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Post by Melissa G. on Sept 19, 2008 20:04:53 GMT -5
My husband wants to move from the US to Britain. He works for Best Buy and said that they will be opening some stores there before long.
What kind of culture shock would it be to move there?
How is it economically? (Is it hard to make a living?)
What kind of things are the same and what are different?
Thanks in advance!
Melissa
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Post by Carma on Sept 20, 2008 8:12:51 GMT -5
I don't think many here live in Britain.. but I could be wrong  I believe it's kind of expensive to live in britain. |
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Halie
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
Posts: 982
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Post by Halie on Sept 20, 2008 20:17:31 GMT -5
I'm not sure about the UK in general, but I know that London is the second most expensive city in the world, after Moscow.
But it'd be a great cultural experience. I'd do it!
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Post by Melissa G. on Sept 20, 2008 20:43:56 GMT -5
I'm not sure about the UK in general, but I know that London is the second most expensive city in the world, after Moscow. But it'd be a great cultural experience. I'd do it! See, I'm not sure where the stores will be.  I wonder if incomes in London are higher to compensate? |
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Bad Kitty
First short story featured in regional newspaper
Posts: 127
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Post by Bad Kitty on Sept 20, 2008 23:56:49 GMT -5
Hello, yes, I was born and still live in London. Ask me questions.  It IS expensive (that is the one thing visitors, particularly Americans, Canadians and Australians, always mention/complain about. Popular comments made by Americans: "The Tube (subway) costs $10!" and/or "I just paid $27 for a sandwich and Coke!"I wouldn't say it's hard to make a living (compared to some places in the world). If you're prepared to work and have some basic qualifications and people skills you should do fine. Incomes are generally higher in London because of the higher cost of living. Many companies simply have to take into account the fact that if their employees are living in town they will need higher salaries to commute and pay the rent. (Rent is high pretty much anywhere inside the M25 (that's the London orbital motorway) but it does vary depending on the area. East and South London are generally cheaper than West or North London. Generally.) Outside of London practically everything is significantly cheaper, housing especially (though it may still seem rather expensive to an American/Canadian/Australian.) I really don't think (aside from prices) the culture shock for an American would be very marked. No language barrier, many of the same shops, the food isn't much different. British people tend to make a big fuss about the weather, but that's really only because it's so boring. We don't tend to get much and everyone loves to moan about it. I suppose driving on the other side of the road might take some getting used to. Hmm.. fewer things are open 24hrs than in America and everything is generally on a smaller scale. Sports wise there's very little coverage of the popular American sports like baseball, basketball, American football and ice hockey, so if you're a sports fan you might find the overwhelming focus on football (soccer), rugby and cricket hard to adjust to. The country is also more secular than the US, so if you're super-religious you might find it a bit.. heathen? TV wise it's not that different. We get most of the big American shows over here. I can't really think of anything else. Anything specific you're wondering about? I'm happy to help if I can. |
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Halie
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
Posts: 982
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Post by Halie on Sept 21, 2008 0:12:54 GMT -5
The country is also more secular than the US, so if you're super-religious you might find it a bit.. heathen? That comment is hilarious, and likely true. However, most young Americans/citydwellers are not the churchgoing type, in my experience. In the US, and I guess in most parts of the world, cities are completely different worlds than the country... if you look at past elections nearly every urban county voted democrat and rural county voted republican (=Bush), if that says anything. |
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jobean
First novel published
Posts: 2,479
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Post by jobean on Sept 21, 2008 0:20:14 GMT -5
I love weather in Britain! Just for one year I'd like to have a snowy Christmas.
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Post by Carma on Sept 21, 2008 5:32:09 GMT -5
I love weather in Britain! Just for one year I'd like to have a snowy Christmas. ehm.. you mean rain? |
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Bad Kitty
First short story featured in regional newspaper
Posts: 127
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Post by Bad Kitty on Sept 21, 2008 8:14:52 GMT -5
It's not even that we get a lot of rain.. the majority of British weather is just grey.
It's not really incredibly rainy, not really very cold, not really anything.. except grey.
England is in a perpetual state of meteorological limbo.
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Post by Melissa G. on Sept 21, 2008 10:38:37 GMT -5
Oh goodie! Thanks so much for answering!
The weather sounds lovely! Does it stay about the same temperature all year? We get 2 seasons here: HOT and chilly. I really don't like the hot weather. I burn like crazy in the sun and get migraines from the heat. So that sounds wonderful!
So, I do have a few questions.... where do people shop? Do you have stores like Walmart or more little shops and such? What about grocery stores? Is it one large store or vendors?
Are gas stations the same as here? How much is gas there? Do people have to drive everywhere or can they use public transportation or walk or bike? We don't have a public transit system where I live so we have to drive everywhere! It's no fun!
What do people wear? Most people around here wear blue jeans and t-shirts or something like that. People don't dress up much unless they're going to work.
Are the universities hard to get into? I'd love go to school there too. How is that different? Large classes? Small? Lectures or hands on?
Are people in general friendly?
Obviously, these questions are meant to be general questions. I know they won't be exactly the same everywhere and for everyone, but I just want an idea.
