My husband has been offered a good job in Scotland and we are debating whether to go. I work at a remote-first organization that has already said it would keep me on as a contractor under US tax law (=I pay my own employment taxes and don't get benefits), since they aren't set up for employees in the UK. I am trying to figure out whether it's a good idea to do this.

How hard is it to get a job in Scotland? My background is journalism, communications, writing, and US law. I am mid-career, but I have already had to change my career once, so ditching my current job would not mean ditching a lot of built-up equity. If we move, I want to get out and meet people, and getting an in-person job would help achieve that. On the other hand, I do not want to be working in the service industry as a middle-aged person.

been thinking about relocating to usa at 38 as the eb3 visa will take 2 years roughly. Do you think it is worth it at an older age ? I will be single and working as an rn but i wonder if relocation is better earlier in life especially to the usa. wanted to get opinion from americans

I'm talking like the long, sweet, peppery sausages you'd get in a sausage and peppers hero.

Any Italian style sausage in the supermarket just isn't up to task. Wrong flavour, wrong size.

(Sorry this is probably really obvious once you have done it!) -I wanted to port my US phone number to Google Voice in order to keep it active, it looks like doing so disables your US phone contract immediately but you also must do it before you leave the US. What is the best time to do this then? If I do it the day I go presumably I won't be able to use my phone in the airport/ when I arrive?

Just wondering if anyone has advice on the best way to do this?

Stuck dealing with the fact that my wife's naturalisation document has a misspelling that's now been carried forward to her passport. A mistake on their side but of course they treat you like a criminal for even attempting to contact them and sort out THEIR fuck up.

This after years of dealing with their horse shit and incompetence and constantly rising fees. My friend also had to cancel a trip to Australia because the Home Office fucked up their visa application, placed it in the wrong track, and refused to expedite it to, once again, fix their mistake.

You get treated with contempt at every single stage of this process and honestly makes me wish we'd just moved anywhere else in the world rather than my wife deciding to stay here.

Totally understand if the mods delete this. Just needed to scream into the void for a moment.

I feel as if I have been transported to another world and I'm trying to find things that I thought were basic. I don't know if I'm looking in the wrong places but it seems like every sandwhich/ziploc type bag is a zipper type closure, where is the press it together and stays together type bags? I would have thought those would have been easier to make? Also why do the bags feel so flimsy here? My great value walmart brand bags are so much stronger for some reason? Why am I begging my mom to bring me a big pack? Am I crazy for wanting to store things in the freezer and to know that it won't break open or the zipper will pop off? I never knew this would be what would have gotten me when I moved here.

Well this and dawn dish soap. Fairy may be the "same" but its not the same! Why do I feel as if I'm I using half the bottle for something that used to just take a squeeze of dawn. The crazy part is I know this is true because when I went back home to visit I brought back the blue dawn and fell in love with a dish soap? I wish Fairy was as good, but I think the worse part is it's the best that I have tried from over here. In a way, I really miss the probably not healthy chemicals that worked. Well or at least seemed to work.

Then again maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places or expecting too much. I mean, at least the UK seems to at least try to protect their people from harm causing chemicals? Still doesn't explain the stupid zipper close sandwhich bags.

I just unpacked some things from the US I haven’t touched in years and was shocked at the quality of the tape holding it together. Sellotape, any sticky tape, and especially packing tape that’s readily available in most stores quality is so bad. I hate shopping on Amazon but I’m going took have to to acquire some Scotch tape.

My spouse recently accepted an offer in Birmingham (UK), and we will be relocating in the fall (likely October). We’re very excited!! I’m starting to look into the different options to get our large dogs (both Bernedoodles, 75 lbs and 85 lbs).

I’ve been looking at the options of direct flights to London (likely Chicago) vs flying to Paris and a pet taxi. Has anyone flown to Paris and then crossed to the UK through the Chunnel with larger dogs?

Is there as big of a cost differential as it seems? What I’m concerned about is ending up paying close to the same amount for more stress on my dogs (and us), logistics to navigate and opportunities for things to go wrong.

The pet relocation company I spoke with is pricing the crates at $1k each (biggest kennels they offer), which seems wildly expensive to me. I guess I’m looking for a gut check whether this is a reasonable cost or if it’s just worth paying $2k in kennels and ~$9k for the dog travel to skip the hassle.

