[QUOTE=GilaB]
Also bear in mind that British doctors aren’t paid as much as American ones, so if your wife has significant med school debt, it might be much more difficult to pay it off on a UK salary.
[/QUOTE]
If she defaulted on her loans would she be pursued? (Not suggesting, but curious)
[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe]
On an unrelated note:
I understand the desire to leave the country. There’s a lot of stuff that’s just messed up in general. I’ve lived in Europe for four years. But you have to understand that the UK has it’s share of problems too. I hope you like soccer, first of all, because a big part of people’s lives over there revolve around it. There’s plenty of things to complain about in the UK just like in the US. And really I think we’re on the verge of something good as a nation. I have a feeling that rising gas prices will be a very good thing for the country because we’ll finally pick ourselves up out of this mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.
[/QUOTE]
This is sage advice, and I bet in, oh, a generation or two the US will have many of the advantages of the UK. But the transition is going to be painful, and right now there are precious few places that are even contemplating the scale of change that would be required. I’d just rather start out where they’re doing things right in the first place. But this is a lot of MHO, so enough.
[QUOTE=vetbridge]
If she defaulted on her loans would she be pursued? (Not suggesting, but curious)
[/QUOTE]
Dunno, I’d rather not find out…
Salaries for academics are not outstanding here, maybe 75% of the US. The bigger problem, or at least difference, would be that we have no corresponding system to the liberal art undergrad school in the UK.
As a general rule, there are no small colleges where good students go to study biology in the UK. There are certainly no small colleges where anyone does any meaningful research in biology in the UK. Both research and teaching in a science like biology are carried out in large, metropolitan universities. This model, which is sort of an elitist, let’s concentrate scarce resources in one place type of affair, is probably a good thing for research but it has really decimated smaller colleges who cannot now afford to teach subjects like biology. 20 years ago, there were upwards of 10 colleges in London offering honours degrees in chemistry. Now there are 2.
This may not be an issue for you, but it’s worth pointing out. A biology professor at Penn State, say, is basically doing the same job as a biology professor at the University of Manchester. A biology professor at Holy Cross, to name one liberal arts school I have heard of, has no direct contemporary in the UK. Where (s)he to move over here, I suspect they would need to either dramatically up their research commitment, or cut it out completely and take on a teaching only position - many of which exist.
OK, I’ll be That Guy.
Have you ever, like, visited England? For how long and under what circumstances? Why exactly do you think your life will be better in Europe, and what evidence do you have for that belief?
For people from third world countries, the attraction of moving to Europe or the US or Canada or Australia and so forth is pretty obvious, for multiple reasons. But what’s motivating you, and why do you think that the things you find annoying about your present situtation won’t be present in your new location? No matter where you go, there you are.
Why not move to England and, you know, try it out? What’s the deal with it having to be permanent or you don’t want to do it? If moving to another country is such a trauma that you don’t want to do it twice, maybe you shouldn’t even consider it once.
And here’s the other thing. You liked Seattle, so why is Seattle out of the question, but Vancouver is a possibility? What’s so attractive about that border? You know, I’ve been to Vancouver plenty of times, and the only difference I could see was that the money looked different. If you want more Englishy-ness, try Victoria, which due to all the English expatriates is more English than England.
Lemur, he posted a link above which basically says that he wants to be able to walk everywhere- ie. he doesn’t like the automotive hegemonization of America.
To which I say, I hope to God he doesn’t move to Milton Keynes. Footpaths everywhere, and none of them go anywhere you might want to go.
I’ve lived mostly in the UAE and spent summers in the Czech Republic over the past few years (and other countries prior to that). I moved from the US and it is not easy. Life in the US is about as cheap and easy as it can be, so in the end you will probably have less disposable income and find things more difficult overall. So there has to be a compelling reason to do it. What is that reason in your view?
For me it was the chance to live in an Arab, Muslim country and improve my Arabic (still working on that), while getting a bit better tax situation… but you won’t get that in the UK.
So why?
There are lots of good answers, but to help you, it’d be nice to know the motivation.
[QUOTE=vetbridge]
If she defaulted on her loans would she be pursued? (Not suggesting, but curious)
[/QUOTE]
I don’t think they could pursue the matter through English courts, but if she ever decided to return to the US, there could be trouble.
Here’s another link from the UK Immigration agency that may be of interest - specifically for highly skilled workers. Doctors and biology professors might qualify, and there’s a test you can run to see if you have a chance. It asks you about qualifications, current earnings and also if you have any previous experience of working in the UK.
