What is it like to live in the uk?

Question

i am an american an i live in the us and am hoping to move to the uk. what is the uk like? are people less judgemental then here. do people fit in no matter what they act like? is there a lot of crime in the uk? is the standard of living good? if someone could tell me as much as possible about the uk it would be great!! what do i need to do to move to the uk?

Answer 1

Very  EXPENSIVE !!!!!!!!!! .

Answer 2

It depends, many professional people tend not to be so judgemental but its still there. Were probably worse than the Americans foe being judgemental you seem to accept things more.

You need to just act yourself, dont put on a show when people find out youre not what you make out to be they turn 'funny'

Yes there is a lot of crime, but not as high as in the USA. we have a little less violence here but theres lots of burglaries, petty crime, drug abuse, prostitution as in other countries.

Saying that, we are really a friendly lot and as the population is becoming more and more multicultural, youll have little problem settling in.

London has a faster living, higher density population, therefore you may feel a little lonely there. The outskirts of london are cheaper and quieter to live. i.e. Kent, and transport is quite reasonably priced to get into the capital.

If you want to email me, feel free to do so.

Answer 3

i think its grate,,

for so little u can live such a good life!

Answer 4

I like it here, and most Americans I know who have visited like it too. I expect you will.

Answer 5

It's c**p. Don't come.

Answer 6

I am an American who moved to England two years ago. Am only here until January. I would like to know where you live in the U.S. I mived here from Vegas, but grew up in California. I miss the weather badly! People are not less judgemental here at all. It depends on which area you are thinking about moving to. A lot of people act ignorant as h**l, but you tend meet meet some good ones also. Crime is not as bad here as in certain parts of the states, but you do have to keep watch on your things. The standard of living is different here. There is so much history here and a lot of the buildings and houses are very old. Less grafitti and litter here. Less homeless people. There are great places to visit while out here and it is souch a close travel to many other countries. I am lucky to have this experience. It is nice to do some college while here. Before you move here you need to get a passport. I got mine at a post office. It takes a lot less time to get it there. Do a lot of studying around the area you want to move. Try to have as much taken care of before you get here as you can. Good Luck!

Answer 7

I am Singaporean and I am currently studying in Manchester with my friends on exchange.

The UK is a great place to stay in, but of course there are occasional problems.

People are usually more reserved than Americans here.

There is some measure of integration, and so far so good, there is no discrimination, none outward at least. The crime here is not too high, but higher than Singapore standards. The standard of living is excellent and living conditions are relatively good here.

Answer 8

Crime is through the roof, so is tax, immigrants and billions of other problems. I suggest you move to Ireland. Freindliest contry on the planet, low pullution and prices are not the highest.

Answer 9

It's about as diverse as it can be, so everything depends on where you are.  (New York isn't exactly the Kansas plains either, but we do that sort of difference in a much smaller country)

There are crime hotspots of various sorts in the UK... Bad estates, drunken fights outside nightclubs in many cities...

but overall it's good.

Anyway the thing most likely to kill a young adult is a road traffic accident, and we're half as dangerous as the USA in that respect.(though you'll be somewhat at risk till you get the hang of it on the left-hand side of the road)

You'll need lots of information about the visa requirements etc. but before that, at least one decent holiday here to scout out areas, (and jobs?)  and get a "feel" for the place, and not really the tourist spots.  There'll be time for them if you come to stay.

Answer 10

Different parts of the UK are different.  I suppose it's like comparing someone who lives on a farm in Kansas with someone who lives in downtown LA.  We generally like Americans although we think they can be a bit loud sometimes and a bit ignorant of our history.  I grew up in Scotland in the countryside and everyone knew everyone and we ran to each other's houses to play after school and went out on our bikes till we were hungry.  I now live in London and my daughter will not be allowed out on her own until she is much older.  There is crime here but the main crime where I live is drug related and centres around the gangs and dodgy estates so if you don't run in those circles, it's unlikely to affect you.  The standard of living is falling as prices are so high.  My weekly shopping bill used to be £100 now it's nearer £150 and the wages are not increasing.  People are feeling the pinch and getting increasingly unhappy.  People are losing their homes and cutting back on buying anything.  Moving to the UK from abroad is similar to someone moving to the USA.  You need the equivalent of a Green Card (a work permit) and these are in short supply.  They are mainly given to people with family already living here, people who can financially support themselves for some time, students who will return home after studies and key workers such as teachers and doctors.

Answer 11

all im gonna say is that dont go to the uk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ive just recently moved to the Philippines last year, im 18 now,i was born and grew up in england, trust me on this do not go and live in england!!!

why? becoz the youth there are soooo bad, its not safe out on the streets, there are sooo many gangs of kids that will coz trouble with anyone, they are called chavs seriously dude, do some research on chavs, they are dangerous, they will beat anyone up for no reason,

the amount of times me and my friends have had trouble with chavs, we would walk in the streets and they will verbably throw abuse at you, come up to you and want a fight, push and swear at you.

i feel safer in the Philippines then in England, now what does that tell you!?

theres a load of crime in england man, there is no justice! the law is for the criminals, if they do a serious crime, they don't get many years in prison, there are some cases that  a guy killed another person coz he felt like it, and he only got a few years in jail! there is no justice in england man!

also you cant even defend your self from harm in your own home! if someone was to break into your house, and threaten you, you cant hurt him, coz he could sue you, and you can even be thrown in jail! again no justice!

the people from my opinion arnt that nice, actually ill correct that, there are some good people there, its just the chavs that are bad, and theyre everywhere! the country itself is nice, its a great place, if your gonna live in england, the countryside is a nice place, thoe chavs are starting to appear there.