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Post by Carma on Sept 21, 2008 11:24:40 GMT -5
The weather sounds lovely! Does it stay about the same temperature all year? We get 2 seasons here: HOT and chilly. I really don't like the hot weather. I burn like crazy in the sun and get migraines from the heat. So that sounds wonderful! weather is warmer during the summer, colder during the winter. she means the sun rarely shines (I think?) it's not the same weather all year round. Tutu's with leather jackets. sorry.. |
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Post by Melissa G. on Sept 21, 2008 12:02:55 GMT -5
The weather sounds lovely! Does it stay about the same temperature all year? We get 2 seasons here: HOT and chilly. I really don't like the hot weather. I burn like crazy in the sun and get migraines from the heat. So that sounds wonderful! weather is warmer during the summer, colder during the winter. she means the sun rarely shines (I think?) it's not the same weather all year round. Tutu's with leather jackets.sorry.. My daughter would fit right in! |
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Post by Carma on Sept 22, 2008 10:07:02 GMT -5
weather is warmer during the summer, colder during the winter. she means the sun rarely shines (I think?) it's not the same weather all year round. Tutu's with leather jackets.sorry.. My daughter would fit right in! haha, cute! |
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Sept 22, 2008 15:13:01 GMT -5
Since you found Bad Kitty to really answer your questions, I just have some comments about my trip to Edinburgh, Scotland.
Right now the exchange rate is about $1 to 0.5 pounds. I noticed that at least in Edinburgh, all of the prices are the same, so it is twice as expensive to buy stuff. (Like a T-shirt that costs $20 is 20 pounds so you pay $40.)
Also, it takes time to get used to crossing the streets because you have to look to the right first. I never thought it'd be hard to do or that I automatically looked to the left here at home, but over there I noticed it.
Those are just a couple things I noticed. Nothing really important. More for a traveler than a potential mover.
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Bad Kitty
First short story featured in regional newspaper
Posts: 127
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Post by Bad Kitty on Sept 22, 2008 22:57:02 GMT -5
Oh goodie! Thanks so much for answering! The weather sounds lovely! Does it stay about the same temperature all year? We get 2 seasons here: HOT and chilly. I really don't like the hot weather. I burn like crazy in the sun and get migraines from the heat. So that sounds wonderful! If you don't like hot sunny weather you're definitely on to a winner with Britain! ;D So, I do have a few questions.... where do people shop? Do you have stores like Walmart or more little shops and such? What about grocery stores? Is it one large store or vendors? Most people do their food/grocery shopping at supermarkets like Sainsburys or Tesco. There are plenty of little shops around as well, but most people do their "weekly shop" at a supermarket. Are gas stations the same as here? How much is gas there? Do people have to drive everywhere or can they use public transportation or walk or bike? We don't have a public transit system where I live so we have to drive everywhere! It's no fun! Petrol (gas) stations work pretty much the same way as in the US except the fuel is WAY more expensive (you'll be shocked) and is counted in litres rather than gallons. In London there is an extensive public transport system (trains, the tube (subway), buses, trams..) so (in my opinion) you don't need a car if you live in London. I don't drive, personally, and I don't have much trouble getting around. Elsewhere in the country it's less convenient so a car is probably very helpful. But really, trains go everywhere, most places have a decent bus service, cycling is generally approved of and walking is good for you, so.. I say go for carless. (That said, most people do have cars over here.. but in my opinion, particularly in London, they are pointless. There is nowhere to park, they're incredibly expensive to run and there are faster/cheaper/greener alternatives.) What do people wear? Most people around here wear blue jeans and t-shirts or something like that. People don't dress up much unless they're going to work. Well, London Fashion Week just ended so it's probably a bad time to ask that question. Generally people in town wear pretty boring clothes, a lot of black. Men in suits, women in skirts and blouses. Very businessey. But that's just city London. It's a bit "fashionista" in parts. Eccentric style and designer labels. Elsewhere it's casual or smart/casual. A lot of jeans and sportswear. I wouldn't worry too much about that. Are the universities hard to get into? I'd love go to school there too. How is that different? Large classes? Small? Lectures or hands on? The top univeristies (Oxford, Cambridge, etc) are very hard to get into. But higher education is (according to the government) open to anyone and everyone. Any age, economic background, etc. People are encouraged to go. Student loans are rampant. London has the most students anywhere in the world. There are A LOT of courses on offer at a lot of different places to study. Huge to small, long term and short term, in pretty much any subject you can imagine. It's quite easy to take a short course (evening or weekend for example) at a university here to see how you like it, then go on to full-time study. Alternatively, The Open University (distance learning) is a very popular option for people who want to work full time and study.. or for people with little or no previous academic record. It is quite literally open to anyone. Hundreds of thousands of people study that way, it is a perfectly well-respected institution. My cousin got her second degree from there a couple of years ago (she was working full time and wanted to study at her own pace, so it was perfect for her.) There really are lots of opportunities for study here. From my own experience, I know that people come from all over the world to go to school here (a bonus, you get to meet and make friends with people from all over the place! And if you're a foreign student yourself you won't feel lonely.) Are people in general friendly? I'd say so. In general. From my own experiences of other cultures I'd rank the UK as generally slightly less overtly friendly than the US, but much friendlier than France. In my experience, particularly, Londoners are infinitely friendlier than Parisians. |
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