Asking for advice from anyone whos made a similar move from the UK or Ireland to the US.
Travel tips, packing tips, cultural information, doing your own taxes etc etc
Thank you in advance for anyone that offers advice!
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The U.S. is a good place to visit. Not so great for living.
Good news is that I wasn’t born there so I can always leave haha
$200k puts you in the top 3%-4% of earners in the country.
For taxes, as much as it galls me to say this, your best bet is probably using TurboTax.
Or go to HR block and have them do your taxes. It is easy and low stress
I have heard this a lot across all my posts, its on my list thank you!
Packing tips? Where are you moving to, what’s the weather like there? Most likely you’ll be able to buy clothes in the US cheaper than Ireland.
Culturally speaking, the US is pretty devoid of ‘culture’, at least in comparison to Ireland. I Lived in NY, ATL, CHI, LV, DEN, PDX, SEA, VAN, TX and while each has its own flavor it’s going to depend on where you’re going but you’ll just have to try to fit in and get a feel for the local. There are certain things that take some time to get used to - guns, religion and politics being the 3 button topics at ye minute, so tread carefully. Taxes, Local accountants are pretty expensive if you have complicated returns - simple 1099 you can probably file yourself if you’re anyway familiar with personal finances…
Do people want to chat you up about guns and religion?
I travel full time in the US in my camper and it really depends where you are, but yes it does come up. I feel like they’re used as bait for bigger topics - as in ‘what church do you attend?’. How someone feels about religions, guns, the environments basically tells you how they vote and whether they’re your tribe or not these days. It’s become quite partisan obviously but where the OP is moving its solidly guns and religion country.
Mmm I was not aware that clothing was so cheap in freedomland.
I have to pack for both heat and cold given the state I’m moving to experiences the extremes of both so given this information I’ll be sure to buy cold gear while over there instead of packing Irish cold gear.
Be prepared for lots of people telling you they are Irish and then repeating lots of annoying Irish stereotypes, like they are extremely lucky, drink a lot, have terrible tempers and hate the British. Just play along.
Be prepared to receive a lot more attention from the opposite sex when they hear your accent.
Ignore the people saying you need to make 200k. That’s just hogwash. The median household income is about 70k.
As someone else has stated your taxes should be easy to do with TurboTax except that the terminology can be really confusing at first.
Make sure that you have health insurance. I can’t stress this enough. Being from Europe you get lulled into a false sense of security where healthcare is basically free and no-one really thinks about it much. In the US an overnight stay at a hospital can cost 10-20k without insurance and even with insurance you may have to meet a deductible of many thousands of dollars before insurance kicks in. A serious medical situation can bankrupt you, without insurance. When you go to the doctor they will want to see your ID, your insurance card and your credit card before anything else.
Unless you live in a few big cities, you will definitely need a car. Since you will have no driving record, insurance history or credit score you might find car insurance really expensive at first.
Passing the driving test in the US is trivial, but as you are probably aware they drive on the wrong side of the street, which can take a little getting used to. Just be a little more careful than normal when turning left to make sure you don’t turn into oncoming traffic. Also be careful as a pedestrian crossing the street, you WILL look the wrong way
That’s all I can think of for now.
Good luck and welcome to the USA.
The only thing I’d disagree with is the income in this statement. While the median is $70k, it doesn’t mean people are doing well. The vast majority of people can’t afford a $500 emergency because of how wages haven’t kept up with inflation over the past 50 years or so. I made $80k last year living in Denver and while I was comfortable, it would still take me a decade to save what I need for a down payment on a house. It’s just really expensive to live in the US compared to the UK/Ireland. I think they’ll be surprised how little they’ll get at the grocery store for $50.
I grew up in Colorado and fled as an economic refugee to the Midwest 6 years ago. Good move. But it’s starting to get more expensive here too.
It’s happening everywhere slowly but surely. Even my hometown of Nashville is turning into Denver with the cost of living.
Nailed it. Nice work!
This has definitely been the funniest, broadest advice I’ve gotten so far thank you. I didn’t even think of insurance till now so I’ll definitely keep that in mind.
The 100k-200k a year thing was baffling to me to say the least, i was assuming they were like city centre paychecks
I got insurance through ACA. I opted for the gold policy. Luckily that year my bill was only $12,000 so only had to pay around 10%.
I had a chest x-ray took 2 minutes $1,200.
Be absolutely sure you get health insurance immediately even if you think you’re young and fit. Shit happens.
My income was about $65k and it was difficult to make ends meet. Just south of Cleveland, Ohio for reference.
What city are you moving to?
