I'm from London and want to work in New York :)?

Show all answers

WISE OWL

Life in New-York is far from being a bed of roses. It is colder in the winter than London and hotter in the summer. In the night it looks like all the large cities that have high rise buildings. It spreads out for miles of dingy suburbs and even in the heart of the city, except for some larger streets and piazzas, it is as gloomy as in London, if not more. Just go and stand next to the HSBC and Barclays Bank buildings in the East End of London and you will know what being at the foot of the Empire State Building feels like.
Money-wise, who knows what the pound or the dollar will be worth or what they will buy you even in two or three years' time? New- York is far from cheap. Just to give you a small example, I had to pay the equivalent of nearly forty pounds for an ordinary leather belt for my husband at Christmas. Unemployment is increasing. People are losing their homes, and times are becoming harder by the day.

However do not nurse too many illusions. You cannot "move to New-York" just because you fancy doing so and get a job there. It is extremely difficult to be allowed to go and work in the USA nowadays. At one time graduates from traditional British Universities were highly prized by American firms. These days British degrees are no longer a passport to getting a good job in America. Not only that, but you have to be sponsored by an American firm or educational establishment because you have specific skills or knowledge which are desirable for the benefit of the country. Many people are being made redundent at the moment even though they are highly qualified and therefore foreigners will find even more difficulty in finding employment in the States. It takes years to get a green card which allows you to come and go into the country as you please. Ten tears ago two of my children, who were sponsored by American firms, and their partners (who all had degrees from the most prestigious British universities and a brilliant track record with famous American firms established in UK) had to wait six years for their green cards. Now it is even slower.

With regard to salaries, just as in London, it depends on what kind of qualification you have, in which discipline, and from which university. It also depends on how desirable your knowledge or skills are. If you are a plumber in London you make a better living than many graduates. My daughter's kitchen was installed by an Eton and Oxford educated graduate who found that his degree in Geography was absolutely useless and retrained.

In the USA the working day is longer than in the UK and the holiday quota is much smaller. There is no national health service and you have to pay for any medical treatment. Your local tax can be extremely high to subsidise things like good schools in more affluent areas. So life is far from easy. The glitter shown in films is only in very few central areas and life in the suburbs is very ordinary. Once you commute from outside New-York, you are too tired to do anything in the evenings, and at the week-end you get on with household jobs and the shopping. If the weather is good you go for a walk. You can do indoor sports or go to the cinema, but on the whole you do not fancy going back into New-York to do something more exciting.
The grass may look greener from the other side of the pond, but have you tried looking at what London has to offer? Even in these depressing times (which by the way are universal). London is a vibrant city that has so much to offer culturally and in other ways. Life there is very much what you choose to make of it and, since you are a student you also have many advantages that people who are older cannot enjoy. Make the most of it.

biggdaddy!

I live in Both places and by far London is nicer! Everyone thinks that New York City is all Manhattan, which is what you see in books or movies, but it is just one small part, the rest of it is ghetto and very disgusting.

Butterflycry87

Theres more things about new york to worry about then the weather :-|
oh myy...

isaulte

I think we are all pretty much in the same boat.

jules44

Hey Wise Owl can you talk to me? I want to move to England and you seem very wise haha.

About moving to New York .. take the advice of people who have been giving me advice about moving to England. Come for a few months and see how you like it. If you are in University right now come on a study abroad! Do a semester here and feel it out. Another note: if you transfer and actually graduate from an American University, it's easier for you to snag a job here. You'll actually make good money here (I've been comparing jobs and salaries a bunch since I've been thinking about moving to England) .. it seems as though our jobs pay a bit more (after converting the dollar to pound and all that). The weather is also a lot better and the nightlife is pretty much insane.

Maurice

New York is a pretty big city. If you want a job there, you'd best excel in the area you want a job in. I found NYC a bit like London (from what I've heard). Too many people and kind of a tourist trap.

Mem O

Bro let's just say, I wouldn't be worried about the weather..

Maria K

dnt leave london!!! london is the place to be love youuurrr city cos i sure love mine gooo LONDON

Father Jake

Your 'attitude' won't last ten seconds in New York.

"How is it down there???" Have you considered Worthing?

it's alright

chloa.phorm

If money is what your after your better of staying where you are, or at least saving money to come over. The subway cost about 85 USD for a month pass ( which goes all over manhattan ). You can easily spend 20 USD for food in ONE meal. Jobs are hard to get because the US is in debt, Companies laying off loyal employees etc. Ummm... financially your better off going to spain. Though not native english speaking. If you looking for a fast paced anxiety ridden city that's New York for ya.

dnrya001

im not from new york city but i live in new york. you can make alot of money in ny if ur in the right business(probably more than london). weather is good because it changes each season. it can get pretty hot and pretty cold. the city never sleeps at night always tons of lights on, cars, and people.

Gabrielle A

Well I've only been there a few times but NY is a fun city. I don't know what your wages would be because I don't know what you are going into. I'm sure you could research a little bit and compare salaries. The weather is decent but winter is COLD! Good luck!

Enter Your Message or Comment

User Name:
User Email:
Post a comment: