I'm a US Federal Employee considering a position I've been offered at a University in Leicester. The salary I've been offered seems reasonable to me (~£42k per annum, I now make about $80k but it's more than we need to live on), but I'd like to hear from people who live in the UK what this really means.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on May 14, 2013 -
12 answers
I am looking for someone in the UK to restore/repair a leather writing case. Any recommendations? It needs relining (and therefore reconstructing essentially). It used to belong to my Grandmother and I would love to get it restored to it's former glory.
posted by drill_here_fore_seismics
on May 8, 2013 -
0 answers
I'm scared of driving. But I'm determined to get over it and making great progress. There are some great questions and answers on the green about conquering fear of driving and they've helped me a lot. But I have a specific fear that towers over all the others, and I think that if I can just get over this, I will be a shedload more confident in driving in other situations. Here's the problem: joining a dual carriageway from a slip road on UK roads makes me cry.
[more inside]
posted by pootler
on May 4, 2013 -
26 answers
I'm seeing The Book of Mormon at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London this week. I've never been to a musical before. How should I dress? I did find
this question in the archives, do the same rules apply here in the UK? The current plan is to go with what I typically wear: checked shirt/jeans/chucks.
posted by A Kingdom for a Donkey
on May 1, 2013 -
19 answers
It has been a few years since I last needed to own a website - the need has arisen again and I am looking for recommendations for a decent UK based hosting company. Thanks!
posted by kenchie
on Apr 29, 2013 -
14 answers
Fingers crossed, I'll have a spare (if probably jet-lagged) day in Manchester, UK, soon, and am looking for a thing or two to do. The sort of stuff I go for includes museums (science/technology, art, transport), history, industrial archaeology, cool architecture (Calatrava style), walking about, local cheap/take-out food, that sort of thing. Thanks!
[more inside]
posted by carter
on Apr 28, 2013 -
14 answers
What is the regional dialect/accent in the childhood scenes in the British miniseries "The Singing Detective"? Does it have a name? Does it still exist today?
[more inside]
posted by Johnny Assay
on Apr 26, 2013 -
8 answers
So I applied for an academic position in the UK and I've been invited to interview (yay!). Only just now I realized that they were advertising for two positions, one of which is fixed-term.
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Apr 25, 2013 -
5 answers
My family will be spending 10 days road tripping through Scotland in May. There will be four adults (myself, my husband, and my retired parents), and one 18 month old toddler. What towns will work best as bases for exploring surrounding areas?
[more inside]
posted by asnowballschance
on Apr 25, 2013 -
4 answers
A collection agency in the UK is trying to collect an unpaid invoice for me. Their initial efforts have failed; should I authorize them to go ahead with legal action? (Details and earlier question inside.)
[more inside]
posted by little cow make small moo
on Apr 24, 2013 -
15 answers
I'll be traveling around the UK for the last two weeks of June (Oxford, Bath, Edinburgh, York, London). I've never traveled abroad solo and would appreciate some tips/advice!
[more inside]
posted by ilicet
on Apr 23, 2013 -
29 answers
I live in rented accommodation in the UK. The hot water is scaldingly hot. The radiators burn to touch. The shower temperature is hugely unreliable -- scalding or freezing. The landlord is worried that a plumber will rip him off, based on bad experiences in the past, and unwilling to pay to investigate.
Can you help me understand what's going on? I'd like to put my landlord's mind at rest regarding plumbers, and set his expectations regarding likely diagnoses and solutions -- and hence cost.
I also suspect this situation is wasting energy and hence driving up the cost of heating bills. I'd like to persuade the landlord that fixing it might be a good idea.
[more inside]
posted by ajp
on Apr 12, 2013 -
23 answers
Is it possible for a person with dual citizenship (USA and Ireland; residing in the USA) to register and get insurance for an automobile in Ireland (the north of Ireland to be specific) if the person does not reside in Ireland? And if so, how?
[more inside]
posted by aelish
on Apr 1, 2013 -
5 answers
You run a growing private limited company in the UK. Turnover between 2 and 5M with a close eye on costs. Your employees sometimes need to travel at weekends or in their own time in evenings. You keep them happy, and remain profitable. How?
[more inside]
posted by BOfH
on Mar 27, 2013 -
6 answers
I know I should be talking to an financial planner/adviser about this, and I will do, but... I am British. I'm going to be living and working in the U.S. for somewhere between one and three years. I will probably return to the UK afterwards, but there is a chance I will stay in the U.S. forever. I would rate that chance at about 50/50. I would like to save a fraction of my income while in the U.S., and I would like those savings to grow. I would like to retain at least the possibility of suddenly withdrawing them if and when I leave the U.S. I understand there will be fees and taxes involved in such a withdrawal, but I would of course like to minimize them. And I would like to balance this possibility against the possibility that I will be staying forever, and should make a start on saving for retirement.
