to stay in the US or not to stay...
 

Hello everybody!

I love this discussion group though I'm not from the UK! I have a very difficult dilemma to face with my husband. I moved to Los Angeles to be with him about a year and a half ago from Paris. I found a decent job (great hours, walking distance to home). Salary seems a bit low for the expenses of rent in LA and vacation time is the normal 15 days.. killer! While I work, my husband is finishing up his PhD in computer science. We are in our late 20s.

Time is soon for job hunting for him... And I have a very stressful time dealing with that!! My question is: given the fact that he might be offered positions in the Los Angeles area, the Bay Area (san Francisco), and Seattle area for those big software companies. However, I terribly miss my family and the flight time makes it just impossible to go visit them for short visits. Let alone that I only have 15 days off a year.

Therefore, I was thinking that maybe he should be looking for a job in London since the same big companies also have offices there and that it's close by France. My question is: how easy would the move be? We all know London is an expensive city, so what kind of offer should he aim for (in terms of salary)? In comparison, he would roughly make 80K-90K in California. How would the quality of life be in comparison to California or Seattle?

Thanks for all your wise advices and all the support you guys keep on giving!!

Re: to stay in the US or not to stay...
 

I don't know whether the job market is hot in his area, or how hot (employable) he is, but I would say this: moving to a vastly different area and starting a brand new job after completing a PhD is a double whammy (two huge adjustments). One thing to consider is looking for a job "locally" (within easy interview distance) for a year, maybe two. That way you'd be in a stable living situation while he learns on the job (which in your first year is a steep learning curve). He could then look for a job wherever you want to go ... sorry, can't really give you advice on living expenses except that housing costs are just mad here (oh, yeah, you are in CA so I guess it's much the same there)

Re: to stay in the US or not to stay...
 

Thanks for this first answer! We are not too sure how hot the job market is in London but I've searched a bit off the Internet and it seems that there are a some interesting offers.
Housing costs are mad in CA. In LA, a studio would be roughly $1000. So I was just wondering how our quality of life would be should he get an offer in London? For one thing, I know the 5 weeks vacation is one hell of an incentive! :)

Re: to stay in the US or not to stay...
 

London's a great city and I would recommend living there at some point, but I think your standard of living will be better in the US, even in California.

LA doesn't do a great deal for me but living in San Francisco is quite like living in some of the nicer European cities - attractive buildings, ability to walk around the city, public transport etc. Seattle seems similar, bit wetter, bit cheaper.

I would try and stay in the US for a 2-3 year deal (typical duration of first job post-phd) and head for either SF or Seattle. I have to say that a lot of the Bay Area, whilst great for hiking and interesting in its own right, does not do a great deal for me when it comes to living - a lot of burbs that you have to drive everywhere. See if you can get into the city if you can.

good luck

Re: to stay in the US or not to stay...
 

Thanks Cape Blue for the post!

I sense that people tend to agree that there is a better standard of living in the US and CA than would be in London. What could be the reasons?

I totally agree with you for the Bay Area... I'm getting a bit tired of LA and its traffic.

For anyone who's lived in London, how much would you say would be necessary to live a "nice life"?

Thanks again!