Work Visa for Overseas—Preferably the U.K.

I grew up in London and worked there for a few years its not all its cracked up to be. Just curious why you would choose London? I had friends that worked in the big agencies who didn't like it, the small ones i was at were ok, but just like any city it is tough even if you do live here. You can apply for a visa through the English embassy in the states I think or take a holiday over here and take a chance on getting a job and a work visa, but it is a risk. As my friend in the states will testify he has worked in NYC for many years and never got US nationality. The other thing would be sign up or at least contact some recruitment agencies in London and see what they say. It is also very expensive here and the dollar is against you are the moment. Not trying to put you off, i did a similar thing a while back, but the difference is i had a job to go to, but if you can afford it great. Hope that might help a bit. At least give you some ideas. Maybe we could do a swap, i'd like to give Colarado a shot, go skiing in the afternoon.... bliss! I guess the grass is always greener or snowier hopefully in regard to Colarado!

Hi sidesey!

I guess, I chose London because I love the city, and since it's the biggest city in England (correct???) I figured why not. Like you said, the grass is always greener. I have lived in Colorado for over 16 years now and to be honest, I'm burned out. My husband is born & raised here so he has no intentions of ever leaving, unfortunately. I originally went to school in NYC (Parsons School of Design) and a part of me really misses the city life/atmosphere. But I have a 7 year old daughter, so it would be difficult to move to a city like that.

I have never traveled to Europe and I am dying to. I guess all those years of studying art and design, it has made me appreciate the aesthetics & history of Europe. Something we really don't get here in the states.

Maybe I am day dreaming about working in the U.K. for a time, but I figured I'd put it out there and see if anybody had any suggestions and/or advice. You never know. And a big part of me is not very happy with the U.S. either. Sorry!

I'd switch with you in a heart beat. I have been skiing for over 20 years and believe me, you can't get any better skiing than here in Colorado. I've skied throughout the country and Colorado is definitely the best! However, I have never skied in Switzerland, Austria or France. Have you? Bet it's incredible.

suzanne maestri-walters :: graphic designer

You say you love London, but have never traveled there. If you loved NY then London is similar in some ways but much more sprerad out but in my mind NY is better. I have only skied in the states once in CA but switzerland is nice, small, but good skiiing when there is enough snow. If you take your typical resort in the states and shrink it then i guess you have a similar experience. Its good what you say about history though, i think sometimes we take it for granted here. Well good luck with whatever choice you make.

I appreciate that, sidesey.

I only say I love London—even though I have never traveled there—because let's face it, I do watch movies. And although movies can be deceiving when portraying a particular area, city or whatever, it's still a fantasy/dream to visit.

I've visited a lot of big cities—San Francisco, Chicago, NY, L.A.—and I love NY, SF & Chicago the best. They're all unique in their own way.

Oh well, like I said, it was something I thought I'd research to see if it's feasible. I even thought of studying abroad there. I am in the process of applying to graduate school, so it's another possibility, I suppose.

Thanks for your advice.

suzanne maestri-walters :: graphic designer

If you have a job lined up and some cash behind you.

It's a great place to be and right now there is no way you could make me leave (except perhaps if I were offered a job in New Zealand), but living costs are ridiculous and it's a hard slog.

To give you a rough idea of costs, my monthly outgoings are as follows:

Rent (sharing a 2 bed apartment): £520
Utilities (Gas, Electric, Water): £60
Council Tax: £80
Travel (Zones 1-4 Travelcard): £127.50
Food (including business meals): £150

Just the basics above come to £937.50 which is about $1800 per month without including going out or socialising. You can rent cheaper, I found a place for £235 a month when I first moved in to the city, but it was cockroach and mice infested. Look at a minimum £450 rent for a decent place.

There are lots of opportunities but also lots of dead end jobs and there are a lot of budding designers fighting for work.

If you want it go for it but plan well.
I'm not designing full time, I work freelance and substitute that with a "proper job" as a business analyst to make ends meet.
It's a hard 60+ hour week for me but it's worth it and I'm almost at the point where I can drop the day job now.

My wife and I are toying with the idea of moving to Birmingham, anyone here have any idea what the job prospects are for cities like Birmingham or even Manchester? I saw a picture of McCann Erickson's office in Manchester, BEAUTIFUL! lol. BTW Plugz thanks for the detailed info on your expenses! very illuminating! Onegirlcreative what syour expenses like in Colorado? Also what would be a typical expense list for New York?

Expenses in Colorado are unfortunately, getting higher and higher because a great deal of people have been moving here. It also depends on where you live, for instance. I live in Ft. Collins, which is 60 miles north of Denver (45 miles north of Boulder) and even though it isn't nearly as expensive as Denver or Boulder, it's getting there.

I have lived in Colorado for almost 17 years now and when I first moved here in 1990, I was a student at CSU—I had just transferred from Parsons in NYC, so I was expecting much cheaper rents considering I had lived in NYC for 2 years and my parents had spent several thousand dollars on my education & rent, so I was optimistic. Only to find out, that not only is the job market crap, the cost of living doesn't anywhere near resemble the economy. It was and still is depressing.

Unfortunately, over the years, it hasn't gotten better, just worse. Even though Ft. Collins has grown tremendously, the market is still a joke. For example, I recently had a job interview for a guy in neighborhing Loveland for a graphic design position. He only wanted college graduates, which is fine, but then he had the odacity to offer this position starting at $9.50/hour. I was shocked and disgusted. I mean, I could make more than that rolling burritos at Taco Bell.

But honestly? It's not that much different elsewhere here. Now Denver or Boulder, that's a different story. Even though the market is a lot better there, the cost of living is absurd. Boulder is more expensive than Denver (from what I've been told). Boulder is awesome and I love it, but to live there (whether you rent or buy) is insane. You would easily have to make mid-6 figures to live there like a human being. Kind of like SF or NYC. But everybody wants to live here because of the beautiful majestic mountains and the nearly year-round sunshine and mild winters (except this winter which was insane).

Expense list for NYC? Even though I lived in dorms while living there, I had friends and family who still live there and who are living like crap for a lot. For instance, I have a friend who lives in a studio apartment in the village and pays $2,600/month rent alone (doesn't include utilities, etc.). Plus, you're lucky to get centralized air conditioning in NY, which believe me, during the humid, hot summers you NEED it. And getting an apartment with a dishwasher? Well, that's just luxury living at its finest. But I miss the culture aspect and ease of transportation that NYC has to offer. You can't beat it. BUT—consider this, wages in NY are much, much higher than anywhere else. They have to be to compensate for the astronomical rents.

I hope this helps, ireid. Sorry for the long list.

suzanne maestri-walters :: graphic designer