BUT Sheila, Glyn says England ISN'T a country: "Trust me, as a citizen of the United Kingdom (might be worth getting the name of the country right before moving to it)" If England IS a country, then why can't someone say she wants to move there? If you UK lot can't live in harmony with each other, no need to take out all your frustration on Jackie!
If a woman says she is moving to ENGLAND, why are all of you jumping down her throat and ASSUMING--with no basis other than your own prejudices and preconceived notions--that she didn't know what she was talking about? Maybe she only wants to move to ENGLAND...why is it such a crime to say so? Sorry, I stick by my original post. Poor Jackie has done nothing to earn all this censure! Sheila, as you yourself have suggested in other threads, perhaps now might be a good time to lighten up.
Unless you all have proof that Jackie had no idea what she was talking about, she deserves the benefit of the doubt and enough with the kneejerk, patronizing stereotypes that Americans don't know anything about geography, culture, language, yadda yadda yadda ad nauseum.

Thank you everyone that replied - I do apprecite all the help, even when you don't agree :) I suppose I want to move there for what most people would consider foolish reasons - I can't explain it but I know I was meant to be out there for a reason. Everything I've heard about the UK (particularlly England :)) from travelers, everything I've read in history books and just everything I know about it tells me that I'd fit in there much better than the US. I really am tired of living here, and aside from London/England being more expensive than it is out here... I guess that's something I will have to adjust to.

I am hoping to get my current employer (McGraw-Hill) to transfer me to their London based Standard & Poor office so that I won't have the struggle of finding a new job on top of everthing else.

But I came to this forum because there's so much information online I never know where to start or what's legit, and I know all you guys would help :))

I guess I never did think about the difference between calling it the UK or England..thank god I didn't call it Great Britain lol But then again being someone that was born and raised in the US I don't think twice about calling where I live America either which seems to be a problem for some of you, but you know you can't please all the people all the time. :))


Can any of you share the names of some neighborhoods that are decent to live in and not TOO expensive? I'm guessing I could afford about $800-900/month for rent, which would be 450/506GBP (or 760 Euros?).. and I'm already guessing you all will tell me that's not enough for much lol But some neighborhood names would help me figure out some good locations.

I have a car here but I don't plan on bringing it with, so for the most part I know I will be using public transportation..


Thanks again everyone! :)

For 150GBP a week you would be hard pushed to find a studio - i.e. one room with kitchen+bathroom, or a small one bedroom flat in a not so seedy part of London.

I hate to tell you this, but the $800-$900 you mention will probably only be about 1/2 to 1/3 of what you'll need for rent, depending on where you find a place. Then there will be utilities, etc on top of that.

Hopefully if you keep the same employer, you'll be given a Cost Of Living payment each month, to make up for the difference in what you're paying in the US, and what you'll be paying in England.

I would begin by looking into the visa system. First question, were either of your parents or one of your grandparents born in the UK? If so, you may qualify for an ancestral visa, which would allow you to work and live in the UK. If not, look into the Highly Skilled Migrants initiative, to see if you qualify. Then there's always finding a British fellow to marry! It won't be easy, but there are loads of foreigners living in the UK, so don't give up hope.

Certainly, around £400 per month should be adequate as far as accomodation is concerned, however the price of living, for example - food, transport and leisure is much more expensive than in the US. One would expect to pay almost twice as much for some items here in the UK compared to the US, however this is partially to do with the strength of the pound currently.

I wish you every success in moving here, I would imagine it will be very difficult and very stressful, but honestly - the immigration rules are not tough - they're thought of as some of the weakest in Europe by many countries.

As for the name of the country - I was simply providing each of you clever Fodorites a piece of worthwile information, which, in my opinion, many of you do not know. Mucky clearly illustrated how delicate this subject is amongst Welsh, and certainly the Scottish from my experience - it's something which you really do not want to get mixed up.

(Why am I doing this?!?) To be fair to Glyn, who I did think was a bit hard on poor old thinkpinkpop, he didn't say England wasn't a country. It is. Where he was wrong (other than in his manners:), was in suggesting that the UK was a country. It isn't. It's a state (in the "sovereign" sense of the word, rather than the US sense). The others, unfortunately, aren't states:(.
although they ARE countries. Got that, everyone?

And, dear thinkpinkpop, yo'd have been right to call it Great Britain. Great Britain comprises England Scotland and Wales (tho' not Northern Ireland, and certainly not the Republic)

Glyn, she stated she's hoping to get transferred by her employer to London. Are you saying £400/MONTH (not week) will cover rent in, or close to, London? Could you be more specific as to where she can get decent accomodation in or near London for that amount?

