8. If you're on a budget, check out Facebook marketplace. A lot of people basically see it as an easier more ethical way of quickly getting rid of stuff than throwing it away, so it gets put on there for a token price. You will be expected to arrange transport for it though. Also don't haggle if something is already ultra cheap, somebody selling you a £500 sofa for £40 still feels like they're doing you a favour.

17. As long as you are aware that you need to enroll your child in an English-medium school then I wouldn’t worry about learning a bit of the local lingo on the side when/if she joins. (There are Welsh-medium schools too - best avoided in your case.)

One other piece of advice I’d suggest is stop thinking of the uk as a single place - but rather a collection of different places. Moving just eight miles in any direction can often put you in a completely different demographic and community. It’s a weird place.

For the first couple of points (and loads of financial stuff in general) check out Money Saving Expert. It's a pretty comprehensive and well-respected website which will explain how a lot of UK financial things work as well as highlighting good deals and providing tools to compare other services.

Aside from that, IKEA is great, licence fee is just for watching any live TV or any BBC iPlayer (but don't be afraid of the scaremongering letters), and while some people will say "cunt" in every other sentence it is still the worst swear we have and if she calls someone a cunt at school then she'll probably be in deep shit!

I can't give good answers to all of these, but here's what I can say.

1. Check the mobile coverage in the area (Ofcom have a coverage map) you will be living and pick based on that and price. I personally use Giffgaff, which is a MVNO using the O2 network. They are no frills and cheap, I've been using them for years and quite a few family and friends have since joined me.

2. For a building society try Nationwide, long established stable option with a good high street presence across the country. My family have used them for many years.

3. Aldi and Lidl are cheap and cheerful, great for staples on a budget. Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury's are the middle tier. Waitrose and M&S are the posher options. Wherever you shop you will save money by joining the loyalty scheme (Tesco Clubcard, Nectar, Lidl Plus etc).

4. Register for your local GP surgery once you have a place to live. You can always switch later if needed. The NHS website has plenty of info. The emergency phone number here is 999 and non emergency is 111.

6. You can carry your passport but it's inconvenient. A provisional driving license is a commonly accepted ID here, and you can apply for one even if you have no intention to actually drive. We also have a scheme called PASS cards such as CitizenCard which are low cost and available for anyone with UK residency. Not as versatile as a provisional drivers license or passport, but work fine for simple checks like proof of age.

8. IKEA is fine. If you don't mind second hand many charity shops have larger stores that sell furniture, there can be some real bargains there and they will often provide delivery.

9. Supermarkets do a reasonable range of housewares. T K Maxx often have some bargains. John Lewis is more upmarket.

10. Supermarkets again are cheap and reasonable. Somewhere like Next is may be better quality. I hear a lot of people recommend Uniqlo at the moment for quality everyday wear with a plain/timeless style that doesn't break the bank.

11. Most ISPs provide national coverage, however the quality of the underlying infrastructure does vary by location. Most will use the nationwide Openreach network, which is slowly upgrading to full fibre, but exact speed will vary. Generally the more rural you go the worse the service gets. Virgin Media is the UK's cable provider, and operates both copper and fibre networks. They do not have a great customer service record, but they may have a far greater service speed in your location so it's worth checking out. Even the best ISPs for customer service such as Zen and A&A are often beholden to Openreach who may or may not give a crap about faults in a timely manner anyway. We also have several independent fibre "altnets" operating in different areas who may offer better speeds and prices. Also consider bundle deals for both broadband and mobile plans, there can be some good deals to be had there.

12. Officially you need a TV Licence if you watch or record any programmes via any device as they are broadcast, and to watch on-demand BBC programmes on iPlayer. You don't have to have a license to own the TV itself, nor to watch non-BBC on demand content. I'd say it's worth paying to legally access BBC content (which still has a lot of cultural relevancy here) and avoid hassle with the TV Licensing authority.

13. Eating out for breakfast is less common here. But a "greasy spoon" cafe will serve a traditional fried breakfast amongst other things. Ask locals for recommendations. Do not be afraid of black pudding.

14. Authentic Mexican or American-Mexican food seems to be rare here. When I have travelled in the US the Mexican food was very different (in a good way) to the "Mexican" I'd previously known at home. I'm sure there is some somewhere. We do have Taco Bell though now if that counts. If you are seeking spicy food in general though consider going for a curry - we have rich tradition there that has become a cuisine of its own.

16. For a job interview I would read that as "smart casual", which would be a shirt and either trousers or maybe nicer/neater jeans. Definitely not sweats. Honestly depends on the company and area. If in doubt though - ask - if it was me hiring I would appreciate the proactivity and curiosity.

