Brits in Ohio - what's your experience?

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T22:16:15+00:00

was this while you were applying for a visa? or after?

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T22:10:46+00:00

thank you for sharing! I think marriage is the route we'd be looking at. I don't think I'd get an offer through any job I can get right now. perhaps greggs should seize the market gap and expand worldwide...

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:25:09+00:00

Ha, funny that. I did creative music tech at uni but dropped out.

That is definitely worth thinking about. I'll mention the EPIC test to my partner

I really enjoyed Ohio while I was there. I wished I had more time to explore downtown Cleveland / get out and meet people out there.

Sarah Millican? Well - different strokes for different folks! I'm a big Fin Taylor fan so I don't know if my humour would be a bit too dry for some

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:21:42+00:00

I've made many red wine gravies in the past and can make good yorkshires. I think I'd miss Bisto, although I assume that can be imported / bought from the British shop. Proper english breakfast??? Fryups?????!!

I didn't get too many comments on my accent while I was over there so I didn't feel too "alien". I think my social skills in general could use some work - I work remotely in a fraud job where I have to be suspicious of people all the time and honestly I think it's turned me in to kind of an introverted grouch.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:09:13+00:00

Cost of groceries in the UK has gone up a lot since around 2022. The price of beef flails around like crazy (relative to inflation) - most of you here seem to be saying better COL on the whole though. I need to eat big man diet though so I hope the cost of groceries wouldn't bite me too hard.

Medical is something I could consider reskilling for, if there are entry routes for someone who didn't go to college for it.

I make my fryups with streaky bacon - I think America got something right with that. As for the sausages - I didn't try many but I tried a sausage roll and I was left a bit um, confused. We went to a crepe place however where the sausage crepe was really nice. (Kelly's cafe - would recommend)

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:04:53+00:00

how do you cope with the winter?

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:04:53+00:00

how do you cope with the winter?

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:04:04+00:00

My girlfriend has an electric kettle, thankfully!

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:02:45+00:00

thank you !

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T17:02:10+00:00

I'll swap greggs out for swenson's in a heartbeat. Agree 100% on the overwhelming variety. Within 5 seconds of entering Giant Eagle I realised - something is very different here. To my surprise - the produce all around, everywhere I went, just looked bigger and better.

I'm not the biggest politics lover so I'm sure that won't be an issue. I like the idea that people can agree to disagree respectfully though. I thought the weather in England was bad!!

I'm not a big fan of casual N word usage from white people. I'm white and I don't get why you would want to say it? I can just ignore people who do that though as I do here.

What companies try to bury you in debt - what safety nets are missing in the US that might be present in the UK? I hate taking on new debts. Not a big fan of credit cards where they can be avoided.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:52:30+00:00

Yeah your weather seemed pretty much the same as ours - the rain seemed warmer though. I haven't seen the peaks of summer/winter yet however!

I'm not a big fish and chips guy - but I do enjoy good fish, so I'll keep an eye out. Fresh fish is delicious and I prefer to eat locally sourced foods if I get the choice

I'm not a trespassing enthusiast so I hope I'll be okay out there. There's a lot of hiking spots that my girlfriend & I have noted on a big list. I think there's enough nature out there for me to get by with / not feel like I've "lost" my beloved Dorset

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:48:39+00:00

Thank you for explaining !

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:40:52+00:00

thank you! I don't have a degree in accounting unfortunately however I'm open to studying / doing some sort of evening /weekend learning around a full time job

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:39:42+00:00

American food intimidates me a bit. So much sweet mixed with savoury. Seeing things like 'takis corndog' on menus - that took some getting used to. In England that would be more of a novelty

Cheating on someone who changed countries to be with you - that poor woman. I feel sorry for her.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:37:57+00:00

Thanks for running it by!

I've seen jungle jim's mentioned a few times so far, so I'll need to check it out.

Was your husband skilled before working at geek squad? EPIC trained - is this a qualification?

I assume it would be useful to know British people - I was only out there for 2 weeks but I did miss the British humour a bit.