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the official name used by the United Nations, the European Parliament, NATO, and all other major political organisations.

How can the UK be a state? A state of what exactly? In most people's opinions, the UK is a country. Look at a map, and you will find the UK being a country. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are also countries. Great Britain is also a country.

And Shelia, when was I 'a bit hard on poor old thinkpinkpop'? I was simply correcting her on an error, l'm sure that you would appreciate the same done to you if you had made a mistake.

My sweet, she didn't MAKE an error. She wants to move to England. Apart from the obvious (:)) what's wrong with that?

I was just reading these posts and I really don't understand what the problem is. The poster wants to move to England. We all know that England is part of the UK. However, England IS the part of the UK that she wants to move to. Is there something wrong with just saying England? I really don't understand this. Am I wrong to say that I want to visit London, England?

Yes, I agree with tcreath. Glyn, suppose the poster had said Moving to Wales? or Moving to Scotland? Would you have given a similar stick-up-the-bum response? Or were you merely indulging your prejudices and stereotypes about "all Americans" ?

Ok I can't let it go.
tcreath and BTilke you miss Glyns point.
Americans (and Japanese too in fact) have a general generic name for the UK they call it England. If they say Wales they mean Wales if they say Scotland or Ireland they mean just that.
But if they say England they could mean either England or any part of the UK.

The reason this is stereotypical is because it happens and is a real misunderstanding.
Don't shout at Glyn (or me for that matter) he is merely trying to correct the american misunderstanding of exactly what England is. Ask your friends in America I bet the majority will use England as a generic term for the UK.
No your not wrong of course London is in England, but how many Americans would say they are visiting England when in fact they are staying in Cardiff or Rhyl . Just ask the question.
Its an American failure to understand and it's not our fault. Just because Glyn points this out he is giving an "up the bum response". I don't think so.

Muck

The original poster made no mistake in her question (she wants to move to England) so it seems to me to be an odd time for anyone else to start moaning that some other people might think Wales is part of England or whatever.

And Glyn and Mucky wonder why the English (and Scots and Irish of my acquaintance) call the welsh 'chippy'.

Jackie, I heartedly apologise for my fellow British "Citizen's" tirade on the political map of the UK. Please do come to England. And remeber that on your rental budget in London, you'll need to look at a flatshare, which is not half a bad way ro make new friends.

I pulled my dog from this fight a few days ago because I didn't want to wrangle with articulate and generous posters like Mucky and sheila. But since this thread persists, I have to say, Muck, that I am really struggling to understand your point.

For me to say "I went to England" is incorrect not because it's factually inaccurate but because it allows the possible misconception to linger that the speaker, listener and any non-UKer in earshot doesn't know that Wales, Scotland and N. Ireland aren't England.

What form of the statement would be acceptable? I'm not being facetious. Please enlighten me.

On the other hand, Glyn_W regularly tosses a footing stomping hissy fit on this subject (including an unsolicited lecture on the US forum). While he innocently claims he's only being helpful, his delivery is condescending and arrogant. Anyone who doesn't swallow his poisoned message with a smile is labeled defensive or immature. That he demands the letter of the law regarding his point of origin but not the reverse is hypocritical at best.

Chippy..?? new one on me.

Mucky and Glyn, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of posts here by *Americans* that specifically say UK. The topic choice tool bar here also says UK, yet this forum is run by Americans. So clearly the idea that "all Americans" don't know that Wales is not England (or vice versa) is rubbish. The burden of proof is on you two to show that Jackie didn't mean England when she said England. So far, all you've offered are inaccurate stereotypes. Not very convincing.
However, forewarned is forearmed. I did not realize that that non-English UK nationals had such delicate sensibilities, especially considering how much they enjoy taking the piss out of everyone else! Thank you for the enlightenment. In the future, I shall be sure to avoid all references to "that place in the UK which must not be named."

Vaguely related to the subject:
"David Cassidy didn?t help his Welsh fans c?mon, get happy. While performing in Wales, according to Sky News, the former ?Partridge Family? heartthrob mocked the locals? accents, stopped singing ?I Think I Love You? because the audience was singing along, and at one point, commented, ?I don?t know how you live here without slitting your wrists.?

Yes, he was rude and obnoxious...but apparently he DOES know the difference between England and Wales ;-)

Don't worry BTilke (and everyone else here, for that matter, part from Glyn and Mucky), we English are used to being hated by non-english UKers. Seems like we're the only nation within the UK that is supposed to feel ashamed of ourselves for being born. Come to England and enjoy the one country where you can say the word "england" (scuse my swearing) without getting a lecture on history and politics. Maybe that's why we get on so well with Americans - what my Dad would call a seige mentality.