Braintreegirl

Hi everyone,

Me, my husband and two kids, (10 and 13) are moving to Montville, New Jersey at the beginning of August. We wondered if you folks would mind helping us with a few pointers which you have probably heard a hundred times before!

Firstly, do we need to take a driving test? How long after we have been in the country? Is this written or physical? How do we put in to take it?

Does anyone know how we transfer our credit rating in Britain across to the states?

Our son has a Wii console - can he use this in the states and are the games compatible over there? Ditto the games with his PSP, X-Box?

Did anybody take electrical goods with them and buy transformers? Did this work out OK?

We have a sound surround - will this work in the US?

Are you able to take your credit cards with you and just notify them of a change of address or do you have to try to get new credit cards?

If anybody can think of any other useful bits of advice for us at this stage we would be so grateful as everything seems a bit overwhelming at the moment and just having someone to ask is such a big help - thank you.

jumping doris

Hello, welcome to BE.

Can't help you with the driving test as I'm in a different state. Electrical goods...most things don't work without a transformer but somethings might (computers etc because they have dual voltage). I'm sure an expert will be along soon and let you know.

We told our banks and credit card companies we were moving and just had our address changed. Keep at least one bank account and cc. card in case you will be moving back.

You will need to build up a new credit score. We built ours up quickly with a car loan and mortgage and credit card, all arranged before we moved over...see your relocation agent.
We bought cars through International autosource, well known company, again your relocation agent, if you have one, will know of them and can explain.

Bring lots of UK foods etc so it feels like home.

It's all a bit of a roller coaster at first. The USA is a foreign country and it may not be as you imagine. Be prepared to love it and hate it all within the same minute.
Ask on here for advice, we've all got the t-shirt.

Enjoy being here and embrace it for all that it is...harder than it sounds.

elfman

Varies from state to state: I live in NJ but got my license when I lived in New York, where foreigners had to do the full written and actual driving test (and attend a seriously lame day-long driver safety course).

Check here for NJ situation: http://www.state.nj.us/mvc/

Adnams

You have to start your credit score from scratch. Open a credit card here and just put a few groceries etc on it and pay it off each month, that'll get you started.
Love and hate it Doris is very right, Good luck. If Jersey Girls around she should be able to advise on NJ driving issues. I believe you can drive on an international licence for up to a year??
Welcome to BE and all the best.

penguinsix

You don't want to run a house full of transformers. While you can get a few for an item here and there, running a house full of them is asking for trouble (they do get warm and they do break, often). If you really want to do this, be sure to get a quality one, not just el cheapo. And you won't find that many here in the US...they are not a very common item.

You're really going to have to go through and decide what is worth keeping and what you might be able to sell. Check the prices of buying some things new (http://www.bestbuy.com / http://www.amazon.com) and see if it isn't that much of a pain to buy new stuff when you get to the US.

Generally, my advice is, unless the item is <6 months old, you are probably better to sell it in the UK and take the money and buy a new one in the US. Laptops are fine. Computers--maybe, if it is worth it (i.e. if you are talking a professional grade system--not just something you use to check email and browse the web). Monitors / TVs. Probably not. You run a lot of risk of damage bringing them over, and then you'll have something that isn't fully compliant (might not have closed captions, or might have the wrong inputs) and you might have warranty issues (is it an EU or Worldwide warranty?)

Someone else might have to answer the question about the video games, but I was under the belief that the actual games (bought in the UK) could only be played on a UK device (at least for the Playstation). You will need to ask some gamers for better advice on that.

As for more general advice: approach this trip in the same way you would approach moving to Tokyo. It's a foreign country, with a foreign culture, foreign government and regulations, and even a foreign language (at times). Don't think it's going to be like moving from Liverpool to Manchester or something like that. There will be a tremendous number of changes (that you don't expect) and there will be times you'll bang your head against the wall saying 'why? why? why?'

They'll also be moments of total joy and happiness. "Wow, this is so easy. Man, that is really pretty. Whoa, this is really cheap."

Enjoy.

Jerseygirl

Hello and welcome to BE. I have lived in Morris County for 11 yrs...we are not very far from you. Englishmum is nearby too...perhaps once you're settled we can meet up.

