BritTeacher

First off, a disclaimer: I appreciate that NC is a big state and that the answer to this question will vary depending on location. However, I will be living in NC as part of an exchange programme and won't know until much further down the line (and once I'm very much committed to going) where I will be placed, so some sort of general idea now would be helpful

I'm going to be coming next summer on a J1 visa to work in a NC school for 3-5 years. The salary is $33,000. I honestly have no idea how far that money will go and wondered if anyone can tell me if it's actually liveable. It'll need to cover rent/utilities (1bed), car lease, a health insurance contribution and then well... groceries, cell phone etc.

Again, I know it's a question with a whole load of variables but I feel like it's SUCH an unknown at the moment, I literally have no clue.

Pulaski

NC now has the poorest paid teachers in the US, so that might be fairly typical pay, but it isn't very generous, even for a single person.

$33,000 means just under $3k/mth, and you won't be paying much tax, but even so you're going to get perhaps around $2,500 net, which isn't going to go far.

Rent even for a small flat in a safe part of town in a large city, or house in a safe area of a smaller town is going to start at around $1,000/mth, so you should probably be looking a shared rental or rent-a-room. If you have a car payment, and you're going to need a car in NC, that is going to be your biggest cost after housing. Car insurance alone is going to run you about $2,000 for the first year, and you should budget $400(ish) per month if you need to finance a used car, and remember you have no US credit history. BTW, you're going to need to take an NC driving test, because your UK licence is only good for 30 days or so after your take up residence in NC.

It is very common for teachers here to do additional work, such as tutoring, and especially taking other work during the long summer holiday, so you might want to check out if the terms of your exchange allow taking additional employment?

britishspouse

Hey there,

we live in a 3 bed, 2 bath house in a small-ish city about 45 mins from Raleigh/Durham NC and pay $795 a month in rent.
Utilities (electric/water/sewer) run us $200 a month
Phone bill is $60 each
Car insurance $50 (us hubby) $300 me (UK citizen, over 25, first car, new)
Health insurance $250 (joint plan)
Gas $100
Groceries $150-400 depending on how much we eat out, I bake often too
Cable/internet $50

BritTeacher

Thanks. This is pretty much the story I expected.... the conditions for teachers in NC is pretty much the reason the exchange exists unfortunately for me, there's really no other way I can come to teach in the US as far as I can see.

I think the people who run the programme recommend leasing a car. I've lived in Illinois as a student, and regularly visit NY and NJ, so I knew that a car is crucial in the vast majority of the US... but I wasn't aware of the driving test information - so thanks for that.

Mmmmm looks like a lot to consider. I really really want to live in the US, but neither do I want to come and be in a tighter position than I am now (London rents, anyone?!) or worse, getting into debt to make ends meet!

Bob

It won't. Not legally at least....though I'm sure cash in hand, under the table tutoring probably happens, not that I'd recommend it for anyone with plans to come back to the US afterwards.

Thing with the J1, some types, depending on who is sponsoring it allow you to not pay certain taxes, the bigger ones at least, but if you take that option and you stay a day longer than the original visa you've got to back pay all the tax with interest. It would be something to double check with the type of J1 because the extra cash could make quite a bit of difference.

HDWill

I say go for it if it's something you really want, you'll be able to basically make ends meet as a single person. Guess I would say though, be prepared to have a tough go of it professionally and/or socially if you end up in a tiny mountain town or a deprived part of Raleigh, Charlotte etc.

Pulaski

Yeah, but you can commute from somewhere safe/"nice" to the roughest parts of Charlotte or Raleigh in 15 minutes. Just because you're assigned to a tough school doesn't mean you have to live within walking distance of it. IMO the hardest assignment would be in the far SW corner, or the far NE corner where you could easily be two hours from a cosmopolitan city. There are still rural areas in NC, even some fairly close to Raleigh or Charlotte, where restaurants are still today prohibited from serving spirits (liquor), or even beer and wine. .... There are regularly referenda on local ballots requesting approval for the right to issue licences to serve alcohol.

The biggest key to making this opportunity work is finding a house share of some sort, to avoid the whole cost of living accommodation and utilities.

kins

I'd buy a cheap secondhand car rather than leasing one, if possible. Cars here are generally a little cheaper than the UK to buy, and a cheaper car will also cost less in tax and insurance. You don't need to worry so much here about MPG as you do in the UK.

civilservant

I'd say it's the opposite - the second hand market here is ridiculously overpriced.

Sally Redux

I'm not sure the purchase price affects insurance cost, either.

Pulaski

Some, but not so much because any idiot in a jalopy can total someone else's Porsche.

Agreed, the US and UK are at almost polar extremes, in the UK new car prices are absurdly high, and used car prices among the lowest in the world as a fraction of new car prices, whereas in the US new cars are incredibly cheap, but on the dealer's lot two year old cars appear to be barely discounted at all (maybe 10%) compared to new cars.

You would need to be in the market for an old clunker to find a "cheap" used car, so you'd probably be looking at a Civic or Accord with over 150,000 miles, and still probably paying around $4-$5k.

civilservant

The wife purchased a 'cheap' runaround in 2010 to get to work - Chevrolet Monte Carlo, 1999, 125,000 miles.

$3.5k

Pulaski

A Chevy was running after 11 years and 125,000 miles?

markonline1

I'd agree with civilservant, the cost of second hand cars out here is ridiculous. I reckon I probably paid double for my car what I'd gave paid in the UK.

civilservant

I know right?!