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josie · 10-19-2005, 03:01 AM

Hey Cyrnel - I'm an American living in the UK on an extended spousal dependent visa - which means that I'm here with my husband because of his job and we can stay here as long as his job lasts. We couldn't get visas until he had a work permit which meant that his employer (the NHS- National Health Service) had to write a letter saying that they wanted him to come and work and that they would pay him enough so that we would not become dependent on the state at any point of our stay. And if I'm not mistaken - I think that's how it has to go. A friend of mine who's interested in relocating here has said that she thinks she can get a travel visa and then find a job while she's here, get someone to give her a work permit and have her travel visa exchanged for a work visa and go about it that way. I don't know if that would work or not - but you could check it out.

In terms of prices - yes you can plan on everything costing about twice as much in the UK as in the US. But I've found that to be a small price to pay for what we've gotten out of the experience. I really, really love living here and would pay as much as we could possibly afford to be able to stay. In fact - my husband just got his contract extended so it is now open-ended and we may just stay forever. It is very different from the US in most ways I can think of - but different in a way that really suits me. I'm like you, I've also always loved all things British- literature, humor, attitude, etc - so that's probably why it's so appealing to me.

We live in a little village in Somerset which is one of the more rural counties in England. We live about an hour and a half outside of London. Beautiful, beautiful country side, really nice people, outside of the hustle and bustle but centrally located - we can be in Cardiff in an hour, Bristol in about twenty minutes, etc...always plenty of stuff to do.

I've found the NHS to be fine. I've not had any trouble getting appointments, etc. and the dental care is free for us. Of course none of us is sick or has a chronic illness - I can't speak to how those situations would go here. But my husband does work in an ER here, and he's really favorably impressed with the level of dedication and compassion he sees. Of course, he's looking at it from an insider's view.

I'd say if you have any way to do it - grab it. Just the experience of living in a different country with people who have different mindsets, behaviors, etc has been so enriching and really, really fun. And if you stay for five years, you can gain citizenship and be a citizen of the European Union and then you are free to live and work in any of the EU countries. It really opens up a whole new world.

If you have any specific questions about lifestyle, culture, etc. feel free to let me know. Good luck...

10-19-2005, 03:01 AM	#6 (permalink)
josie Upright Location: UK	Hey Cyrnel - I'm an American living in the UK on an extended spousal dependent visa - which means that I'm here with my husband because of his job and we can stay here as long as his job lasts. We couldn't get visas until he had a work permit which meant that his employer (the NHS- National Health Service) had to write a letter saying that they wanted him to come and work and that they would pay him enough so that we would not become dependent on the state at any point of our stay. And if I'm not mistaken - I think that's how it has to go. A friend of mine who's interested in relocating here has said that she thinks she can get a travel visa and then find a job while she's here, get someone to give her a work permit and have her travel visa exchanged for a work visa and go about it that way. I don't know if that would work or not - but you could check it out. In terms of prices - yes you can plan on everything costing about twice as much in the UK as in the US. But I've found that to be a small price to pay for what we've gotten out of the experience. I really, really love living here and would pay as much as we could possibly afford to be able to stay. In fact - my husband just got his contract extended so it is now open-ended and we may just stay forever. It is very different from the US in most ways I can think of - but different in a way that really suits me. I'm like you, I've also always loved all things British- literature, humor, attitude, etc - so that's probably why it's so appealing to me. We live in a little village in Somerset which is one of the more rural counties in England. We live about an hour and a half outside of London. Beautiful, beautiful country side, really nice people, outside of the hustle and bustle but centrally located - we can be in Cardiff in an hour, Bristol in about twenty minutes, etc...always plenty of stuff to do. I've found the NHS to be fine. I've not had any trouble getting appointments, etc. and the dental care is free for us. Of course none of us is sick or has a chronic illness - I can't speak to how those situations would go here. But my husband does work in an ER here, and he's really favorably impressed with the level of dedication and compassion he sees. Of course, he's looking at it from an insider's view. I'd say if you have any way to do it - grab it. Just the experience of living in a different country with people who have different mindsets, behaviors, etc has been so enriching and really, really fun. And if you stay for five years, you can gain citizenship and be a citizen of the European Union and then you are free to live and work in any of the EU countries. It really opens up a whole new world. If you have any specific questions about lifestyle, culture, etc. feel free to let me know. Good luck...