This program would allow you to enter the UK without first finding work, but I can’t say I’d recommend that course of action.
[QUOTE=Lemur866]
OK, I’ll be That Guy.
Have you ever, like, visited England? For how long and under what circumstances? Why exactly do you think your life will be better in Europe, and what evidence do you have for that belief?
For people from third world countries, the attraction of moving to Europe or the US or Canada or Australia and so forth is pretty obvious, for multiple reasons. But what’s motivating you, and why do you think that the things you find annoying about your present situtation won’t be present in your new location? No matter where you go, there you are.
Why not move to England and, you know, try it out? What’s the deal with it having to be permanent or you don’t want to do it? If moving to another country is such a trauma that you don’t want to do it twice, maybe you shouldn’t even consider it once.
And here’s the other thing. You liked Seattle, so why is Seattle out of the question, but Vancouver is a possibility? What’s so attractive about that border? You know, I’ve been to Vancouver plenty of times, and the only difference I could see was that the money looked different. If you want more Englishy-ness, try Victoria, which due to all the English expatriates is more English than England.
[/QUOTE]
Haven’t been there. Tijuana is my most exotic international adventure. But I’ve read about it. I enjoy being in places with history – my favorite places in Seattle were the old ones. And this site captures a lot of the rest of my motivation.
Seattle is nice, but it’s still FAR more car-oriented than European cities. From what I have read.
[QUOTE=Busy Scissors]
Salaries for academics are not outstanding here, maybe 75% of the US. The bigger problem, or at least difference, would be that we have no corresponding system to the liberal art undergrad school in the UK.
As a general rule, there are no small colleges where good students go to study biology in the UK. There are certainly no small colleges where anyone does any meaningful research in biology in the UK. Both research and teaching in a science like biology are carried out in large, metropolitan universities. This model, which is sort of an elitist, let’s concentrate scarce resources in one place type of affair, is probably a good thing for research but it has really decimated smaller colleges who cannot now afford to teach subjects like biology. 20 years ago, there were upwards of 10 colleges in London offering honours degrees in chemistry. Now there are 2.
This may not be an issue for you, but it’s worth pointing out. A biology professor at Penn State, say, is basically doing the same job as a biology professor at the University of Manchester. A biology professor at Holy Cross, to name one liberal arts school I have heard of, has no direct contemporary in the UK. Where (s)he to move over here, I suspect they would need to either dramatically up their research commitment, or cut it out completely and take on a teaching only position - many of which exist.
[/QUOTE]
Crap and double crap. I don’t want a 95% research job, I jumped off that train and have no intention of turning back. I love to teach and want it to be at least as big a part of my job as research.
[QUOTE=Lemur866]
You liked Seattle, so why is Seattle out of the question, but Vancouver is a possibility? What’s so attractive about that border? You know, I’ve been to Vancouver plenty of times, and the only difference I could see was that the money looked different. If you want more Englishy-ness, try Victoria, which due to all the English expatriates is more English than England.
[/QUOTE]
Seattle is nice, but it’s still FAR more car-oriented than European cities or Vancouver. Nothing in Seattle can compare to the dense neighborhoods of downtown Vancouver (according to Wikipedia, Vancouver’s population density is about twice that of Seattle). [Sorry about the partial double post with the above – missed the edit window]
[QUOTE=spazurek]
Seattle is nice, but it’s still FAR more car-oriented than European cities or Vancouver. Nothing in Seattle can compare to the dense neighborhoods of downtown Vancouver (according to Wikipedia, Vancouver’s population density is about twice that of Seattle). [Sorry about the partial double post with the above – missed the edit window]
[/QUOTE]
I live in Vancouver. If you’re thinking about moving here, think about doing it soon. Those godDAMN Olympics are going to drive prices through the roof.
[QUOTE=StrawberryPaprika]
I live in Vancouver. If you’re thinking about moving here, think about doing it soon. Those godDAMN Olympics are going to drive prices through the roof.
[/QUOTE]
You mean prices aren’t already through the roof?! All we hear about is how expensive Vancouver has gotten lately; way more expensive for equivalent houses in other Canadian cities, even Toronto!
Not that Montreal is cheap, but it hasn’t gotten that high… yet!
If you want mass transit and crowded streets, Montreal is a good choice, but immigration here is a bit tougher if you don’t speak French! On the other hand, there is a pretty serious lack of doctors AFAIK, and even people willing to work at the high school and cegep level, since the salaries really aren’t as high as elsewhere. Oh, and we are taxed a lot. And it snows a lot in the winter. But I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else (at least not at this part of my life!)
