New York girl wishes to move to England :)

Hello! My name is Amanda, I'm a teen, from New York, and I just found this site today. Just stumbled upon this site by chance when I looked for 'moving to England' online. In late October of this year, I went to England alone, (I stayed with someone I knew when I got there, so no worries! Haha), I stayed until late November. Honestly, I can tell you that month was not nearly enough for me.

I absolutely LOVED it there (I was staying in Bradwell, but we made visits to Norwich, Norfolk, Great Yarmouth and London). I want nothing more but to go back and stay there. Few of my family members support it. : (

I think a good idea would be to first, take it one step at a time, and go to college there for a few years. Maybe a student visa? I want to study cosmetology. My friends say there are plenty of those kind of schools here, but.. I'd rather be *there* and study something I love, ya know? I was sooo happy when I was there and now that I'm back in the U.S... I'm kinda bummed, lol.

However, I really don't have any concrete idea how to go about it. And since I'm basically the only one in my immediate family to go overseas, most are kinda stumped when I ask them for help or how to go about things. That's why this site is oh-so perfect for me and assisting with making my dream of living there become a reality! I really would like everything to go smoothly. Obviously I already have a passport, but Visas.. those seem a bit tricky. Being in my late teens and already having my mind set on doing this, I think it's a positive thing. I have no second thoughts at all, that this is definitely what I want to do. Just nice to see that a lot of other Americans do want to move/have moved to the UK.

Anyways, that's my little 'tell about me' section. Really looking forward to meeting new friends on here!

Welcome, Amanda!

Moving to the UK is not as straightforward as it may seem at times, however, it sounds like you are on the right track with the student visa. Obviously, the first thing you will want to do is send away for some information from some universities here and see what types of programmes they offer and what interests you (also, research the local area surrounding the school to get an idea of where you would prefer to live). You will pay much more for a degree here as an international student, but if the experience of living abroad is worth it to you, then go for it! Good luck to you and welcome to UKY! 

Welcome to the forum . There is lots of useful information here and plenty of people to help you .

Since you're in your late teens at the moment, I would say your best visa option (possibly your only option right now actually) would be a student visa to study in the UK. However, I'm not sure how you would go about studying Cosmetology in the UK (as in where you would be able to study) - have you looked into possible courses in the UK at all?

I don't think you can study Cosmetology as a degree-level course (as far as I know, most beauty/cosmetology qualifications go up to NVQ level 3, which is the vocational equivalent to 2 academic A level qualifications... A levels are what most UK students take between ages 16 and 18 and are used as the requirements to get into university), so you'll probably be looking at specialist beauty schools, such as the London School of Beauty and Make Up or the London College of Beauty Therapy, rather than universities (those were the first results that came up when I did a Google search just now).

(Just a note, in case you get confused by the terminology: in the UK 'college' is used to refer to a further education college or a Sixth Form college (usually for 16-19 year-olds, but they also offer adult classes too) and 'university' is used to refer a higher education institution, offering full university degrees.)

Welcome to UKY!

Just to echo what the others have said and a bit of a warning as well.

UKBA (the UK Border Agency) is currently in talks to limit Tier 4 Student Visas to University Degree level programs, so it is unlikely that you would be able to get a student visa to study Cosmetology or go to Beauty School in the UK. These changes (if they occur) will most likely be in April 2011 so it may find that your options are even less after that.

Good luck to you and your future dreams & aspirations.

Thank you so much for the replies and welcomes! Everyone seems so friendly here. This makes me extremely happy. Yes, I have looked at some courses and sent away for more information. Thank you for clearing up the terminology for me!
It really does seem like it's gonna be a challenge to move there in the long run, but it is something I definitely want to do. And I WILL make it happen! But unfortunately, I guessed as much for the cosmetology. Oh well. I guess I'll just have to study something else, no biggie. I was wondering though, (if I'm allowed to ask on this forum, if not, I'll just post this somewhere else!) But what jobs are considered more 'needed' in England, or more of a 'skilled worker' job. I'd really like to know so I could pick one of those those to go with instead and have more of a chance for a successful career.

Hello and welcome! 

Here is the list of occupation shortages in the UK that was produced in April 2010 but as mentioned another one will probably be produced in the coming year. 

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/workingintheuk/shortageoccupationlist.pdf

Very best of luck with all your ambitions!

Thank you very much, I appreciate it !

One thing about shortage jobs you should be aware of is that they can and do change.  So if you decide to study something just because it's on the shortage list, you may find that by the time you're done studying it, it's not on the list anymore.  You should find something you're really interested in and study that, and if it's on the shortage list, so much the better.  If it isn't then at least you'll have a career you like .  Moving to the UK is definitely an uphill battle, but you sound like you've got a positive attitude.  Good luck to you! 

