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which is the best country to live in. Some of the other people in my med Term class were talking about this program that once you get your RN, you can move anywhere in the world and in some countries, your earnings are tax free. So this got me to thinking, overall, which is the best country to live in?

I am going to go out on a limb here and say NOT the USA. There are many reasons, the taxes, the government trying to control every aspect of your life, Our president being an idiot, and making wrong choices (remember this is based on opinion). I have heard stories that other countries actually haver decent social security programs, while here, everything I pay will be gone when I am ready to retire, etc etc.

So what do you think?

I would probably move to Australia with the family I have there. They are the happiest group of people I have ever known.

Oh, take family out of the equation, I meant politically, sorry

Welll...there are a couple of different strategies you can use for the ex-pat RN thing. One is to move somewhere shitty for a few years and make tons of money. This is what my dad did (not an RN, worked for Lucent), moved to Saudi Arabia for 7 years and made a fuckton. So, if moving outside the USA doesnt bother you, you might want to do something like that for a while.

But if youre talking about a permanent new address, harder question. Id probably move to northern Europe, if employment, money etc were no odject.. Ive been to Sweden and it was great. Im sure Norway and Finland are also just as cool. Zero crime, pretty, well kept cities, cold in the winter, but eh, cant have everything. Of course, their tax rate is awful, but you get lots of good services for that money. Dunno, really a tough question to answer.

No crime? Sweden has some crime problems from what many Swedes have told me.

Ican't be all that specific, but I'd say Asia. Here the white man is boss ... great way to live.

I didn't say it was right. It's just the way it is.

I'd read laws and visit countries before you make that determination.

Mo's right in his analysis, but he left some things out. As a woman I seriously doubt you'd want to work in Saudi.

Europe is less religious and certain countries like France emphasize quality of life over work/capitalism. the flip side is those countries have massive unemployment and difficult environments for entering the country

I've lived in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. We have plenty here for all over the world, so this is a good discussion to have.

Well I mostly meant comparative to the US hehe. Im sure they have crime.

Kizzy wrote:Oh, take family out of the equation, I meant politically, sorry

Thailand...

The hookers are top notch and would have voted for John Kerry if they were Americans.

Captain_Insano wrote:

Kizzy wrote:Oh, take family out of the equation, I meant politically, sorry

Thailand...

The hookers are top notch and would have voted for John Kerry if they were Americans.

Fuckit in Phucket?

Aside from Canada, New Zealand has really nice people, really great weather and political seems very close to Canada.

That's were I'd go if I had a lot of money and the great white north become uninhabitable. Comparatively, Australia's just not nearly as friendly.

You mean if you had a lot of non-Canadian money and the great white north became even more inhabitable.

I have a friend that lives in Kilcoy, QLD Australia. Trust me... it's not that great. It's one of those places that's awesome to go on vacation but not to live there... at least not for me. To each his own though. Germany and Canada would be awesome places to live if their governments weren't so retarded.

Dunno, Australian entry-level workers get 6 weeks of vacation a year, at least for tech professionals. US workers get 2 weeks.

That might be a place to look. Switzerland is a good spot, always completely neutral in everything, so very low chance of anything bad happening due to foreign events.

I'm hoping to spend a year in the UK doing study abroad next year at Kingston University in London, maybe make some contacts during the process that'll make it easier for me to get a job there, so I may be doing the same thing you are.

-Arlos

Arlos wrote:I'm hoping to spend a year in the UK doing study abroad next year at Kingston University in London, maybe make some contacts during the process that'll make it easier for me to get a job there, so I may be doing the same thing you are.

I wouldn't count on it. UK companies are notoriously insular and nepotistic. You may luck out and find a US one looking for people, but again they'll probably outsource or bring in foreign cheap labor.

You'll have great fun but I wouldn't count on getting hired unless you have a very in demand skill that cannot be found by a local or Indian. Their IT situation is just like ours.

If I had to pick one out of the places I've been to: Netherlands.

I'm perfectly happy here in New York though, to be honest.

Hate to say it but, Canada.

Canada has a different health care system than we do, its all subsidized by the government (correct me if Im wrong here, Canucks) so I would think that nurses would bepaid much since its a government job. Again, Im sure the Canadians can elaborate.

If I could afford my current lifestyle in Italy, I'd move today. Northern Italy like Milan or Florence would suit me just fine.

Kizzy wrote:Canada has a different health care system than we do, its all subsidized by the government (correct me if Im wrong here, Canucks) so I would think that nurses would bepaid much since its a government job. Again, Im sure the Canadians can elaborate.

Lot of nurses leave here to go work in the states actually

that being said, a lot of people get lured to higher salaried positions then realize later that they're giving up a shit ton of hidden benefits


I make $55kish/year

I have 7 weeks of vacation(get another week in 5 years, and another 10 years)
12 stat holidays
full dental
full medical

we get health spending accounts (ie they pay for relaxation massages)



$55k doesn't sound like a lot, but a 1100ft2 house, with a 2 car garage costs $100k

cost of living is pretty low (taxes are highish, but cost of living is low enough it's not much of an issue)



I'm 99% satisfied with where I live

Altho, Australia has it's draws as well

I don't know what's best. When i lived in USSR i thought it was ok country to live in. My parents wanted to move to US so i moved with them. I think US is ok country to live in. It's usualy "grass is always greener" issue. If it was up to me, i'd move to Israel.

I think that's a question that ultimately you have to answer personally. Few random thoughts I had:

Thought 1: Even if Nurses in country X make twice as much as in the US, you still have to consider; maybe it will be more difficult and take longer to get a job there. Maybe nurses have a lot more to deal with there (for instance, I don't think you'd want to go be a nurse in Iraq right now).

Thought 2: Even if pay and long-term benefits, such as retirement are better, do you still want to live there? There's a lot of issues that can factor into this such as population density, public transportation, types of housing available, potential language barriers, and my new personal favorite, weather.

Thought 3: Are you still taking care of the kids? If so, then is your potential country of destination going to be a good place for them?

Thought 4: Maybe some place is tax free, but is there a trade off? I currently live in a state with no state income tax, but there isn't squat to do. And salaries were higher in the states I lived in that had state income tax.

Thought 5: Whatever your opinion is of the president, keep in mind, he's only temporary. Yes, it's possible nothing will change with the next one, but who knows.

Thought 6: I tend to be of an opinion that until someone hands me a check or cash, I'm not counting on anything, whether we're talking government, a corporation, or a person. So, while I certainly know what Social Security is supposed to be, my goal is to set myself up by my own means. In the broader sense, look at this way, for a long time everyone here thought Social Security was totally safe, so just because another country may look to have a more secure retirement set-up doesn't mean that it can't change.

For me, personally, I would need to visit a place at least once before I felt like I could make a decision to move there. Just a lot to think about, I would say. I'm pretty content here in the US because I feel like there's a few people I can depend on if a situation doesn't turn out. But then again, you're far more outgoing and social then I.

Iggy

deciding where you want to live based on the volume of money you'd be making is stupid

Drem wrote:deciding where you want to live based on the volume of money you'd be making is stupid

Having a pie in the sky mentality about life is the actual idiocy.

no, itemizing where you should and shouldn't live based on your turn of profit is the "actual idiocy." it's cliché american. MONEY MOEHOEMOFE ZAO WOHWOAOAOAMONEY MONEY