Lots of tips here, so i’ll just say have fun and good luck on the move. Treat it as an adventure! Despite what people online would like you to believe, America is awesome
(Before you downvote me for being positive, i’m not American)
Are you just picking up and moving here or is this work related?
Marriage, she wanted to move here but its more feasible for me to move there given her field of work.
Honestly judging by chats I’ve had with CEOs and hiring managers it sounds like I’ll be able to get a decent job eventually
I’m Irish and moved to the US. Originally Ona skilled visa. Now on green card. Under what criteria are you immigrating?
I my case, I summed it originally. Lived in a hostel. Moved up to shared accom. Slightly better now.
Prices and rents have tripled in the time I’ve been here which isn’t very long…
Cost of groceries is stupid compared to Ireland.
Sell your soul to your job and the dollar because it’s the only way to be successful in this country. Be prepared to pay $100 just to walk into the doctors office. Plan on having kids? That’ll cost you $10k out of pocket with MAYBE 6 weeks leave for it (unpaid). Seriously do research on what you eat. Our laws are written by the billionaire class so food isn’t as regulated here. Buy a car and be prepared to drive everywhere. The US is huge and has a ton of awesome geography to see. Stay away from the south. Seriously. Americans love the Irish so be ready to be loved by everyone you meet. Keep a stress ball and whiskey handy when doing your taxes. They’re a huge headache. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend getting your degree in Ireland first if you have plans to go to school (if you haven’t already). University is quite expensive and you will need loans or scholarships to pull it off. Give up on buying a home unless you want to live in Oklahoma or Kansas.
Try Peanut Butter Jelly sandwiches when you get access, they’re a staple in the US. There is no culture of “rounds” at the bar really. Unless you live in a select few cities, the US is not very walkable and public transport can be semi-dangerous. Its not the accessible and normal mode for most people like it is in Ireland. You won’t have a clothesline, so make use of the dryers- they’re separate machines from the washer and you’ll need one! Oh and its totally normal in the US to put crackers in soup. You’ll see that a lot!
Wait do ye use dryers in the summer even if its really hot?? Are indoor drying racks even sold in the US?
Virtually everyone uses a dryer even in summer. I use a wooden drying rack indoors to be energy efficient. I think people would look at me funny if I dried my clothes outside in town. Sometimes you will see clotheslines out in the country, especially Amish areas, but they are not common in most places.
Yeah, i use an old wooden drying rack, but im not sure how easy they are to find these days.
Yep we use dryers year round (it’s usually faster). You can definitely find indoor racks at like ikea, bed bath and beyond and I think Target since sometimes delicate clothes should be line dried instead of tumble dried.
Southerner here.
Southerners are certainly friendlier than most of the rest of the US. The Midwest (including Missouri where you’re looking) and Intermountain West are also generally known for friendliness in my experience. You could kind of lump the three regions together and call them the Heartland.
However, I’ll add: After traveling and living around the world, it’s glaringly obvious that Americans (including Heartlanders) aren’t very polite compared to the Irish, Brits, Aussies, Kiwis, Canadians, Singaporeans, Taiwanese, Japanese (the gold standard), etc., etc.
Put another way, the average Heartlander and American is nowhere as conscientious about using “please” and “thank you,” and about greeting customer service staff with “hello,” as people in some other countries.
And, there is a distinct difference between friendly and polite.
Also, the costs for things such as groceries, auto insurance, domestic flights, etc. have become stupidly expensive for the most part. Our TSA is security theater performed by some of our society’s trashiest and most poorly educated. The quality of customer service has taken a nosedive - in part due poor treatment of staff by companies and, again, by customers.
Just some things to warn you about. If you can work through those hurdles, the US still has a lot of benefits.
Thats interesting I have experienced this less friendly but more polite attitude myself its kinda odd haha
Coming from Ireland, you’ll have to get used to the lower quality of the people in the US. I’ll just say it that plainly. Even well-meaning people just don’t generally excel in politeness.
Granted, Missouri (or Kentucky, Louisiana, etc.) will be better in this regard than California, New Jersey or Florida. But my statement still stands.
Have you been to Slago or Belfast? Oh my, we Irishman can make Americans look like prima donnas.
Hey, being Irish and playing it up works better in the US than any other cultural background. French? Nope. Spanish? Not quite. German? Rigid. But Irish? All love. Play it up. That’s what all of our relatives have done since the potato famine . 😀 ☘️
On all my visits I have done just that, its the best craic haha
Good man. It opens doors. I even use my Irish accent when I need an edge. Thanks to my grandparents.
America is a sinking ship. Don’t do it.