18. Going cashless is easy here. Cash is fading out here, to the chagrin of certain older folks. Contactless cards and Apple/Google Pay etc are widely accepted, even in small independent shops and market stalls. Bank transfers are near instant. The only places that may be cash only are places like certain takeaway food places. I carry an emergency £20 note and very rarely need it. Cash machines may charge for withdrawals. You can do most simple banking tasks at Post Offices if needed.

20. I hate it too, and I haven't yet been dragged off to the tower, so I think you'll be fine.

Other than that, enjoy your life in the UK.

Everyone has done a cracking job of the questions, so all I'll add is:

ISPs:

Most ISPs are nationwide.
Almost all fixed lines have no data caps.
If you're in a standard area, go with a provider that costs a little more, but have good customer service, and know their arse from their elbow.

Zen are good imo. https://zen.co.uk/
If you already know your address, their site will check what you can get, and how much it will be.

If you get a friend to refer you, you also get a £25 love2shop voucher.

Fixed line contracts are usually for 12-18 months.
You can get one month ones (give me a shout if you want them pointing out), but you may be better off with a 5G dongle for short term accommodation.

Further detail:

Most ISPs use the same physical wires/fibres owned by OpenReach, or an altnet, which go from your house to the nearest exchange.

You normally cannot speak to the wire/fibre provider directly, any maintenance request has to come from your ISP.
So if there is ever a problem, you're relying on the ISP doing the legwork. So good CS is critical, imho.

You pay the provider, they pay the cable owner to get it to them, then provide the backhaul.

There are some area based exceptions, like single-provider fibre.
And there is also Virgin. But I wouldn't go with Virgin.

You’ve had a bunch of good answers but I’ll chip in with a couple of additional thoughts:

Three. If you’re not planning on driving then location will probably determine where you shop more than almost anything else.

Six. I haven’t shown anyone ID in over a year. Apply for a provisional driving license as soon as you can and that will be fine for any need. Keep the passport at home!

Twelve. Channel 4 is also a beneficiary of license fees so you may need a license if you watch that. But as others have said, the TV License people have very little power to actually do anything.

Thirteen. I’d guess there’s, at most, a dozen restaurants in the entire UK which will serve what you would recognise as a corn beef hash. So break that bad news to her sooner rather than later. There are places you can get a good breakfast (and a gazillion pubs and cafes and restaurants where you can get a full English/Scots/Welsh/Irish). Many places will also do American style pancakes) but, otherwise, cooked breakfasts will not be a taste of home.

Fourteen. Equally you won’t find much ‘proper’ Mexican. You can find crap Tex-Mex places in most cities but I’ve only been to one Mexican restaurant (in London, not open any more) that was anything like as good as Mexican restaurants I visited when living in the US.

Sixteen. Jeans or chinos paired with a shirt (not a suit shirt but also not a Hawaiian shirt), plain t-shirt, polo shirt. Shoes or smart sneakers. On day one I’d go chinos, shirt and shoes then dial down depending on the culture of the office.

Eighteen. Cash free is easier here than in the US. I haven’t bought anything with cash in over a year. If you have a cell phone with Apple Wallet or the Google equivalent, you can pay for almost everything anywhere using that.

Twenty. Meh. The whole ‘love it / hate it’ thing is an advertising slogan. Some people like it, others don’t, no wars are fought or lives lost over Marmite. You’re more likely to get into a fight if you pronounce scone as scone.

