Living in the UK

I take metformin (typically prescribed for diabetes but that’s not why I take it) would it be super hard for me to have continuity of care there and get a prescription or would it be a huge battle to prove why I need it??

If you take it for what the very common, non-diabetes use is it prescribed for, it should be no problem at all.
 
I've got chronic conditions too and the NHS has been good.  Took a wee while and a fair bit of pushing because of atypical symptoms to get a diagnosis, but I don't think this would have been unusual in the US either, because of the atypical symptoms. 
NHS very good for routine issues and I'm finishing up a great programme referred from my GP, which has lasted 8 months,  into a specialist support service, for another issue.   I believe this is a health board specific thing, and our NHS trust has to be very creative due to the size of the area it covers, but I am extremely grateful for this programme, which has changed my life.

If you take it for what the very common, non-diabetes use is it prescribed for, it should be no problem at all.
 
I've got chronic conditions too and the NHS has been good.  Took a wee while and a fair bit of pushing because of atypical symptoms to get a diagnosis, but I don't think this would have been unusual in the US either, because of the atypical symptoms. 
NHS very good for routine issues and I'm finishing up a great programme referred from my GP, which has lasted 8 months,  into a specialist support service, for another issue.   

This is very good to hear! Thank you for sharing your experience.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

NHS very good for routine issues and I'm finishing up a great programme referred from my GP, which has lasted 8 months,  into a specialist support service, for another issue.   I believe this is a health board specific thing, and our NHS trust has to be very creative due to the size of the area it covers, but I am extremely grateful for this programme, which has changed my life.

That's great PB!   

I love you guys. Those first several pages of very thorough, descriptive breakdowns of what it really costs to live in the various areas were excellent. As someone who is a planning nut (our move isn't for at LEAST a year or year and 1/2) I am in constant data mining mode trying to get all this type of info together and its hard unless people give you their real world input like you guys do. Its wonderful. Thank you!

Someone mentioned Amazon in Edinburgh. I work for Amazon (celebrated 10 yrs in January) in Seattle and I've eyed Edinburgh as well. For me, unfortunately, it won't work because its mostly a tech office however, it sounds like it would work for your husband. Here is a website with more info about the Edinburgh office: https://www.amazondc.com/     I'll be transferring to our London office however our goal is to eventually live up around Edinburgh.

I love you guys. Those first several pages of very thorough, descriptive breakdowns of what it really costs to live in the various areas were excellent. As someone who is a planning nut (our move isn't for at LEAST a year or year and 1/2) I am in constant data mining mode trying to get all this type of info together and its hard unless people give you their real world input like you guys do. Its wonderful. Thank you!

Someone mentioned Amazon in Edinburgh. I work for Amazon (celebrated 10 yrs in January) in Seattle and I've eyed Edinburgh as well. For me, unfortunately, it won't work because its mostly a tech office however, it sounds like it would work for your husband. Here is a website with more info about the Edinburgh office: https://www.amazondc.com/     I'll be transferring to our London office however our goal is to eventually live up around Edinburgh.

Yes, I’m so appreciative of everyone’s thorough responses!! It’s been so so so so so helpful, and I’ve been able to put together a decent excel document for expenses. Xx

Thank you for your input on the amazon jobs. He’s in product management/product marketing, so none of those that are listed fit at the moment, but now I have a starting place! Funny enough, someone recently sent him a request from amazon in Seattle about a job, wondering if he was interested. I’d definitely live in Seattle. Anything to beat living in Houston! What is the scope of work in amazon? What type of positions do they have?

Why are you wanting to move to the uk (London or Edinburgh)?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for your input on the amazon jobs. He’s in product management/product marketing, so none of those that are listed fit at the moment

Yeah he won't find those types of jobs in Edinburgh, unfortunately. Those would be handled out of the London office as well. At the moment, the Edinburgh office is only a technical development office. Sadly. BUT, with the company growing so much, who knows what types of jobs will be in Edinburgh in the next few years.

I’d definitely live in Seattle. Anything to beat living in Houston! What is the scope of work in amazon? What type of positions do they have?

I grew up in Florida and lived in SE GA until I was 25. I've had the chance to travel most of the United States and when I visited a friend in Seattle for the first time, I said "That's a city I could move to." It took me about a year to get everything arranged, I took a leap of faith and turned down a "Name your price" job offer in Georgia to move out to Seattle without a job lined up and I haven't regretted it since. It was the best move ever. And now, I'm doing the same to move over to the UK (although I'll have a job lined up for that move haha).