[more inside]
posted by caek
on Mar 25, 2013 -
4 answers
What are the legal implications if I start a blog documenting the poor service my property manager provides, and asking others to share their opinions of this firm? I can speak for the factual accuracy of my own experiences (I have their letters and invoices etc, as well as my responses), but what about others?
[more inside]
posted by dougrayrankin
on Mar 21, 2013 -
4 answers
Due to a last-minute work trip and a big difference in plane ticket prices, I have from Thursday evening through to a 2 PM Heathrow departure Monday free to go exploring. Where should I go and what should I do?
[more inside]
posted by psycheslamp
on Mar 19, 2013 -
7 answers
We're getting married in a civil ceremony in London, UK this autumn and I have a couple of questions about dealing with the registrar.
[more inside]
posted by prune
on Mar 18, 2013 -
4 answers
Is there a way (a macro perhaps?) to change the spellings and punctuation in a Microsoft Word document (.docx) from "American" style to "British" (or should I say, 'British') style in one fell swoop?
[more inside]
posted by dhens
on Mar 11, 2013 -
7 answers
I'm moving house next weekend and new place does not have WiFi. It's a six month lease and I'll probably be moving out of the country after that. I use a lot of internet (streaming music, downloading podcasts, films, sending large files, using cloud services, etc.) and so I need something unlimited or pretty near it. Everything I'm seeing online so far is either too much £ for too little internet (£20 for 2GB per month, seriously??) or too much commitment (12-18 month contracts for phone, broadband and TV). I only need internet. What are my options, if any? Thanks!
posted by iamkimiam
on Mar 9, 2013 -
11 answers
I've finished watching all my favourite things and am televisually lost while I wait for Breaking Bad and Boardwalk Empire to start again. Can you suggest English/American/Australian etc series (will also accept interesting BBC documentaries) that are actually watchable?
[more inside]
posted by abbagoochie
on Mar 6, 2013 -
61 answers
Mr. msmanners is being sent to the UK for 2-3 months and he's bringing me and the kids. We're staying in Reading and he's commuting to Newbury. Help us figure this out. We leave in 1 week, my head is spinning!
[more inside]
posted by msmanners
on Mar 5, 2013 -
12 answers
My job is transferring me from Chicago to London in the spring. I've certainly got a lot to figure out between now and then (much of which this forum has already been a big help with), but one specific question I have involves the purchase of a new computer. My current MacBook is definitely due to be replaced -- it's six years old, so move or not, I was planning on getting one sometime this year. Does it make more sense to buy one before the move or after?
[more inside]
posted by mattstan
on Mar 3, 2013 -
8 answers
I've noticed that the bog-standard off the rack/department store menswear items (button-up shirts, slacks, etc) from UK brands bought in the UK tends to fit me wildly better then their counterparts in the US. I have to alter them a lot less and they just hang off my body better. I'm wondering if there's a technical/fashion-nerd reason for this and if so, what should I be looking for in the US department store brands to get this same effect?
[more inside]
posted by The Whelk
on Mar 3, 2013 -
6 answers
I applied last year to extend my Tier 1 (General) Visa and it was refused last week. The Home Office's refusal letter said the evidence to support the income claimed did not meet documentary requirements. I need to appeal by Tuesday next week or lose my right to appeal and face deportation.
Panicking and wading through masses of contradictory advice. Please help...
[more inside]
posted by MrChuckles
on Feb 20, 2013 -
3 answers
We're headed to England for Christmas. The plan is to fly into Birmingham and then use Stratford-upon-Avon as a home base (there are two productions that we want to see at the RSC). Are we crazy to consider renting a car and driving in England?
Pros = We'll be able to drive to other locations we want to visit; we'll be able to get to supermarkets to stock our vacation rental.
Cons = December weather (snow? ice?)? Driving a manual (will renting an automatic be cost prohibitve?)? Most importantly: driving on the left?
Thoughts? Advice?
posted by tmharris65
on Feb 16, 2013 -
25 answers
I found out at the post office today that it is no longer possible to ship nail varnish or perfume (containing alcohol) from the UK to overseas. What are the rules the other way around? I asked at the counter but the lady selling me my stamp didn't seem to be sure.
