England

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: kevinthenerd
I have a question, but please respond only if you've been to the United Kingdom yourself. Or, in the spirit of ATOT, you can spew garbage until the server crashes and try to pretend to know the airspeed of an unlaiden swallow (both African and European). I guess it's up to you anyway.

Well, I've been thinking about moving to England. From what I've heard, the attitude of the general public seems different. I like the Eurpoean ideology that I've heard about. What do you think? Is it safer? Are the people smarter than average Americans? Is the public culture less hedonistic? Are the people less selfish?

America's great, but part of what makes it great is also of what I hate about it. The government overspends on the military. Everybody wants to get rich like Bill Gates and trample their fellow man in the process. Nobody wants to pay taxes to support a real education system.

What about the culture shock? If I hate this culture, do I stand a good chance fitting into that one? Will I embarass myself every day for the first several months?

What about jobs? Is Vauxhall doing well enough that it could use an American engineer (master's or Ph.D. in ME from UCF) in a few years? Is it true that all British jobs, from cashiers to CEO's, are salaried?

hmmm vauxhall, to be fair, there isnt alot left of the british car manufactures, as you know bently, rolls, jaguar, aston etc, have all be bought out, factorys closed in cost saving etc

all the jobs ive had here, have either been payed monthly or every two weeks, some get paid every week and how much you get depends on how many hours you work, it depends what you do, but whatever you do if your going to be earning abit, the government will be taking a bit from you before it goes into your bank.

how about checking out rolls royce? not the car bit, but they still make jet engines etc, id love to work there some day....hence why im doing engineering at uni.

 

[brigden]

After reading the less than stellar reviews of England from its inhabitants, I feel the need to point out that no one likes to put down England more than an Englishman. Take the complaints with a grain of salt.

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: Monkey muppet

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer
i live in the UK and im gettin out ASAP

its not free health care as such, the plethora of taxes you must pay on everything you buy and the government tax on money you earn all goes toward providing the so called free health care

it also goes towards stupid stuff like the millenium dome, a rail system thats complete rubbish and decripid, un reliable public transport, and waiting lists for NHS operations can be as long as a couple of years.

on top of that, the weathers pretty much sh1t, petrol costs the good end of £1 a litre, and the government takes 80% yes 80% of that.

its also pretty good for asylum seekers.....ive never seen so many benefits. free driving lessons, free swimming lessons, income support, free house and phone when they first get here...they look after the asylum seekers better than the natives. the same benefit system basically pays for people like abu hamza to stay here, and they manage to wrangle more in benefits than most honest people earn.

also

its full of townies, chavs, charvers, scallies, scum bags......these are the track suited, reebok classic wearing, burberry loving, cap wearing, vauxhall nova driving idiots that bring the tone down oh sooo much


as a general rule.....the south = expensive

the north (where i live) = cheaper

You mean we don't have to Sell this place???

In that case: The school system here is seriously lacking in core skills, the attitude and swearing from 6 years olds is unbeleivable, far toooo many cars, minimum wage is = $9 per hour, average house price is = $287,810

for me minimum wage is $5 something only 19

 

[otispunkmeyer]

Originally posted by: brigden
After reading the less than stellar reviews of England from its inhabitants, I feel the need to point out that no one likes to put down England more than an Englishman. Take the complaints with a grain of salt.

think thats the same for anyone living in their native country, i would love to live in america/australia....i kinda hate england yes, but obviously its my home so i love it at the same time.

im sure theres people in the US, that dont like living there, hence moving to the UK, but im sure they love their country too

 

[otispunkmeyer]

dopefiend.....dont get me started on CHAVS! i live in a town where the chavs are the majority, and then i ended up at a good uni (loughborough) where the main population is also CHAV.

the mere existence of these scum bags, makes me hate this place.....i hate chavs with a passion

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: brigden

Originally posted by: Krk3561
It's expensive as hell.

From a tourists perspective, yes.

From a native's perspective as well. I'm with Otis on this, everything in the UK costs a fortune. Exchange rate aside, it's cheap as fvck in America although everyone complains about the price of gas etc. I guess that's a good thing though, the American consumer attitude seems to be "show me the value, you're having a laugh" whereas over here people spank one out cos they maxed their credit card out on a kettle made by disadvantaged Mongolian chipmunks.

I highly advise you look into the cost of buying a house or renting a property before you come over, its usually twice the US cost for something half the size. Running a car will be expensive too. For example, they just announced an increase in the congestion charge for parts of London from £5 a day to £8 a day. What a bargain! :disgust:

Petrol costs twice what you guys pay with 80% tax, there's the road tax which is £165 annually, plus 17.5% sales tax on every part you buy or any labour. That 17.5% sales tax applies to everything except certain foods, medicines, baby food etc. Britain is all about indirect taxation, hope you don't smoke cos the cost of cigarettes will probably make you wanna go cold turkey straight away.

