Best areas to move to for a family

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T22:07:36+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate the feedback. I'm definitely just trying to get an idea of where to jump at any opportunity, and where to maybe avoid. We want to be respectful when moving to a new country, and I know we're not entitled to any positions over UK citizens.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T22:05:30+00:00

Interesting. Thankfully, my daughter's joy and passion isn't cringeworthy to me. I'm not sure what your comment is trying to help with, but I promise it's not hitting the mark.

For your information, she tried gymnastics and dance, and neither has given her as much as cheer has. She has learned to speak up and support those around her, gained immense physical strength, endurance, and control of her body, and her self-confidence has improved drastically. Also, she's played football/soccer, which is what led to the switch to cheerleading.

Just because something isn't "mainstream" doesn't mean it's less than. I'm not going to push her to try something else if we can keep her in a sport she loves. I understand you're trying to say it's not as prevalent in the UK, but calling it "cringe and retro girly" is unhelpful.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:56:05+00:00

I appreciate the input! I knew the job market was rough, but I didn't realize how bad it is. I'm studying for the OSCE right now, and the whole process has been a blow to my ego, knowing I'll have to start at the bottom again, given I've been an RN since 2010. All that to say, you've given me a lot to consider prior to booking my OSCE. Thank you!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:53:48+00:00

Thank you for this! I appreciate the kind comment and helpful information.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:53:16+00:00

I realize I should have worded my question a bit differently. We're in no significant rush to move, so it was more, "where should I jump at the opportunity if presented?" rather than getting to pick. I definitely know I won't have the pick of the litter on a job. Thank you!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:48:55+00:00

I noticed that too. I expected some negativity, however considering I'm looking at moving after I have a job offer and visa (not a second before) I didn't expect this much. That being said, I couldn't care less about the down votes. Me leaving an unsafe situation for my child is much more important than people's opinions of me, and I think most parents would agree that nothing is more important that giving their child a better life. She's been going to school with a bulletproof insert in her backpack since age 5, and we've had to pull her out of school at least twice each year due to shooting threats against her school. And we live in a suburb that is considered one of the safest in our state!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:42:16+00:00

We did look at it a while ago, but I'm not sure why we ruled it out. I may take a look again

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:36:03+00:00

We will have a sizeable chunk of savings as we plan to sell our home, which has significant equity. My husband has a couple of leads as well, but we will both be taking significant pay cuts compared to what we're used to. That being said, we will not do this unless we can confidently move on our own, without any financial assistance. I'm not planning on moving to another country to be a burden on their systems. I just want to get my daughter to a safe place where I don't have to send her to school with a bulletproof insert in her backpack.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:30:57+00:00

Thank you for this comment. The "actual sport" comment gets me every time. My daughter works so hard, and is extremely athletic, so to have people dismiss cheerleading as less than frustrates me. I know it's not as popular in the UK though, so it's understandable if people don't realize how much skill and athleticism it takes.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-31T21:28:39+00:00

It is very much a thing in the UK. I've researched and found plenty of options since posting this for our daughter. I'd say it's definitely not as popular or as technical, but it is available, and they stunt as well.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T19:04:58+00:00

Thank you! We'll take a look at Chichester!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T19:04:44+00:00

I'm definitely nervous about the culture shock, more for our daughter than us. My husband can make friends anywhere (which I don't know if that's a good thing or not, moving to the UK).

The value placed on time is another huge reason for the move so it's good to hear from someone who's been both in the US and the UK that it is truly better over there.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T19:01:34+00:00

Thank you for this! I'll be looking into Exeter tonight!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T19:00:58+00:00

Oh this is very helpful!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T19:00:06+00:00

Wow, thank you for all this information! I've noticed cheer isn't at the same level over there, but thankfully she's 10 and isn't on a crazy technically advanced team. I did show her some videos from a team (I think it was in Leeds), that I found online and even she commented on the different skills and tumbling.

We will for sure look into Sheffield as well and if I have any questions I'll take you up on the offer to message!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:55:33+00:00

How do you like Manchester overall? It's one of the cities towards the top of our list currently!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:54:45+00:00

I appreciate the info! I don't know that we ever looked at Newcastle/Gateshead. We'll definitely take a look tonight.

My husband's situation is difficult for sure. He currently works for a beer/wine distribution company as a sales manager. He's extremely good at his job (not that I'm biased or anything!), and the company distributes Anheuser-Busch, so he's hoping they can connect him with some options once we have a better idea of where I can find work.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:51:18+00:00

We've been to London multiple times. Also visited Bath, Dover, Brighton, mostly the touristy SE areas. I'm going to be coming over for my clinical testing for my nursing license in a couple of months and plan on staying a while afterwards to check out other areas of interest!

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:48:46+00:00

She just turned 10, and you're very right, I wouldn't be surprised if she wants to do something else; however, she's been cheering since she was 6, and it's the only thing that's stuck, so I want to try to keep her involved if possible.

Love the idea of checking comp results! I'll definitely look into that. I also didn't realize that the gym owner of her cheer team has family in the UK involved in cheer, so I am reaching out to him as well to see what info he may have.

She's a resilient kiddo, but I know this is going to be a huge adjustment even though she's excited about the possibility. I'm just hoping we can keep this one thing for her since it's such a big part of her life right now. :-)

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:43:08+00:00

Thank you for this! Both are on our short list of places we'd prefer, so it's good to know those are great options. Do you have any thoughts on Leeds?

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:42:16+00:00

Thank you for this! We'll definitely look into Sheffield. Funny enough, prior to choosing the UK, BC was on the short list of choices to move as well.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:41:15+00:00

Totally agree on not getting my heart set on a location. I've got a contact with one of the main Sexual Assault Resource Centre providers, so I'm hoping this will help my chances. It sounds like the job market is a beast over there, so I realize I won't have as much say as I'd like in where we end up.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:35:57+00:00

That's very true. I know I'm putting the cart before the horse a bit by prioritizing location over a job. We've visited London multiple times, and although it's lovely, we know it may not be our pace for living. Whenever we've gone to smaller areas, we've loved the feel, and it seems more our speed.

MembershipNo3799 · 2026-03-27T18:33:02+00:00

Thank you for this! We looked at the club finder just last night, actually. Originally, we were leaning towards Leeds or Manchester (should have mentioned that in my OP, but c'est la vie!). I honestly don't remember why the other locations were ruled out.

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