clarity1971

Thanks so much for all of you for taking the time to reply. It has alll been very helpful and provided us with some 'first hand' insight of what life would be like if we made the move.

Given the high cost of living, I would certainly be hoping to go for a Visa that would allow me to work as well then - something to ask my husbands prospective employer!

The fact that our teens wouldn't be able to work is more worrying.

We also wondered whether we should consider sending them back to the UK for University when the time comes but this all asumes of course that they would be offered a place and I doubt very much that they would be eligible for student loans if we went down that route (which we would be relying on if we stayed in the UK)

Thanks so much again!

penguinsix

Aren't University fees in the UK are based on 'residency' and not the passport they are holding? If your teens are over in the US prior to entering uni, I think they'll be paying overseas student rates when they return to study.

Might be something worth considering.

FWIW in the Silicon Valley tech community, 100% insurance cover paid for by the employer 'was' the norm just a few years ago. It's not as common as it used to be but there are still places that provide that.

I would agree with others that say 130k in Silicon Valley or SFO will only go so far. I'd also generally advise that the cost of things 'evens out' between the US and the UK. As a tourist when you are looking at blue jeans and laptops and iPads and what not, the lack of the VAT and other considerations make products quite a bit cheaper. But living here and buying petrol and paying for insurance and driving darn near everywhere plus this and that cost a bit more. In the end it is generally a wash.

caleyjag

I would agree with that. I spend much more on groceries here in the US, and drive a lot further, than I did in the UK. On the other hand when I buy consumer goods at Sports Chalet or Frys, I always feel like I'm getting a good deal.

I think 130k will be doable, but as said you will need to keep an eye on spending.

What area will your husbanf be working in? If your husband is prepared to drive a little bit, somewhere like Hollister might be in range, and I'd imagine that would be cheaper to rent a house than to live right in the middle of Mountainview, for example.

Jerseygirl

If your kids went to uni in the UK they would have to pay International Student Fees. To qualify for home student rates they must have lived in the UK or EU country for the 3 years prior to attending uni.

Being an International Student can work out very expensive. A change in exchange rates can add a big chunk of change onto the fees and living expenses of the student. Also allow for air fares...often at the most expensive time of year ie Christmas, summer months...and allow for emergency air fares...again this will cost you dearly if you need to fly at short notice. We had to make 2 emergency trips while our daughter was at uni.

You don't say how old your teens are but depending on the type of visa they may have to leave the US when they reach 21 if they don't have a green card.

jjmb

re the residency for students, I don't think that is strictly true. If you are on a non-immigrant visa and had to move because of your parents occupation, you can fight the residency rules. There are a few threads on the subject on 'moving back' forum. However, given that fees are set rise in the England and Wales next September, that point might not be so penitent in the future, although California is one of the more expensive states for college. Still might not be much difference next year.

N1cky

You say prospective employer which makes it sound like it is a new appointment which would presumably be a H visa. There is no way to get the visa you would like, you get what you are entitled to. Unless your husband has worked for the company for over 1 year and he is transferring internally with them, you can't get an L which would be the visa you would need to be able to work. The other option would be to talk about them applying for green cards for you all as soon as you arrive, even then the process is going to be a fairly long one.

Bob

You can fight it if it's a company transfer and the contract has a repatriation date on it as it shows that it's only a temporary assignment. Not going to wash as soon as greencard apps are in the work, or if it is a H1B though.

scrubbedexpat099

True

jjmb

H1b is classed as a non-immigrant visa (number of H1b applicants on this forum who have failed to get renewal, let alone greencards) and even with our L1a visa we initially signed a 14 month contract. But, yes once the greencard application is applied for you can't fight that, unless you were under 18 so part of your parents application. There is a thread somewhere on that aspect, looked into closely when my kids were going to college. Turned out all but one of them wanted to study here anyway. By the time I got the info for the eldest she was already 50% through her degree, so pointless. Technically you could fight the residency restrictions, but as said, bit academic with the fee rises in the England and Wales.

the_deep_end

Hi there,

I'm in almost exactly the same boat right now (apart from a different visa and two less kids!). We're moving our family of four over for a job in Santa Clara. Hopefully this will be in January - the relocation package is currently being put together.

To be honest when considering locations in the US (my wife is a USC) I'd originally written the SF Bay area entirely off due to the high cost of living there but was then convinced due to a good opportunity (and that working in electronics, Silicon Valley is a good place to be!). Anyway it looks like we are going and I'd like to share a few thoughts with you from my research and experience of the area (I was over there being shown around a few weeks ago). These comments relate to the south bay and peninsula areas, not SF proper btw. If anyone would like to correct me on any of this I'm all ears as I have very limited experience on this!

