Want to move from Dallas to England/Europe next year. Any advice?

dpatel

dpatel

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This is something I'm partially considering doing, and I want to just find out everything I should know before moving. My plan would be to work my current job until mid-late next year (giving me 2 years of experience), then start looking for work (My current title is Software Engineer) somewhere in England where I would work for a few years and travel all over Europe while working.

Reasons for moving:
- Ability to travel all over Europe fairly easily and without much cash.
- More vacation time allowing me to travel more
- Closer to family (all family, except for my Mom, Dad, and brother, all live in England)

I'm 25 years old, graduated from college last year and working my first full time job for the past 9 months. Went to college and have worked near home, so have never lived away from home, but travel A LOT as a child with my family.

I'm not looking for any specific information, just some general posts about what I should prepare for when moving to a different country, what would be a good way to land a job there, and what I should consider before actually deciding I want to move.

Thanks in advance.
 
Well the big keys are getting a job before moving of course, and also getting a work visa etc.

Other than that, there aren't many other practical considerations I can think of beyond making sure you can afford the cost of living on the new job etc. Having family there eliminates the usual concern of moving somewhere you don't know people, and being England you don't have the language barrier to worry about.

So if it's what you want to do, go for it. Just find out what you need to do to be able to legally work in England and work on finding a job there before you move.
 
Yeah. I'm considering looking into applying for a Dual Citizenship. My parents are citizens of England and the US. Not sure if that would help me get this or not, but it's also something I need to look into.

I don't know how true this is, but I feel like, when it comes to applying for a job, it would be better to be a citizen than not.

My main concern is job hunting. It's easy for me to do it here, since I have a place to stay while I hunt for jobs. Kinda hard to hunt for jobs halfway across the world. Ideally, I'd like to already have a job lined up before I quit my job here, but I'm not sure how I could keep this current job, live here, and manage to effectively job hunt. Would be hard for me to fly into town for an interview, but, I feel like if I don't fly in for interviews, that would hurt my chances.

I've got a lot of family in the area that could probably find me some contacts. One cousin is a headhunter, which would really help, and a couple others are in the same field as me.

I also have the option of quitting my job here, then staying with family there until I find a job. Not ideal, since I hate job hunting without a secure job, but I'll have plenty of money by next year to comfortably do that for a few months if need be.
 
Check out the job market in the UK, things there are quite bad at the moment and seem to be getting worse economically.

Also if the eurozone collapses (which seems increasingly likely) the situation in Europe as a whole will take a turn for the worse.

Bear in mind the UK is going to be an expensive place to be for an American, the exchange rate is not in your favour.

Not deliberately trying to put you off, I'm a software engineer from the UK currently living/working in the US and I've thought a lot about going back, but now really doesn't seem like the right time.

EDIT - If you have any questions that I might be able to help with feel free to PM me.
 
[quote name='dpatel']Yeah. I'm considering looking into applying for a Dual Citizenship. My parents are citizens of England and the US. Not sure if that would help me get this or not, but it's also something I need to look into.

I don't know how true this is, but I feel like, when it comes to applying for a job, it would be better to be a citizen than not.

My main concern is job hunting. It's easy for me to do it here, since I have a place to stay while I hunt for jobs. Kinda hard to hunt for jobs halfway across the world. Ideally, I'd like to already have a job lined up before I quit my job here, but I'm not sure how I could keep this current job, live here, and manage to effectively job hunt. Would be hard for me to fly into town for an interview, but, I feel like if I don't fly in for interviews, that would hurt my chances.

I've got a lot of family in the area that could probably find me some contacts. One cousin is a headhunter, which would really help, and a couple others are in the same field as me.

I also have the option of quitting my job here, then staying with family there until I find a job. Not ideal, since I hate job hunting without a secure job, but I'll have plenty of money by next year to comfortably do that for a few months if need be.[/QUOTE]

Keep in mind that you'll likely have to make a trip (or trips) over if you find a particular job ahead of time. It's highly unlikely that someone will hire you without a formal interpersonal interview. That will of course end up costing you some cash for travel... but at the same time, it will allow you to familiarize yourself with the area you plan to live. I couldn't imagine moving to another state (let alone another country) without having employment, lodging, and a general understanding of the area where I plan to live.
 
In regards to the interview, one way to do it is plan a two week vacation there sometime and try to apply for jobs and arrange interviews during that vacation.

Then just a matter of getting hired at a place that will give you a month or two before starting to get ready to move and wrap up your current job etc.
 
[quote name='metaphysicalstyles']I couldn't imagine moving to another state (let alone another country) without having employment, lodging, and a general understanding of the area where I plan to live.[/QUOTE]

Employment is the key. The other stuff isn't as important as you can just get a month to month apartment lease when you first move to give yourself time to scout out where you want to live. Not a big deal to do as you're not going to be taking a bunch of furniture etc. for an international move so it's easier to move over and then move again in a month or two without much of a hassle.

