MendicantScholar

I am an American grad student finishing up an M.Litt in Mediaeval History at the University of St. Andrews, and am planning on applying to go on into a PhD at the same institution. However, I have been warned by several professors back home in the US that if I get my PhD in the UK then I will basically not get employed at a US insitution, since apparently UK PhDs don't seem to carry a lot of weight in terms of 'employability' in the US. No one has properly explained to me why this is exactly, and I was just wondering if anyone else is in the same situation, or if they have any helpful information on the subject. I understand that the processes and systems of the two PhDs are different, but don't understand why one PhD should count less than another. I am in a bit of a quandary over it at the moment, as I absolutely love St. Andrews and the university, and the Mediaeval History Department here is among the top medieval programmes, and I would much rather get my PhD here in three years rather than spend 6-7 years somewhere in the US. Anyone have any insights? Thanks.