Oh really? Hmm, well.. that's alright I suppose. I saw two things on there (lol, Only two!) that I'm really interested in studying. Photography or Speech Therapy. I can't pick between them yet! But, knowing a few people in England that I can possibly stay with while I'm attending school will be a huge leg up. Thank you for the info and wishing me luck, all of this is very helpful.

I saw two things on there (lol, Only two!) that I'm really interested in studying. Photography or Speech Therapy. I can't pick between them yet!

Personally, I wouldn't pick your subject based on the skills shortage list, because even if you trained in speech therapy, the only people who can qualify for the shortage list positions in speech therapy are those in pay band 7 or higher... and it would take several years to work your way up to that level of experience!

Band 7 is comprised of highly specialised speech therapists only... so you would first have to spend about 4 years qualifying as a speech therapist and then you'd probably be looking at 7-10 years of working as a speech therapist (mostly likely outside the UK, if you can't get a work visa as a newly qualified therapist) before you could qualify for the job role on the shortage list.

In terms of photography, it doesn't look like there are any photography jobs on the list right now... the positions in that category are all for visual effects roles in TV/film/video games and seem to be mostly computer- and animation-related.


As a physicist, I would actually be qualified to do a few of the jobs on that list, yet apparently those jobs are only in shortage if you are extremely highly skilled in your job field - despite having a masters degree in physics, apparently I still am not qualified for any of the physics jobs currently on the market... they currently only seem to want people with PhDs in Physics and/or 10 years of experience. As a result, it's just taken me 2 years to get a graduate job in science... and I'm a British citizen .

But, knowing a few people in England that I can possibly stay with while I'm attending school will be a huge leg up.

Even if you do have people to stay with while you're there, you still need to show that you have a minimum amount of living costs in your bank account (or from an approved loan) before you can be granted the visa. This amount is £5,400 (about $8,400) if you will be studying outside of London or £7,200 ($11,120) if you will be studying in London.

If you don't have at least this amount plus a full year of tuition fees (approximately $16,000+ for a university course, so about $25,000-$30,000 for the first year) available to you before you apply for a student visa, then the visa will be refused.

Woah,.. that's kinda a bummer to hear. :/ But finding it out doesn't discourage me any. Just means I'll have to work extremely hard to get there. Can do anything I set my mind to. Thanks for giving the facts though, it's what I'll be needing in the long run anyways. I'll keep all that in mind.

Woah,.. that's kinda a bummer to hear. :/ But finding it out doesn't discourage me any. Just means I'll have to work extremely hard to get there. Can do anything I set my mind to. Thanks for giving the facts though, it's what I'll be needing in the long run anyways. I'll keep all that in mind.

Yeah, I didn't want to discourage you, but it's good to know what you're up against when it comes to visas! I'd just hate to see you study for a qualification in something you're not all that passionate about, only to find that you might not actually be able to get a work visa for that career path at the end of it, after all - you could potentially end up stuck back in the US doing a job you hate instead of something you're really interested in.

When I was 12, I decided that I wanted to live in the US (I'd visited my aunt in the US that summer and loved it)... it took me 12 years and two masters degrees (plus a year of study abroad in the US when I was 20) to finally be able to live there for more than a few months. I ended up being a grad student, studying for a PhD in the US (although I was only be able to live there while I was still in school). However, even though I'd loved living there as an exchange student, I hated it the second time around... and moved back to the UK after only 8 months - it's now been 2.5 years and I haven't regretted my decision to move back at all; I guess the US just wasn't the right place for me after all.

I do think going to school in the UK would be a great experience and opportunity for you though, and it will give you the chance to really experience life in the UK as more than just a tourist. It will also help you decide if you really do want to live there on a more permanent basis in the future... then you can think about possible work visa options when you're finishing your studies .

Oh, don't worry, I know you weren't trying to discourage me! It really is better to know, I'd rather be aware of what I'm up against then just be an ignorant happy-go-lucky American and think by some miracle, I'm going to move there easily.

Yeah, that's true. However, I actually do have a passion for photography though, and originally that was what I was going to take here at one of the colleges. That is until I thought.. hmm, maybe I could study this in England..
But then I switched to cosmetology, and now since that doesn't seem to be looking like a job offer is going to happen with that, I just switched back to that, haha. Dear god, 12 years? Wow. Was there any difference as to why you didn't like it here the second time around?