1. There are coverage maps by different networks, so check them for where you're going to live. O2, EE, and 3 are probably the main decent networks—a lot of other networks piggyback on their transmitters and may be a good price too, but make sure you'll get good enough signal where you'll be. You will get good enough signal in most places with any of those, but they do have some bad areas and you don't want that to be your home or work!
2. I like Nationwide, which is a building society (largely due to ethical reasons but they also have a better high street presence than most banks).
3. Supermarkets do have sushi. There is a hierarchy of quality/cost. M&S is very expensive and sells all own brands. Waitrose is fancy and can be expensive but their veg does last better and the food is higher quality, plus they do have their more basic range so it doesn't have to be ridiculously costly. Both Tesco and Saintsbury's are decent, usually are either huge or little local stores, and like most have a basic range. Morrison's are similar to Tesco and Saintsbury's. Iceland focuses on cheap and frozen goods. Aldi and Lidl are pretty good, a bit of a random selection at times but cheap for what you get.
4. It's fairly easy to move GP, so long as you find one that has space. I don't see a downside to getting one ASAP.
5. That's a rough age to be different, and it honestly depends on the location as to how easy that'll be. I'm afraid I don't have any ssuggestions other than look into clubs and activities outside of school to give her a wider net.
6. There are CitizenCards that can be used, which is safer than potentially losing your passport. In the past people have got provisional driving licences for the purpose of an ID, which could work too.
7. Utilities are often not included and you should only need a deposit (around 1 months rent). Protections are better here but you can still get screwed. Make sure the deposit is in a deposit protection scheme, and make sure the state of the place is properly documented (they should do this as part of an inventory but make sure it's accurate). Look up your rights to avoid being swindled.
8. IKEA is good. Second hand is more of a gamble but cheaper. I know many use FB marketplace, but eBay and Gumtree are both options too.
9. IKEA is one of the better options for basic but decent housewares. Supermarkets often do some stuff too.
10. M&S do some basic but decent work stuff that is more affordable. I believe the quality has gone down a bit but they are still better than most that I've found.
11. They are a bit for fibre but not for regular broadband, though that is changing. Some rented places don't like you to change utilities, so it may be easiest to stick with what's already there.
12. I believe it is for iPlayer but you'll find good articles online for this.
13. Corned beef means a different thing here—I believe what you call corned beef is what we call salt beef. Getting breakfast out is less of a thing here but there are decent "greasy spoons" (cafés that do good fried breakfasts) in most places.
14. Taco Bell has started to exist in the UK but it's not exactly good. There are some but you'll have better luck in bigger metropolitan areas. We have different cuisines here due to the difference in historical immigration, so hopefully you'll find some stuff you like there too.
15. No idea, sorry.
16. It depends. Start off with smart trousers a shirt and you can always dress down from there. Hopefully you'll get a sense from interviews. It might even be a good question to ask during an interview, as it shows you care and are willing to fit in.
17. No, sorry.
18. Some public toilets require a few coins, a pound is used for unlocking trollies (shopping carts) at some supermarkets, but most places don't need cash. Some places do prefer it though, so I like to carry a bit (£10-20 plus coins) with me just in case.
19. It is less of a thing here but I suspect it'll be relevant for loans, mortgages etc.
20. Oh fuck, I guess I regret typing all of this now, you heathen (honestly, it's polarising here and I like it occasionally but don't love it).

I didn't mean to go through all the questions but I got carried away, so hope thay helps!

1. It depends on where you end up as the signal strength in the areas you frequent will dictate this to a degree. If you’re in a city or large town then generally it’s down to what you decide to go with, but if you’re more rural there may only be some providers that offer a decent signal. Best to ask the locals what they use.

2. Nationwide is one of the larger building societies and one of the more mainstream banks over here too, so always a safe bet. A lot of banks and BS don’t have that many local branches now though, and more are closing every month - that’s not necessarily an issue, as the online services and apps for them here are far better than in the US from what I gather.

3. I already answered this one in a reply to someone else.

4. Most GPs have catchment areas so see who the local ones are to where you end up living.

5. I think schools are a lot more receptive here than in the US to this sort of thing, but someone else may be able to provide a more detailed answer to this.

6. A lot of places won’t ask to see it unless you’re buying booze or other certain age restricted things like knives etc. There’s a scheme over here called “Challenge 25”, so if you look obviously older than that you should’t get asked in supermarkets and the like. I’d certainly look at getting a driving licence though, even if only a provisional one so that you can leave the passport at home.

7. More or less the same situation here - they may ask for references but when you explain your situation they should be understanding enough, albeit you may need to put down more of a deposit. Any deposit should be placed aside by the letting agent or landlord into a tenancy deposit scheme, be wary if they don’t mention this as it’s a legal requirement afaik. Utilities and council tax (property taxes) will not be included unless otherwise noted and you will be expected to get accounts set up after moving in. Take photos of the meters when you do so you can provide the readings to the companies.

8. IKEA is a good starting point, but you can often find cheaper through second hand means (charity shops, Facebook marketplace etc). Bear in mind that your closest IKEA store may be a fair distance away - 20 miles here is not like 20 miles in the US due to our less car-centric road and town layouts and close quarters in urban areas.

9. Any of the big four supermarkets offer a range of home wares (Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons). Morrisons range isn’t as good as the others though. Also dependant on the size of store.

10. Charity shops are a start, Matalan is a good dedicated shop. Again the big four supermarkets have options, with Morrisons yet again trailing behind the others in terms of size of range offered. Primark is good and cheap enough too but can be limited size wise. A lot will depend on what size you are. There’s a lot of online retailers here that will have it posted to a collection point for you.

11. Most ISPs will offer something everywhere, but what speeds you can get will depend where you are. Some lSPs are fibre only, which will need them to already have lines in the area (Virgin Media is one of these) or for special equipment to be installed at the house (which most if not all housing stock built in the last few years should have unless the area doesn’t permit).

12. Strictly speaking if you’re watching anything live (I.e. if it’s being broadcast as you’re watching it) then the BBC would like you to have one - a lot of people don’t though and will ignore the letters that come through the door. If you get easily stressed at official looking letters then probably best to pay for it, but I’m not going to tell you one way or the other here.

