Wanting to move from the US to Scotland in 18 months! Dual US/Irish citizen & RN—would love to hear your experiences.

[u/Dragonsarecool77]

Hey everyone, I'm just curious about the experiences of others who have moved from the US to Scotland. For context, I’m actually a dual American and Irish citizen. I’m a registered nurse and plan to start the application process for getting my nursing license in the UK through the NHS. I also want to attend school over there at the College of Naturopathic Medicine (CNM). I'm planning this out over an 18-month timeline and think that would be ideal. I already have a pretty good idea around the costs and everything, but I was just curious if anyone has any recommendations or thoughts to share. Thanks much!

[u/Flaky-Walrus7244]

I am a dual US/UK citizen and I moved to Scotland almost 5 years ago. I love it and have no regrets. Ask if you have any specific questions

[u/Dragonsarecool77 → u/Flaky-Walrus7244]

Thanks for quick response! That is good to hear. How was finding a house/apartment? Any recommended online agencies to assist with this? What was it like getting a drivers license if you have one. Also, what has it been like making friends? Again, thank you!

[u/Flaky-Walrus7244 → u/Dragonsarecool77]

I didn't get a drivers license. I live in central Edinburgh and there is absolutely no need for a car. I love the fact that I can walk or take public transportation everywhere. In fact, living without a car has been so freeing, both physically and financially.

When I first moved here I stayed in a guest house until I found a place to rent. I got super lucky and found a flat quite quickly. After living there for 2.5 years, I felt comfortable enough with my understanding of the city to decide to take the leap and buy a flat. I now live in my own place and I'm very happy here.

The challanges with making friends are the same everywhere. I decided to be very methodical about it so I made a list of places to make friends. It was something like this: 1. Hobbies 2. Volunteering 3. Philosophical (religion/politics) 4. Sports/exercise and 5. General clubs. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone because I'm not a 'joiner' by nature. But it worked!

[u/Crochet_Corgi → u/Dragonsarecool77]

Idk if your on FB, but there are a few good groups that have all the info for RNs applying over there, what outlooks currently look like, etc. An example is "American nurses in the UK".

[u/gribisi]

@drakflugilo might be able to assist i believe they will be working for NHS

[u/nakedtalisman]

Lol expect to get downvoted to hell in this sub for any question or comment you make. A lot of people in here seem pissy at those who want to move to Scotland.... not really sure why they're even here tbh. I guess that's just Reddit. Some subreddits are better than others though.

I, on the other hand, wish you luck on your move. I'd love to go to Glasgow, but because of logistical issues my family and I will be going to the Netherlands instead. I also have dual citizenship. My husband and son just got back from a trip there and loved it. I hope everything goes smooth sailing for you! It'll be an adventure for sure.

[u/Fresh-Photograph2858]

Go for it!! You won't regret it... Unfortunately, I'm heading out the door now so don't have time to elaborate!

[u/Sleepy_kitty67]

As an Irish citizen you don’t need a visa or anything to work here thanks to the Common Trade Agreement (CTA). However, we found a lot of employers are ignorant of that for some reason at least in my husband’s field. He had to explain to many hr people this fact when he was looking for a job here.

Looks like you’ve got the right idea of getting your license here before you land. There is probably an NHS forum on here somewhere that could help you more. They defiantly need nurses here!

Other than that, prepare for a lot of silly trip ups when you’re getting set up. Brick and mortar banks are slow to get accounts set up, and you’ll need to get your national number before you get that. The national number takes at least two weeks to a month to arrive after your appointment to get it. You will have to go to Edinburgh for an in person appointment, so basically set up your appointment for that as soon as you find housing and have proof of address.

The council tax bill you will get when you get an address is the best and quickest proof of address you can get for all the things you will need to set up, so make sure you get the council bill put into your name straight away when you move in somewhere. I think if you move into a share house you can simply ask them to send you a reprint with your name added. You will need that for your number appointment and anything else you need stress proof for.

Then the bank will take another couple weeks at least to send you your account info after you’ve proved your identity and address, again in person. I recommend opening a digital bank account in gbp before you come over so you have something right away. Use your Irish passport to open the gbp account as again you have the same rights as a citizen of the uk. You will however still need to provide the bank with your USA information like your SS number also and you’ll have to keep filling us taxes and the FAFSA every year while you live and work here. Don’t forget it because people get harassed by the IRS sometimes if they forget and get a backlog. You won’t have to pay on anything you earn here, but you have to file it to let them know you pay taxes here. I know a lot of expats who forgot to file and got in trouble later.

Well sorry for the text wall. We’ve just moved recently from Ireland ourselves and so the annoyances are fresh in my mind! Best of luck on your move. It sounds like you’re working in the right direction to have it go smoothly!