You mentioned that you want good schools: this bumps the price of housing up considerably!! In fact, my new bosses wife is a realtor who showed me around and gave me a lot of advice. It's also worth nothing that my plan is to rent for 1-2 years and then buy, preferably without moving the kids between schools: this means I need to make sure that even if I can afford rent, I'd can also buy in the same area. The schools over there a ranked using an API score: over 900 is great, over 800 is good. In Santa Clara and San Jose, a property feeding into a school with an API score of over 900 (i.e. Saratoga and Los Gatos etc ) will typically cost 1,000,000+, something over 800 (i.e. Cambrian Park) will cost 600,000+. Things get much cheaper in Campbell but I think the quality of the schools there is more varied. However, for your (and my!) budget, this may be the most viable option in the silicon valley area. Oh, and these are 3 bed properties between 1200-1500 square feet. For rentals in these areas, you'll be lucky to find anything below 3000 per month (maybe sub 2500 in Campbell). N1cky may be able to confirm this - the breakdown she listed is pretty much the same as the one I had from HR at the company when I visited!

Depending on where you're husband will be based, it may be worth extending your search radius. We're presently looking in the Scotts Valley area (in the Santa Cruz mountains) as the schools there are pretty much all above 800 and the rental/purchase prices are more reasonable (in line or cheaper than Campbell). And it looks like a great place to live (I've talked to another ex-pat who used to live there - now over in Aptos). The commute doesn't look like much fun (currently estimating 1 hour+ in traffic, or 35-40 minutes on a clear run, i.e. early in the morning) but I guess that's the price to be paid.

I hope this helps a little, the healthcare, tax, grocery things seems to have been well covered by people who know more about it than me!

Good look and feel free to pm me if there's anything else I can help with.

md95065

The commute from Scotts Valley shouldn't be too bad if you can avoid peak commute hours - I can usually do Santa Cruz to Mountain view (40 miles) in about 45 minutes after 10am - even in commute hours Hwy 17 is not usually the problem (although a couple of times a year there will be a big accident that just shuts it down for several hours) it is once you get over towards Hwy 85 that traffic really slows down.

Personally I find that trying to beat the commute by going "early" is a bad idea because everyone else is trying to do that as well so, unless you really like getting up at 5am it isn't going to do you much good - going in "late" works better - you want to time things so that you don't arrive at Hwy 85 until at least 9:30 - 30 minutes after the carpool lanes are open to all traffic.

nun

I spent year in Sunnyvale and it felt like century. It was right around 2001 and Silicon Valley was having a tough time, San Jose was like a ghost town. Of course things are going well now.......but I could never live in the tract housing they have in Sunnyvale or work in the corporate office parts I drove past out there. Cupertino was really nice and I went into SF often as that's a great city.

MMortara

Hi. We moved here from the UK about 8 weeks ago. I would agree on the medical point. My husband's company pay for him but they do not cover me or my daughter. We have to pay additional premium for this. I can find out exactly or you. Utilities, petrol or gas is cheaper. Food is about the same. Some things are very expensive, some cheaper, so it evens out. Eating out is cheaper. Renting us expensive! We have a 4 bed house in Walnut Creek and it costs $3000 a month. We chose the area for good schools, the scenery, close enough to commute to the city. I personally think you could do it on that salary. After school clubs for activites that would be free in the UK, eg Drama, Karate, are not free here, well not at our school. $125 for a 10 week drama class. If you have 4 active kids you may find that expensive. Any further help I can give please let me know. Good luck. Michelle.

MMortara

Hi again. Forgot to say, we have a son who stayed behind for uni.

the_deep_end

Thanks for that md95065. I just signed the employment agreement last week and am currently planning the move (on the 30th Jan). Unfortunately my boss has already said: 'I don't know what your working practices are but I'm usually in the office at 6.30'... I felt the smartest thing to do was to keep strategically silent after this I don't think I'm going to get away with a 10am start (at least not in the beginning - maybe I can do a couple of days per week like this when I'm settled in and established!). I'm also estimating a 10 hour day at the office and have a couple of kids I'd like to be with in the evenings if possible so it looks like it's early mornings for me

What time do things start getting congested, if I set off at say 6.30am, would I definitely be hitting traffic most days? I don't mind getting up early but 5am everyday... Also whats it like getting out of there (Santa Clara) and back over towards Santa Cruz at around 4.30-5.30pm?

Any advice you could give on finding temporary housing and good used car dealerships in the area (Scotts Valley/Santa Cruz) would also be very much appreciated!!

Kind regards,

Novak