Vicious B

Hi everyone, i'm currently waiting on an offer from my company for a transfer to NYC.

I was hoping you might be able to guide me on what needs to be considered as part of my compensation/ relo package (so i can negotiate better). I would look to live in Manhattan since that is where my office will be, so know it's going to be expensive. Also to bear in mind i'll be coming from Dubai (I've been working here for 9yrs) - so haven't been paying tax for a long time!

Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Noorah101

We have an excellent Wiki Guide for that: http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Compan...on_Packages_US

Rene

Bob

To add to the wiki, do a search on NYC and you'll find loads of threads, pretty recent too that have a lot of info on packages and locations.

Your tax situation will be fun though.

AlphaTangoMike

There's quite a few posters here who live in NYC / Manhattan (myself included). After reading the relocation package WIKI, feel free to post any specific questions. I moved from Singapore, while it's not zero tax like Dubai, it is definitely way less than the combination of US Federal, NY State and NY City tax!

Pulaski

The cost of living there is insane, so make sure that you are paid enough; at least at full market rate, and as much more as you can squeeze out of your employer.

Bob

If he's coming from DXB, he won't be on chump change either.

Vicious B

he would be a she

Thanks everyone, i've had a look at the wiki posting, will see what else I can find on NYC - i tried looking at the city guide but it didn't seem to have anything on it...

Giantaxe

The wiki really should be extended to include the "grossing up" of anything in the relocation package that's not tax-deductible, so that one is effectively not paying tax on any part of the package. This is one of the most important parts of the package imo, and something that has turned out to be a nasty surprise come tax-time to some posters here.

Sally Redux

Member 'Englishmum' has posted a lot of info on NYC.

Sarah

Get ready to pay a boatload of tax! Get ready to pay tax on top of the price tag you see when you're shopping! Get ready to scratch your head and mumble angrily about paying taxes, yay!
Also freezing cold winters, hot wet humid summers and nightmare traffic! A crumbling public transport system, drivers who seem to have been specially trained in the art of terrible driving and oh yes, have you heard anyone ever talk badly about the NYPD? If the answer is yes, you'll soon find out why the first time you have need of a cop.

Hey ho, nice things are, there are LOADS of Brits here, IIRC the biggest population of Brit Expats in the country. Check out bigapplebrits.com and you could also give the The New York British Expats Social Club a look see too. There are tons of groups on meetup.com and holiest of holy grails, you'll get to eat fish n chips, buy ribena, real bacon and cadburys chocs whenever you want thanks to the Little Britain section of the city. And when I say "section" I mean a couple of shops along this one road in greenwich village.

Make sure you get as many vacay days as humanly possible, otherwise you could end up with a laughable 10 days off per year.
Make sure you have any and all future children asap, because you get FA maternity leave and pay.

Take a very good look at the healthcare package, read all the small print and be mindful of things like co-pays and areas of the body and ailments it doesn't cover. For example, my husbands health insurance, which I'm on, is great, except it doesn't cover feet. Seriously. And guess who needs to go and see Mr Expensive Foot Doctor on a semi-regular basis due to fallen arches? Yeah you guessed right.

Find out whether you'll get a car, not a chauffeured car to and from work (and if you do get one of those what the fudge are you reading this for, go get your butler to do all this research for you) but a car for personal use. And/or if you plan to get a car for personal use, will you get a parking space in the building where you live. Parking spaces in NYC are worth a mint and sometimes you'll be required to pay a zillion dollars a month just to park it somewhere.

BTW I recommend getting a car, it's a much needed form of escape from the city when life here can get to you, plus, it means you can drive out to the beach on Long Island during the summer, which is awesome.

Ok if you're really looking forward to the fish n chips, go to Brooklyn they're much better there.

If you're moving from Dubai I'm assuming you're getting paid pretty well as it is, (lend us a tenner) and don't need this advice but I'll say it anyway, I would never, ever advise anyone to move to NYC for less than 60k a year.

Vicious B

[QUOTE=Sarah;11127933]Get ready to pay a boatload of tax! Get ready to pay tax on top of the price tag you see when you're shopping! Get ready to scratch your head and mumble angrily about paying taxes, yay!
Also freezing cold winters, hot wet humid summers and nightmare traffic! A crumbling public transport system, drivers who seem to have been specially trained in the art of terrible driving and oh yes, have you heard anyone ever talk badly about the NYPD? If the answer is yes, you'll soon find out why the first time you have need of a cop.

Hey ho, nice things are, there are LOADS of Brits here, IIRC the biggest population of Brit Expats in the country. Check out bigapplebrits.com and you could also give the The New York British Expats Social Club a look see too. There are tons of groups on meetup.com and holiest of holy grails, you'll get to eat fish n chips, buy ribena, real bacon and cadburys chocs whenever you want thanks to the Little Britain section of the city. And when I say "section" I mean a couple of shops along this one road in greenwich village.

Make sure you get as many vacay days as humanly possible, otherwise you could end up with a laughable 10 days off per year.
Make sure you have any and all future children asap, because you get FA maternity leave and pay.

Take a very good look at the healthcare package, read all the small print and be mindful of things like co-pays and areas of the body and ailments it doesn't cover. For example, my husbands health insurance, which I'm on, is great, except it doesn't cover feet. Seriously. And guess who needs to go and see Mr Expensive Foot Doctor on a semi-regular basis due to fallen arches? Yeah you guessed right.

Find out whether you'll get a car, not a chauffeured car to and from work (and if you do get one of those what the fudge are you reading this for, go get your butler to do all this research for you) but a car for personal use. And/or if you plan to get a car for personal use, will you get a parking space in the building where you live. Parking spaces in NYC are worth a mint and sometimes you'll be required to pay a zillion dollars a month just to park it somewhere.

BTW I recommend getting a car, it's a much needed form of escape from the city when life here can get to you, plus, it means you can drive out to the beach on Long Island during the summer, which is awesome.

Ok if you're really looking forward to the fish n chips, go to Brooklyn they're much better there.

If you're moving from Dubai I'm assuming you're getting paid pretty well as it is, (lend us a tenner) and don't need this advice but I'll say it anyway, I would never, ever advise anyone to move to NYC for less than 60k a year.[/QUOTE

Thanks for this Sarah, all sounds quite scary the way you have put it! LOL
i'm coming on my own, having recently split from my partner, no kids in tow and no idea when/ if that is likely to happen...
Having been in Dubai for 9yrs (since leaving Uni) i've been used to going out all the time...and not having to travel far to do this. Any recommendations on where to live?

AlphaTangoMike

Where you live will very much be determined by your budget. I.e. how much you are willing / able to afford on rent, whether or not you will live on your own or with roommates, etc.

Vicious B

i think i'll be looking at a budget of $2500, ideally on my own... have had some nightmares with flatmates before!

AlphaTangoMike

In that price range in Manhattan, you'd probably want to find a studio apartment. (It would be better quality than a 1 bedroom). You can no doubt find a 1 bedroom in that range, but whether or not you'd find the accommodation up to your standard is something that only you can decide on. Little things, that elsewhere in the world would be considered an everyday necessity, (a washing machine in your apartment) are considered to be a high-end luxury in NYC and your rent will reflect that.

As part of your relocation package, your company should provide you with corporate housing for at least 60 days, that will allow you enough time to find a suitable apartment in a neighbourhood that you like.

Take a look at StreetEasy:
http://streeteasy.com/nyc/for-rent/

Vicious B

Are there any particular areas you would recommend for that, office is on 47th & 2nd street, so don't want to be too far away from there...i like partying (on weekends) and obviously will need to meet people when I first get there, so...