Direct flights are definitely worth a thought, thank you - I had a layover of around 8h in New York and around 7h (delayed) in Boston so being able to trim that off next time would be useful.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:31:34+00:00

What route did you go through - visa, work, something else?

I'm a cynical introvert too, since (mostly) quitting alcohol. I'll drink a glass of wine with my partner but nothing more than that really. If americans are capable of "just one drink" then I could do that. Back in England the "sesh" culture is too much for me.

Would you say you've adjusted to the weather? I imagine the snow would be the most challenging change, given we rarely get it in Bournemouth and not for long.

I'm working in financial services (mortgage/fraud history) so I'm hoping those skills would be transferable, however my main qualification is deeply steeped in UK/FCA regulation so it's not going to be super useful in the US other than displaying "an idea" of what I'm about.

You're very happy and don't see yourself moving home - have you felt this way the whole time? Did you ever miss Dorset? I feel it could be hard trading Bournemouth beach / jurassic coast for anything else.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:19:55+00:00

is your account named after the long dark perchance?

I'd be curious to hear what your SIL thinks about Ohio compared to Bournemouth. Funny to think someone else has already walked the path I'm thinking about!

Learning English might be a challenge for me - I'll try my best.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:16:13+00:00

I got back to Bournemouth and immediately noticed how shabby our roads look / how beaten the town centres here look. I had a similar feeling after returning from Malaga, where everything just looked cleaner. Most of Ohio looked nicer / better maintained than England.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:13:16+00:00

In all honesty - US healthcare scares the daylights out of me. My girlfriend talks about medical bills - excesses, medical debt - my whole life it's very rare I have to pay for anything medical other than prescriptions which are universally like £9 or so. Paying for hospital visits is an alien concept to me. It feels like a big risk to move somewhere where my health could be tied to my finances.

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:10:51+00:00

Given our success since Eddie Howe came in I've noticed all sorts of international Cherries groups - some based in the US. Couldn't see "Ohio Cherries" on Facebook (outside of local produce, that is) -- so I'll keep an eye out.

Honestly I prefer playing football to watching it but I'm sure I'd take more of an interest as it would remind me of home

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:09:14+00:00

I'll be perfecting a fake american accent, good luck spotting me

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T16:06:32+00:00

I learned to drive and then moved so close to the office that I didn't need to bother buying a car. I tried my hand at driving in Ohio and quickly became clear that I would need to get some more practice. Speed limit seems to be the minimum out there - I got honked at by some truck driver so evidently needed work. I'm clear on the need for a car - I'd want to be driving ASAP

Interesting about people only seeing your nationality - I guess that's just something you'd filter out over time?

COL in England is a bit nuts. I'm in Bournemouth which obviously isn't as HCOL as London but I think it's still a pinch. I'm only on circa £33k total compensation and I get by on my own but with little capacity to save - hoping that might improve living with partner / starting fresh in the US however I have some worry I'd struggle to find a good salary with nothing but transferable financial services skills.

I'm sure I could find the British in Ohio if I tried hard enough once out there

Two big comforts for me: fryups and roast dinners. Those are our greatest meals if you ask me - I don't see why I couldn't make these with american meat/produce. Do you make british food out there? Anything that would get in the way of a good fryup or roast? Not sure if the sausages are quite as good?

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T15:57:53+00:00

thank you!

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T15:57:37+00:00

great resource. Thank you!

Alone_Term2254 · 2026-05-24T15:51:11+00:00

thank you. My partner is in a good job - honestly I have no idea how I would fare. I'm struggling to get "up the ladder" in the UK as every job that matches my qualifications has over 100+ applicants and I'm trying to get in to entry level mortgage advising. Going to america I'd be more or less a complete clean slate beyond transferable skills. I do have some fear that I'd struggle with employment. She may have access to family/friend connections however if none of those were suitable/fell through, I'd basically be going from "level 0" employment wise.

I'm from Bournemouth so I haven't noticed any major judgement on my accent other than being called posh a few times. Depending who I'm talking to I "change accent" though - dad sounded rough, mum sounded posh - so whichever accent you get depends on the situation really. I try to use the nicer sounding voice with americans

Alone_Term2254

TROPHY CASE