It's infuriating that you have to pay National Insurance on top of income tax, that means you lose about 5 or 6% of your salary to pay for a national health service you won't want to use (or even be able to get an appointment for before you're dead) and a pension that won't be worth diddly. Fvck that, I'd rather pay for my own private medical plan if it wasn't provided by my employer and also be able to pay more into my pension.

Public transport sucks, never use it anymore. It's chronically underfunded, crowded and expensive. Basic safety systems and recommendations get ignored until there's a big train crash, then there's a huge hoohah that dies down until the next one. I don't fancy dying on the BK Flamer to London Paddington that much. The weather is very random, winters get cold around the start of February, summer gets hottest end of August/early September. Although last year it was two weeks of "heatwave" in May then fvck all the rest of the year

I don't feel any safer living here than if I was in the US. I've been over there 4 times and never seen a hint of trouble. Maybe cos I was staying in the nicer business zones or something but I think it's basic common sense - if an area looks rough, keep moving! Having said that, I know a lot of people who don't bother going to clubs and bars anymore because the binge drinking culture is so bad. There's a lot of alcohol-fuelled violence and not just from the chavs, I've seen too many innocent people get caught up in it...

The Americans are a lot more friendly and open than the English. Not just in stores and restaurants where the customer service thing is a big deal, but anyone you meet. I was in a gift shop at the Galleria in Dallas and a stranger started talking to me just cos he liked the carrier bag Oakley had put my stuff in. When I was off sick from work, an American client expressed more concern and good wishes etc than my employer. You'll meet some good people through friends or colleagues though... they do exist. Once you've been introduced, things should be more normal

There'll be some culture shock but I doubt you'll make an idiot of yourself, unless you run round with a star-spangled banner screaming "USA! USA!". That's sure to get you noticed.

 

[Amused]

I guess that's a good thing though, the American consumer attitude seems to be "show me the value, you're having a laugh" whereas over here people spank one out cos they maxed their credit card out on a kettle made by disadvantaged Mongolian chipmunks.

:laugh:

 

[Fritzo]

I can chime in on the points mentioned due to experiences:

Public attitude depends on where you live. Cosmopolitan European life is best experienced in the larger Southern centres, specifically London. However, the UK has taken great strides to separate itself from the continent. They are related, but two separate entities.

The US is separated into 5 regions:

The NE coast- Lots of your uppity rich types live there. That's where a lot of the US stereotypes come from. Very industrialized, developed, and dense cities. Probably has the highest crime rate.

SE coast- Warm weather, tourist area of the US. High elderly population as it's a popular place to live in retirement. Low to mid level crime rate (the closer to get to Cuba, the higher the crime rate gets, mostly due to drug related crimes)

Midwest (center of US)- Some large cities between farmland and small towns. More relaxed living. You'll have your greatest mixture of "redneck" folks mixed with middle class and professionals "wishing to get away from it all". Low crime rate.

South- This would include states like Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, etc. Great culture mixture of Cajun, Mexican, and Indian culture here. The region is large, so you have huge cities mixed with plains. Very hot and it can get dry there. Culture can really go to extremes here. Low to mid level crime rate.

West- Probably the most bizarre and progressive culture in the US. Very "trendy", varies from seasonal wet weather in the north to warm dry weather in the south. High population of rich, lower population of middle class, high Asian and Hispanic population. High crime rate around the larger cities.

Is it safer? I would think statistically yes, and I feel safer in suburban England than I do in suburban America. To compare, London is far safer than New York, but that doesn't mean that you can't get yourself stabbed.

Agreed. However, the US is very large, and the suburban areas tend to be very safe. In the area we're in, children ride their bikes to school and don't have to lock them, people don't lock their doors, and the crime rate is almost nil. 30 miles north we have a large city and the crime rate is terrible. It really just depends on where you are. Cities attract crime no matter where you are.

Are Britons more intelligent? Not sure, but they do possess more class. You are less likely to feel like you're surrounded by white trash while in the UK.

Not sure about that either. The problem is the Brits have that damned sexy accent that can make even the biggest moron sound smooth

The concept of "bigger is better" doesn't really exist in the UK, but people are equally as materialistic. However, the middle class isn't as large as it is in the US.

