Hi everyone - I've been living in the US for almost 6 yrs now on a H1 visa, but am contemplating relocating to the UK in the next 2-3 months. I have received a Tier -1 visa recently. The long wait for the GC (esp in the Eb-3 quota) and the inability of my spouse to work here are the primary reasons to move.
Can someone enlight me on the following? I have done my research on the web but would like some input from locals.
1. Salaries in the UK in the IT field - I know this is a cliched question and varies based on region. A quick galance in job portals lists for my skillsets and experience lists an annual packages of 45GBP + in the London area and 35- 40GBP elsewhere. This is far less compared to what i receive in the US. Is that a good enough salary to lead a US comparable lifestyle in the UK?
2. Job Search: If i were to come to the UK and stay for a month to search for a job in the IT field - what would be the best place to stay?
3. Insurance - Is NI good enough or do ppl prefer private insurance for helathcare. I hear complaints about the long wait times for NI. I have a 2 month old infant and have rushed to ER's here couple of times - How is urgent care under govt. sponsored insurance?
4. Shipping Cars - I'm quite attached to my Prius and would prefer to ship it if possible, how much of a hassle is it to drive LHD's in the UK?
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
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giri_sayee
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:05 am
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srinivas74
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:04 pm
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
Hi giri
Coming to your questions
Salaries in the UK in the IT field - 35-40K is a decent salary. It depends on where you want to relocate, if its london I wouldnt say its a decent salary, but if you move out of london, its a pretty good salary to start off with.
Job Search Reg. the job market i m not too sure how booming it is. It also depends on ur skill sets and what position u r applying for.
Insurance Insurance will be taken from ur salary and thats pretty much unless your company gives additional benefits like private healthcare. For most of the hospital chakkars, your national insurance covers. Just go to your local NHS and they will treat you equally well. so you shouldnt worry too much about it. Thats the biggest plus point of living in UK, NHS takes care of most of the ailments unless if someone has some special problems. In my view dont worry too much about it.
Shipping Cars I dont have much idea of shipping cars, it will be definitely expensive i beleive. when you say LHDs do you mean hybrid cars. Toyota prius is available here also for the last 6 years. So unless you have something really exquisite you might want to think about it.
If your have any other questions, you can pm me and I will be more than happy to help you.
S
Coming to your questions
Salaries in the UK in the IT field - 35-40K is a decent salary. It depends on where you want to relocate, if its london I wouldnt say its a decent salary, but if you move out of london, its a pretty good salary to start off with.
Job Search Reg. the job market i m not too sure how booming it is. It also depends on ur skill sets and what position u r applying for.
Insurance Insurance will be taken from ur salary and thats pretty much unless your company gives additional benefits like private healthcare. For most of the hospital chakkars, your national insurance covers. Just go to your local NHS and they will treat you equally well. so you shouldnt worry too much about it. Thats the biggest plus point of living in UK, NHS takes care of most of the ailments unless if someone has some special problems. In my view dont worry too much about it.
Shipping Cars I dont have much idea of shipping cars, it will be definitely expensive i beleive. when you say LHDs do you mean hybrid cars. Toyota prius is available here also for the last 6 years. So unless you have something really exquisite you might want to think about it.
If your have any other questions, you can pm me and I will be more than happy to help you.
S
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
1. Salaries in the UK in the IT field
You might have tried www.jobserve.co.uk to check salaries for a particular skill set in a particular county/area.
IMO 35-45K + perks is ok to start with as mentioned by #2.
Most of the desi cos I know, pay 35-42K(and no perks) for Programmer/Senior Programmer type roles.
2. Job Search:
For IT jobs, I would suggest London/South-East-UK.
3. Insurance -
NHS is good though there are queues.
For emergencies its much better. In case of viral fever etc a GP may give u appointment after 3-4 days which could be irritating.
I do have private health cover(for my family) provided by my employer but fortunately haven't used it even once.
4. Shipping Cars -
No idea abt shipping cars but I think it would be easier to buy one in UK.
In UK, there are many cars from other European nations which have non-UK registrationa and are LHDs so I assume it shouldn't be a problem.
Also everyday there are 1000s of RHD drivers go to France(via Dover-Calais) where LHD is norm so I think it shouldn't be much of a problem.