[more inside]
posted by mippy
on Feb 12, 2013 -
6 answers
The Stand has been a long-running comedy club and Edinburgh Fringe Festival venue, first in Edinburgh, Scotland, and with later-opened branches in Glasgow and Newcastle upon Tyne. I noticed that there is now a New York City-based comedy club and restaurant called
The Stand NYC. I didn't see any indication on the websites of either club that there was a connection. Is this an example of the use of a trade name in another national jurisdiction?
posted by larrybob
on Feb 1, 2013 -
2 answers
I love playing guitar, and I love British rock/pop/punk (esp. 90s Britpop era). If you were compiling a list of awesome UK music to play on guitar from, say, 1975 to today, what
specific songs would you include?
[more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock
on Jan 22, 2013 -
11 answers
How can I find a lawyer or similar professional with experience in applying for EEA Family Permits in the UK, while I am still living in the US?
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jan 19, 2013 -
3 answers
I have recently inherited half of a property that has development potential and am looking for some advice on what to do next. Prior to this inheritance I have never owned a home or even managed to save a small deposit for a mortgage, so I have absolutely no experience of the property market.If all goes well, selling the property could set me and my fellow beneficiary up for life - we each hope to use our shares to buy our own homes mortgage-free! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me and I'm anxious to get the best possible price for the sale!
[more inside]
posted by anonymous
on Jan 17, 2013 -
4 answers
I am looking for somewhere online (or in Edinburgh) that sells men's organic cotton long sleeve formal shirts with no pattern, ideally slim fit in a 15inch collar. They need to be shipping from the UK, or the EU in a pinch, I really don't want to order from the US. I know, this might be impossibly specific, but I figured after an hour of fruitless google it's worth asking the hive mind.
posted by stillnocturnal
on Jan 14, 2013 -
5 answers
The
Wikipedia page on statistics about rape shows a very high crime rate for countries like UK, US and Australia in stark contrast to, say, India. The gap can't be explained simply by under-reporting, as that exists in all these countries (even assuming different rates of under-reporting). Is it because these countries have different definitions of rape? Or something else?
[more inside]
posted by vidur
on Jan 13, 2013 -
32 answers
A dear friend's husband sounds like he has sleep apnea. His interrupted sleep makes him lethargic and unable to work, meaning his wife works full time and takes care of the four kids, including a special needs child. He is moody, depressed, and has migraines and irritable bowel syndrome. I would like some accessible articles and anecdotes on the risks of untreated apnea; the benefits of treatment; and how treatment is accessed in the NHS (UK).
[more inside]
posted by By The Grace of God
on Jan 10, 2013 -
13 answers
The screen on my Sony PSP (2000 edition, not Vita) has stopped working and needs replacing. Can anyone recommend a reputable repair shop somewhere in London that will do this?
[more inside]
posted by mr_silver
on Jan 8, 2013 -
3 answers
Can you explain the process behind the official remixes released with UK singles? Examples inside. Not looking for US remixes.
[more inside]
posted by Admiral Haddock
on Dec 28, 2012 -
4 answers
How can I unlock an iphone tied to t-mobile in the UK?
I have received as a Christmas present an iphone which is locked to t-mobile. I am currently on an 02 contract that ties me for a further 6 months. Clearly, I would like to use my 02 sim with this iphone, however, when I went to a shop who specialised in phone unlocking, to get it unlocked, I was told that he could not unlock it and that it would take atleast a month to get t-mobile to unlock it. It was also mentioned that the merger of t-mobile in to the new company everything everywhere will probably delay the unlocking further. I am getting the impression that I will be forced to take out a t-mobile contract as it stands. Anyone out there have any recent knowledge about t-mobile unlocking.
Many thanks!
posted by conrad101
on Dec 23, 2012 -
7 answers
Where can I find information about US-British relations between the War of 1812 and WWI?
[more inside]
posted by jefficator
on Dec 21, 2012 -
4 answers
I have an iPhone 5 purchased unlocked in the UK. I travel regularly to the US for 1-2 weeks at a time, often in situations where WiFi is not an option, and would like to be able to buy a pre-paid US SIM primarily for data. Now that the iPhone 5 has been out for a few months, has anyone finally gotten onboard with pre-paid nanoSIMs for the 5? Or is cutting down a regular SIM still the only option?
posted by olinerd
on Dec 19, 2012 -
3 answers
[UKMediaFilter]I really enjoy police/detective procedural dramas (series and "movies") from the UK (BBC, ITV, etc). Seen thus far: Luther, Whitechapel, Thorne movies, Inside Men, Sherlock, etc. Recommend me!
[more inside]
posted by kuanes
on Dec 19, 2012 -
33 answers
American going to UK for 3 months, in need some immigration help. Any specialists here? Special snowflake details follow.
[more inside]
posted by Borborygmus
on Dec 17, 2012 -
5 answers