I don't think we've had a bigger is better attitude since the 70's. Many Americans look to high tech as a status symbol. The more advanced their belongings, the more successful they are. Again, we do have a hunger for SUV's, but that's mostly because they're so darned handy for carting around children (the average family here has 2-3 children, and have a 20 mile commute). Minivans also sell very well here for the same reason.

You will immediately notice that people appear less friendly or out-going. You're less likely to have someone smile at you when passing in the street. That's not rudeness, it's just British reserve. Something Americans lack greatly.

That might be where the "snobby" stereotype comes in. What's wrong with showing friendliness?

Culture shock would be mild, depending on the person. I took my GF last November and while she found certain things strange (prawn cocktail crisps, Marmite, little cars) she loved it. She wants to go back.

Food is the UK's weak point. English food tends to be a bit bland (this isn't a stereotype, this is pretty much world wide opinion ). I think they have a minimalist attitude there, which may account for the lack of seasonings. This attitude can also cover a lot of things (such as the small cars, etc).

As for jobs, I'm afraid I can't offer you enough advice as I've been out of the UK job market for ten years.

Jobs in the US go in about 7 year cycles (which is what the economy follows). High points in the economy mean high paying jobs are unfulfilled, where low points in the economy mean jobs are hard to come by. I imagine it's the same everywhere.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Is it safer? I would think statistically yes, and I feel safer in suburban England than I do in suburban America. To compare, London is far safer than New York, but that doesn't mean that you can't get yourself stabbed.

Agreed. However, the US is very large, and the suburban areas tend to be very safe. In the area we're in, children ride their bikes to school and don't have to lock them, people don't lock their doors, and the crime rate is almost nil. 30 miles north we have a large city and the crime rate is terrible. It really just depends on where you are. Cities attract crime no matter where you are.

I reiterate my previous post:

Safer in England?

Violent crime in the UK jumped by two-thirds between 1998 and 2003.

Crime is higher in the UK than the U.S. in every category except rape and murder.

I don't know about you, but I refuse to live in a country that has virtually banned self defense.

I guess "safer" is a relative term, no?

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: otispunkmeyer

keep it termed football please , im from a town where pretty much everyone is into football, as a result theres lots of jobless people etc, hard cases etc, very rough place in areas is middlesbrough, and the people that live and stay here tend to have been born here and simply were never clever enough to get a good job and leave. football is a way of life for alot of people here, so youll learn to love it

i really hope tony blair and labour get voted out, im really not liking there ideas, nor am i liking these quango things that jus seem to use tax payers money for not alot really

you tommies invented the word soccer, don't try to weasel your way out of it now.


anyway, for the OP, if you want a more relaxed culture and lifestyle, England isn't really the place. London is as fast paced and hectic as NYC. you can certainly go out to the country and enjoy your garden (english gardens ++) but then you can do that sort of escapism in the US. if you really want a slower, laid back culture that takes the time to enjoy life you have to go to a mediterranean country, say spain or italy.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Is it safer? I would think statistically yes, and I feel safer in suburban England than I do in suburban America. To compare, London is far safer than New York, but that doesn't mean that you can't get yourself stabbed.

Agreed. However, the US is very large, and the suburban areas tend to be very safe. In the area we're in, children ride their bikes to school and don't have to lock them, people don't lock their doors, and the crime rate is almost nil. 30 miles north we have a large city and the crime rate is terrible. It really just depends on where you are. Cities attract crime no matter where you are.

I reiterate my previous post:

Safer in England?

Violent crime in the UK jumped by two-thirds between 1998 and 2003.

Crime is higher in the UK than the U.S. in every category except rape and murder.

I don't know about you, but I refuse to live in a country that has virtually banned self defense.

I guess "safer" is a relative term, no?

You do know that hardly anybody in the US actually CARRIES a gun. They have the right to in some areas (public buildings they're banned), but only 3% of the population actually does it. Only 25% actually own a hand gun. I didn't know that the UK's crime rate was that high.

 

[Amused]

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Originally posted by: Amused

Originally posted by: Fritzo

Is it safer? I would think statistically yes, and I feel safer in suburban England than I do in suburban America. To compare, London is far safer than New York, but that doesn't mean that you can't get yourself stabbed.

Agreed. However, the US is very large, and the suburban areas tend to be very safe. In the area we're in, children ride their bikes to school and don't have to lock them, people don't lock their doors, and the crime rate is almost nil. 30 miles north we have a large city and the crime rate is terrible. It really just depends on where you are. Cities attract crime no matter where you are.

I reiterate my previous post:

Safer in England?

Violent crime in the UK jumped by two-thirds between 1998 and 2003.

Crime is higher in the UK than the U.S. in every category except rape and murder.