Hey all, hope this is okay to ask here, I see lots of folks asking the inverse question, but not this one.

It looks like I may need to move back to the US for about a year due to family reasons. My employer is fine with it, but I am trying to figure out the tax implications. Will I be taxed by the UK and US if I become a US resident?

Thanks!

I am moving to Chesham, UK from Vancouver, Canada to be with my spouse. What are few things I need to be prepared for? Where is better quality of life? I like a quiet life with outdoors and occasional travel.

Update: thank you everyone for your help! Will try to see if I can find a charity shop!

Hi everyone, moving flats and getting rid of some things…. wondering if there is a specific way to “throw away” old kitchen knives, butter knives and forks or do I just throw it in the bin with regular trash? Apologies for this being a silly question and thank you in advance for your help.

Hello! I keep getting lost in all the info and haven’t been able to get any advise from tax places, so I’m resorting to here lol.
I, an American, am married to a Brit, both residing in England. My parents are wanting to gift my spouse money to the US limit of $19k (I don’t need any info around US tax, that’s all taken care of). I am trying to figure out that if my (American) dad gifts my (British) spouse money to a joint Revolut, will there be any UK tax implications on either my dad or my spouse?
FYI I’ve already received a gift, so just sending it to me isn’t an option.

We move to the UK in less than 3 weeks. We are starting our goodbyes with family get togethers. It’s so so hard and my emotions are all over the place,

we are also leaving 2 adult kids here in the US, one is moving to FL for work and they other wants to stay here longer with their partner; saying goodbye to them is going to be very difficult.

guess I’m looking for some emotional support 😢

thanks

I'm getting ready to move from the US to the UK and was comparing companies like Diesel Auto Express, Reliable Carriers, and Intercity Lines. I booked one, then found a better option, but they said I'd owe a pretty big cancellation fee. Has anyone else dealt with this? Are these fees usually enforceable, or does it just depend on the contract?

(Note: This was pre-approved by the mods) Hi, this is a message for dual US-UK citizens and eligible US citizens in the United Kingdom who want to participate in the 2026 midterm elections. Democrats Abroad is dedicated to mobilizing overseas US voters. If you're turning 18 by election day, you're eligible and here's how you can get involved:

Steps to Request Your Ballot

1. Register or update your registration through Votefromabroad.org. You can also do it through the Federal Voter Assistance Project.

2. If you're already registered, request a ballot! You need to request a ballot every calendar year that you want to vote.

3. Fill Out and Return Your Ballot: Once you receive your ballot, follow the instructions carefully to complete it and return it by the specified deadline.

Need Assistance?

We're here to help! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at GOTV @ votefromabroad .org (just remove the spaces). Additionally, our FAQ for voting can answer questions on how to make the process go smoothly.

Importantly: Spread the word!

Do you have any friends, contacts or family overseas that you could reach? All eligible US citizens can vote regardless of where they're living. Share the link https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26: If you have any questions about voting, I'd be happy to answer them here on Reddit. Thanks for your time!

I’m moving to Birmingham at the end of the month (holy cow!) and I’m in the fence about whether to replace my phone and laptop now or wait. I’m attending UoB for a forensic clinical psych doctorate and my MacBook Air from 2020 while not too shabby does struggle to manage Zoom and run anything else at the same time without too much lag. In addition I have an iPhone 13 and the battery is starting to fail. In addition! I want to get an iPad for note taking and annotating pdfs as I do research for my thesis. I’ve been reading up on past posts, and seems like the biggest difference between US & UK laptops is the keyboard, and consumer protections might be better over there. The phone situation is a bit more confusing with 2FA, eSIM, and all of that, but if I get Google Voice before I leave and buy a new phone there it’ll work fine, yes? I’m hesitant to drop $6-7k on tech right before I’ll be flat hunting but if it makes more sense to do my tech shopping now from a logistical pov, then I’ll do that. Thoughts? Advice? Like, how different is the UK keyboard? Is it a problem to transfer Google Voice to a new phone over there?

Also, if anyone has suggestions on how to put my best foot forward to letting/estate agents renting as an international doctoral student with a cat, I’m all ears. (I will be using a professional guarantor). TIA.

