Mechanical Engineering + Dental Hygine in the UK

Hi all!

I' m about to begin studying to become a Mechanical Engineer in the US. Up until recently I have been studying business management and discovered it was not for me (a little late in the game  I will say). My significant other and I are considering living in the UK. She will soon begin pursing her bachelors in Dental Hygiene.

Understandably their are numerous other issues that must be thought about when considering migrating from the US to the UK, but the information I have found on these topics i kinda scattered and I was hoping someone with some experience could chime in!

Essentially I'm just trying to get an understanding of feasibility, and this is one of my stops.

So does anyone know how much we could expect to earn with a Masters in Mechanical Engineering and a Bachelors in Dental Hygiene. Assuming we were accredited by the respected agencies?

One of you would need to be sponsored by an employer.  Salaries will be dictated by the current salary table (must meet a minimum).

According to a google search:  Mechanical engineer: Salary and conditions. Range of typical starting salaries: £20,000 - £28,000, with the average around £22,000.  My husband is over a bunch of ME's and thinks this sounds about right.  Where we are, it's the higher end but cost of living is insane.  Salaries are typically much lower in the UK.

You may want to try to get hired with a company with an international presence, in hopes that after a few years you may be able to transfer to the UK.  Unfortunately this option would be temporary (could live here for 5 years max based on current rules). 

Moving here straight out of university with a US degree will be near impossible.  Unfortunately the UK is trying to reduce immigration numbers substantially.  Look at other places in the world as well as the UK.

Hey ScubaSteve,
  I will let someone else comment on the dental hygenist work, but I am an engineer, so I can comment a wee bit on that.

I moved to the UK almost 7 years ago for an engineering job on a work permit and I became a Chartered Mechanical Engineer a few years ago (background in plastics and biomedical engineering). I took a HUGE salary cut from what I had in the US.   But my own personal quality of life and standard of living is much much much better.   
 
If you're wanting some good information about Mechanical Engineering in the UK, this page from the Institute of Mechanical Engineers has a wealth of knowledge, including salaries,graduate schemes, finding vacancies, etc. 
There is a good report on the state of engineering in the UK as well, showing an overall rise in employment prospects.  Not sure how much is extendable to non-EU citizens, however, I know that big oil-gas and power companies are always on the lookout for engineers (I see the jobs posted all the time on linked in) and these international companies are very atuned to employing people on visas.   

If you can possibly do a graduate degree here, that could help your employment choices as well.

Good luck!
 

On the National Shortage Occupations List under "medical/dental technicians" it lists only nuclear medicine technologist and radiotherapy technologist as desirable occupations.  I suspect the training for dental hygienists here would be less extensive than in the US -- someone in the know can correct me. 

On the National Shortage Occupations List under "medical/dental technicians" it lists only nuclear medicine technologist and radiotherapy technologist as desirable occupations. 

But keep in mind that this list changes regularly, and the situation could be different once you've both finished your degrees.