Careers That Pay Well In The UK ie enough to support a family

I think one thing to look at is also the fact that if you live in a city, you are more likely to rent than own.  Most of my friends who were making a decent salary in Boston & in DC all rented...or they lived at least an hour commute.  If they did own a home it was a small two bedroom type.  Cities are expensive and many people with decent paying jobs choose to live there and not have the luxuries that they might otherwise have if they chose to live elsewhere.  I chose to live in London even though there wasn't a rats chance in hell that I'd ever own a home here on my own.  Perhaps if I got married I might own a small flat and that's it.  But it's in exchange for the things I enjoy about city living.

So the best thing to do is to look at what is most important to you.  If you enjoy the life you lead in Utah, then you should definitely think about trying to stay there.  It's not a bad thing to like another country more - heck many people who moved here like being here more!  But if you want to move to a city in England then there will be things to adjust to.  And lifestyle will be a big one. (Heck, if you decided to move to Boston you'd have to change your lifestyle...almost any move makes it so).

Best of luck to you in making that decision.  Look at pros and cons...that's all any of us can do.

London might be expensive, but it will give you a life that Utah can never give you. Likewise, the life Utah can give you will not be found in Greenwich. That just seems kind of obvious to me.

100% obvious. But not to tenthplanet. Which is why he'll come back again to the forum yet again next month, with the same bizarre questions and same remarkable confusion about the country he apparently grew up in, but this time he'll be earning $72,000 and will be able to report that even dead people in Utah can afford the fabled 4-bed detached house, that's how much further money stretches there.

100% obvious. But not to tenthplanet. Which is why he'll come back again to the forum yet again next month, with the same bizarre questions and same remarkable confusion about the country he apparently grew up in, but this time he'll be earning $72,000 and will be able to report that even dead people in Utah can afford the fabled 4-bed detached house, that's how much further money stretches there.

I particularly liked the disappearing wife and baby on the way, maybe they'll show up again next time around.

as for utah being more prosperous than london. it has to be. surely there is only more wealth in london due to a much larger population, but per head utah looks wealthier (wealth in terms of purchasing power, not numerical figures). working class people here can afford a 4 bed detached home, a car, eating out frequently, movies, and save too. many professionals in london, and outside of it, can't even do that.

I was born and raised in Utah. We're obviously talking about two totally different Utahs. I grew up in Kearns and the Bonneville area. If you're from around there then you know that the area is so far from prosperous, it's not even funny.  I now live in Leeds, in the student part of town. Believe me, this area is much more prosperous than where I grew up.

You remind me very much of my uncle. He's the chef of the New Yorker Dining Room & Cafe. He lives in a totally different Utah too. In fact, he lives in a totally different world. 

So does that mean it should be one's own private Utah instead of Idaho?

groan!

He is definitely not from the Utah I grew up in and my parents still live in.  When I lived there the housing market was similar as it is here--house prices too high for first time buyers.

even dead people in Utah can afford the fabled 4-bed detached house, that's how much further money stretches there.

Given that I have a pretty healthy life insurance policy (want to make sure the kiddos are provided for should something bad happen) I probably WOULD be able to afford the 4-bedroom house once I'm dead.  Course, that doesn't really help me much while I'm still alive.....

Seriously, though, I'm OK with not owning a house.  I don't plan on staying here and don't want to be tied down to a house in Utah.  I'm quite happy renting.  And I'm sure I'll be happy with renting in Scotland as well.  I'm willing to trade home ownership for art galleries, museums, easy access to mainland Europe, time with my Scottish side of the family, being near the ocean, different approach to work (work to live vs live to work), longer paid holidays, fewer worries about being able to take the kiddos to the doctor should they need it, etc., etc., etc.  Won't be the SAME life I have here in MY Utah, but it will still be good.  (Wish I could figure out where this other Utah is, though.....I'd be willing to give it a try!)

I grew up in Rochester, NY, which is the largest LDS city outside of Utah. I couldn't ever imagine living in a state where it's the main power.

I grew up in Rochester, NY, which is the largest LDS city outside of Utah. I couldn't ever imagine living in a state where it's the main power.

Not going there....

Not going there....

Been there and not going back . . .

Seriously, though, I'm OK with not owning a house.  I don't plan on staying here and don't want to be tied down to a house in Utah.  I'm quite happy renting.  And I'm sure I'll be happy with renting in Scotland as well.  I'm willing to trade home ownership for art galleries, museums, easy access to mainland Europe, time with my Scottish side of the family, being near the ocean, different approach to work (work to live vs live to work), longer paid holidays, fewer worries about being able to take the kiddos to the doctor should they need it, etc., etc., etc. 

Spot on, closet!  I feel exactly the same, especially when s/thing breaks in the flat and I just pick up the phone and call the landlord to have it fixed. 

Spot on, closet!  I feel exactly the same, especially when s/thing breaks in the flat and I just pick up the phone and call the landlord to have it fixed. 

You've got a very nice landlord. I've lived in apartments all my life. It is not always that easy.

You've got a very nice landlord. I've lived in apartments all my life. It is not always that easy.

Landlords aren't 'nice'.  We're in business together - I give them money in exchange for a place to crash.  I've lived in flats for the past 14 years with the exception of 1 year.  I have a knack for getting things repaired quickly.     And for a hell of a lot cheaper than if I were a homeowner and had to stump up myself. 

But onto the point closet brought up:  life's a trade off, and I'd gladly give up having a mortgage for the lifestyle I've got here. 

... different approach to work (work to live vs live to work), longer paid holidays, ...

This change in attitude is one of the big things I am looking forward to when I move to Scotland this fall.

There have been a couple of threads here recently (including this one) talking about problems with the British economy, difficulty affording houses, etc. I was beginning to worry if we are doing the right thing. We could probably make more money staying in the US.

Then yesterday afternoon my wife got her job contract. We were amazed by the vacation time given. Even wondered if it was a misprint.  It put our decision to move back into perspective. I like having time to do things I enjoy. I'm willing to give up a little to have that time.

David