Moving with family to UK, What's the pro's & con's of these places?

"I'd give Brighton a go, however, as you might get better weather & I'm all for that!" - Mrs Robinson.

Well... Here is the thing with the weather in Brighton. (Remember, I was there for 6 months!)

It gets more sun then the north, yes, BUT... It is NEVER EVER EVER WARM. NEVER.

That is a myth. People say, "Sunny Brighton" when they should really be saying "Windy Brighton."

There is a constant, AND I MEAN CONSTANT, cold breeze. It comes off the coastline, and it is NON-STOP.

When we lived there, even on sunny days, I would still have to wear a coat! When I would travel up to London for anything, 45 minutes away, it was SOOOOO much warmer. Because, there was no constant icy cold "fresh air" was blowing on me.

Even if we drove a half hour inland, it was several degrees warmer - and forget the winter in Brighton - SUPER ICE COLD WINDS, blowing trash all over the place. For MONTHS AT A TIME.

Even now, as I sit in London, in jeans and a t-shirt, in my garden, I am seeing facebook photo posts of people I know from Brighton... sitting in parks there, with winter coats on!

So, do not believe the hype about the beautiful weather in Brighton.

"I'd give Brighton a go, however, as you might get better weather & I'm all for that!" - Mrs Robinson.

Well... Here is the thing with the weather in Brighton. (Remember, I was there for 6 months!)

It gets more sun then the north, yes, BUT... It is NEVER EVER EVER WARM. NEVER.

It's not really ever warm in the north, so the sunshine sounds great! 

It's not really ever warm in the north, so the sunshine sounds great! 

Lol, tell me about. The North Pole is a tundra!    And we never see the sun either, so both sound OK to me at the moment. 

I think all the places you have mentioned are lovely, however as a girl who was born and raised in Cheltenham it is a terrific place.  A nice size town with plenty of amenities, but not so large that you get lost. Only a couple hours from London, but within minutes of the stereotypical English villages.  Its not as expensive as some place like Brighton.

But all the cities and towns you've mentioned are great places, there isn't one I wouldn't live in myself.

Thank you all.  You've given us much to think about!

My husband's background is in restaurant management and computers.

Currently he is as head of customer service for a local company of about 50 employees.  He has lots of management experience, both in and out of restaurants.  He's willing to do just about anything.  While he was recently out of work and looking for a decent-paying job, he waited tables at a local restaurant.  If that's all he can find in the UK, that's what he'll do.

Thanks again!

Beth

OK, if he is in restaurant management, I take back everything I said about there being NO work in Brighton!

LOL!

There actually were tonnes of restaurant management jobs advertised in Brighton!!!!!

(It sort of drove me nuts because I was not even remotely qualified to apply to those positions, and they seemed to be the only job in town!)

The one thing i noticed was a lot of the restaurant management staff in Brighton are super good looking gay men. Not all, but a lot.

Actually, a lot of the general population in Brighton are super good looking gay men... So, that might be why! Brighton is just very gay, which is nice. No creepy street harassment at all - LOL! (MY HUBBY WAS ASKED OUT BY MEN ALL THE TIME, ME, NOT EVEN ONCE FOR THE WHOLE SIX MONTHS! I was asked out by several women tho! Ha Ha! I made some very cool lesbian friends!)

I did also meet a few women in restaurant management, but not many. Most management out there were men.

A good place to work in Brighton for restaurant management would be Bill's, if he could get in there.

Supposedly, if he really wants a job in restaurant management, he needs to GO INTO the restaurant he wants to work in, as a client, and get to know them a bit, then apply. I knew a few people looking for work in that field out there, and they all did it that way. I don't know if that is just how that industry works in Brighton, or in England, or if it is a worldwide thing - But that was how the people in Brighton that i knew, who worked in that field, got the jobs they really wanted. They became regulars, got to know the management a bit, and then applied.

Brighton is very transient. Maybe being a familiar face was a big benefit?

There is also the hotel industry out there. They also hire people from restaurant management backgrounds for general management positions, so he could look into that in Brighton too.

Anyway, if THAT is his field, in Brighton, there IS work. Tonnes of work. I'm pretty sure if he had experience he would be able to get a job. He might run across the "But do you have UK experience" issue, but they need people with restaurant management experience sooooo badly out there that he suspect they would at least hire him to be an assistant manager without UK experience.