Exactly, I agree. And if somehow it turns out for me that I don't like it there the second time around (unlikely though, lol) but who knows, if that were to happen, at least I know I have a place to come back to here in the U.S. It's just always money tends to be the issue. Such a pain. Hopefully, I'll be able to get help with that though. I just want to be one of those people who's able to aspire to something, in my case living and working in England, and make it happen. I refuse to be someone who gives up on their dream. I'll just take it a step at a time!

Yeah, that's true. However, I actually do have a passion for photography though, and originally that was what I was going to take here at one of the colleges. That is until I thought.. hmm, maybe I could study this in England..
But then I switched to cosmetology, and now since that doesn't seem to be looking like a job offer is going to happen with that, I just switched back to that, haha.

If photography is really what you're interested in, then it's definitely worth looking into what courses are available in the UK -  I think you're more likely to be able to find a degree-level photography course than a cosmetology course in the UK. An old work colleague of mine is a photographer and she's in her second year of studying for a photography degree - her dream is to set up a photography company in New York City... although at this point I'm not sure if she knows whether this will be possible to do.

Dear god, 12 years? Wow. Was there any difference as to why you didn't like it here the second time around?

I think it was a mixture of things... I went back to the same university that I was an exchange student at 4 years earlier, but this time, none of my friends were there and I was completely on my own. Also, the school work was not what I'd expected (too many classes, too much teaching and not enough research time compared with UK PhD programs) and I found I was not really interested in the research project I was doing. I was missing home like crazy... everything from my family and friends to the food, drink and TV shows... and I decided that since I wasn't happy with the research I was doing (and it's not a good idea to do a PhD if you're not passionate about your research), it wasn't worth staying there and being miserable for the next 4-6 years!

Exactly, I agree. And if somehow it turns out for me that I don't like it there the second time around (unlikely though, lol) but who knows, if that were to happen, at least I know I have a place to come back to here in the U.S.

Thing is, you'll never really know how you'll feel about living in the UK until you really do spend time living there as a 'normal' citizen (i.e. not as a vacation) - visiting the UK and living here are very different things and you may find you love it or you may find you hate it. When I moved to the US for my PhD, I had already spent 15 months of my life there (6 months of vacations over 12 years and 10 months as an international student), but I still wasn't ready for the reality of living there for 4+ years... only being able to see my family and friends once a year, not being able to afford to go home for Christmas, not knowing how to cook with US ingredients/measurements, not liking a lot of US foods (even basic stuff like bread, milk and cheese tastes different) and not being able to eat my favourite UK foods without paying a fortune to import them, not being able to get around the city because I had no car, not knowing what to do if I got sick etc. etc.

It's just always money tends to be the issue. Such a pain. Hopefully, I'll be able to get help with that though. I just want to be one of those people who's able to aspire to something, in my case living and working in England, and make it happen. I refuse to be someone who gives up on their dream. I'll just take it a step at a time!

Yeah, don't give up on your dream - I didn't give up on mine and although in the end I realised it wasn't what I wanted, if I hadn't done it, I would always have wondered what could have been .

As long as you're prepared for the fact that moving to the UK is likely to take a lot of hard work and money, then you shouldn't have too many shocks down the line . If you want to get financial help to pay for your studies, you will need to do it through a US student or private loan company, as you won't qualify for funding from the UK, but it is fairly straightforward to do - there are quite a few people here on the board who have taken out US loans to pay for school in the UK . It really just depends on whether you feel you want to have those debts or not and if it is worth the cost for you to study in the UK.

Oh good! I'm glad to hear that I am more likely to find a degree-level in photography. Seriously, that is good news. I always get complimented on the photos I take, and I've been told I have an eye for that kind of work. So, I truely hope that I can find some courses for that that won't be enormously expensive. I've never told anyone about this.. buuut.. I'm kind of intimidated by the British's education system. Since the education over there basically kicks the US's ass, lol. I'm sooo scared if I don't understand something down to the tee, or if I ask too many questions, or need more help about whatever, I'll be labeled a stereotypical 'dumb American.' I'm not the smartest person, but I'm far from dumb. So... if that were to happen... Worst. Nightmare.

As for about your friend, I really hope she can find away to make that happen for herself. :c Oh, ok, I see now. Not having friends/support system is already not helping, but being homesick on top of that.. it must've been extremely hard for you.

I have to say I really respect you. To read that you accomplished your dream, it's inspiring, even if it wasn't meant to be after all. I think my mom should be able to help me through the process of getting a loan or a grant. She's gotten many for her schooling down the line. I just really didn't want to do that at first because I'm scared of being in debt. But now, I can pretty much see that there's no real way I'm gonna get that kind of money without it. Think I'll do my research for now about schools/visas/loans, keep my options open and when I think I have everything in order, I'll go for it.