r/AmericanExpatsUK

So the tl;dr is that I moved to the UK in January for work. My husband and son were meant to join me next month. Things were going fine until April, when my best friend, and the only person I knew in the UK before moving here, got sick. She died at the beginning of June, and a lot of it seems to be because the NHS moved so fucking slowly. She was sick for two months before they found a mass, and then spent another month in and out of the hospital as they botched a biopsy and had to do another. They never even started treating the cancer or had a formal diagnosis before she died. I am bereft, alone, and the stress has caused my own health issue (afib) to flare back up after being basically dormant for 2.5 years. The NHS is being a PITA to deal with about it.

I have serious doubts about staying, but also sunk my pension in the US into paying for this move. It wasn't a huge amount, but it means I'll be starting from scratch at 39 years old if I go back. And I know if I regret going back to the US, I'll never be able to afford to do this again.

I don't know if I'm looking for advice or someone with a similar experience, I'm just so lost, and the one person that I would have talked to about it is gone. I'm so goddamned lonely and I don't think the handful of friends I've made since moving can get it.

I know the six month mark is also when the "new" starts to wear off, and I am trying not to let my current state of mind (which is NOT GOOD) make me act rashly, but...the doubts are there. And paying for two more visas, moving two cats, and shipping more things over when I have these doubts feels so risky.

Hello everyone! My family will be relocating to Scotland this month and part of our to-do list is to get a new car and car insurance. We will only have our U.S. licenses for a while.

Which companies would you recommend and why?

When people talk about missing home, they often mention food, products, or specific places. I'm curious about the things that are harder to describe or replace. What do you miss from home that can't simply be bought, shipped or packed into suicase?

Hey guys. Hope yall had a good 4th.

Got an appointment later this month for my kid. Just had some questions

I have physical transcripts from my university for proof of physical presence (Go Herd) for high school just have digital. Is a paper copy of that okay.

For copies of passports for me and wife, just the ID pages themselves or copies of every page?

Thank you for your help.

What the title says.

Had difficulty getting the photo to work, and figured I need to go somewhere that knows the specs for the printing.

Prefer recommendations from folks who have used the place themselves and had good experience. Stratford area preferred but can go where the service is if need be.

Thanks in advance.

I’m an American considering a potential move to the UK later in life. I already know about the strict visa process and the cashless system, but other than that, is there anything major I should keep in mind about the day-to-day lifestyle or cultural adjustments? Just looking for some initial "inside views" while I'm in the thinking phase. Thanks!

Just out of curiosity does anyone do their own celebration or anything? This is my first summer away from home. Almost feels odd that it’s a normal 4th of July day here. Lolol

For those who have seen my posts, my husband has decided to take the job in London after all. We are aiming to get there at the start of the break after term 1 (end of October). We have narrowed it down to a few areas (Richmond, Chiswick, Wimbledon, and a couple of others near there) but one thing that is causing me anxiety is that we are planning on sending our kids to state schools and the process seems…complicated.

Any Americans who have made the move and sent your kids to state schools have any advice?

ETA: I have 3 kids, who will all be in primary (ages 10, 8, and 6).

Long post with several questions! I want to ask some things that I don't see brought up in chats of US vs UK....I think it's important to be talking to people with similar values because we all measure priorities differently, and so I do want to state I'm Christian (but I'm no trump conservative), 30, immunocompromised with a rare disease, work in tech but with all the layoffs looking to be more entrepreneurial, was heavily involved in school and sports growing up and want similar opportunity for kids someday, and ask that you please don't comment without stating which of these you align on too. I also am currently dating someone here but not fully committed to living here yet and comparing the two countries is a regular conversation for us.

First, and a big bother for me, is NHS. I've seen first hand with my partner but also with direct friends through military connections (I am not in military), that it's not actually that great. I've now not only seen someone wait over a year to be in their system before getting put in touch with someone for therapy/counseling, but two people commit suicide waiting for NHS to give them someone to talk to. You say how great it is to have "free healthcare," but then have to wait months for a lot of it and especially after seeing someone else's post on a first pregnancy and how you're treated here...I don't see how it's actually worth it. I've had two friends, when it came to their pregnancies, give up on NHS entirely and go private because of how poorly NHS operated and did not provide. I've also witnessed first hand seeing NHS completely disregard a physical ailment of my partner and refuse to cover it being treated because it wasn't debilitating their daily life, that required them to get private help instead. I'm scared to deal with my disease here given everything I've seen so far, with likely subpar expertise in respective fields (though arguably much kinder staff). So..... Between months of waiting until it's even too late, to direct neglect, how is NHS really better if you're having to 60-80% of the time seek private anyway? It does not in the end seem much cheaper, though I admittedly don't have the costs to compare apples to apples on private vs US.