Maybe it's more of an issue if you've never been to the city you're going to move to I suppose. But with him having family over there, I'm guessing he's been a few times.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']Check out the job market in the UK, things there are quite bad at the moment and seem to be getting worse economically.

Also if the eurozone collapses (which seems increasingly likely) the situation in Europe as a whole will take a turn for the worse.

Bear in mind the UK is going to be an expensive place to be for an American, the exchange rate is not in your favour.

Not deliberately trying to put you off, I'm a software engineer from the UK currently living/working in the US and I've thought a lot about going back, but now really doesn't seem like the right time.[/QUOTE]

This is one reason why I've never felt the need to move away. Job market is relatively good in Dallas, cost of living is cheap, and I currently have a free place to stay. Financially, there are practically no reasons for me to move elsewhere for the time being.

This wouldn't be a permanent move for me. Just temporary for a few years so I can have this as an experience and travel around Europe far more easily. I do appreciate you letting me know that the job market is bad and it will be more expensive for me. It's one of the main things I've seriously got to research before considering the move, but, at the moment, I've got no one to look after but myself and will have a good amount of savings this time next year (currently have about 16K and should have about 35K next year). As long as I'm not stuck living paycheck to paycheck, I'm okay with having to pay more and possibly making less money.

[quote name='metaphysicalstyles']Keep in mind that you'll likely have to make a trip (or trips) over if you find a particular job ahead of time. It's highly unlikely that someone will hire you without a formal interpersonal interview. That will of course end up costing you some cash for travel... but at the same time, it will allow you to familiarize yourself with the area you plan to live. I couldn't imagine moving to another state (let alone another country) without having employment, lodging, and a general understanding of the area where I plan to live.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. Employers would definitely favor someone already living there. You're right about familiarizing myself with the area. Right now, I have a few areas in mind, but I've only spent a little time there. I may have to consider leaving my current job, and just going there jobless and staying with family.

[quote name='dmaul1114']In regards to the interview, one way to do it is plan a two week vacation there sometime and try to apply for jobs and arrange interviews during that vacation.

Then just a matter of getting hired at a place that will give you a month or two before starting to get ready to move and wrap up your current job etc.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, that's an idea. My current company is extremely small, so taking a large amount of vacation is kinda tough, but that is one option that could definitely work.

That's definitely an idea. I guess I could look for work while working at my current job middle of next year. I won't be in a rush, so if people decline me because I'm not a current resident, no big deal. If I don't happen to land anything towards the end of next year, then I could consider just moving there while jobless.
 
[quote name='dpatel']I may have to consider leaving my current job, and just going there jobless and staying with family.
[/QUOTE]

That's an option with two conditions.

1. That you have enough savings to get buy for a while so you can look for employment without being a total leach on your family.

2. Willingness to work crappy jobs while looking for a job in your field.
 
Well you'll get more vacation that's for sure, I was getting 25 days plus bank holidays when I was in the UK (26 in fact but one day was for being at the company for 5 years).

You'll probably make less than you do here but things are less in pounds in the UK then they are in dollars here.

The exchange rate is going to kill you though, $35K comes out to about 22K in pounds at the current exchange rate, although if you're not paying rent or driving your own car you could live a couple of years on that I guess.
 
I think you have the dual citizenship thing a little mixed up. The only ways you can get it are to have one parent that is a US citizen and born in a foreign country that grants citizenship upon birth, have one parent be a US citizen and the other parent be a citizen of another country that confers citizenship at birth, or have citizenship conferred through marriage. If you apply for citizenship in another country, that is considered the same as giving up US citizenship.

Oh, and save up as much money as you can.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']Well you'll get more vacation that's for sure, I was getting 25 days plus bank holidays when I was in the UK (26 in fact but one day was for being at the company for 5 years).

You'll probably make less than you do here but things are less in pounds in the UK then they are in dollars here.

The exchange rate is going to kill you though, $35K comes out to about 22K in pounds at the current exchange rate, although if you're not paying rent or driving your own car you could live a couple of years on that I guess.[/QUOTE]

Yeah.. I could easily travel the world with 25 days a year plus bank holidays. I get 12 right now. It's only halfway through the year, and I've been to New Orleans, England, Ireland, and will soon be going to Vegas. After that, won't have much vacation left, which really bums me out. At this rate, there's no way I'll be able to see all I want to see, so the increase in vacation time is the selling point for me.

And yeah, not too happy about the exchange rate, but it is what it is. I'll still have plenty to get by, and I don't plan on blowing all my savings there. It's just a cushion until I find a job.

[quote name='dmaul1114']That's an option with two conditions.

1. That you have enough savings to get buy for a while so you can look for employment without being a total leach on your family.

