London is awesome with young kids. It's a young kids paradise and a great place to travel as an adult too. Castles, playgrounds, nature. It's wonderful.

Are both you and your spouse able to get work visas? Even if you can get one due to your parent, your DH/DW will have to apply for a work visa which can take a while unless your employers are sponsoring you. My DC married a Brit and it took 4-5 months to get the visa.

That said, I was a 3rd culture kid growing up, in a much less charming place than England, and it was a good experience.

I would normally say yes but really think through what triggers your children’s anxiety. A suburb or village setting might be better for them

Anonymous wrote:This is OP, thank you for the feedback. This would be an indefinite move- we could come back any time or also stay for as long as we want. We would rent out our house here as we have a fixed low interest rate. We live in an incredibly expensive area so London would be the same if not cheaper for some things. Weather isn't an issue for us.

Would be be doing this if Tuesday had gone differently? No probably not. And I'm not naive enough to think England is a Jane Austen novel/Bridget Jones movie. My dad is British and left for a reason so I'm pretty eyes wide open about it and that's actually my biggest hesitation. I'm worried I won't adjust well to the lower quality of living, I'm worried my anxious kids will have a hard time adjusting, I'm worried we will regret it. But I'm also incredibly worried about what's going to happen here and this seems like a door to something else I should try to at least think about walking though.

I'm an American. Living in London for a while is on my bucket list. My American friend did it for a couple of years.

I definitely would go and come back if necessary.

I don't think the election should be a factor.

This is OP, thank you for the feedback. This would be an indefinite move- we could come back any time or also stay for as long as we want. We would rent out our house here as we have a fixed low interest rate. We live in an incredibly expensive area so London would be the same if not cheaper for some things. Weather isn't an issue for us.

Would be be doing this if Tuesday had gone differently? No probably not. And I'm not naive enough to think England is a Jane Austen novel/Bridget Jones movie. My dad is British and left for a reason so I'm pretty eyes wide open about it and that's actually my biggest hesitation. I'm worried I won't adjust well to the lower quality of living, I'm worried my anxious kids will have a hard time adjusting, I'm worried we will regret it. But I'm also incredibly worried about what's going to happen here and this seems like a door to something else I should try to at least think about walking though.

I think you have two options:
- Stay here with a good idea of your children's future
- Go and have an adventure

If you had to look back, which would you choose?

I see a lot of fantasizing about moving abroad to escape the election results. The reality is that right wing populists are being elected across Western Europe. That’s not currently the case in the UK, but I wouldn’t count on it remaining that way. So I wouldn’t move abroad just for that reason. But if you are interested in experiencing life abroad, and you are feeling like taking that chance, I think it could be a great experience.

I have heard the weather is a real adjustment for people. Just something to consider

I moved to the UK for a few years when my kid was in elementary school. There are some wonderful things about living in the UK: public transit, theater, more equal society, so many things to see and do. English Heritage and the National Trust maintain a lot of properties beautifully. Work life balance is better. The arts are better taught in school.

There are also some tough things: you have to send your kids to schools that have places for them, whether they are the closest schools or not. That is, you have much less control over which school your kids attend if you use the state schools. If you are going private, then you have more choices. The school environments that my child experienced were not pleasant. Many children were not nice. There was a lot of racism, anti-Semitism and homophobia in the schools. He met nice kids too, but their voices were often drowned out. British schools are stricter, and uniforms are just another battleground between students and teachers. Services for students with learning differences are not as good as, say, a well served district here in the DMV or in NJ.

Sixth graders take 16 subjects, which they narrow down to three by 11th grade. The 6th graders don't get enough English and math, and the 11th graders would not be ready for a US university, with distribution requirements.

Women with kids are more likely to work part time, so they tend to have less power in the workplace. Salaries are lower for the same job. The standard of living is also lower.

Politics are pretty closed in the UK as are some professions. Healthcare professionals are looking to leave. This may improve under Labour.

There are a lot of tradeoffs. If you are getting an expat package from an employer, that will smooth some of the rough spots. If you need visas, those costs and fees add up quickly.

Totally. Living in Europe with young kids is one of the best things you can do. It will be great for the kids’ health and mental health, and for yours too. Just make sure you can afford a good neighborhood because school zoning there is really tight in London apparently. (I lived with my kids in another capital for five years and it benefited us all so much).

Permanently or temporarily?

Are you happy with the lifestyle that you will have as a result of the move?

I would move for the next four years if I had a right opportunity.

Yes! Especially after this election

Yes if i had a job and some family support i would.

The younger the kids, the more likely I would.

Can you afford it? London is super pricey.

We have the opportunity to move. One of my parents is a British citizen so they would move with us. The idea of giving up our entire life seems terrifying and appealing in equal measure. We have three young kids. I don't know, am I losing it? Would you do it?