13. Not as big a thing over here, though I’m sure there’s places that do it.

14. Taco Bell is starting to make inroads here but is only really in the big cities at the moment - otherwise it’s very much down to if anyone has opened up a place that does Mexican food near to you. Chiqitos is another brand to look for, at least near me.

15. Someone else may have to link this.

16. Business casual is always a good shout - nice dress or trousers/blouse for women, trousers and polo shirt or just a shirt and jumper/sweater for men, no need for a tie and such nor a full suit. Best to play it by ear and see what your work colleagues dress like.

17. This will happen, but by experience it isn’t really a bother if your daughter doesn’t pick it up well. Almost everyone in Wales speaks English and with you having an accent they’ll be more considerate of you.

18. Once you have an account open you can just carry a card or use Apple Pay/Android’s equivalent. We’re very much moving towards a cashless society here, although having some on you can be handy for situations or places where they are unable to accept cards.

19. I doubt it, you will be a blank slate here I’d imagine, but you should be able to get a basic credit card if you wish to have one. We’re a lot more debit card based over here though, most banks current accounts will provide a debit card.

20. Personally I’m not a fan of it so no problems here! You may get some light ribbing though, all in jest.

As someone who moved to the UK from the Netherlands 30 years ago: you’ll be fine. Learn the language, not as easy as you might think. Here are some examples of obvious vocabulary differences, but across the country there are probably a dozen different regional names for bread rolls. Do some research on finance. Things may have changed, but when I moved I had trouble opening a bank account as a foreigner, or getting a loan, even with a well paid and secure job.

1. There are lots of good price comparison sites - I tend to run through a few but often use Compare the Market as you can save off your details and it makes it easier to check next time. This works for phones, utilities, broadband, insurance, etc. You could probably box off the lot with a few hours on this.
2. Money Saving Expert/Martin Lewis is your go to for finance, see what his most recent recommendation is. You can do comparisons for banks/building societies too but moving isn't a big deal if a new deal pops up.
3. I do my Big Shop at Aldi - they've started stocking pulses and brown rice, so my supplemental shop (usually at Asda) has shrunk to half a dozen items I prefer elsewhere (their hot chocolate is far too powdery). Aldi and Lidl can't be beaten for price and I've had no issues with quality. They do sushi too, apparently, but I don't eat it. I'd recommend shop at Aldi/Lidl and see what meets your needs then try Asda and then Sainsburys for anything else.
4. You can check out a GP's rating online but you'll usually find they are all decent and you can switch. Getting a dentist can be trickier.
5. Sounds like you want a Comic Con, rather than a comics convention (although if she draws she might like one of those too - Thought Bubble is the big one but there are others). The big one is in London but most cities have large well organised ones and they are all very LGBTQ+ and ND friendly but it might help if she's met a few people online who go. There are also specific anime cons around the country. If she's good she might want to see if there's a small press title looking for artists. This feels like an area I am qualified to help in, so I will follow up on this but feel free to message me directly. Other than that arriving late in school can be tricky (I wasn't born in the UK and moved around a bit, I had friends turn up at a similar age but my friendship group was a ragtag bunch of misfits so we swept up most of the strays) and getting special educational needs (SEND) help can be a fight, more helpful if she already has a diagnosis. Friends and family have been through the wringer and have struggled (even my cousin who is a formidable and in the health field) and I won't lie, this could be the trickiest aspect if your move. She might get lucky and fall in with a good bunch but it might be she gets by on extracurricular activities and perhaps has a better experience in sixth form and Uni (from what I've seen anyway).
6. You can get ID cards but it'd be an idea to apply for a driving license as the provisional one is universally accepted.
7. Not done this recently.
8. IKEA is a good shout but there are other furniture stores - flat packed beds and drawers are good go tos from them (as is a lot of household staples) but I am not a fan of their chairs. Try Sofology and the like.
9. You can get them from IKEA too but I tend to get all that from Asda (used to he owned by Walmart, if that helps give you an idea) - they do big box sets of crockery that I am still using years later, and have cutlery, glass, pots and pans, etc as well as air fryers and microwaves, although if you want a bugger selection of electrical items, try Curry's. I moved a few years back and helped a friend's son move to Uni and the advice in this point and the previous one just got everything up and running quickly at a decent price and quality. You might want to shop around at M&S or John Lewis for specific better quality items but to get your basics sorted these IKEA and Asda will sort you out.
10. Kind of a similar answer, for your basics (underwear, t-shirts, jeans, coats, etc) the George at Asda isn't bad. If you need better quality items then go to M&S or Next - I went to them for a suit, decent quality shoes and a good raincoat (they have a bigger stock online so I tend to click and collect a bunch of stuff then return it). As my sister-in-law tends to get me clothes for my birthday and Christmas, I suspect most of my general clothing is from Next, if I was buying it myself, I'd tend to go to Asda. Which might be a guide to price vs quality.
11. See 1.
12. Sounds like you need a TV licence.
13. I suspect we run into cultural differences here and someone else has addressed the specifics. Generally, a nice area will have cafes that do a good breakfast, avoid greasy spoons (unless you are after that experience) and keep an eye out for a cafe that is mixed in with a good bakers or cake shop.
14. Again it depends on the area but if there's an area with a decent selection of restaurants you might find a "Mexican". There is one near enough to me that, if I wanted it I could have it but there are also Turkish, Greek, Indian, Chinese, Moroccan, Nepalese and Indonesian so it rarely gets a mention (I've been once, it was fine).
15. Others may be better placed to offer advice but I am sure there's plenty on YouTube and TikTok that'll cover the basics but it won't really substitute for diving in and knowing you'll make a few mistakes. People are generally tolerant of that kind of thing.
16. I'd avoid sweats (jogging bottoms) in work as they have class connotations and would raise eyebrows. Jeans or cargo pants with a t-shirt, long-sleeved top or jumper should be fine but ask.
17. I'll pass that over to the Welsh contingent.
18. I keep some cash on me but only really use it to split the bill in a restaurant and I could use card for that too but it can get fiddly if others are too but the staff are fine taking your money anyway you want to give it.
19. No idea.
20. Good, it's muck.