2. Willingness to work crappy jobs while looking for a job in your field.[/QUOTE]

1. Definitely have enough savings, and don't plan to leech. Public transport seems to be good enough, so I can get by without a car. Only thing I'll be getting from my family is shelter and food and I can definitely cover my share for both of those for a while.

2. Also willing to do this if I start dipping into my savings too much. I'll have quite a cushion to work with though.

Thanks everyone for the replies so far. Definitely have given me stuff to think about.

Can anyone recommend any good websites to see what the job market and housing is like in various cities in England? So far, I've just browsed monster to see what sort of jobs are available and what the pay is like. I used bls.gov when picking a career path here in the US, and was hoping there could be something just as informative for the English market.

[quote name='dohdough']I think you have the dual citizenship thing a little mixed up. The only ways you can get it are to have one parent that is a US citizen and born in a foreign country that grants citizenship upon birth, have one parent be a US citizen and the other parent be a citizen of another country that confers citizenship at birth, or have citizenship conferred through marriage. If you apply for citizenship in another country, that is considered the same as giving up US citizenship.

Oh, and save up as much money as you can.[/QUOTE]

Hmm.. that is very helpful to know actually. The citizenship was the first thing I was going to look into. Definitely don't want to give up my US citizenship. It was just something that was suggested to me by relatives, but I had not really looked into it all that much just yet. My parents both have dual citizenship, but they were initially British citizens and got their US citizenship after living and working here for 25 years (it didn't take them that long to get it, they just decided to get it after that many years).
 
[quote name='dpatel']Can anyone recommend any good websites to see what the job market and housing is like in various cities in England? So far, I've just browsed monster to see what sort of jobs are available and what the pay is like. I used bls.gov when picking a career path here in the US, and was hoping there could be something just as informative for the English market.[/QUOTE]
Social services are much better in the UK(for now anyways...LOLZ), so hopefully it'll be easier to get in touch with a job-bank. If you're moving in with your relatives for a little bit, I'm sure they can help you with that.

Hmm.. that is very helpful to know actually. The citizenship was the first thing I was going to look into. Definitely don't want to give up my US citizenship. It was just something that was suggested to me by relatives, but I had not really looked into it all that much just yet. My parents both have dual citizenship, but they were initially British citizens and got their US citizenship after living and working here for 25 years (it didn't take them that long to get it, they just decided to get it after that many years).
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It'd be funny if you were already a dual citizen. Might want to look into how UK citizenship works. If you were born a US citizen(sounds like you were) and your parents were UK citizens when you were born, you might be in that gray area, but either way, that has to do with UK law.:D

And yeah...lose the accent, no one likes yanks outside US borders...LOLZ
 
I'm not familiar with UK nationality laws so I can't comment on whether you qualify for UK citizenship, but with both parents being UK citizens I'm guessing your eligible.

All I can say is, becoming a citizen of the UK does not mean you are giving up your US citizenship. Becoming a citizen in any other country is not the same as giving up your US citizenship. You are allowed to be a dual citizen. The only way to give up your US citizenship is to formally renounce your citizenship in front of a government official.
 
[quote name='fsecreast']I'm not familiar with UK nationality laws so I can't comment on whether you qualify for UK citizenship, but with both parents being UK citizens I'm guessing your eligible.

All I can say is, becoming a citizen of the UK does not mean you are giving up your US citizenship. Becoming a citizen in any other country is not the same as giving up your US citizenship. You are allowed to be a dual citizen. The only way to give up your US citizenship is to formally renounce your citizenship in front of a government official.[/QUOTE]

I don't think the OP would be eligible for UK (dual) citizenship, I think you need to be born in the UK, I could be wrong.
 
[quote name='benjamouth']I don't think the OP would be eligible for UK (dual) citizenship, I think you need to be born in the UK, I could be wrong.[/QUOTE]

Will have to look into it, but my parents weren't born in England or US but have citizenships for both.
 
You don't have to be born in the UK to get citizenship. In fact, I don't think you even automatically get citizenship for being born there anyway. The United States is one of the few developed countries that grants citizenship by birth still.

You may have derived citizenship from your parents if they were UK citizens at the time of your birth.
 
I'm actually considering this myself. Currently a game developer and I know the UK has plenty of game houses that are hiring. I'd prefer to live in France though.
 
Apologize if somebody already mentioned this (skimmed through previous posts, but not thoroughly).

Try looking for opportunities with a larger US company that has an office in the country you want to live. This takes the burden and stress off of you. They're typically prepared to find you housing, take care of the details of your work visa and help you generally adapt.

Then, two things. If it doesn't work out, you have an option to transfer back to the US of A with the company, or, once you're over there and have established roots on the companies dime rather than your's, you can find another job/company over there if the job isn't what you're looking for long-term.

Good luck! I highly recommend the experience.
 
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