I don't know about you, but I refuse to live in a country that has virtually banned self defense.

I guess "safer" is a relative term, no?

You do know that hardly anybody in the US actually CARRIES a gun. They have the right to in some areas (public buildings they're banned), but only 3% of the population actually does it. Only 25% actually own a hand gun. I didn't know that the UK's crime rate was that high.

While guns are a part of the self defense opinion I gave of the UK, they are not all of it by a long shot.

Self defense means ANY self defense. If you harm a home invader in the UK, chances are you'll be charged. Be it by fist, bat, knife, or gun... You hurt a criminal in protection of self or property, and you're more likely going to jail than not.

And yes, the UK has been in the middle of a huge crime wave.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: Fritzo
Food is the UK's weak point. English food tends to be a bit bland (this isn't a stereotype, this is pretty much world wide opinion ). I think they have a minimalist attitude there, which may account for the lack of seasonings. This attitude can also cover a lot of things (such as the small cars, etc).

Damn, I forgot this. If you're a great cook and don't eat out much then great. Otherwise you're pretty much fvcked, get used to badly cooked skank that costs a fortune with bad to mediocre service.

The size of cars is probably due to us not needing or expecting behemoths to chug around in. Our country is tiny, along with the roads and parking spaces. I think that the rest of Europe, Asia and Africa have the same attitude towards cars. Americans have a long way to travel and need more comfort, if not demand/expect it. Equipment specs will be higher in the US than the UK as standard and of course the car will cost less so rip-off Britain strikes again. Btw, Clarkson tried to drive the new Hummer on UK roads, ended up causing a major SNAFU in a village. Also costs about £90-£100 to fill up, w00t!

"...because bigger is better, an American tradition!"

 

[brigden]

I think the OP would be happiest in Canada.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

Originally posted by: Amused
Self defense means ANY self defense. If you harm a home invader in the UK, chances are you'll be charged. Be it by fist, bat, knife, or gun... You hurt a criminal in protection of self or property, and you're more likely going to jail than not.

And yes, the UK has been in the middle of a huge crime wave.

Property/auto crime has gone down at the expense of violent crime which is going through the roof. The UK police seem unable to cope with it, either through a lack of training or investment - not sure which. Besides, it's much easier and more profitable to buy speed / road tax / congestion charge cameras.

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: brigden
I think the OP would be happiest in Canada.

goddamit WA is god's own country

best women, beer, awesome Aussie cars :laugh:, and certainly in Perth, climate and lifestyle :beer:

 

[imported_Phil]

Originally posted by: brigden
I think the OP would be happiest in Canada.

 

[CStan]

England's good if you're a dentist...

 

[SouthPaW1227]

Understand this. When you move, EVERYTHING you liquate will be only worth half as much. IE: move there w/ $100k? Guess what? It's now worth ~$50k.

The exchange rate is HORRIBLE man.

London is alright to visit but it's SO old school. If you dig that, good. But it's got great history and nothing more. NYC pwns it all day. Heck, most bigger Americans cities do.

 

[SofaKing]

Originally posted by: Dopefiend

Originally posted by: Krk3561
It's expensive as hell.

Free healthcare.

There you have it. Gosh, sometimes I'm so ashamed to be an American. Europeans are smarter than us. They know to pay more taxes for their own benefits.

 

[Ornery]

You will immediately notice that people appear less friendly or out-going. You're less likely to have someone smile at you when passing in the street. That's not rudeness, it's just British reserve...

Trying to figure out how this would be a plus...


They know to pay more taxes for their own benefits.

Translated: If I can get "the rich" to pay more taxes, I won't have to cough up so much for insurance premiums!

 

[Promethply]

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: brigden
I think the OP would be happiest in Canada.

goddamit WA is god's own country

best women, beer, awesome Aussie cars :laugh:, and certainly in Perth, climate and lifestyle :beer:

Man, I'm freezing right now, it's 10C in Perth, and it's still April :Q

 

[CanOWorms]

Originally posted by: Dopefiend

Originally posted by: Krk3561
It's expensive as hell.

Free healthcare.

"Rawr! England! England!"

 

[dug777]

Originally posted by: Promethply

Originally posted by: dug777

Originally posted by: brigden
I think the OP would be happiest in Canada.

goddamit WA is god's own country

best women, beer, awesome Aussie cars :laugh:, and certainly in Perth, climate and lifestyle :beer:

Man, I'm freezing right now, it's 10C in Perth, and it's still April :Q

u in perth?

not that bad it'll be 29'C on Monday again

 

[Martin]

I would look into Ireland as well, unfortunately I don't think anyone here lives there, so you won't get a first hand account...