1. I wouldn't recommend any I'm afraid but I would avoid Three. Their coverage is rubbish.

2. They're all pretty similar. Aldi and Lidl are cheap and cheerful. Tesco and Asda (Walmart) are middle of the road. Sainsbury's and Mark's and Spencers are more upmarket. Waitrose is so posh there's none in my city or the next two nearest cities. Farmfoods and Iceland are almost entirely frozen food and Co-Op, Spar, Costcutter, and Premier are slightly more expensive but located in convenient easy to walk places. Try to buy as much as you can from the bigger supermarkets and then just top up things like bread or milk from your local Spar when necessary.

3. Just register with your most local GP. You can easily change GP if you move. Welcome to the true land of the free! (Unless you move to England, but I believe their prescriptions are still capped)

4. The local skatepark might have similar people. Some music venues have under 18 licences (with a guardian) so you could maybe catch some punk gigs together and let her socialise there while you enjoy a beer at the bar and keep half an eye on her to make sure she's alright.

5. There's no mandatory ID. Unless you're buying booze or fags and look young enough you might get ID'd (the rule being if you look under 25 you're supposed to be ID'd for 18+ products) then I wouldn't bother carrying a passport. Too much risk of losing it for no gain.

6. I can only speak for Scotland but it's normal to provide about 2 months rent as a deposit. This legally must be put into a third party deposit scheme so the landlord can't try and screw you when you leave. If you rent via a reputable agency they'll provide you with all the necessary info but I believe the Scottish government website has renters rights easily listed somewhere too

7. Furniture all depends on taste and budget really. John Lewis are pricey but have really good quality stuff with long guarantees. They're kinda worker owned too. There's also always charity shops.

8. Find the largest supermarket in your city. A Tesco Extra or a large ASDA. They'll have plenty of homeware to choose from. Nickel and Dime, B&M, Dunelm, or The Range will also work.

9. Charity shops. Your local shopping mall will have a mix of the usual big name brands of course but if you want real bargains, charity shops are the way to go.

10. I've never used them but Zen Internet are the nerds choice of ISP. ISP depends on who owns the copper/fibre around you and which ISPs they've made deals with. BT Opeanreach own most of the country meaning you can sign up to almost any ISP. Some areas are restricted to the likes of City Fibre but even they have plenty of ISP options.

11. You will get incredibly threatening scary official letters in the post if you don't have a TV licence. They will threaten to imprison you or fine you thousands. Scary letters are about as far as their powers go though. Do with that information as you will.

12. We've got Taco Bell now so if she likes diarrhoea then have at it!

13. I think that would be very company dependent. I don't think you could go wrong with a plain t-shirt and dark jeans at first, and then you can see what others wear to determine how casual you can really go.

14. It can be handy for toilets that require a 20p or 50p coin but generally you'll be fine cash free. Even beggers and buskers have card machines now! Supermarket trolleys are often locked and you have to put a £1 coin in to release it and get it back once you lock the trolley up again but you can also get fake £1 sized tokens for your keyring if you want.

