Have the chance to move to UK from US
 

Keep flipping back and forth about a move to UK. Will sell the house and stuff, have child can get a job and hubby is buying a Pub. He has always wanted to do it, is a UK citizen. We both have lived abroad, we met in Germany. Do we give up the comfort of knowing or go for it? He has a business here that is not an issue, things get tricky when you have a kid and should be in a stage of your life (at least that is what one thinks) that you should be settled and not up and about- we are not in the military! LOL.

I guess it is the uncertainty, of things for our child. He has family and friends that I like too, I guess I am worried about losing all our money in a business! LOL

Oh could use some thoughts from others.....................

As the saying goes, most of us regret the things we didn't do. You sound like the adventuresome sort and I'd personally go in a heartbeat if only they'd let me.

At least if it doesn’t work out you’ll have plenty to drink.

Well, I wouldn't move anywhere if `I thought there was a chance of losing all my money. And what about Brexit?

Does your husband have any experience running a pub? Does he know how many pubs are closing every week in the UK? Pubs are hard work and generally not gold mines.
What nationality are you? Do you need a spouse visa?
Having moved country myself, without really thinking it through, I think you need to give a lot of thought to what work you can find, education for your child, the financial risks involved as well as the legal stuff. Moving because your husband wants to is not a good enough reason to move. You have to consider yourself and your child too.

If you haven't already try googling "how to run a pub", but bear in mind that a lot of the sites you'll find are trying to recruit customers/tenants/managers. Even so, they all stress the long hours, commitment and enthusiasm needed: and like all retail businesses, it can be a chancy and changeable environment. For example, AIUI most pubs are held on tenancies, and there are always pressures from the owning companies, which themselves face pressures from big chains to consolidate.

How old is child... I personally think if child is young its a great experience to have a chance to live somewhere else.
They have all the same things in the uk that you have at home.. schools.. hospitals etc.. its not like you are considering a move to the wilds of Africa..

What do you mean that he has a business here that is not an issue?
Do you have to sell the house here? Unless you do not really like it, keep it and rent it out.
How old is your child? Is he/she very attached to certain friends? Can you help those friendships continue?
Is this a move you have also been wanting to make, or are there other things you might have been picturing in your life? If it is not your dream, don't give up on your own. Does your husband still have family there so you have family to know and share life with your family? How will you maintain ties with parents and Grandparents?
Is the pub in a location where it is thriving? Is that location where you will enjoy living?

It's a bit more than my husband just wanting to do it. This has been a long time coming . And it's too much to go into on a forum.

He he is very resourceful and when he puts his mind to something he goes full force.

Its the uncertainty for our child that has me on the fence.

Work is not not the issue, we worked hard for what we will be bringing over and like any business it's a risk.

Dont think brexit has anything to do with this as he has U.K. Passport.

The point to make about Brexit is that no one really knows what it’s going to do to the British economy, which is not that great at the moment - and pubs are particularly struggling, it seems.

Also, when it comes to your child (what age?) - previously being British meant all of the EU was at the doorstep for travel & work & educational opportunities; and that’s very likely to change, with those kind of doors closing.

Otherwise: the state education system is reasonably good but it depends where in the country you live. The NHS remains an absolute marvel, despite lack of investment. House prices are utterly ridiculous and young people find it impossible to buy homes (worth considering from the point of view of your young person).

I love the U.K. but it is in a deeply uncertain state at the moment. I don’t think our future has been this precarious since WW2.

Oh yes, Brexit has a lot to do with it, and I would suggest that if you think otherwise, you are too naive to move to the UK right now.

I am British, but I wouldn't move back to Britain.
I think you need to do more research into your rights if you move there - just because your husband has a British passport does not give you an automatic right to settle there. You almost certainly need a spouse visa, which may or may not be easy to obtain.
You need to think about education for your child, about what work, if any, you can do.
You need to carefully consider where in the UK you want to settle, and above all look thoroughly into the ins and outs of owning and running a pub succesfully. If you buy a tied house you have to buy all your products from the brewery at the price they decide upon. If you buy a free house you have to find your own suppliers and brewers and negotiate contracts with them. If you buy a going concern you will probably also have to pay Goodwill. Either way you have to put in long hours and a lot of hard work, and almost certainly have to be able to provide good food. Very few pubs do not provide food nowadays, and the level expected is generally pretty high. You will have to earn enough from the pub to pay staff, with all the complications involved in that.

When I was in high school my father's company wanted to move him to Belgium (from the US). It would have been a good job with the same company, they would have provided housing, my mother didn't work - so none of those problems. The only reason we didn't go was me. They didn't want to uproot me with only a year or so of high school left, and then they figured I'd (probably) go to college in the US and they'd be over there. I was kind of on the fence at the time, I didn't want to leave my friends but it sounded pretty exciting. And ever since I've wondered how my life might have been different if we had gone. You don't say how old your child is, but, especially if he/she is pretty young, I wouldn't not go for that reason. It will most likely turn out to be a positive experience (living in a different country). But you also don't say if it would be possible to move back if things don't turn out well for either the family or the child.

Yes, do double-check the immigration rules. I am no expert, but I have the impression they keep changing at a dizzying rate, and can be administered with a high degree of rigidity mixed with an incompetent lack of common sense. The fees seem high, and the default attitude to be 'Say no until you're forced to say yes".

We are retired military and it is the best experience for kids. I would go for it. No regrets.

As a non-drinker who doesn't have children, I feel I am in a unique position to offer sound advice-go for it.

I'd see it like a move anywhere. Things to consider...

- Location, location, location. Moving to a village in Somerset will result in a different life than moving to central Glasgow.
- How are you at making friends and new relationships? He's a UK citizen, so does that mean you'd have family close by?
- There are numerous hoops to jump through before running a pub, some of them location-specific. Do you have the resources to survive for some period of months (or year+) while things get sorted out?
- Presumably it would be an existing pub, so hopefully he's good at management so the staff can be retained, which would help (but not eliminate) dealing with any business reversals.

You really need to tell us the age of the child.

You might look for a copy of David Hampshire's "Living and Working in Britain", plus you should look for the expat forums, where you will find more people who have made the move.

Lots of good advice and issues raised above. You don't say where you are currently living or where you hope to move. Also, we don't know the age of your child. What kind of work do you plan to do? Have you researched your job opportunities and visa needs?

Gyhtson makes good points about the current uncertainty of the British economy. However, I feel the US economy also feels precarious, at least in the area where I live, mostly due to our current political situation.

Has your husband researched if pubs are doing well in the area where you plan to move? Has he run a business in the UK before? Is he familiar with the food and beverage business and current labor laws?

After doing my homework, I would be so tempted to go for it if I were in your shoes!

I don't see any parallels between your situation and the OP's.

And yes, I'd be so tempted too. After all, I unplugged permanently from the USA 3 years ago and have zero regrets, BUT I had an EU passport, no dependents, and no need for a job or starting a business. There's a whole lot for her to consider with regard to citizenship, the kid's needs, the practicalities of owning a pub/running a business, Brexit uncertainties, etc.