Second, community. Both in general and in Christian circles. I'm from Texas but have lived in NC, Seattle, and OH too. I don't feel UK people tend to appreciate community that much... And it leaves me very discouraged. There isn't much in terms of gatherings outside of London proper (and all of those are pay to attend), and people seem to prefer to be left to their own devices. It feels in many ways like Seattle, which was a very very difficult environment to also break into. It feels very lonely here, and even with loads of seeking, I don't feel there is much opportunity to be involved. Add in Christian community, and I feel that is a very struggling space in the UK. I never had this much issue, even *with* cities like Seattle. It just feels like there is a generally large rejection of it and lack of support for faith if not completely community donation driven. I don't see that mentioned and want to know if people have had better luck than what I've encountered so far.

Lastly is...education and extra curriculars. I get that the US right now isn't doing too hot in this space, and there is a lot of concern to be had here. But I want safety discussion out of this and purely opportunity. I played more than one sport all of my academic life, did not pay thousands to be part of club sports, was valedictorian, played two instruments in one of the top ensembles and marching bands respectively in the nation, and got a full ride to a top university coming from middle class poverty. My partner has a kid who is a teenager. I see her as relatively ahead of where I would have been in math, but otherwise DRASTICALLY behind in all other realms. As a teenager learning Spanish for several years now, she can barely produce a sentence and pronounces half the words wrong, has hardly read much material in literature, had multiple years of "music education" but can't read a staff, and has no social skills and no extracurriculars. A friend has his family out here and I see a hard push to be trying to have them put in soccer/football, but nothing tied to school and heavily helped by their neighbor working as a coach. His kids are younger and I don't know about their schooling, but it doesn't seem encouraging. Yes, you can go to a university in the UK, but it is much harder to get into one in the US and have little chance of scholarships without being in the US. Their education exams don't seem to measure as many things, nor the same things as needed in US universities, and there honestly seems to be an early built in caste system that determines your kid's skill early on and then tunnels them in for the rest of their education. If they don't see your potential academically, you get knocked out of even consideration for university in the UK. Whereas, if you finish school in the US, and do well, you can get opportunities for many more scholarships and STILL have chance for free universities (or much cheaper) abroad like in the UK. However, I don't see many well rounded students in the UK coming out knowing instruments, or anything musically, and no athletic inclination. I know there are varied experiences, but having moved three times just in high school alone in the US, and 8 times prior to that, all schools I went to valued these types of extracurriculars. And before you ask, not a single one was private. Is there a lot to help promote the arts and extra curriculars in the UK? Is there actually a huge divide in this between the US and UK? I want to raise athletes and musicians and honestly don't feel like that's an option in the UK, even if soccer programs at some point do seem to excel in UK over the US.

Please please no unnecessary comments if you don't relate. I get a lot of people complain about US school here, but I moved around my entire life across 4 states and can say that I had pretty consistent public school education above what I see in the UK. (And none saying evolution isn't real either) However I also know a lot has changed recently and education is taking negative turns post COVID... But many of my friends do have kids in both countries now, though mostly below the age of 6, and so I'm trying to understand if maybe even switching countries at a certain age, and when, might be most advantageous for future opportunities in both later education as well as overall development.

Hey guys! This is more of something I have been pondering and was wondering if the general public of reddit had any information.

My partner and I want to move to the UK from the USA. I want to do my masters program for education here. I am currently a teacher. My partners work experience is in the banking field (credit analysis).

He and I have been looking into jobs that have offices in the US (preferably Raleigh NC or remote) that also have offices abroad (thinking London, Glasgow, Dublin, etc) that he can apply for while working in the US (as this would be in a couple years while we save) so he can attempt to work his way up and transfer to the abroad office.

Does anyone know of any companies that would fit this description?

(Random additional info: my mom was born in England with dual citizenship, she let that expire because her birth mom was American living abroad at the time and her birth father was a random hook up/a British guy she never met. She had been looking into reestablishing her citizenship so I could lobby for mine which would in-turn make this whole process easier)

Thank you so much for any info you can give me! This is all currently hypothetical as we dont know if this dream will ever be possible for us.

Hi everyone!

I'm a 30F originally from California, now living in Cambridge. I've been in the UK for a while, and while I love it here, the homesickness has been hitting a bit harder lately.

So... here I am, outsourcing my social life to Reddit.

I'm happily married, so I'm only looking for platonic friends. Bonus points if you're also American and understand the occasional craving for decent Mexican food and the instinct to say "have a nice day" to absolutely everyone.

A bit about me: I work in tech, I'm neurodivergent, and I enjoy gigs, museums, cooking, cafés, reading non-fiction, and generally saying "yes" to interesting events. I have been told I'm a really nice person by many people 😊 I live in Cambridge but I'm in London pretty regularly for concerts, exhibitions, and other random adventures, so I'd be happy to meet up there too.

If you're also looking to expand your friend group, miss home, or simply want someone to grab a coffee with and complain about the price of ranch dressing in the UK, send me a message. My social circle could definitely use some expansion. 🇺🇸☕

I’m just gonna say it. I miss the States and hanging out with Americans. Let’s get a coffee!