15. Try the Marmite crisps, they'll change your view and spare you the executioner's blade.

Edit: Lemmy is trying to be too clever and has messed up the numbering. It's correct when I edit but goes into a list when I post. I'm sure you can figure out which is which haha

Hello I am from Swansea now based in London,

Three & EE are very big phone providers, Can’t go wrong with the big Tesco & Sainsbury,

If you end up in Wales the nearest IKEA is very far away best deliver or look at Argos/NEXT Home

If you want variety in shopping for clothes or things like that I would look in Cardiff,

A trip to London and its various market shops there’s more niche food choices

It’s not British centric but the show Sex Education isn’t a bad choice, it has no set location nor era but it feels modern and is very relatable particularly if you’re different,

I would not recommend carrying your passport everywhere, application for a provisional driving license is a great substitute. It’s easy to do online.

Swansea and Cardiff has a great alternative and lgbt+ friendly scene particularly Cardiff, there are plenty of nerdy shops aswell all this should be great for your daughters interests. Many younger a folk love that Japan stuff etc, There is also a thriving music scene, Some folks in Swansea can still be a bit backwards but that’s a small place for you, luckily everybody is genuinely very nice. It’s better now

Welsh is taught in schools but only to a GCSE short course, I finished secondary in the early 2010s

Swansea is more English centric compared to say towns further north like Carmarthen and Lampeter, I remember teachers in my school spoke and taught in English in other subjects less so further up.

Welsh is a lovely language and even though it’s a requirement it shouldn’t be a problem, if your daughter is super interested she can pursue it further down the line, to me it feels like having additional language subjects like French or German etc,

Swansea has an ice cream shop called Joe’s and it’s absolutely lush

3. Supermarket wise, yes cheap sushi is available in the UK, at Tesco and pretty much any others.

As for supermarkets, there 2 sorts of variables, location and price.

Much of your shopping will likely be done in your “corner shop”, which is going to be the smallish store that is walking distance from where you live. For big shops, I recommend you kind of try them all out and see where you prefer, they all kind of work similarly but differ slightly in price and offering, check out Tesco, Lidl, Aldi, Waitrose, Iceland etc.

If I watch everything on a monitor via my computer, do I still need to pay a TV license fee or do I only need to play it if I want to use iPlayer? How does that all work? I definitely will not have an actual TV for a while.

That's for tuning into TV stations and iPlayer.

17- Don't worry too much. I am from Scotland and moved to Wales aged 10. Welsh is next to useless in the South and only really heard in school.

Learning is compulsory up to age 14 (Year 9). At age 14/15, kids get to pick their options for further study for the next two school years. If Welsh is not actively taken, it reduces to one lesson a fortnight, that then turns into a basic qualification that may be shamelessly flubbed.

At least this was the case 20 years ago. Things may have changed in school, but in daily Southern life there will be no real life application.

Message me if you need any help, I am local to Cardiff and Newport, the two major places near Swansea.

1. Check coverage. There are a few "main" ones that own their networks like EE, O2, Vodafone and Three. They will get priority on bandwidth and so offer the best speeds but cost more. There are lots of others that piggyback on those networks that are usually cheaper but speeds are less reliable in my experience.

2. The major banks and building societies are all pretty much the same service-wise. Stick to well known ones like Halifax or Nationwide, whatever offers the best deal. You'll be pleased to know that current (checking) accounts are free here, but you'll probably get less interest than in the USA.

3. Supermarkets can be put into tiers: Top end: M&S and Waitrose - More expensive middle class supermarkets but the food is bloody lovely there and the quality is consistent between stores. Middle: Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury's. Average, quality will vary between locations, so try them all and pick your favourite (let's face it, it will be whichever is closest and isn't terrible). Cheap & Nasty: Iceland, Farm foods etc. Mainly frozen goods and very little nutrition but cheap. Cheap yet good: Aldi, Lidl. You'll probably know those two already.

4. Register with a GP as soon as you can. There is a bit of a waiting list at the moment with our perpetually underfunded NHS but persistence will pay off. Do the same thing with Dentists too.

5. UK opinions on such matters are in general a lot less right wing than the USA, especially amongst teenagers. E.g. Gay marriage was legalised well over 10 years ago and is considered a non-issue now by the majority. She'll find like-minded people no problem.

6. Tough one.. you could apply for a provisional license and just not learn to drive if you haven't already. It's a more wallet-convenient size than a passport and is valid for 10 years.

7. Sounds more or less identical to here.

8. IKEA is generally the best for cheap furniture here too. There are other flat pack stores but let's face it, they are all wannabe Ikea's.

9. Supermarkets will have what you need at good prices, just not in the smaller "corner shop" versions.

10. H&M, TK Max might be good to start with. There's a few high street brands that you'll get to know but as someone in my mid-30's I find they're not for me anymore so I look online. Jacamo is quite good for mens clothes.

