The what-iffys are attacking.....

[WHITE COW 0]

I apologize 1st for what may seem like incoherent rambling and jarbled thoughts and I am mostly just thinking out loud but....

just wanted to reach out to see if anyone will reach back in a similar pardictiment.

Because of the state of the economy (I don't work for one of the big 3 but one of their suppliers) the chances of keeping my job are up in the air. My boss did tell me that I would be one of the last people laid off as he doesn't want to be the one doing the administive work. But nevertheless I am getting a big pay cut this next pay period. This worries me as I just sent my fiance the affidavit of support. Now my income is lower... and this is only the 1st of several more pay cuts....

The whole reason my son and I weren't going to move to UK was because of the stablitiy (and love) of my work- now that's I don't know whats going to happen in 6 weeks the stablity is gone. I live in MI (20 miles outside of detriot) and this place may be a ghost town soon). People are just so scared here and it hasn't gotten to me until recently. The job outlook isn't pretty.

My thoughts are- how hard is it for an american girl and her little boy to move to UK. My fiancee doesn't make much. But he does rent a 3 bedroom townhome. He thinks I and my son should just come there (we should get married in another country and then he can bring me). He feels it would be easier. The truth is- I am scared to uproot my son- as I thought there are more opportunities in the US for him..... Key word, thought.... I love him and my main goal is to be a family.... so now I am thinking about moving there.

I just think at this point we need to think about a "plan B". Anyone else here in similar predictiment with same thoughts on making a contingency plan.

WhiteCow

[Otto 83]

My thoughts are- how hard is it for an american girl and her little boy to move to UK. My fiancee doesn't make much. But he does rent a 3 bedroom townhome. He thinks I and my son should just come there (we should get married in another country and then he can bring me). He feels it would be easier. The truth is- I am scared to uproot my son- as I thought there are more opportunities in the US for him..... Key word, thought.... I love him and my main goal is to be a family.... so now I am thinking about moving there.

I just think at this point we need to think about a "plan B". Anyone else here in similar predictiment with same thoughts on making a contingency plan.

WhiteCow

It's not that difficult a move - and I believe your son (or a child in general) would gain a tremendous life-experience from living abroad. Just my two-cents.

[Old Dominion 26]

The UK would be great for your son! A decent job in the UK for a "foreigner" may be an entirely different matter. The U.S. economy is generally no worse off than the UK's.

[william_wallace 8]

If my my fiance had the option of moving to the UK she would in a heartbeat. The main reason I,m moving to the US is due to the fact it's easier for me. She has 3 kids and that makes it more difficult, plus she's well settled in a job. We are going to really think of moving back to the UK in the future. Lara finds the UK far more suitable to live in than the US.

In my point of view, I would take the opportunity of moving to the UK.

Good luck on what you decide.

[LorriQ 0]

I looked through the want ads last time I was over, and for a skilled admin/clerical/bookkeeper there were several jobs, and it was a small village newspaper.

Never a bad idea to have a back-up, but seeing how close you are to the interview, and the fact that you still have your current position, I'd wait and see. Guess it comes down to whether you can support all 3 of you until EAD.

Moving over there is still our plan b - it is such a lovely country, and I am sure your son will have opportunites over there as well. Some that he may never have here!

Edited December 14, 2008 by LorriQ

[elmcitymaven 9,711]

The UK would be great for your son! A decent job in the UK for a "foreigner" may be an entirely different matter. The U.S. economy is generally no worse off than the UK's.

Agreed. As a USC who lived in the UK for 12 years, I can tell you it is not necessarily that easy to get a decent job over there as an immigrant. I worked a variety of cr@p jobs until I finally landed on my feet after finishing law school in London. I have a BA from an Ivy League, a Master's degree from a UK uni and STILL I found it hard to get my foot in the door. I ended up doing a lot of temping. There was more anti-US prejudice than I ever expected (and this was in pre-Bush days...). My sister-in-law, also a USC and now living in London, finally found a part-time position at a local NHS trust as an admin assistant after 6 months of looking; she was a successful real estate agent in Connecticut previously.

Is it really easier for you to move yourself, your son and your whole life to the UK and hope you can find work than to look for another job in the US? Not to mention the expense of the UK spousal visa (quick but pricy), plane tickets, moving all your stuff, etc etc. The UK job market ain't that great right now itself and you might find it will take longer than you expect to get a decent-paying position. The cost of living is generally higher over there than here as well, even with a weaker pound these days. (I am still in shock that my 3-bed house in the LA area is cheaper than my poky 2-bed flat in a semi-scuzzy part of London.)

On the other hand, it is a great experience living abroad and I wouldn't knock it. If you are moving over there because you want to experience life in a different country and expand your horizons, go for it. If the economic downturn is your major impetus, I would think twice about doing so, as the economic climate is on a par (at the best) with the US currently. Just my 2¢/2p.

[msu17 0]

Totally understand your situation. We are in NW OH and facing the same probs with auto suppliers. If your fiance can support you both, then it's a fairly easy (much less time though more $$) to get a fiance or spousal visa for the UK. Finding basic temp stuff is fairly easy, but as has been said, it can be difficult for us to find jobs in more advanced fields. I think part of it is a lot of UKers don't realize how rigerous (ok, I can't spell and realize the irony here hehe) our university curriculum is. My husband was over here on exchange and his uni wanted him taking 400 level physiology classes that he didn't even have the pre-req for the pre-req for. His uni just had no clue how our classes compared to theirs and wouldn't let him take the 200 level classes he was prepared for.

Anywho, what we are doing is just moving out of the area when I finish school. My husband (the UKer) can get work in either country and I can only really work here for the next 5-10 years until I build enough of a rep. in my field. Plus this will give us an opportunity to find an area a bit more welcoming to immigrants as he's had trouble finding friendships in both MI and OH. It seems (in my not informed opinion, don't have time to research) that the UK is getting hit a bit after we are, so perhaps we might get out of this slump a bit faster.

So I guess IF you can find a job or are ok with sales or temp work or staying home, then the UK would be a great idea and you could move in the next few months. If you can't find a job, then perhaps look at moving within the US. This area isn't going to be rebounding anytime in the near future unless Detroit comes up with non-oil consuming cars like tomorrow. I hate where we live Good luck!

Edit: If you do move there and decide after a year or so that you would rather come back here, you can do DCF, which is much faster and you don't have to be apart.

Edited December 15, 2008 by msu17

[Damian P 92]

The U.S. economy is generally no worse off than the UK's.

Agreed. And I rather suspect that as the first major economy into this current recession, the U.S. economy will more than likely be the first out of it too.

All the experts are saying that 2009 is gonna be mighty grim here in the U.K.; you may well be better off staying put.

[villaspurs 65]

I agree with the above posters--it would actually be a great opportunity for your son to live in the UK, so this could be a blessing in disguise. Hopefully the economy will recover sooner rather than later, and then you could think about moving back to the States--your decision now doesn't have to be permanent (as we keep reminding each other!!!).