London is a cool place. the personality of the brits are ok, not that warm and hospitable thoe, um british sence of humor is the best!

what else um, oh a bad thing is that there is soo many illegal immigrants are coming into the country they are everywhere, and all your hard ernd money goes to them threw taxes! the government gives them free mobile phones, houses/flats! wtf! that really pissed my dad off wen we use to live there.

my dad believes that england is heading to become a 3rd world country, and i agree with him. honestly, i would juz stay in america, or why dont you go to the philippines! its great, i love it, and the people are sooo nice and friendly, and there are so many hot girls dude! hahaha! let me no wot your plan is, hop i helped in your desision. Later days!

Answer 12

Do you have any idea where abouts in the UK, Most of the cities are c**p with crime and polution. and it spredding. Life in general is expensive. I stayed in Kissimmee for a while, I know where i rather be. (when you come over can you fetch me some parts for my bronco)lol

Answer 13

In general the UK differs from the USA in a number of ways, including those mentioned.

Another main difference are the people who live there, in comparison to Americans.

As previously stated, we Brits oft times think Americans to be loud, brash and arrogant which is reflected in our nature and sense of humour.

If you do move to the UK, you may find that some things you say in jest are taken seriously by the locals, while they may laugh at things you find a bit sharp or even sarcastic.

Brits as a whole are more pessimistic than Americans; while you may jump and shout about your achievements a British person is more likely to point out the flaws in theirs.

You're more likely to be judged in the rural areas of Britain, but that's more to do with you being "new to the neighbourhood" and nothing to do with prejudices. The cities of Britain are as diverse as any (arguably in some cases more so), with many people of many cultures living side by side.

You may also be confused by the multitude of different dialects in the UK. Obviously there are different accents in the US but not, as far as my experiences can tell, to such a level that you have trouble understanding them(!)

Some regional accents in the UK are so thick if you don't come from there you'll have trouble understanding them, at first.

I think that ultimately the UK is a great place to live because it has it's own easily recognisable culture, it has strong links to mainland Europe and also isn't too hot or too cold :)

(don't get us started on the rain though!)

Answer 14

It would be a good idea to come to the UK for a few weeks to experience it for yourself before you make any decisions. Take a look around a few areas that you may be interested in and do plenty of research on things like housing prices, job vacancies etc.

Everything from crime rates to standard of living depends upon where in the UK you chose to live. I live in an area of Surrey where the residents are very nice, crime rates are reasonably low, the standard of living is fairly high and the scenery is lovely. Areas further up North such as the Lake District are similar, if you are interested in a country lifestyle.

If you prefer city life, London is an obvious choice but it is VERY expensive to live there, particularly in the areas where you would be safest and have a higher standard of living. It is, however, a particularly good choice for big career opportunities etc. Other areas such as Brighton, Manchester etc offer the convenience and opportunities of city life, whilst being not as expensive as London. Brighton, in particular is a good choice, as it is right on the coast and has plenty of the buzz of city life.

People in the UK are becoming more and more diverse and accepting, so I'm sure you'll fit in just fine. You'll need to find a place to live/rent before applying to move here. Google search 'Moving abroad' or 'Relocating to UK' to find out more about the process.

Good Luck :)

Answer 15

The UK is great that's why is called Great Britain

Answer 16

Great Britain is the best, I advice to you is this, if you like to enjoy it here make sure that you have a good job first, I know that you will need a work permit to work here in the UK, get that sorted first, get yourself a good job then I'm sure there are lots of people on this site will tell you how to enjoy.

Answer 17

. You will find your ups and downs, will you find your footing.

If you earn well and live in a good neighborhood things are are no different from any good neighborhood in the world.I have lived in the UK for a few years and I have no regrets.

I enjoyed the clubs and concert halls.You select the plays you want to attend from the fringe to the main stream.Eating out was no problem.As you know your earning capacity changes the situation in any environment.Crime is every where . I have lived there for a few years and was never a victim yet people can just get of the plane and become a victim.I have had friend who hated the UK and left in a hurry and there are people who just can blend in . If you are the blending type you will have not problem.

Answer 18

try working and saving for months, then every 3 months you get to spend all that money you have made and saved on:

Phone bills

Gas bill

Electricity bill

then every year

Water rate

and every month council tax

if you have a car it's worse

petrol prices

MOT

Road TAX

Insurance

not to mention the 17.5% tax on every single thing!

life hear sucks!

i tell you what, if you want to come so bad, can we swap lives? you live in my place, and i'll live in yours?