You might have tried www.jobserve.co.uk to check salaries for a particular skill set in a particular county/area.
IMO 35-45K + perks is ok to start with as mentioned by #2.
Most of the desi cos I know, pay 35-42K(and no perks) for Programmer/Senior Programmer type roles.
2. Job Search:
For IT jobs, I would suggest London/South-East-UK.
3. Insurance -
NHS is good though there are queues.
For emergencies its much better. In case of viral fever etc a GP may give u appointment after 3-4 days which could be irritating.
I do have private health cover(for my family) provided by my employer but fortunately haven't used it even once.
4. Shipping Cars -
No idea abt shipping cars but I think it would be easier to buy one in UK.
In UK, there are many cars from other European nations which have non-UK registrationa and are LHDs so I assume it shouldn't be a problem.
Also everyday there are 1000s of RHD drivers go to France(via Dover-Calais) where LHD is norm so I think it shouldn't be much of a problem.
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whitecloud
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 8:01 am
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
Salaries in the UK in the IT field -
As Sri mentioned that for London it is not a decent salary, outside London anything more than £40K is a good salary. Contracting is also a good option. It pays more than a perm job -no deduction of pension and can save taxes by claiming deduction of expenses like travelling, phone bill etc. Most of my friends in IT field prefer a contracting job in UK. You wife can work too (if you are comparing your estimated net savings in UK vs. US).
Job Search
Job opportunities in London will be more than other places. Work life in London could be hectic depending upon your employer but it should not be as hectic as in India. Socialising in London is a lot easier as compared to other parts of UK. You will find Indians/Asians in very part of London. Though, as per my friends we are now all over UK :)
Insurance
NHS: Services are not fast but as fantoosh mentioned that emergency services are good.
Let me know if you do need any further information. Good luck with your move.
As Sri mentioned that for London it is not a decent salary, outside London anything more than £40K is a good salary. Contracting is also a good option. It pays more than a perm job -no deduction of pension and can save taxes by claiming deduction of expenses like travelling, phone bill etc. Most of my friends in IT field prefer a contracting job in UK. You wife can work too (if you are comparing your estimated net savings in UK vs. US).
Job Search
Job opportunities in London will be more than other places. Work life in London could be hectic depending upon your employer but it should not be as hectic as in India. Socialising in London is a lot easier as compared to other parts of UK. You will find Indians/Asians in very part of London. Though, as per my friends we are now all over UK :)
Insurance
NHS: Services are not fast but as fantoosh mentioned that emergency services are good.
Let me know if you do need any further information. Good luck with your move.
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giri_sayee
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:05 am
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
Appreciate the replies from everyone. When you guys say 40K is not a good salary in London,Do you mean for living in the London area? How about commuting from a suburb close by?
White Cloud - Thanks for the tip on contracting, I've done that before in the US and will research more on that.
Srinivas - LHD-Left hand drive. I am in the IT field, my current designation is Sr.Systems Analyst with a total experience of 8 yrs in the field.
Also how much is the culture different from the US?More specifically - are ppl open to folks from other ethnicity in all walks of life? London, i hear is very cosmopolitan, but what about other places? Is it easy for Asian Indians to rise up the corporate ladder.
Any tips on hoarding things that are expensive in UK? For example - Electronics are they cheaper in the US than the UK?( BTW , i am aware that i need to use a converter for US bought electronics in the UK)
White Cloud - Thanks for the tip on contracting, I've done that before in the US and will research more on that.
Srinivas - LHD-Left hand drive. I am in the IT field, my current designation is Sr.Systems Analyst with a total experience of 8 yrs in the field.
Also how much is the culture different from the US?More specifically - are ppl open to folks from other ethnicity in all walks of life? London, i hear is very cosmopolitan, but what about other places? Is it easy for Asian Indians to rise up the corporate ladder.
Any tips on hoarding things that are expensive in UK? For example - Electronics are they cheaper in the US than the UK?( BTW , i am aware that i need to use a converter for US bought electronics in the UK)
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srinivas74
- Posts: 103
- Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 3:04 pm
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
Hi Giri
Living in and around london is very expensive. To buy a decent house (apartment in a decent area) it would cost you around 175K, but then you still have to commute nearly an hour or so to
go to central london. With 40K salary it wont be sufficient, yeah if you get 40K and ur wife also gets 40K may be u can live well in london.