Seattle is AMAZINGLY beautiful. Or maybe I should say Washington state is. Seattle has changed a lot since I first moved her but its still a wonderful city. Weather wise its nearly identical to England. I love that you can drive 3 hours west and be at the Pacific ocean, 3 hours east and be snow skiing, 4 hours east and be in wine country and desert. 3 hours north and be in Canada. 2 hours south and be in Portland, OR. An hour and 1/2 south you are at Mt. Rainier. A couple hours and you are at Mt. St. Helens. The peninsula has a tropical rain forest. Its just so much in such a small area.

As far as Amazon, its got a little bit of everything. I am not a tech skilled worker. I was a claims adjuster for an insurance company when I interviewed for a job as a Risk Investigator (policing the sellers who are trying to sell bad things on Amazon). I was a Product Manager for our Jewelry team and I'm not in our Legal Department. I've loved working for the company for 10 yrs. I look forward to another 10 or more. He can certainly go to the Careers section at the bottom of Amazon and filter by UK and see whats available by job title and stuff. There are thousands of job listings.

Why are you wanting to move to the uk (London or Edinburgh)?

My husband grew up in Newcastle but has been in the US since he was 13. We've been over to visit his family there 3 times now in the last 10 years. The first time we went to Edinburgh I loved it so much that I said I wanted to come back and spend more time. We went back this last September and spent a week and 1/2 throughout Scotland and 3 days in Edinburgh and thats when I decided I would eventually like to move there. The people are just so amazingly friendly and funny. I love old architecture as well so ANYWHERE in the UK I love. Edinburgh is just like Seattle where I went and I knew it "felt right". You know how you go some places and it just calls to you? Now, there are places I love to visit but they dont "call to me" to live there.

So... since I know I can get a transfer to London, we are using that as our "foot in the door" to get over there and then the goal after that is to eventually make our way up to Edinburgh to live. It make take a number of years to do that (transferring are teams, working out a telecommute, maybe even possibly switching companies) but at this the first step to the ultimate goal.

What scared me the most is change. Being used to bigger houses and those "US" things we take for granted. I'm trying hard to force myself to remember that I'm not trying to recreate my US life in the UK. Everything is going to be new and different and remember that while I may sacrifice a bigger home, what I'm getting is to live in the UK. I may sacrifice the convenience of hopping in my car and driving to work, but what I'm getting is the chance to experience London which most American's never get to. I may sacrifice taking a big pay cut but you know what? There's a country of full of people doing exactly the same job I'm doing right now, earning that paycheck and they are doing just fine over there. So I need to remember its my way of thinking that needs to change and adapt and stop being scared and actually look forward to an amazing life adventure and most American's will never ever get to experience.

Scott, have you spoken to colleagues about the Amazon office in London and the company culture?

I was being heavily recruited by them at the start of the year, but after talking with a good friend who used to work for them as well as a few other resources, I was quickly able to determine that it wasn't a good fit for me.

I know Amazon is considered a great company to work for in the USA, but they have a bit of work to do to change that perception in the  UK.

 remember that I'm not trying to recreate my US life in the UK.

This is important!

I know Amazon is considered a great company to work for in the USA, but they have a bit of work to do to change that perception in the  UK.

That's interesting. I know a few folks have left here to go down to the central belt and work for the warehouse and they say the same thing.  But, on the flipside, a co-worker's son works for Amazon and thinks the company culture is brilliant. 

That's interesting. I know a few folks have left here to go down to the central belt and work for the warehouse and they say the same thing.  But, on the flipside, a co-worker's son works for Amazon and thinks the company culture is brilliant. 

I don't want to be a Debbie Downer.  But it is worth checking out.  I had a HUGE reality check when I transferred with my company that I had been with for 6 years to the UK.  It was NOT the same culture and was really negative and a nasty place to work.

Over the last 10 years I've made a number of friends in a majority of the offices around the world. I've actually visited the London office several years ago. I definitely appreciate the advice and yes, I'm already knowledgeable of the London offices culture. Its a little different from Seattle but not much. We have several of the London folks come to Seattle quite often and I've chatted with them a lot also.

I love this companies work culture. I totally get it that its not for everyone just as my last jobs culture wasn't for me. But yes, totally aware of it and totally fine with it. No issues for me.

I will also say that the culture is different between orgs as well. For instance, I've heard engineers and SW developers get burned out fast and leave the company. I would not want to be in those orgs. Luckily I'm not. The legal org I'm in is excellent and the London arm of it from all the people I've met and gotten to know say its very similar to the Seattle culture.