doconthemove

hi everyone,

Am a doc shifting from the UK to Northern NJ in a few weeks to join a hospital with a cap exempt visa.

Just grateful for some advice regarding a few things if dont mind. I dont have any kids or spouse (as yet!) but some family live in Southern NJ.

SSN - that much headache to get or just fill in the form and take passport to ssn office?

Car - what do people suggest here? Is leasing viable option? Also where should I go for insurance initially? The hospital has credit union not sure if they can help out here.

is it best to rent a car initially? the prices for newark airport in June are $$$!!

Bank - which is decent? Is TD bank ok as they open on Sunday and i will be working long hours.

Also is there a way of getting my savings into the US (Around 30k)? These services like Transferwise etc wont allow so much I think and the rates on xe aint great either!

Thanks all again!

Jerseygirl

Welcome to BE.

I lived a few miles west of Morristown for many years. If you only have one vehicle...make it a 4 wheel drive car or IMO a SUV. NJ winters are pretty brutal with heavy snowfall.

Car insurance...try NJ Manufacturers. They are hands down the very best but they only insure employees of NJ based businesses. Hopefully you will be lucky.

We have accounts with Chase and TD. IMO Chase wins hands down but we have been customers for 20 years.

I'm one of the few on here who doesn't use a third party when transferring money. I've never had a problem transferring large amounts.

Pulaski

Search other threads because all your questions are commonly asked.

International Autosource will finance a car for you, and it is an excellent way to start building credit. Personally I wouldn't lease, as leases can work out expensive with per mile charges if you drive too far each year and all sorts of fees at the end of the lease. Others seem to like leases, so take your pick.

TD is rather local to NJ, whereas Wells Fargo has a heavy presence in NJ, and is mostly open on Saturdays, that said I rarely need to go into a bank branch as I can do almost everything on-line, over the phone, or though an ATM, so personally I wouldn't worry too much about bank hours.

The money remitters will usually tranfer more if you phone up. The cap amount isn't usually a hard cap, just a limit on the amount transferrable on line. xe.com isn't as competitive as it used to be, but still wins hands-down over a high street bank sending a wire, unless you have a Mrs Moneybags account!

doconthemove

hi jersey yes I will be around that county not far from Morristown so guess you know more than most!!

I heard getting an SUV is essential. What do you think of a 2WD SUV or waste time? I was looking at a VW Tiguan? Am guessing to have a car as soon as I get there airport rental is my best option initially?

Also the driving license? I read the DMV stuff am I right in thinking just the theory test is needed with a UK license?

Generally the bank rates are crap from what I can see. There are new remitters like azimo and transferwise their rates are v good like e.g today market rate on bbc is 1.574 these guys give 1.567

thanks again

Pulaski

A 2WD SUV is just a two wheel drive vehicle, but heavier, so worse than a normal 2WD car.

No, a rental is not necessarily your best option. You order ahead with International Autosource, in fact you must order ahead and pay a deposit, so you could potentially, subject to model availability, have a car waiting for you on arrival.

VW's don't have a great reputation here, and can be expensive to fix. The domestic brands are all much improved in recent years, but of GM, Chrysler Dodge, and Ford, Ford currently has the best reputation - I have two and have put about 130,000 miles on them in aggregate. I am looking to buy another Ford later this year, which will largely replace our Honda Accord.

Jerseygirl

I'm guessing M/town Memorial or Summit.

You need a 4 x 4...the bigger the better IMO. I like to put as much metal around me as possible...apart from the winter weather...most NJ drivers are dreadful. A 2 WD will be useless in the NJ winters. We prefer German cars.

If you have a UK driver's license you can swap it for a NJ DL. A multi answer test is required but it is very easy. I refused to hand over my UK DL...so did my husband.

Pulaski

Why did they ask your husband for your driving licence? I thought they were more progressive in NJ.

Jerseygirl

I couldn't resist.

doconthemove

yeah you got it jersey! m/town

yes i seem to stick to German Cars also.

Also quick question regarding groceries I couldnt find anywhere equivalent to say Iceland or Tesco or M&S fresh ready meals section. Does such a concept not exist there?

Trader Joes is damn expensive and Aldi/Walmart doesnt seem to have any ready meals let alone any nice tasting Chinese/Indian ones which are easy to obtain anywhere in the UK.

Am I looking in the wrong place?

Jerseygirl

There is nothing like the meals M&S etc sell. There is a King's Supermarket in M/town...they used to be owned by M&S. They are a small chain...quality but not a huge selection. Quite a good deli counter and a small selection of ready made meals. There is also a Wholefoods not too far away in Madison...which is only a few of miles from the hospital. Also in Madison is Gary's Winestore...there is also one in Bernardsville...great priced booze but the attraction for me is that they sell a selection of English goodies.

Do be careful if you are looking for accommodation in M/town. Although it is an affluent area there are parts that you should to give a wide berth too.

Nice little high street...South Street and The Green.

doconthemove

not really into booze tbh LOL hospital gives housing no issues with that so far unless I want to move elsewhere later on.

so i presume the whole concept of ready meals which taste pretty good and quick in the UK just doesnt exist there? Am surprised I thought there would be an Iceland equivalent or something similar!!

I heard of Kings but also heard there prices are akin to Harrods also!!

Jerseygirl

So you will will probably be living right by the hospital. You are probably going to be working in one of the nicer hospitals...vs a hospital in Downtown Newark.

M&S foods...along with Cadbury's chocolate...are probably what I missed the most.

Shopping at King's is expensive...that's why they are only located in affluent neighborhoods. Super Shop n Stop, ShopRite etc all have deli counters and a few prepared meals. Some lovely little restaurants in M/town.

Bob

They're up and down the entire east coast pretty much and a chunk of the midwest.

You're right though, won't have much need to visit a branch except possibly when setting up as it's more convenient, so it's a case of which ever is most convenient with ATM's. TD are in Walgreens out my way and spreading. BoA are in a few other retailers and malls and the banks are everywhere, though they're not very pleasant.

If you're travelling around a lot, then those options might be more important, but other wise, a local credit union isn't a bad idea. They're usually more helpful on loans if you decide to buy a house.

Bob

H-Mart, it's a Korean chain of grocery store. There's a bunch of them in NJ. I've no idea where, but worth a punt if one is around.

Our localish one is great, best place to find Chinese, Japanese and Brit imports for pretty cheap.

doconthemove

yes living near the hospital cant complain about the area and thankfully the only bit of newark I will ever see is the airport! area is nice but think overpriced.

i am bit dismayed about the food thing. i can do without cadburys but I thought the idea of convenience food apart from burgers would be possible!!

like the walmarts there are so big yet contain so little! hardly anything in the frozen section yet they have 3 aisles dedicated to gatorade it seems!!

so am guessing no such thing as iceland or similar to that? dont think my pay will stretch to doing the weekly shop at kings!

frozen lasagne? spag bol? anything similar?? is there a brand similar to birds eye??