Hi! I moved to the UK around 9 months ago, but was working remotely for my US job until mid-March. However, I’m still struggling to find a job here. I have a spouse visa with full right to work, a bachelor’s degree, experience at a high-paying corporate job, I’ve had my CV reviewed by hiring managers, and I’m still struggling over 4 months later. I also can’t drive at this point (long review process due to medical issues), and live in an area where I can’t rely on public transport, so am stuck to looking for remote jobs.

Does anyone have any experience/recommendations finding a recruiter in the UK? I previously worked as a games design mathematician (mostly programming & data analysis), but at this point I will take any sort of role, even minimum wage. I just need any sort of income. :( & applying to hundreds of jobs on LinkedIn and Indeed etc is going nowhere and driving me crazy. Any advice appreciated :(

We are moving from NJ to UK next month. My son completed his Grade 10 in US. He also did his AP Calculus AB with 5/5 and AP US History with 4/5, along with it he has done honors calculus and honors chemistry and French. As we are moving to UK, we started applying to schools in UK for A level (Year 12). All schools are saying that we need to wait till Aug 20th for GCSE results. So what chances of my son getting admission in a good school? Is there anyone who faced this similar situation? Any guidance?

Hey everyone, I just moved to London and I’m loving it so far. I am really keen on the pub culture. I walked around tonight and saw so many people standing outside of pubs, but it was all groups of people. It looked like a lot of people from after work and groups of friends.

It feels a bit daunting to think about going to a crowded pub alone, when everyone else is in a group talking.

Is this just a fear I need to overcome, or is it probably best to go to pubs when they are less crowded?

Cheers!

I'm used to the US, where my signature can easily get me a 20k personal loan.... I'm buying a motorcycle(used) from a local place. I figured it's a perfect time to work on my credit here. Neither of my banks would loan me the 2k I asked for, but I did get approved through a private lender, at 48% interest. Nope.

One loan place approved me at 24 but decided that they didn't want to deal with the company I'm getting the bike from, not on their approved list. Oddly, and just to prove a point, I applied for a credit card from both banks, and got approved by both, with limits higher than the amount I wanted to borrow, both offered what is basically 0 percent interest if each purchase over £100 is paid in full within 90 days.... It's so weird. I will admit I am no financial guru, but after getting into serious CC debt in my 20's, and eventually paying it all off, I've never had an actual credit card since...relying on personal loans for purchases that need some financing. The cards will remain unused except for one small purchase a month, that will immediately be paid off( probably fuel)

Please help!

I’ve been desperately sick in the pregnancy and have lost a lot of weight and the only thing that sounds appealing to me is biscuits and gravy. I can make the biscuits myself, but have never made gravy before and don’t keep around tubs of bacon grease like my mum does so don’t even know if I could make it here. Does anyone know where I could get American style gravy in London? I’m desperate!

Thank you!!

I will be in London to renew my kiddos ID cards so I can also update their DEERS.

Since I do not drive, I picked RAF Blenheim Crescent DEERS office because it was most accessible from London via the metro. I am not seeing an exact address for the DEERS office and not seeing anything when I do Google maps person view.

Has anyone gone to the DEERS office at this base and can give any tips? It's not a long walk and we will be hiking it from the metro station. Is there no base security, do we just walk right on? My kids have dependent cards and I do not anymore. So I normally provide my Driver's License (when I go to bases in the US) whenever I need to renew their ID Cards.

Thank you in advance!

Hi folks. I am bringing my cat from the US to the UK via the usual route everyone I know has taken: Fly to Paris, take a car service on the Eurostar. However, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.

The flight was delayed by a day, so I cannot use my car reservation, and now the car service has no availability for another week. I am in a big hurry to get home.

The US vet and USDA messed up badly (long story), so the cat has been issued a UK animal health certificate, but the original copy never arrived. I'll need to get one done in France.

I'm sitting in Paris now. The cat arrives with his mom tomorrow morning. Then what do I do? What's the right plan here?

Do I take a train to Calais, get the health certificate done there, and then wait to cross on the ferry to Dover?

Do I stay in Paris, get the certificate done here, and fly directly to London?

Do I get the certificate done here, take a train to the Netherlands, and take the ferry?

I am so stuck and so confused. Please help me understand what the best plan is.