Brits working in America

[Rixxyccfc 0]

Just out of interest for Brits that marry and move to the states what kind of work are you in?

How do the hours and holidays compare to back in the U.K?

[gwenneh 7]

My husband and I have had the pleasure of working in both countries...we're in web design/development.

US hours are longer, and you get probably a third of the holiday time.

[HuffyTheSlayer 22]

Yep, you'll definately mourn the loss of holiday time here. I know I will when I start working. Although, the longer you stay with a company, the more annual holiday you'll probably be able to accumulate.

[ChristinaM 0]

I was in real estate in the UK, and work in technical outside sales here in the US. I earn better money here (but I was ridiculously underpaid in the UK), and I get two weeks paid vacation time. I was working 37.5 hours a week, and now I work 40 - the difference is that I get an hour for lunch instead of 30 minutes.

All in all, I think I did pretty well - I don't think I'm by any means typical.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

I worked as a civil servant in the UK and got 6 weeks vacation time and worked 35 hours a week... I now work for a large National Bank and get 2 weeks vacation and work 42 hours a week... but I do now earn a lot more than I did in the UK... But the cost of living here in Boston is very high... so in real terms I am way worse off...

Kezzie

[rebeccajo 14]

My poor husband can't get work in IT over here. In this town, our largest IT employer is the US government and since he's not a citizen he's not eligible to work there.

He's found work in a call center that services a major travel website. He worked in a call center in the UK but that was for computer support, which at LEAST was his chosen field.

I think the lack of holiday time is frustrating for him.

I believe he would also tell you he found it a bit frustrating to have to 'weigh in' american job benefits. Making a job choice based upon who has the best health insurance but possibly offers a lower salary was surely not something he had to consider in the UK.

Edited July 18, 2006 by rebeccajo

[HolyMoly2 0]

What was the most (different/prominent/shocking/cool/insert adjective) thing about working in the US compared to the UK?

Were there any customs and culture differences that you didn't expect?

Edited July 18, 2006 by HolyMoly2

[ChristinaM 0]

I find Americans in general to be somewhat blunt and pushy in their style of business. They also do have this "work hard, play hard" ethic, which means that you can't get away so much with turning up 45 mins late with a hangover three times a week.

[gwenneh 7]

US employers are bolstered by the concept of "at-will" employment-which means they can fire you on the spot, no notice period necessary. It works both ways; you can wakl out of an unsatisfactory job situation with no notice, but compared to my contract employment here in the UK, "at will" feels very tenuous.

[luv2teach77 41]

Back in the UK is was working in IT Support. It was pretty much a dead end job with no prospects and crappy hours (24/7 Shift work). However, I had 26 days paid vacation plus 8 days off every 28 days as part of my shift pattern which was very handy when planning trips to visit Debs durint the visa process.

My first job in the US has MUCH MUCH better prospects and will hopefully equip me with a lot of skills that will be very transferable and make me more employabel as time goes by.

I'm now working as a Data Storage Adminsitrator for one of North Americas largest platsics manufacturing businesses. I work about 40 hours a week but its almost all 8-4 with an occasional out of hours session when required. I only get 2 weeks paid vacation with 7 paid holidays but I get all my weekends which I didnt get back home. I am being paid roughly what I was back home without the hassles of unsociable working hours and with increased job satisfaction and prospects. Although my commute is now about 10x the distance I travelled in the UK, it doesn't take me any longer than my journey used to during the London rush hour.

I work in a small office (about 30 people) but the work environment is far superior to what I worked in back in the UK. We have high end laptops and cellphones, all provided and paid for by the company, along with very good desks / chairs etc. The office has a kitchen which I didn't have in the UK which helps me bringing my own lunch rather than having to buy stuff every day. The company also pays for access to a covered car park which is GREAT during the cold winters and roasting hot summers.

The people I work with are great and although I ibviously stick out as the only Brit in my office I feel that has helped immensely in generating the conversations and questions that are needed in order to integrate with my new colleagues. A couple of us play raquet ball twice a week which gives a great opportunity to interact outside the office while getting some quality exercise !!

Last Friday the company paid for everyone to go to the Six Flags amusement park here in St. Louis with their families. They paid for parking, all entry fees and a huge buffet lunch and that was all available without needing to take a vacation day.

So far I've had a VERY positive experience with working in the US. Yeah I have less paid vacation but that will slowly increase over the years and I am sure that my potential earnings here in the US are much higher than if I'd stayed in the UK. Also... the money I'm earning will go much further and will afford me a better standard of living than living in London.

Mark

[ChristinaM 0]

Oh yeah Gwen, I had forgotten about that!

"At will" is an interesting concept to get your head around, when you've always been bound to at least two weeks notice from either end...

[shakysgirl 1]

My husband worked in avionics in the UK for many years and now works in avionics here in the US. He also worked in France for a short while. He made more money in the UK and had better holiday time. But the cost of living was higher. He made the most money in France, however that was sub-contracting. I am in social work, and though I never worked in the UK, I did look into it while living there and the money in the UK was much better than here. My husband only gets 1 week vacation AFTER a year here- a far cry from the 6 weeks he got in the UK. He also gets frustrated by how quickly everyone works- as he says he prefers to "do it right" the first time. I mentioned to him the other day if he doesn't work quicker he may get spoken to about it, but he was unconcerned. Otherwise he has been very happy in his job and really likes all the people he works with.

[Kez/JWolf 6]

One of the things that I am amazed at here is the amount of time my co-workers spend surfing the net and emailing.... we were never allowed to do much of that in the UK... but as you can see I am a fast learner......

Kezzie

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

Yeah Kezzie it's true - working longer hours doesn't mean more productive! The French, supposedly, have the highest GDP per hour worked in the world....

[shakysgirl 1]

My husband worked in France and he was seriously annoyed with the late starts, long lunches, and early finishes of the French workers compared to the Brits........................