11. ISPs are a lot better here. Far cheaper for unlimited broadband, it's only like £20-30/month. One thing to note: most use the OpenReach broadband service, and they haven't yet upgraded everywhere to fibre-optic yet, though they are working hard. Search for the OpenReach full fibre map to see if your area is done yet. If not then you'll have to use the service on slower copper cables or pay for Virgin Media who have their own network. They have good introductory prices and high speeds but will jack the prices up after the contract expires so beware.

12. TV licence is for live TV and iPlayer. If you just stream things on other services and don't watch them live then you don't need one. One thing to note is that the TV licencing people will send you threatening letters pressuring you to pay if you haven't already or declared that you don't need one, but don't get worried, the letters are automated.

13. That's a known food here and you can certainly buy the ingredients but it's not as commonly served in cafes. You'll have to look around the area. Try smaller businesses rather than chains.

14. Taco Bell has started making inroads over here, but we don't get proper Mexican food here as there are very few Mexicans. You'll find the occasional takeaway style place but they tend to be a bit bland. Indian food on the other hand is as good as you can get, every town over a certain size will have multiple 10/10 Indian places.

15. Honestly maybe just have her watch some UK sitcoms. There was a very good teen series called Skins that's still recent enough to give a good picture of teenage life here. Channel 4 is a good source of UK life in general.

16. It's a mystery to everyone. I'd go for a plain polo shirt and black chinos as a man, and for a woman just something that doesn't show too much cleavage I guess.

17. No experience schooling in Wales but have lived in Mid-Wales for a time. I can tell you that some Welsh people refuse to speak English even if they know it in an effort to keep the language alive but I think that tends to be older folks.

18. Same here, card for nearly everything. Some places like local cafes and barbers will want cash for "tax efficiency" reasons (wink wink) but there will normally be a cash machine (ATM) somewhere nearby. Withdrawals are nearly always free if you use a debit card.

19. We have credit scores here too. They might be linked but calculated differently.

20. No! Marmite is gross.

1. There are 4 major UK carriers (called networks here) they are Vodafone, o2, EE, & Three. Popular MVNOs are GiffGaff & Tesco Mobile (both run on O2), ID Mobile (runs on Three), and Lycamobile (runs on EE) Most if not all of these will offer 30-day prepay SIMs with unlimited calls and SMS but limited data, all the way up to 2 year contracts. Pick whichever is the cheapest and try it out, if the reception is crap on one, try another. They all have the major cities down but can get patchy in the countryside.

2. Building societies are mostly local to the area you end up and others have mentioned the one national brand is Nation Wide.

3. Lidl and Aldi are the two main low priced ones, they are quite small but stock everything you need. Then the big names are Tesco, Sainsbury's & Asda - bigger places with name brands but more expensive (even the "value" brands) and at the top of the tier you'll find Mark's & Spencer (M&S for short) and Waitrose - these are the "Whole Foods"-esk places where you pay the maximum but you get the best quality going. To give you an idea, my boyfriend and I spend ~£70 a week on a delivery order from Morrisons, if we were to go out ourselves and shop we could get in under 60 but then we'd have to carry our bags full of stuff back home. A similar shop at Waitrose would easily reach over £100.

4. You go with whichever GP has the space to take you as a patient. There's really no shopping around.

5. The NHS website has a page on Autism support with links to organisations that can help: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/autism/support/ And the UK has our fair share of weebs. We even have the Hyper Japan expo every year along with many other events. Manga can be found in bookshops and communities both online and off exist for culture sharing, language learning, etc.

6. Yes you'll need your passport if you don't have a driving licence as those are the only two forms of ID that are guaranteed to be accepted. The good news is that you can apply for a provisional licence (like a learner's permit) and use that like I do. I have never needed to learn to drive but I have it in my wallet all the same.

7. Same in the UK. Bills are rarely included and you'll have to pay a deposit upfront - that can be 1 to 3 months rent.

8. Ikea is the ever-present safety net/baseline of furniture that everyone can get everywhere. When you can spring for it, get something nicer but don't settle for paying large sums for some cheap crap when Ikea makes the same thing cheaper.

9. See above. Ikea/supermarket is fine and you can splurge on nicer ones later on in the future.

10. Primark is on every other street in the country and will sell you a plain white Tee for £3. When you get tired of them wearing out so fast, M&S, Next, Peacocks, and Matalan are there for your perusal.

11. Almost all home ISPs here run on the OpenReach network. That used to be BT (the phone network) but now BT are one of many ISPs that run over the same (mostly copper) network. The only other ISP with it's own network is Virgin which is full fibre. There's a new Community Fibre network starting up but it's slow going so most people are stuck with whatever runs to their house.

