London is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the
world, with lots of ethnicities -- and expats -- living side by side. It a
huge, sprawling city, and feels more manageable than New York, but doesn't
lack on the culture and life front. (It's not nearly as convenient as the
US though, but no other country is!)
The weather is temperate because of the Gulf Stream, and it rarely gets
exceedingly hot or terribly cold. That said, it is grey a lot, although it
doesn't rain as much as people think.
London has great public transport, although traffic can be a
nightmare (there are no big thoroughfares through the city). It's also
fashion conscious city, but one where anything goes, provided you give your
look some thought and have the confidence to pull it off. No uniform here.
In the past few years racial tensions have increased, with the onset of more
terror threats. But for now, most people ignore the threats (and perhaps the
issues) and hope they don't get worse.
It can take awhile to make friends with Brits, since they're used to expats
leaving after a few years. They can also be very cliquey, staying in groups
with people they've known their whole lives. But they're the way to fully
integrate into society, so it's worth the effort.
There are a variety of work permits
accepted in the UK. Most expats are sponsored by their companies, but you
can also apply for an HSMP, which awards permits based on previous
experience and education. This is the official site: http://www.workingintheuk.gov.uk
After five years of living in the UK, you can apply for indefinite leave to
remain, which you can keep for the rest of your life, provided you come here
at least once every two years. At that time you can also apply for
citizenship.
Most American start in West London -- Kensington, Chelsea,
High Street Ken, South Ken, Notting Hill, Richmond. It's the most familiar
of the areas. Those ready to jump right in might live in Islington,
Battersea, Clapham (if in your 20s), Hampstead or Wapping.
For many properties, rent is measured in weeks, so a house that is £1K/week
is not £4K/month, it's £4333 (multiply by 52 and divide by 12).
Many locals live an hour or more away from work, and don't pay nearly as
much as expats, who tend to live more centrally. In the aforementioned West London areas, a one-bedroom could be £300-£400/week, a two-bed
£500-£700/week, and a family home could be well over £1K/week. In the
other neighbourhoods above, rents would be a bit less.
But for the most part, places close in are expensive, which is why so many Londoners take a train in every day.
In London, we have taxi drivers. And bus drivers. An
excellent cleaner is £10/hour, as is someone who comes in to iron. It's
less expensive to have someone to come in and iron than it is to send shirts
out, not to mention more convenient (and better for the environment without
those plastic covers).
You can make international calls for next to nothing, using a
variety of add-on phone options like OneTel. If you're paying more than 3p
a minute, that's way too much (and some would say 1p a minute is more like
it).
There are a number of international shows available through cable, which is
good through Virgin Media or Sky. Most American programs that come here are
about a year late.
The nice thing about UK mail is that it (almost always) arrives overnight
when you send first class. But don't use Air Sure through Royal Mail to the
US -- if you need to overnight something, use DHL or FedEx (not on every
corner here).
Tap water is very good here, and in restaurants it's
acceptable to order it (although you'll always be offered bottled).
Almost all flats come standard with washing machines, which is great. Many
of them are 2-in-1 and also dry clothing (although not very well). Tumble
dryers can be found, and if you have one, you'll be the envy of most of the
city.
London is like any big city -- lots of immigrants do the
more manual jobs, and there are many industries represented for white-collar
employment. Brits do like hiring Americans, since they occasionally work
harder than their British counterparts.
There are a few specific places to look, for example, The Guardian's media
section is great for media jobs: http://media.guardian.co.uk/
Setting up a bank account upon arrival is a nightmare
(the UK has strict laws to prevent money laundering. Some banks want letters
of introduction from your home bank, others require you live here for six
months before they'll give you one.
The basic rule of thumb is that you need to have a utility bill to set up an
account, although HSBC does offer a Passport account, which doesn't require
it. On occasion a letter from your employer will facilitate.
If you decide to bank with HSBC, you can also set up your account before you
arrive, which saves a lot of hassle.
The NHS provides free healthcare for anyone who comes to the UK
with the intention to live here (and emergency care for any visitors). Their
A&E (ER) is great, although not all A&E facilities take kids. For the most
part, the NHS offers good service.
Many "proper" expats have truly cushy private insurance, which covers
everything through private doctors, which are significantly nicer. You want
this (if negotiating a package).
But most normal employees have private insurance that supplements NHS -- you
visit your NHS GP and get a referral, then see a private doctor. This kind
of insurance doesn't cover pregnancy.
I don't have kids yet, so I can only report on what I've
collected in the past four years....
Education is a big differentiator here. The class system is alive and well
in the UK, and education "entitlement" helps keep it that way. So does the
accent you learn in school, be it a posh accent or a working class accent,
which often affects one's future. Parents put their kids in feeder schools
in pre-school, hoping they'll end up at Oxford and Cambridge.
One friend of mine, who consults private and public schools all over England
and knows the system very well, said that she will absolutely send her child
to state school for elementary school, but absolutely not for secondary.
There isn't enough respect between kids and teachers.
London is a driving city to the locals, and not a driving
city to anyone else (until they've lived here a few years). Part of the
reason is that driving into Central London during weekdays incurs a
Congestion Charge of £8 (rumoured to go up to £25). Also because the city
is so big, that getting from one side to the other can take two hours -- and
not even during rush hour. http://www.ccLondon.com
Europeans don't need to get a new license, they can drive on theirs for as
long as they're here. Americans can drive on theirs for the first 12
months, then need to go through the process of getting a UK license. http://www.dvla.gov.uk/ is great, with lots of buses and plenty of tube lines to
get you anywhere. For slightly longer journeys, above-ground trains are
good. It's not inexpensive, and is based on distance traveled. A serious
con is that the tubes aren't air-conditioned either, which can be rough in the summer. http://www.thetube.com
The Boots is the drug store that every city-dweller
knows well. They're all over the place, and larger stores also sell
department store makeup and perfume. But they don't sell household cleaning
supplies -- there's still a bit of a quaint specialist store thing
happening here.
Waitrose is the best grocery store chain, although the incredible (single
location) of Whole Foods on High Street Kensington deserves a big mention.
But Waitrose is far more convenient, with many locations around the UK.
Tesco and Sainsbury's are also good, but a few steps down. Sommerfield,
Costcutters and Budgens are for emergency only.
The best gym chain here is Holmes Place, now owned
by Virgin and called Virgin Active. Their gyms at Canary Wharf and High
Street Kensigton are especially nice.
The main thing to know about sports is that soccer is called football, and
everyone here is totally into it.
My knowledge on this is limited, although dogs and cats that move to
the UK must go through a pet passport program before arriving, or go into
quarantine.
UK establishments are reasonably pet-friendly, although not as much as in
some Continental countries, but more-so than in the US.
City Description
Healthcare
