Hi everyone!
we are an early 30s couple and my husband has been told that its very likely we are going to move to San Jose within few months (6 approx). So of course, a lot of questions are starting to raise..
Can anyone recommend a "nice" area to live around/in san jose (nice meaning safe, pretty etc..) and perhaps a webiste to search for flats
Also, im not sure what is going to situation for myself (as I dont think Ill have a working permit).
So I am thinking about two options
1. I enrol in a course and get new qualification
if so how do university enrolment work, what are the usual fees, conditions etc..
2. perhaps start a family???
if so how does medical care works - how much are insurances? what is the usual situation for families who are having a child (general costs)

thank you very much for you help!

Hi and welcome
You need to find out which visa the company will be applying for. This will determine whether you will be allowed to work or not.
If it's a company transfer then he'll probably be coming over on an L1 visa and you will get an L2 which will allow you to apply for a work permit.
Universities are very expensive and you will be considered an international student.
Healthcare should be part of you husbands relocation package so you need to familiarize yourself with that.
There are plenty of threads on relocation and what you should consider asking the company for as part ofnthe package, so do a search and come back with any further questions.
Good Luck

Hi thanks for your reply
is there a search engine in this website? as beside from going through all the pages Im not sure how to look for subjects

Do you have a recommendation on where to live in the area? I dont find the estate agent websites very clear/easy to navigate
thanks again!

I am just over and hour away but traceym and N1cky BE members have kids and live in the area they will chime in I am sure

Personally I would look more at Los Gatos or Mountain view area.

Yep, top right of each forum. Also, have a read of the FAQ (on pink/beige bar at top of page) which will tell you about things like the search function, and the Wiki (on blue bar at top of page) which has loads of useful info in.

yep found the search link thanks!

I recommend you start looking at Craigslist (sfbay.craigslist.org). It's one of the best places to find properties.

Lots of people here will (rightly) recommend you to look in places like MV and LG/LA - but San Jose has some good places, but you need to go further south. We lived over there for a year in SilverCreek Country Club - but it's a hell of a way up. we'll be likely moving back this year and will move around Mountain View / Los Gatos area. It's much more easier and just feels better than hanging in SJ - our perspective.

Hi, thanks for this! Mountain view looks nice! His company is based in Milpitas to be precise so it looks quite straight forward from there. Is there things to do in the evenings? Like restaurants/bars? My husband really likes "the new" area with lots of restaurant near SJ - cant remember the name though

Santana Row!! Just came back to me

Since he will be working in Milpitas, you may want to look at Fremont. The nicest area of Fremont is the "Mission San Jose" district (along Mission Blvd and Paseo Padre between the two exits of freeway 680.

However there very few rentals in the "Mission San Jose district" but there is a very nice area for rentals along Stevenson Blvd between Paseo Padre and Mission Blvd right across from the park (Lake Elizabeth) and within walking distance of shopping and the BART station. There is also a community college (Ohlone College) about 5 minutes away in the Mission San Jose hills. Also there are nice rentals along Paseo Padre north of Mowry Ave.

If you are looking for very upscale rentals, you may find some (owner owned but may have some rentals) at the townhouses in Antelope Hills (Ocaso Camino off of Pase Padre). About 150 townhouses (1,700-2,200 sf) plus about 100 detached homes are on a ridge about 600 feet above sea level with views of San Francisco on a clear day) and surrounded by massive amount of open space (nearest house outside the complex is over 1/2 mile away) with many wildlife in the fields and sky (plus farmers graze their cattle in the fields on the hillside).

wow thats sound amazing, Ill definitely check it out! thank you

the wiki has plenty of info on relocation, and there's quite a few recent threads on the subject, especially to CA.

city-data.com is a good spot to find local info on places to stay.

Medical insurance, check out the wiki again, but really that should be part of the company package and if they didn't offer it, it'd not be worth going tbh.

If your husband will be working in Milpitas, you'll probably want to avoid the (otherwise very nice) Los Gatos and Almaden areas. The nicer part of Evergreen and Silver Creek have quick access to Highway 101 and have an ok commute if you're not travelling at the worst times. Mountain View to Milptias is also an ok commute. I agree about Fremont.

All of the Bay Area is pretty, so you don't have to worry about that!

Your husband will almost certainly get health insurance through his job, which will cover you, and your family's part of the cost of the insurance premiums will come directly out of your husband's paychecks. You basically choose the plan that suits you from the ones they offer, depending on your medical needs (or possible medical needs). It's hard to make any guess on what the costs will be as that depends on the plan.

The following are the tuition fees for community colleges (2 year colleges) in California. Typically tuition fees are about $700 per year for in-state tuition.

http://www.cccapply.org/faq/costs.asp#1

The following are the tuition fees for state universities in California (eg. San Jose State University, Cal State Hayward, etc). Typically in-state tuition is about $5,000 per year.

http://www.calstate.edu/SAS/fa_coa.shtml

The University of California system (eg. UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Santa Cruz, etc.) have higher and different tuition fees between the different universities. The following are the tuition fees for UC Berkeley. Typically in-state tuition fees for the Califorina University system is about $10,000 per year.

http://grad.berkeley.edu/admissions/cost_fees.shtml#1

I believe when you are on a L1/L2 visa, you will be eligible for in-state tuition fees after one year of residence. Not sure about the H1B/H4 visa. Non residents are typically charged between $4,000 and $7,000 more per year depending on the college.

Private colleges (eg. Stanford, USC, University of Santa Clara, etc.) are very expensive and would likely have fees that are double or triple the fees of the University of California system but don't distinguish betwen residents and non residents for fees.

There will be other costs such as books and possibly campus fees. Some colleges require you to purchase health insurance but are probably waived if you can provide proof of health insurance.