than a little to the left of America's.

Banning abortion isn't even on the agenda, our taxation and public spending are a lot higher, it's universally accepted that gay rights are here to stay, we have almost no creationists, are governing party is still fairly left-wing, even though it's leadership isn't, and even our right-wing opposition is a lot less nuts than your Republicans.

We do have an established church, a second house that is partly hereditary, and a few other - mostly historical - absurdities, but it's a lot better than in the US on most issues, I think.

[sweetheart]

5. London can be nice for internships

London and the southeast suffer because the british government has
made some stupid economic decisions. They have pushed for a very high
percentage of home ownership, which is correlatec, economically with
an impoverished economy. This because people can't find rental housing
near where their skills can be best used, so workers tend to settle
for jobs that are not using them to the fullest degree. The results
are a mediocre economic performance and very expensive living.

The "should", in their london economic plan, create a massive area
of rental housing, so that the labour force in the rest of the UK might
have a way to commute-by-the-week to the southeast (which is what london
and its surrounding area is called). London's got 4 major airports,
1 at 11 oclock (luton), one at 2 oclock (stanstead), 9 oclock (heathrow)
and 6 oclock (gatwick). Between them, you can get to anywhere in the
world in short order.

London is great for all the reasons many say, and my complaints are
the cost of rent, that taxis' are now so dear with the livingston
charges that they're really a luxury for the rich, the tube sucks,
especially if you have to commute on it. The crowds are massive, like
in NYC, except there is no air-conditioning, and the carriages are low
headroom... the tube is a great place to catch whatever illness is
going in the public common. They say that 1 trip on the underground
is the equivalent of smoking 5 cigarettes... indeed!

London has grown west from the square mile or "the city" which is
the original roman-walled town, "Londonium" on the north side of
the Thames by the tower. (between tower bridge and london bridge).
The open spaces in the city are actually a bit spartan, as most of
the city is a few storys tall with no green spaces. This inspires
many folks to head out to the outer reaches of the city for some
green, but, as with NYC, the commuting trains are costly, and crowded
as well.

The city is often described by postal codes, such as SW7, EC2, W9,
more so than the names of the areas. Beware of council tax when
renting, it is a property tax that is levied on the RENTER, not the
land ownner and can up your rent by a few hundred pound. As well
rents are generally quoted "by the week" which makes them sound
reasonable when you think "by the month"... then multiply by 4 and
choke.

It is a great city for a young person without pets, or a rich
investment banker person, as both parties tend to be very flexible.
Of the local folks, i find most people i know who grew up in london
have moved out to other parts of britain as the city has transformed
over the years. There are 300 languages in london and it is easily
the most cosmopolitan city in the world... more so than New York,
and the financial district is the primary capital center in europe.

Were I you, i would apply to a UK Ph.D. programme at a university
around london, and the university will take care of you as a new
immigrant... with housing and stuff that otherwise make moving over
very expensive indeed.

Another option, if you can get over "london" is to pursue the scottish
option mentioned on another thread in this forum.
Any person who completes schooling
in scotland can stay on and become a citizen. It is the path
am on myself. Scotland rules the UK. Many in the cabinet and the
prime minister is from there, as with brown, and others. Edinburgh
is kinda like boston, a huge college town, where many british youths
go for their university, and then head down england way for their
professional careers.

What else... you might check out the cities west of london along
the thames river up to oxford (river is called the ISIS up there...
don't know why). The thames cities all are decent places to live
generally, whereas its not such a sure bet away from the river.
Croydon and SW1 can be a bit dodgey... if it looks dreary and
not inviting, it probably isn't a good place to live.

Another option is the "home counties" i suspect named that people
can keep their "homes" there whilst working in london. This would
be essex, suffolk, hertforshire, bedforshire, and some others in
a circle around london. Wimbledon is a nice town... you can find
out really quick by simply checking the rental prices of an area
whether its in your reach.

London, in some areas has terribly high incidences of athsma, that
myself having had athsma as a youth in california, but having no
symptoms for many years, suddenly needed medication to breathe when
living in W9. Fortunately, doctors are more available than in the
US. What else.... There is a book "Life in the United Kingodm
A journey to citizenship" published by the home office (same as the
INS in this regard)... and it explains the whole nitty gritty for
anyone considering your position:

http://www.tso.co.uk/bookshop/bookstore.asp?action=searchresults

It will even give you a full british history lesson (leaving out
the peasant revolt of 1381 entirely!!! Blunkett!! what were you
thinking.. "labour!!")

For scotland, its all on the web at www.scotland.gov.uk ... check
the skilled workers link to find out about immigration.

[SweetLeftFoot]

6. Stadum designer

Right part of the world - English Premier League and lower division teams are always building new stadia as are European teams.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

8. Britain can be a nice, comfortable place to live

But the expense of living in London will have a severe effect on your income.