12. Yes you need a TV license to use iPlayer.

13. Very much depends where you end up. Every cuisine in the world is cooked in the UK, but you might have to travel to find a good place.

14. You're in luck! We have Taco Bell as of just a few years ago. There's also Tortilla, Wahacca, Benito's Hat, and I'm sure many other places.

15. https://www.youtube.com/@evan - an American who moved to the UK a decade ago. Bit of a mixed bag content wise but a lot on current UK seen through American eyes.

16. Jeans and a T-shirt are fine and probably preferred in Summer since old buildings don't have air-con

17. Not yet and she might be done with school by the time those government plans get set in motion. School ends at 16 years old here and from there it's typically a 2-year A-level (advanced level) in one subject to prep you for university. Nothing is mandatory after leaving school at 16 though.

18. In the cities there are many small businesses that don't even take cash. I haven't handled paper money since before they swapped to plastic several years ago. Outside of the city though, there is still the occasional place that wants cash only. Typically they have a sign in the window letting you know to go to an ATM before you go in.

19. If you have a credit rating and it's good then you MIGHT get more favourable mortgage rates. It is functionally useless for any other purpose.

20. The best kept secret in the country is that Marmite is actually very meh.

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1. Unlocked handsets, and then try a few pay-as-you-go sims until you find which network is good in your area. Then move to a sim-only contract if you find you need to.

2. Probably can't go wrong with Nationwide. I don't use them myself but I see people using them quite often, and they seem to be keeping their local branches open.

3. There are levels of supermarket. Waitrose is known as pricey but good. Sainsbury's probably next. Tesco. Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons, Asda. None of them are bad. All good food, but will get cheaper as you move through the list and less fancy. Once you've hit Tesco's though they're all pretty similar, except I think Tesco price gouges unless you're on the loyalty card.

4. Just register at a local surgery (=clinic) when you get here, and when you move you can change where you're registered.

5. The key with making friends for everyone is to maximize opportunities for it to happen. School is one, but group activities is another. What does she do that makes her happy?

6. No ID needed if you're obviously an adult. Only time people need to see ID is to check your age. (Bars, buying medicines, etc) But if you're obviously over 18 leave your passport at home.

7. Lack of financial history might be an obstacle, so people will want to know you've got a regular income.

8. Furniture stores will be on most shopping estates (kinda where the superstores are). Furniture Village. Next, Dunelm, The Range are a few I see near me.

9. Big supermarkets can be a good first stop for most houseware.

10. Go to your local shopping centres. You have lots of options for clothes.

11. ISPs are all national I think. There's a few big ones BT, Virgin Cable, Plusnet, but I'm personally with a smaller one called Andrews and Arnold. A bit more expensive but the service is really good.

12. If you consume any programming from BBC or Channel 4 then yes, you need a license. Post office will sort you out.

13. No idea on this one

14. Mexican food hasn't properly made it to the UK. I say that as someone with Mexican family members. There are mexican restaurants (Chiquittos for example) but they're not great. Wasn't part of the British empire you see.

15. Apart from "U.K. Culture Shock" type videos on you-tube... I dunno.

16. Not "sweats". That's for around the house at the weekend. "Casual" means you don't need to wear a suit, so jeans, t-shirt (but not offensive) and sweater. Be presentable on day 1 and you can adjust from there. Better a little too smart than underdressed.

17. No idea.

18. Largely unnecessary since COVID, but I still carry a few tenners with me just in case.

19. I don't think they care

20. Absolutely. Expect to be imprisoned as you get off the plane.

1: It depends, I use giffgaff and get very bad connections outside of cities, but they have free EU roaming which is better than other companies

3: If you want cheap than Aldi is the best place, the food isn't bad and Aldis have a middle isle full of name brand products if your daughter prefers them over Aldi's products

5: It depends on where you end up living, she will probably find friends but it could be more difficult in certain areas of the UK (people in the South like talking a lot less than in the North)

6: You rarely need an ID. I would recommend carrying your daughter's ID if you go somewhere like the cinema, I don't know if it is the same in the US but kids will have their ID checked if they do not look old enough to watch a film

11: kind of, most areas in the UK with full fibre are connected by city fibre so if you need good internet I would look for a city that uses them so you have a lot of choices for ISPs. I am using zen internet right now and it has no data caps, caps on home internet isn't really a thing in the UK

12: You need a TV license to watch most things in the UK, this is because the BBC's content is on other platforms like Netflix, not just iPlayer.

14: Your best bet is looking for a local business. There is a Taco Bell in my town but I don't know how common they are in the rest of the UK and I don't know if that is what you are really looking for.

18: Most businesses take card now, the only time you need to carry cash is if you are going to a market.

20: fuck you