The Most Frequently Asked Questions About Our Move to England
As an occupational therapist, my job title was on the list of eligible occupations for a Health and Care Visa. Visa criteria and options change often so make sure that you check the Home Office website for updates. If you have any questions about your ability to settle in the UK, it’s best to consult with an immigration specialist.
Deciding where to live took time and patience. I asked many Americans living in the UK where they had settled and why, and I did a lot of research. But the most important thing we did was take a scouting trip to the UK.
York wasn’t even on my radar at first. In fact, I had our entire scouting trip planned when our British friend said, “Well, of course, you’ll also want to see York.” I decided to take his advice and I added it to our itinerary at the last minute. That chance encounter changed our lives. York turned out to be the perfect place for all of us, but we wouldn’t have known that if we hadn’t spent time there. Taking at least one trip to the UK is an investment in your future happiness and a step you should not skip.
This is probably the question that we get the most. For some, it can feel like the most stressful and daunting part of an international move. Part of the reason it’s so stressful is that it’s a completely different educational system, but another reason is that British students begin preparing for high stakes exams that will largely determine the rest of their academic career at a an early age.
By Year 9 in the UK (8th grade in the US), students have usually committed to a career path and are working towards admission to a course of study in university. That’s a lot to jump into as an American! Transitioning kids into the British school system after primary school is challenging, but it can be done.
To answer the question, our older daughter was halfway through her senior year when we moved. After considering American schools (both in the UK and online), we decided to let her finish the final semester of her senior year through homeschooling. During those six months, she visited art galleries and historic sites across the UK and Europe, and it was an education far beyond anything she could have gotten in a classroom.
Eventually, she applied to St. John University in York as an international student, where she was accepted and went on to study English and Art History at one of the most beautiful campuses we could have imagined.
Our younger daughter was halfway through her freshman year when we moved to England. Since we weren’t sure how long we’d be staying in the UK, it made sense to integrate her into the British school system. We also wanted her to have the opportunity to meet people her age and build friendships.
We began searching for schools for her while we were still living in the US. By the time we moved to York, we had fallen in love with a school and had taken specific steps to secure her place there. If you want to learn more about the British school system, how to prepare your kids for the transition, and the steps we took to get our daughter into our top choice, you can dive deeper into all of this in our expat guide.
You may have noticed that I often mention bringing our family of five to the UK, yet we have only two children. The fifth member of our family adventure across the pond was my 80-year-old mom. As you may have read in our story, my mom and I traveled extensively together when I was younger. Even in her later years, she has remained fiercely independent and always ready for an adventure.
When we first floated the idea of moving to the UK, she was immediately on board. However, we couldn’t bring her as a dependent on my work visa, so we had to find an alternative solution. It turns out she was eligible for Irish citizenship through descent. Irish citizens enjoy special status in the UK due to the Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangement, which grants her the right to settle in the UK as any other British citizen.
The truth is, I’m a just a very private person. We never set out to be travel influencers or build a massive social media following. Brian and I simply wanted to hit the pause button, make the most of the time we had with our children before they left the nest, and realize our dream of living together in Europe. We’re not trying to sell a lifestyle—we’re just sharing our journey and the lessons we’ve learned to help others who dream of doing the same.
As much as we wanted to be certain that moving to England was the right decision, we couldn’t be. We went back and forth a million times while planning our move. Were we being brave or irresponsible? Every time we talked about it, we decided we didn’t want fear to take the wheel and we would never know unless we tried.
We embraced the uncertainty, the adventure, and took a huge leap of faith. No risk, no story.
