Hello!

I’ve seen a few posts praising the US and I can’t deny that I’ve also had a very concrete goal of moving permanently to the US eventually. I’m from the EU so the “reality” that I have of the US comes mainly from the media. With this being said, I’d like the brutally honest opinions of those that experienced the US first-hand, whether you’re American, have always lived in the US and absolutely hate it, or if you moved from the EU to the US and are loving the experience.

  • As expats, I think we’re all running from something from our home country (work conditions, family situations, etc). What made you move to/out of the US?
  • Do you feel your QoL (quality of life) has improved with your move to/out of the US?
    • If so, would you attribute this to working conditions/salary? Or living conditions such as more free time, good pension/retirement, etc
  • Do you plan on going back to your home country? If so, what is the main driver of that decision?

Last, but not least, for those living in the US, do you believe that the pros of having more/better career opportunities (at least for skilled labor/PhD level) in the US outweigh the cons of living there, namely:

  • poor/expensive healthcare
  • extremely high tuition fees for colleges
  • high crime rates (naturally highly dependent on the place you live)
  • small amount of time for maternity leave (I don’t mind the small amount for paternity leave, but in Scandinavian countries mothers can have up to a year of maternity leave which I believe is very beneficial for the kids. I do value countries that value and protect the family structure)
  • … and a general low work-life balance? (This last bullet point is not as important to me as I do like and appreciate the hustle culture of the US which makes effort/skills be more appreciated and compensated)

Thank you all! Apologies in advance if this has been asked multiple times before, but I’d like to condensate different perspectives in a single thread if possible as it might be helpful for others as well! :)

  • IndependencyOPBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    Thank you for the feedback! Indeed, the fact that such key things are heavily dependent on your employment status, can be quite daunting IMO. All it takes is an unfortunate health event that leaves you unable to perform the same quality of work you used to do for the company to drop you and then you’re out of the benefits you once had.

    I think that’s my main concern with going to the US. The fact that key things like access to maternity leave regardless of employment status, healthcare and other education benefits can just disappear with one unfortunate event. In the EU I don’t have to worry for those basic rights.

    • DanFlashesSalesBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      All it takes is an unfortunate health event that leaves you unable to perform the same quality of work you used to do for the company to drop you and then you’re out of the benefits you once had.

      Short and long-term disability are both common in the US.

      For example, I once had to take about a month off work after surgery. I received short term disability payments for the entire time I was out of work, my job was there for me when I recovered, and I kept my health insurance the entire time.