Swooty

Hello Expats

I have been offered a position in Baton Rouge next year (currently in the UK) I have researched a little but most websites are promoting BR so everything looks great. But I need to know more, and what better place than here.

What sort of place is it ? Where are good areas to live ? What are good schools (kids are 10 and 7)

My wife will have completed her 1st year of a nursing degree here in the UK, is it possible to carry on and complete this in BR ? Due to this I will be the only money earner, so what sort of salary is good ? My job will be a Branch manager of an Engineering company and I have no idea what a good salary would be.

What sort of lifestyle is it for a family with youngish children, is there plenty to do sports wise, recreationally, lots to explore ?

I know this is a bit general but I need a starting point to work from so any help would be greatly appreciated as I am running blind at the moment.

Thank you

GeoffM

Hi,

Some links:
http://www.greatschools.org/
http://www.city-data.com/

What visa would you be coming on? That would determine whether your wife could work after the degree. She might need to sit NCLEX and maybe CGFNS depending on whether completing the degree in the US waives the need for them.

My rather limited knowledge of Baton Rouge is probably wrong but it's hot, humid, and in the hurricane belt. But I'm sure it's a great place! Food down that way is excellent, though watch your waistline.

sunnysideup

Your limited knowledge is in fact correct on all 3 points.

Just curious about the OP - what's going on in Baton Rouge to attract you there in preference to other places? If you've never been to Louisiana you might require some cultural adjustments. Recreationally the main thing is the huge swamp that is southern Louisiana. Get a shotgun, go airboating and trap some gators. Kids should love that. Definitely not something you can get remotely close to doing in the UK.
Do your research on cost of living and salaries and medical insurance especially. Louisiana in general is cheap, but does not have a good reputation in education.

Jerseygirl

There is usually a very good reason why living in a particular area is cheap.

Weeze

My entire knowledge is based on Sons of Guns on the discovery channel. It appears to suggest guns, swamps, slightly scary locals, bigger guns, gators and even bigger guns.

IPM

ROFL..

I haven't been either but once had a client who was from down that way and this is what he talked about all the time.

He actually invited me down there for some gator hunting. I had disturbing visions of being drenched in sweat, swaying precariously in a small boat shooting randomly having consumed a half bottle of bourbon...

I declined.

Sheepdip

And a huge Exxon Mobile refinery the last time I was there. Being swampy, and like the rest of the Southern states, the mozzys are a nuisance as well as the scary locals.

sunnysideup

The license tags read (or used to read) 'Sportsmans Paradise'. translation: gators, shotguns, pickups, bourbon. It's just like you imagine. But heck, let's be honest, letting loose drunken salvos of lead in the swamp is damn good fun, and is so far removed from life in the UK that you will remember it for ever.

And for politically incorrect kicks, I always take my Brit friends to the shooting range when they're over here. Just look at their eyes the first time they squeeze the trigger! No matter their background they ALL enjoy it. There's a redneck in all of us

Bob

Couple of years back, when I looked into the place, that pretty much summed it up...that and the schools were shit....the missus being a northerner and me being a johnny foreigner would have been added bonuses to fitting in

Anyway, glassceiling and payscale.com are other sites worth looking at.

Also back when we looked, getting around, flights to the UK etc, just wasn't as convenient or as cheap as they are up where we were, so that was another factor in the cost of living to consider.

helwardman

I've lived in Lafayette, Louisiana for almost 5 years. Lafayette is about 60 miles from Baton Rouge.

The weather down here definitely takes some getting used to after 30-odd years of living in England. April to September consists of continual, unrelenting heat and humidity. It's not "a bit warm some of the time and cool at night" as it is in England. It is very hot and humid continuously for 6 months, even in the middle of the night.

October to March the weather is great. Generally mild, lots of sunshine. We might get a few frosts in the depths of winter but nothing serious. During the summer there is always the threat of hurricanes. We've had to evacuate once in 5 years. Baton Rouge got messed up in 2008 by Hurricane Gustav....lots of damage and no power for a week.

The people in this area are generally friendly. I haven't spent a lot of time in Baton Rouge, but it is supposedly much more "blue collar" than Lafayette. Hunting and fishing are definitely very popular. People love their food and there are literally thousands of good resaurants even in a small town like Lafayette.

There are very few foreign people in this area, so an Englishman is definitely a novelty to most locals.

South Louisiana is definitely very different to England!

KarenLB

lol steady on there, I'm marrying one of those scary locals

I-129F petitioned for and just waiting waiting ... Been over there numerous times, heat is hellish but the wonders of air con!

DavidGB

Hey Guys, Baton Rouge is not that bad. No swamps or gators. And the Mozzies are not bad either. And contrary to popular belief, not Everyone here has a gun. Heat during the summer might take some getting used to. But BR is much like most other southern US cities.

tuxedocat

Is it possible for your wife to stay there and finish her degree? Many nursing programs do not allow the transfer of clinical credits. How long does she have there? There is often a wait list here too for the clinical part of the program.

That said I am not familiar with specific programs in BR.

tuxedocat