Hello Everyone!
Well I guess I should give a little background on myself..hopefully it will help with your advice-giving!
I'm 19 and this will be the first "big move" from my parents( haha yes!!) I went to Scotland on vacation a year ago and fell in love. Right now I am a waitress, but I want to go to school to study Theater.
I have no idea on how to move over to another country! What do I need? Where do I get it? Once over where are there any good jobs? How is public trans ( I want to live in Glasgow)...etc
If you could help it would be much appreciated!!
Thanks,
Manda 
Mandy,
First of all, you have to decide what it is you want to do -- work or study. Doing a 4-year degree at a UK university will probably be an expensive business as you would be paying international student tuition. In order to be eligible for home tuition fees, you need to have resided in the UK for 3 years prior to starting your course. To get a student visa, you must be able to prove that you have sufficient funds to finance your education, and that you intend to leave at the end of your course. Some UK universities are compatible with U.S. student loans (Title IV schools) but you have to investigate if the university that has the program you want would be compatible. Also, it's more difficult to get grants and scholarships as a foreign student -- there are much fewer of those to go around than at a US university. It's not a decision you should take lightly, so it's worth doing your homework on it. As a student, you are allowed to work 20 hours per week during term time and 40 hours a week during holiday time (summer and Xmas).
Working in the UK can be VERY difficult, as a work permit/visa is required and these are challenging to obtain. An employer must prove that there is no one more qualified than you that they can hire for a given job, only after they have exhausted their resources trying to find a UK national to fill the post. Given the fact that you have not yet studied at university, I think you may have a difficult time qualifying for a visa, unless it is in one of the shortage areas specified on the home office Web site. Even at that, I think that they tend to prefer EU nationals over Americans in many situations.
The other factor that makes things difficult to get a job is the fact that it is illegal to go to the UK and search for a job whilst on a visitor's visa. You would need to make all applications from outside of the UK, which is tough. If you declare to an immigration officer that the purpose of your visit is to seek employment in the UK, you will almost certainly put your right to visit in jeopardy.
Not to be rude, but you're still pretty young, Mandy, so I would carefully consider all of the options and think about what they will mean for your future as well. If you/your parents can afford the international tuition, then great. But if you're going to need to finance it by yourself, exclusively with loans, you'll be paying all of that off for a long time to come. You may want to consider attending a US university for awhile, and then doing a semester abroad at a Scottish university, or the BUNAC program, which allows you to live and work a student-type job for up to 6 months after you graduate from a US university.
I know you're in love, but try not to let that cloud your judgment, because the decisions you're making now could have lasting effects. If your significant other truly loves you, then they will wait for you until the time is truly right for you to be together.
Whatever you decide, just bear in mind that moving to a new country is a huge deal. It requires lots of planning and careful contemplation. It's not as easy to negotiate as it might seem.
Good luck with your decision!