The only driving test you take is a written multiple question test. Do not volunteer to give up your UK DL...keep hold of it. You will need to take the test pretty much straight away...you cannot get insurance without a US DL and you cannot buy a car without insurance in NJ. Or at least you couldn't when we came here.

You will probably have to start from scratch with the credit rating. It is difficult at first to get any form of credit card/store CC card. One way round it could be to buy membership at Costco...then get a Costco Amex account.

We brought over a couple of large screen TV's and VCRs. Simply because they were new and expensive and we thought we would be returning home after 1 or 2 years. We did not want to leave them in an empty house. They have come in very useful because my MIL sends tapes of Corrie for us to watch. We run them using a transformer but they are very heavy and big...the size of a house brick and twice the weight. They also get very hot so we never leave them plugged in unless we are actually watching TV. Electronic items are cheap over here.

The end of August is a good time to move here as the humidity will not be so high. The weather is usually pretty mild into November...the winters can be brutal with lots of snow. Good luck with the move.

Elvira

Have you seen Fatbrit's article on Finance issues (in the Wiki).

I hope your kids are on board with the move, and are adaptable...

I guess you're L1/L2, so at least you'll be able to work?

mandpete

If you are on L2 apply for your EAD as soon as you arrive and then you can get a SSN which makes life much easier regarding driving licence and credit rating.

I know US Playstation games do not play on the UK consoles and vice versa, so I imagine Wii will be the same. Any handheld games are universal though. We brought a UK TV and VCR over so the kids could use the UK playstation and watch their videos (this was before DVDs became popular).

Braintreegirl

Thanks for your advice. Jerseygirl, where do we take the written driving test and did you have lessons before you jumped in the car and drove?

Yes, we're an L1 visa so apparently I can work after three or four months. I do clerical work/piano teacher - are these jobs much sought after in this area? How much do the piano teachers charge - does anyone know?

Any advice for the kids?

How much food are you allowed to bring over - I presume this has to be in the hold!!

Thanks

jumping doris

We brought a UK TV, DVD and Video player, also playstation and computer.
We bought a huge, heavy transformer and we haven't used them.
We have never used the TVetc. I have used the UK computer to get some files and I don't even know where the playstation is.

To be honest the transformer is just too big and heavy and I can't be bothered lugging it around.

At the time it seems as though you must bring these things and yet we quickly realised we wouldn't ever use them. What I do regret is getting rid of some of my furniture. I really don't like much of what's available here.

Adnams

Really what about Pottery Barn or Raymour & Flannigans???
There is of course the ubiquitous Ikea for cheap tat. One in Newark NJ near the airport.

mandpete

R&F is the one shop my husband refuses to go in. We went in once and were stalked by a salesman the wholetime. If we stopped to look at something he would appear from nowhere and try to force a sale on us. I have been on my own since and the same thing always happens, I hate pushy sales people.

jumping doris

We don't have a Pottery barn nearby and I have never heard of the others.
We seem to be awash in Roomful Expresses, Levins etc. Everything looks as though it was made for a bordello or a museum.

We have Ethan Allen, which is similar in style to Pottery Barn but very expensive.

We bought a sofa from Macys and it wasn't cheap. They have already replaced it once and repaired the replacement. It is less than a year old and looks 10 years old.

Jerseygirl

We came on the same visas. Lots of work to be had it you want it.

No we did not take any lessons...just read up on the NJ equivalent of the highway code.

As far as food is concerned pack lots of perishable goodies to be shipped with the rest of your belongings. You will miss lots of everyday things you take for granted...it does help to be able to sit down with a nice cuppa and open a packet of digestive biscuits. After a while you will find shops that sell a few British goodies.

My daughter was 11 when we moved here...she adapted very easily. We played the whole 'American adventure' up to her...so by the time we left she was really looking forward to it. I didn't allow family to become emotional around her...they are adults and can deal with it better than an 11 yr old. We said goodbye to everyone a few days before we left...we didn't want any emotional goodbyes at the airport for our daughter's sake.

Your children will be able to keep in touch with their friends via the computer. As time goes on you will probably find they start to loose touch with the UK.

Jerseygirl

There is also a newer one at the Route 17/GSP/Route 4 intersection...by the Garden State Mall. It's the largest mall in NJ.