Culture wise if you are working in london it will be more cosmopolitan in nature, All ethnic backgrounds u can see in the tube. It shouldnt be a major issue, but again if live somewhere else like me, you can easily bump across many indians. If u want up to rise the ladder depends on the company and the people if they really want to give you a chance..so i cant say much about it.....
Electronics i would advise a strict no no in UK, very xpensive, our yank brothers pay in dollars and we pay the same amount in pounds which is very xpensive. This is my perception....but US is far cheaper in that case...
S
Living in and around london is very expensive. To buy a decent house (apartment in a decent area) it would cost you around 175K, but then you still have to commute nearly an hour or so to
go to central london. With 40K salary it wont be sufficient, yeah if you get 40K and ur wife also gets 40K may be u can live well in london.
Culture wise if you are working in london it will be more cosmopolitan in nature, All ethnic backgrounds u can see in the tube. It shouldnt be a major issue, but again if live somewhere else like me, you can easily bump across many indians. If u want up to rise the ladder depends on the company and the people if they really want to give you a chance..so i cant say much about it.....
Electronics i would advise a strict no no in UK, very xpensive, our yank brothers pay in dollars and we pay the same amount in pounds which is very xpensive. This is my perception....but US is far cheaper in that case...
S
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whitecloud
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Sat Sep 11, 2010 8:01 am
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
Hi Giri,
Rent or price of any flat in London would depend upon the zone. London is divided into 6/7 zones - central London being the most expensive area. Price of flats and rent will reduce the farther you move from central London.
Within each zone it depends upon the place like proximity to railway/tube station, high street, schools etc. Age of building or house would also impact rent (rent of old houses converted into flats is comparatively cheaper)
I would be good if you have a job in hand before coming here. Then you can plan everything else based on the place of work.
Promotions, increment etc depends upon employer. As you have already have 8 years of experience and from your post it looks career progression is a priority. If yes, then I won’t recommend contracting/temp roles for a longer period.
Electronics are definitely cheaper in US.
Rent or price of any flat in London would depend upon the zone. London is divided into 6/7 zones - central London being the most expensive area. Price of flats and rent will reduce the farther you move from central London.
Within each zone it depends upon the place like proximity to railway/tube station, high street, schools etc. Age of building or house would also impact rent (rent of old houses converted into flats is comparatively cheaper)
I would be good if you have a job in hand before coming here. Then you can plan everything else based on the place of work.
Promotions, increment etc depends upon employer. As you have already have 8 years of experience and from your post it looks career progression is a priority. If yes, then I won’t recommend contracting/temp roles for a longer period.
Electronics are definitely cheaper in US.
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sumachechi
- Posts: 1339
- Joined: Mon Feb 11, 2008 3:00 am
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
Giri
can answer some of your questions.
NHS- By far the biggest health player in the UK. Private healthcare(PH) is not an equivalent alternative. PH is only for elective appointments/ surgeries. They will not do anything beyond the safest type of work- anything slightly complicated is referred back to the NHS provider. The NHS is probably not user-friendly, but its quite good. particularly for paediatrics, where if your kid is really sick, things can happen really fast. Yes, waiting times and queues for appointments can be a pain, but the GP's do have criteria to suggest what needs emergency/ routine referrals. Private dental insurance would be a good deal, though.
Culturally, everything is available almost everywhere now. its a much smaller country areawise compared to the US and much more densely populated so will appear crowded to someone from the US ,but not to someone from India!. Living in London with a family can be expensive and other amenities like state education etc are not usually good in innercity schools. Living in outskirts or suburbs is best. Personally, I would have loved to have lived in London as a student( if I had some money) or after marriage, dual earners before the kids came. After the kids ,I prefer to be elsewhere in the country. The best of England is the countryside, without a doubt esp in spring and summer.
Working hours will be a breeze after the US and you will probably be entitled to 5/6 weeks of holiday a year ,at least!
can answer some of your questions.