I think you should consider visiting and getting to know a place before really thinking about moving there. Have you considered looking into one of the UN areas… AFNORTH (as I understand it’s now called) is an international school and probably other civilian services for people working in the Netherlands - it is part owned by the US. See if you qualify/get hired for a 2-4 or more year stint, and GO. I was lucky enough to do something similar, back when Canada had military bases in Germany. We were only there for 3 years (and I was a kid), but it still felt like home, and while it was a massive pain in the ass to move there and back, I would do it again in a heartbeat! If my husband and I get the time and opportunity to do something similar, we probably will. Look into something like this - I find it hard to believe you’d regret it: http://www.afnorth-is.com/index-1.html
Might I remind you that New York City isn’t a terrible place to live either? You want population density and walkability? How about a city where 78 percent of us don’t own cars? That’s pretty damn neat and probably higher than most places in England. Just so you know, Europe isn’t any more walkable than New York.
I used to feel the same way you did, but now things are different. I’ve lived in a lot of nice places in Europe, but they certainly have their downsides. I don’t think you’re ready for the cultural differences you’ll encounter. It’s difficult to get around. You’ll find yourself craving the little things that you can’t get in Europe, like decent peanut butter, or mayonnaise. Also, for some reason grape jelly is impossible to find in Europe.
There’s all manner of little things that are like a thorn in your paw. If you have to move to Europe, and it has to be English-speaking, I’d highly recommend Ireland. Ireland is doing far better than the UK is economically. They are a high-tech economy. Maybe some sort of Biotech job could be in the works? How cool would that be?
Personally I’d recommend Scandinavia. You might be able to teach in English and I know they need doctors. The economy is always good enough and they ride bikes everywhere in Denmark. My kind of place really.
[QUOTE=Really Not All That Bright]
To which I say, I hope to God he doesn’t move to Milton Keynes. Footpaths everywhere, and none of them go anywhere you might want to go.
[/QUOTE]
Huh? Where was it you couldn’t get to?
I’m a Londoner really, I’ve just lived in MK for a while. People have some funny ideas about this place.
[QUOTE=Small Clanger]
Huh? Where was it you couldn’t get to?
I’m a Londoner really, I’ve just lived in MK for a while. People have some funny ideas about this place.
[/QUOTE]
Tell me about it… I’ve lived in MK for 20 years and never had any trouble walking to places.
That looks set to change, with Ireland’s economy tied closely with America’s. GDP and GNP growth is slowing rapidly, for instance.
[QUOTE=Small Clanger]
Huh? Where was it you couldn’t get to?
[/QUOTE]
More or less everything except the BR station.
I’ve never lived there, though - I was just passing through.
I think you’re romanticizing England. Especially if you haven’t even been there.
I’ve been lucky enough to visit three times, mostly in London. And it is a really nice place. If I had to move there for some reason, be it job, family, or whatever, I’d be glad to do it. But even on my short visits, I could see that they have their own set of problems, and there are many things about the place that would prove pretty annoying to this born and bred Yank. Again, I’d be happy to live there if I had to, and there are many things I find tremendously appealing about British culture, but I wouldn’t move there just because I have some notion that it would be “better than the U.S.”
Anyway, I checked out your above link, and I couldn’t agree more about the superiority of “walkable communities.” (I was highly influenced by the book Geography of Nowhere by James Howard Kunstler.) The desire for a walkable community was one of the reasons I chose to move to Westfield, NJ.
We are 10 for 10 on the “Characteristics of a Walkable Community” list.
This is an expensive town to live in, largely because it is so desirable as a “walkable community.” But an ordinary doctor’s salary is more than enough to cover it. And salaries in New Jersey are generally pretty good.
I’m not suggesting that you move to Westfield specifically. There are many towns like it all over the country. You just have to look for them, and to some extent, you have to pay for them. But you can afford the premium.
And as Merkwurdigliebe points out, New York City is the ultimate in walkability. AND they have an excellent system of cars for short-term hire (aka taxicabs) should you need them.
[QUOTE=Merkwurdigliebe]
You’ll find yourself craving the little things that you can’t get in Europe, like decent peanut butter, or mayonnaise. Also, for some reason grape jelly is impossible to find in Europe.
[/QUOTE]
Don’t they have shops that sell American items in Europe? There are two stores within a few blocks of me that sell British groceries. I assumed that there would be equivalent shops in other countries. I guess you have to pay a little more for your Heinz Salad Cream if you buy it here in New Jersey, but hey, I’d pay big bucks for certain “essentials” like Hellman’s mayo if I had to!