Moving from LA to London mid Jan

Hi. My name is Jena and I've found this forum to be very helpful as I prepare to move from Los Angeles to London in January.  I've especially like the moving and things to bring/not bring.  Thank you all for contributing and I look forward to taking part.


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Welcome to the forum and all the best for your move . What's bringing you over to the UK?

Feel free to ask any questions here and we'll be happy to help the best we can .

Hmmmmm.....London....I guess if you have to cope with not moving to N Yorkshire

Thank you both.  I finally received a job offer that would allow me to pay rent and afford food. LOL Right now I'm focusing on getting some personal items shipped, selling my items here, opening a bank account and looking at places to live. I'm still in shock that I'm doing this but I'm excited.

Thank you both.  I finally received a job offer that would allow me to pay rent and afford food. LOL Right now I'm focusing on getting some personal items shipped, selling my items here, opening a bank account and looking at places to live. I'm still in shock that I'm doing this but I'm excited.

That's great .

You've probably already got your work visa sorted out, but if you need further any information about it, there's plenty of advice and help available in the 'visas and citizenship' section of the forum .

Whereabouts in London will you be working and what kind of areas are you looking at as potential places to live? I don't know much about London myself (though I'm British, I've never lived there), but there are several forum members who live or have lived in London.

In terms of things like opening a bank account, you'll probably find you have to wait until you're in the UK to open one, as normally you need to show your passport and visa, plus evidence of your UK address (like a utility bill), in order to open an account... unless perhaps your new employer is able to help you with things like that?

"You've probably already got your work visa sorted out, but if you need further any information about it, there's plenty of advice and help available in the 'visas and citizenship' section of the forum ."

I'm lucky to have an EU passport so I'm cleared for work but will be checking out forums for taxes.  So confusing.

"Whereabouts in London will you be working and what kind of areas are you looking at as potential places to live? I don't know much about London myself (though I'm British, I've never lived there), but there are several forum members who live or have lived in London."

Working in Osterley so I am hoping to live close by. I've found in my moves I do better with a short work commute. I like that I can be in a zone for the tube and have access to the city.

"In terms of things like opening a bank account, you'll probably find you have to wait until you're in the UK to open one, as normally you need to show your passport and visa, plus evidence of your UK address (like a utility bill), in order to open an account... unless perhaps your new employer is able to help you with things like that?"

My new employer is being helpful but I read I can open a UK account through HSBC. I am planning to stop in and find out more as I'd like to keep an US account as well. I'm worried about not having credit and securing a place to live.

Ah, you're all sorted then, having an EU passport .

If you will be employed in the UK, you will most likely pay taxes through PAYE (Pay As You Earn), which means your tax will automatically come out of your paycheque each month and should be correct, so you likely won't have to file UK taxes (I've lived in the UK since birth and have been working for 16 years and I've never filed any taxes because I haven't needed to).

You will need to apply for a National Insurance Number after you arrive though, as that will determine your tax code and will make sure you are paying the correct amount each month.

You will still need to file US taxes each year though (assuming you are also a US citizen), but as you will be paying tax to the UK, you shouldn't owe anything... You just have to keep filing anyway.

In terms of bank accounts, of course you can keep your US account (I still have a US bank account from when I lived there in 2008 )... But US HSBC and UK HSBC are separate companies so I don't believe you will be able to open a UK account with them while in the US... You'll have to wait until you are in the UK before you can open one, either with HSBC or with another bank.


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Hey Jena, I am Colombian with a British passport and move to London over 3 years ago. I had to go through everything from opening a bank account to finding a place to live and build a group of friends from scratch (it hasn't been easy but the friends I've got now are like family to me) I really like all American related and I'm really happy to meet new expats (one of my best friends is one of them!). Let me know if you need any advice or help in your journey 


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Thank you Diana.  It is a scary move to just give up everything and go alone but I am excited about the adventure.  If there was one thing you could back and tell yourself before the move what would it be?  I have had so much fun reading the boards about what to and what not to bring. 

My advice: take less stuff.  Don't bring anything practical, just a box of sentimental things.  Everything else you can get here.

Also, never participate in the tea round.  At first it's pretty nice as a British person at your office offers to make you tea.  Each day another nice person offers to make you a tea.  Finally, they let you know that it is your turn and expect you to make 30 teas, all with incredibly fussy instructions.  Just be American about it and refuse to participate.  Every man for himself.


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Thanks Jim.  I will avoid the "tea round"!!  I was looking at 200 cubic feet but now that I am organizing I think it will be along 100 cubic feet if that.  I did something similar when I moved from NYC to LA, just shipped some boxes cross country.  Praying my boxes make it across the ocean this time though.   

Thanks Jim.  I will avoid the "tea round"!!   

Ah yes, the tea round .

I think it does depend on the office set-up and number of people as to how tea rounds work. I normally work in a small office on an air force base, with only between 2 and 5 people in the office at any one time... so everyone who drinks hot drinks is automatically part of the tea round - those who don't drink tea or coffee usually never make any drinks for anyone, but it would be unheard of to make yourself a hot drink without first offering to make one for everyone else.

And if it's been a while since you've done the 'tea round' (because everyone else has done it through the day and you haven't got round to it yet), then you get pointed comments directed at you for not contributing to it .

However, the last couple of months, I've been working at company HQ which has 1,500 people in the building and we all have desks on large floorplates with hundreds of other people, so we don't have tea rounds. Instead, there are free drinks machines located around the building, dispensing tea and coffee, so everyone just gets their own...though I think each team has a kitty for buying extra milk.

Hey Jena, I'd say don't bring too many stuff for sure. Some people here tend to move houses several times so the less stuff you have to carry the better. Not sure where you're planning to live yet, do you know any friends here or are you planing to rent something before you come to London?


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Def looking to take less as I get sorted.  I have found a nice Aribnb place to stay for 3 weeks while I find a place to rent in West London.  I prefer to live closer to work when I move, easier for me to take care of my dog.  I would rather travel a little further for fun stuff than for work day.  I've found some properties that I like but it is too early and I don't want to rent unseen.  I really want to check out the area and know the commute to walk to be sure before I plunk down and commit to a place.  I am worried about renting with a dog but she is so well behaved - not many pet friendly properties here in LA either so I will just have to see as many as I can. 

Everyone wants to be close to work.  It took me 2.5 hours to get to work this morning, nobody puts up with a commute like that if they can help it.  Not many can afford to live in central London. 

If you find a place you can afford to rent you'll have fun.


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