NHS- By far the biggest health player in the UK. Private healthcare(PH) is not an equivalent alternative. PH is only for elective appointments/ surgeries. They will not do anything beyond the safest type of work- anything slightly complicated is referred back to the NHS provider. The NHS is probably not user-friendly, but its quite good. particularly for paediatrics, where if your kid is really sick, things can happen really fast. Yes, waiting times and queues for appointments can be a pain, but the GP's do have criteria to suggest what needs emergency/ routine referrals. Private dental insurance would be a good deal, though.
Culturally, everything is available almost everywhere now. its a much smaller country areawise compared to the US and much more densely populated so will appear crowded to someone from the US ,but not to someone from India!. Living in London with a family can be expensive and other amenities like state education etc are not usually good in innercity schools. Living in outskirts or suburbs is best. Personally, I would have loved to have lived in London as a student( if I had some money) or after marriage, dual earners before the kids came. After the kids ,I prefer to be elsewhere in the country. The best of England is the countryside, without a doubt esp in spring and summer.
Working hours will be a breeze after the US and you will probably be entitled to 5/6 weeks of holiday a year ,at least!
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
OP,
Agree with most of the previous posts. Here are a few more points you may wish to consider -
1) Weather - I am yet to find a person who doesn't moan about UK weather.
2) You can live in suburbs or even on the outskirts and travel into London but that may increase your commuting budget. To get an idea of travel cost (suburbs) you can see - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
For outside London the rail cos. individual websites.
3) Read this point if you have kids. In Greater London the cost of accommodation is usually more in areas having good council schools and good transport links. For example the street where I live a 2 Bed apartment (not house) will cost £220 K and if i move 1 -2 Kms up it jumps up to £270,000 to £300,000. But then that move puts me into the catchment area of good council schools.
4) Asians moving up the ladder ........... well it depends on many factors.
5) Asian shops/restaurants they are plenty and it is easy to find most of Indian foods and other grocery.
6) Job situation, yes it varies from person to person based on skill sets.
7) Living in countryside - well I would love to live in the countryside but I may not feel very secured (racial hatred in some areas) and for me it may get very depressing in the long winter months (October to March).
Agree with most of the previous posts. Here are a few more points you may wish to consider -
1) Weather - I am yet to find a person who doesn't moan about UK weather.
2) You can live in suburbs or even on the outskirts and travel into London but that may increase your commuting budget. To get an idea of travel cost (suburbs) you can see - http://www.tfl.gov.uk/
For outside London the rail cos. individual websites.
3) Read this point if you have kids. In Greater London the cost of accommodation is usually more in areas having good council schools and good transport links. For example the street where I live a 2 Bed apartment (not house) will cost £220 K and if i move 1 -2 Kms up it jumps up to £270,000 to £300,000. But then that move puts me into the catchment area of good council schools.
4) Asians moving up the ladder ........... well it depends on many factors.
5) Asian shops/restaurants they are plenty and it is easy to find most of Indian foods and other grocery.
6) Job situation, yes it varies from person to person based on skill sets.
7) Living in countryside - well I would love to live in the countryside but I may not feel very secured (racial hatred in some areas) and for me it may get very depressing in the long winter months (October to March).
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giri_sayee
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2009 9:05 am
Planning on move to UK - Need advice from locals
Thanks everyone for assuaging my concers about NHS - I guess i am skeptical on anything that is govt.sponsored :-).
@neesha - Wow .. didn't realize tube fares are that high. I have heard about the steep property prices in London though but still the numbers for a 2 bedroom apt still boggles the mind.
Do ppl usually prefer public transportation? Can we make do without cars unlike the US? Here if both of us were to work, it is imperative that we each have our own cars.
Also i heard that most shops close at 5 PM. Is that an exaggeration? Exp. grocery shops and convenience stores? If were to live in the suburbs or outskirts of the city , do i have to plan my shopping - esp if both of us are working. I am used to shopping after 9 PM here :-).
@neesha - Wow .. didn't realize tube fares are that high. I have heard about the steep property prices in London though but still the numbers for a 2 bedroom apt still boggles the mind.
Do ppl usually prefer public transportation? Can we make do without cars unlike the US? Here if both of us were to work, it is imperative that we each have our own cars.
Also i heard that most shops close at 5 PM. Is that an exaggeration? Exp. grocery shops and convenience stores? If were to live in the suburbs or outskirts of the city , do i have to plan my shopping - esp if both of us are working. I am used to shopping after 9 PM here :-).