DC is a great city. Very international, lots of bright, professional people from all over the place. It is transient, but I can see the positive in that. There will always be new people to make friends with! Have fun!

Don't have time to read all the other responses right now but my advice is - GO FOR IT! I came here alone at 23 and never looked back. I think coming alone is MUCH better, based on all the posts I see from unhappy partners/spouses.

Coming alone will allow you to make more 'local' friends, force you to go out into the world, etc.

Good Luck! (I'll try to read more of this thread later).

Hello and welcome to BE!
Lots of good luck with your move to Washington DC.

To the OP..........As a relative newbie to the good ole USA myself, make sure you get a good package off your company especially healthcare etc ask our resident, more knowledgeable, people about these items when accepting your new position. Good Luck, it will be worth it, you wont be alone with BE.

... with a British accent?

It wouldn't matter in the DC area since it's full of a crap load of accents.

Thanks for all your input! I’m definitely going to go for it- as a few of you have pointed out even if it doesn’t work out I can easily come back. It is a great opportunity… Although that said I just got home a few minutes ago from watching Sabores at Sadler’s Wells in London and now I want to become a flamenco dancer!

But just in case that doesn’t work out I should probably start thinking about the practicalities of the move.

Hi Sam

Welcome to BE!! I haven't read all the posts but no doubt they've been insightful and suggestive of things which you may have not thought about.

There are numerous threads about arriving for the first time etc so definately spend time searching through and reading the threads.

12/13 years ago I arrived here with literally 2 suitcases to my name. Altough being dual citizenship put me ahead of the game with certain logistics (SS#, credit, no need for visa etc) overall, its not as daunting as one thinks. When I left, I got the earful putdown from some friends and family etc but I realised that it was their way of coming to terms of me leaving. There was an oppurtunity presented to me which after much consideration, thought "why not?" besides, I knew I would be kicking myself later for not, at the very least, giving it a shot so that I knew what it would be like rather than not knowing at all.

At the time, I could have set up shop anywhere in the US... (not kidding weather both in UK and US was a factor for moving away from and where to) but I do have a DC conncection.. I spent my earlier years of life there. i did consider returning there but the 1 thing which put a 'nah' for me was the humidity.. as daft as that sounds. But, thats just me.

Washington is a pleasant city. There is a variety of things to do. hell, you have the Smithsonian for one, the Kennedy Center for arts; C&O canal, all the usual touristy sights and sounds. If you ignore the political environment, DC is a great place. DC is a melting pot all in itself... naturally, there are alot of international peeps there alot of cultural diversity and happenings. If I were you, I would really explore the local meet ups, clubs and organizations and dive right in! If there is a way to get involved in some of the functions with the embassy, state department etc.. do so. Suffice to say, DC is rather a network based town. I still wish I had my dad's old roladex! Don't let that deture you, just assimilate it in your day to day life per se. Always remember you have control with who you want to hang out with!!

I think that there are two different mindsets involved when people move to a new area - "Resident" & "Tourist". to do it over again, I would take more of a touristy mindset and give everything a go... a resident per se has a tendancy of putting things off b/c for them its always there and they can always do it tomorrow.

DC could be a launching pad for you! you won't know until you try! Never be afraid to ask questions or for help.... BE is definately a salvation; there is always someone here who has been there, done that and you can usually find good advice on here.

Now I have an idea of where to avoid! Any suggestions on where to live in DC?

Thanks for the message. You're right- everyone on the forum has been really helpful. Glad I came across it- the joys of google!

and a crap load of ethnic restaurants too!!

This is from the organisations website- does it seem OK? I know very little about healthcare in the US...

Employee Benefits

Health, Life & Disability Insurance

• Group medical PPO insurance
• Group dental PPO insurance
• Flexible Benefits Plan Mastercard (health savings account). Employees may elect to set aside up to $5,000/year for medically related expenses and $5,000/year dependent care related expenses on a pre-tax basis.
• Short-Term Disability (including maternity leave) equal to 70% of weekly income, up to $1,500/week. Benefits continue for up to 26 weeks (181 days).
• Long-Term Disability benefit (after 181 days) equal to 60% of monthly income, up to a maximum of $10,000/month, up to age 65.
• Life Insurance coverage equivalent to 2 times annual base salary, up to $500,000.
• Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance coverage equivalent to 2 times annual base salary–4 times if loss of life occurred while using common carrier transportation (e.g., commercial aircraft).

Vacation & Leave

• 10 observed holidays/year
• 15 vacation days/year, 20 days/year after 2 years continuous employment, 25 days/year after 7 years
• 3 days of personal leave/year
• 12 days of sick leave/year
• Maternity leave: see Short-Term Disability
• Up to 10 weeks sabbatical (5 weeks paid) for full-time employees with 5 years continuous employment. Employees may apply to take another 10 weeks sabbatical (5 weeks paid) after 10 years of service. Sabbatical is time off for rest and relaxation to allow staff to come back to WRI re-charged and re-energized.

Other Benefits

• Alternative work schedules (AWS) during the summer months
• Education assistance up to $15,000
• Assistance in obtaining H-1B and similar work visas for non-U.S. citizens working in WRI’s Washington, DC office as exempt staff for at least 12 months.

• Transportation reimbursement up to $115/month for mass transit related expenses, $220/month for parking related expenses.

That's an outstanding benies package. Hmmmm....I wanna work for them now. That transporation reimbursment is what I was talking about earlier. The parking reimbursment is also good. You can put that towards the parking at the Metro station. Wow! If you turn this opportunity down you'll be CrAzY!

Well I don't want to be known forever more as that crazy south londoner...

that's pretty sweet....just see how much the health insurance will cost you, but all in, nice package...though how much are they covering to bring you over?