Not really sure what to do or if I should go back to the states for treatment. I'm wondering if any other female has experienced this here in the UK. I'm 28yrs old just for reference.

Basically, last year I was having issues with my monthly cycles and so I went to the GP and was scheduled for an ultrasound and blood tests. The blood tests at that point in time came back normal (though mildly elevated). The ultrasound however came back abnormal with a thickened endometrial lining. The GP never clarified anything with me, only leaving a note saying "referral needed". I had tried to call them back numerous times, but they would always say they'd return the call, but never did.

Fast forward to about 10 months later (March 2026), I start feeling a bit worse and make an appointment to see the GP as I haven't have a cycle now for about 11 months. As I'm at the GP office, the doctor goes to look at the blood test results, doesn't understand what any of it means so asks ChatGPT...and still doesn't understand what it means. They schedule me for another ultrasound and blood tests. This time, the ultrasound is showing a "grossly enlarged/thickened endometrial lining". And my blood tests came back not good (specifically my liver function and C3/C4). They had me retake my blood tests last Friday and called today saying that they were still abnormal, but nothing much after that other than the results all show some kind of aggressive autoimmune disease or something else. I've been put on a waiting list to see a gynecologist but it's saying that it's a 55 week wait period.

I'm wondering if it would be beneficial to call the GP in the morning for a same-day appointment to see if there's any way they could progress me on the waiting list since my scans last year said that I needed a referral but they didn't do anything about it. I'm really worried that with some of the symptoms I've been showing as well as some of the results that it could be endometrial cancer more than anything and would like to have closure sooner rather than later.

Hi all,

I am wondering if anyone has had success, in London, in finding a GP you can see regularly (I imagine private) who gets to know you / family over time, and is willing to do regular checkups, like family / primary care doctors back in the States?

While we love the NHS, as we age more little things pop up here and there, and being seen consistently by an individual who can spend more time and not just focus on acute, vs. many doctors at large London surgeries, would be helpful. Especially as we like to ask questions / did deeper.

Thank you!

EDIT: Looking for recommendations in the Zone 1-2 London area!

I posted a few days ago asking for advice when one parter is more enthusiastic about a move than the other. My husband is being offered a really amazing package to move to London with his current company. As it stands right now, they are offering him an expat package for 2 years that would include:

1. Salary match to what he’s making now
2. A monthly stipend for me and each of our 3 kids (£1000 each)
3. Covering our rent
4. Paying for 2 flights back to the states to visit family each year.
5. Tax equalization

After the 2 years of expat, if we wanted to move back to the US, they’re saying they would make that happen. We’d have to move to Boston (right now he works fully remote from our house on a few acres outside of Denver—foothills) and my husband says he hates Boston (don’t come at me; I like Boston).

Alternatively, we could stay in London after two years and move to a local contract. That would mean a pay cut, but they have sweetened that part of the deal now too: initially they said it would be £175k annually, but now they’re saying it will be £228k (written into the contract that way).

Even after all of this (!!!) my husband is feeling 50/50. His hang ups are

1. That he doesn’t want to leave his current team because he feels they have so much left unfinished.
2. He doesn’t feel prepared to be successful in the role they’re offering.
3. We just went through a very stressful move last summer (though this move was totally unsupported, whereas London would be very supported).
4. He’s going to miss baseball (playing for our son, watching for all of us).
5. He’s worried London is unsafe (crime)
6. He’s worried that the UK has very low GDP (“would be the 51st state in many metrics if it was part of the US”)

I don’t know how to navigate this with him without bullying him into it lol. Any thoughts about his specific objections?

I have the Chase Sapphire Preferred, Discover It, and Robinhood Gold. The UK cards don’t come close to the points/rewards of these, but I’d be paying 0.57% of the transferred amount in exchange fees.

Do yall still use your US credit cards to get better rewards, or do you only use UK credit cards now? AI has given me contradictory advice on whether chasing points on US credit cards is worth the currency conversion fees (when converting my GBP salary into USD to pay for US credit card bills).

Hi all! I’m moving back to the UK from the USA and I was curious about shipping things overseas. We have already done all of the packing ourselves, no furniture just boxes of books, kitchenware, clothes, computer, etc. We have around 15 medium sized boxes, roughly how much should we expect to spend and who should we ship through? Thanks!

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While in Ukraine, I took an oath of loyalty to the United States and listened to the U.S. national anthem. After that, I feel that one person started turning people against me by constantly talking about me and portraying me in a negative way.

I don't have money to pay for protection, so it is very important for me to find like-minded people and support.

I joined your community to get to know you better, connect with people who share similar values, and learn more about your community.

Right now, I am going through a very difficult time in my life.

I would also like to ask: do you support Ukraine, the United States, or both?

Hello!

My family will be moving from the U.S. to Banchory next month and one of the first things we need to get taken care of is setting up our cell phone service provider.

We want to make sure we have adequate coverage not just in town but while we take nice long drives and excursions in The Cairngorms and beyond.

Do you have any that you would specifically recommend? Thank you!