Timing is important tho, because it is a tourist area. Before the tourist season kicks in, so just before 'summer' I guess, they do all the hiring. After it is over, no one seems to post many jobs for the food industry... for like 6 months! But, stuff still comes up...

Ok, I hope that info helps!

But, still... Brighton is rather windy! LOL!

xooxoxoox,
L.

Lol, tell me about. The North Pole is a tundra!    And we never see the sun either, so both sound OK to me at the moment. 

AND there's a constant wind down the Great Glen Way. Trust me on this, I live (and walk in and out of town) along the river the wind-chill is not fun.

Hi Beth,

Some good feedback and personal views for each place as you'd expect ! However, I will be more 'boring' !

You mention you are coming over for a year - so I'm thinking along the lines of school for your two kids, the upheaval they'll be going through in coming to a new place with no friends and on top of that, being 'the americans' or the 'foreign boys' for what other kids their age will be saying to them etc. I know there's American schools in the UK and a member here 'onetiger' is a teacher at one of them, so perhaps look into this area as part of your major considerations to move? If it was just you and your partner/hubby, things would be somewhat easier, but your kids I suspect are central to your life and you'd want to do as best by them as you possibly can.

As a RN, you are of course in the medical field, and are you prepared and understanding of the UK's health setup and nuances? Salaries are lower in direct comparison, but of course I don't know how much the position you may be going for pays depending on your experience levels etc. Cost of living is very high in the UK and each of the places you've mentioned has variance for sure, but overall, are still very expensive. Tied in with that, what kind of lifestyle do you want to maintain whilst here? will the company you work for pay for the rent and bills etc? or will it come out of your pocket(s)? - the job situation is bad in the UK as well, and whilst it's great to hear that your other half will do any job, in practice it's much harder, or can be as simply put there's less of them. You'll also experience what I mention above about other's seeing that you are from abroad and that may also sway their decision in not hiring, hopefully, that's not the case, but do keep in mind there is a sentiment of anti americanism in the UK - I'm not saying it's blatant and prevalent everywhere, just know that it does exist. So if your partner in worst case scenario, wasn't able to secure work for the year, would you be ok to support everyone and of course to enjoy the standard of living you'd want as a family?

I know quite a bit of this will require more research, but I think ultimately, it'll depend on the salary that you are offered and indeed, if the company will pay for things like rent and utilities for you, or not.

Dare I say it, are you also happy with the weather situation here in the UK? we've had an absolutely miserable summer this year, there's talk of the jet stream settling further north as per usual so that we get some warmth back, but it's soon the end of July, and only August is left for any chance of warmth. By mid september, it'll be cooler again and back to our usual 9-10 months of grey, damp, wet, cold, rainy usual weather.

Plenty of things to think about !

Cheers, DtM! West London & Slough UK!

Thanks!  You've given me even more to think about!

It's good to hear that restaurant management may be an option for my husband.

I know that the salary for RN's is much less than in USA.  Just moving from California to Georgia 18 months ago, my salary was cut almost in half!  It looks like the UK pay will be a little less than my current GA pay and the cost of living will be higher.  We would probably be able to make it on my salary and husband's salary would be for travel. 

We don't expect to live an extravagant lifestyle while in the UK, but would like enough money left over to see more of Europe while we are there.  My company will pay for an apartment or give an extra stipend (money) if we want to find our own place.  I understand that we may end up in a one bedroom flat with a couch/bed in the living room.  We know there will be lots of things we are accustomed to that we may not have while we are there.  But we are willing to pay that price for the opportunity to live abroad. 

We homeschool our kids and will continue to do that when we move there.  So getting into neighborhoods with the best schools is not an issue.  That gives us some flexibility on where we live. 

According to the company I will be working for, they will try to place us fairly close to where I will be working.  Then my husband can look for work once we get there, starting nearby and then farther away as necessary. 

For me personally, the cold and wet is what I will not like the most.  I am willing to put up with it for the opportunity.  Someone on this site mentioned that she hadn't been warm since moving to the UK.  I think that will be me!

Thanks again for all your input.  It is much appreciated.

Beth