colin77

Hi All,

I'm hoping to hear about a job offer in the next few days and thought to jump the gun, it's hard to find the right info on the net. so i hope you all can help.

i am hoping to move from Leeds UK to Dallas Texas, my questions are:

1: is it expensive to live in (i was offered a position in NY:NY but turned it down after some awful reports from friends. i checked the cost of living, seemed like 72kUSD in NY:NY would buy you a similar lifestyle in Dallas for about 40K USD)

2: What kind of salary should i suggest if i want to live similar to 25-30 UKP? (for that you could probably comfortably have a house, Wife (with an average amount of nice shoes) and 2 kids and still be able to afford maybe on cheap break a year)

3: LifeStyle. i like quite, but can easily deal with busy, i believe it has the Country side/quite towns commuting distance, is this accurate or is it as lively as i hear, comparable to manchester maybe?

4: worth the adventure. i moved the the UK from ireland 10 years ago and get ansey every few years to move. UK has embrassed the overly laddish appeal too much for me now, is Dallas equal footing or do woman try to act like the guys to be accepted like here (i'm married so not trying to be some letch, just wanting to know if we go out can we relax or should we leave town before 11pm to avoid the rowdy lads leaving the pubs with their girls hanging out of them trying to hold them back....(last friday night i saw this...great!))

Thanks for any advice in advance and anything else you think i might be missing would be much appreciated...BTW are the amusement parks good, that would be wonderful to me, myself and my wife would love stuff like that, nothing like that here that doesn't feel like it will kill ya really.


Thanks,
Col

NC Penguin

If you're going to be moving to the US, you want to try and make sure you get a UK contract with UK holiday entitlement. If not, you can forget about the traveling 'cos you'll, most likely, have little time for that (depends on your industry and the generosity of your employer).

The following link will be useful to get a feel for Dallas. Also helpful when researching other US cities too:
http://www.bestplaces.net/


NC Penguin

colin77

Thanks for the Reply, Very Helpful link, just looking it seems like i was well informed about newyour, about 70% higher in cost of living to average US costs. Dallas is even less pricey than Portland oregan, another place i was chancing. so Dallas seems a good choice so far.

as far as holidays go it seems with the industry (computergames-development)
a)you get national holidays (bank holidays) which i believe there are 13
( http://www.usembassy.org.uk/ukpubhol.html )
b)10 days vacation days
c)5 personal/Sick days.

the average i believe here in the UK is about 18 days.
what should i be aiming for if this seems unreasonable to you from a US. company.

elfman

But many employers don't observe all the "holidays" on that list - mine (big engineering consultants) only recognises eight. Often you will find that the only employers that recognise them all will be federal or local government organisations.

snowbunny

There ain't 13 bank holidays/other holidays.

You could ask for an additional week off so you can return home each year. That's not too much to ask, and they can always say no.

If there's possibility for growth, or IF YOUR WIFE will be able to work (meaning they will sponsor you for a green card, because she wouldn't be able to work if you're on an H-1B or L-1) to supplement your income, starting in the 40s wouldn't be bad. You will need at least one car + insurance + gas. You'll probably have to live in a flat/apartment at first. Where exactly is your job? Most are not in Dallas itself.

How does your wife feel about not being able to work (at least not for a good while) and possibly being stuck in a flat without a car and no good public transport? Much of the year it's too hot to walk or bicycle for any distance.

How much is health insurance for you and your wife per month, and how much are the copayments for doctor's visits and prescriptions? Do either of you have a chronic condition such that you'd need frequent visits or prescriptions?

Elvira

I think L2s ARE allowed to work (though I suspect the OP will be on an H1b - in which the H4 wife will NOT be allowed to work.

Unless he is in a high H1b category (E1 or E2 I think), it will take a VERY long time before he'd be allowed to apply for AOS (and his wife can apply for an EAD). Search for Ladyofthelake's posts - she's been here about 5 years I think and no end in sight. Bloody disgrace!!

snowbunny

Colin, meet Elvira's hot button.

(Not that she isn't right to feel this way, and your wife may feel the same.)

Elvira

Amy my love you have no idea about my hot button!!!

dbj1000

OK. As someone who moved from the South of England to Dallas (or Plano, to be exact) here are some answers:

1) Dallas has a far lower cost of living than the major cities on either coast. However, don't think in terms of converting your UK salary to dollars. Find out what the prevailing wage is for your prospective role here in Dallas and ask for that plus 20%. Then be prepared to negotiate salary for vacation time.

2) I certainly wouldn't want to live here on $40k. Although houses are very cheap here compared to most big cities, you'll still want to look at ~$200k for a nice house in a nice neighbourhood. I don't know what the wages are like in computer games, but in Semiconductor Engineering they're ~2x the UK wage converted into dollars, so a GBP30k salary would be >$100k here.

3) "Lifestyle"... just the content of your question had me laughing - you really need to visit Dallas and North Texas in general, before taking the job offer!

"Countryside"? LMFAO! You're in for a shock. Flat, featureless arid planes with small areas of stunted woodland clustered around almost-dry creeks in 100degF heat. We've grown to appreciate and even like the countryside, but it's taken real effort on our part to find what's good about it. Fossil collecting in the creek beds is our favourite outdoor activity, but that's out of the question for the next 5 months while it's too hot to move!

"Comparable to Manchester"? Um... no. Not at all. Unless you live in downtown Dallas (which you can't do if you have kids, since it's a very bad area for schools) then there is NOTHING going on in the evenings. No pubs, few bars, no clubs unless you're into lapdancing joints out in industrial zones by the airport. It's a wasteland out here mate. This may be just me, living in the suburban sprawl of Plano, and there may be a thriving heart somewhere in the "metroplex", but I don't know of it.

By contrast, the schools in Plano are excellent, and it's a safe place to bring up your kids... but there's nothing happening here. Unless you're a Churchgoer. Then it's probably ROCKIN'! :scared:

4) Worth the adventure? Definitely, if you can negotiate a package with the job that makes you financially comfortable. The standard of living here is great. There are plenty of things to do with the family so long as they don't involve much culture or drinking (although both are available in small measure). I wouldn't leave here now, and I was still happy to return even after a couple of weeks in the beautiful English countryside and wonderful London atmosphere.

Finally, amusement parks. No idea. Six Flags Over Texas is supposed to be good, as is its water park, Hurricane Harbor, but we've never been.

What have you missed out of your questions? Get used to driving. Lots. We think nothing of driving 200 miles for a day trip to a wildlife park, or 20 miles to a good wine store. We live in our cars when we're not sheltering in the airconditioning or soaking in the pool. Oh, and the locals drive like twats, but you can't tell them what you think of their driving, because they might be packing a gun.

It's HOT. HOT. From May to November it's really, really hot. All this week it'll be >100degF, and later in the summer it will probably top 110deg.

Your church is the center of your life, at least out here in the suburbs. If you don't go to church you can find people who will still be friends, but many people won't want to know you. The religiousness here is no joke, and can be quite a shock.

All the usual visa, credit history, SSN and drivers license crap. Read the FAQs, learn your rights. Don't assume that anything you're told by the beaurocrats here is true.

Oh, and it's really frickin' HOT. Make sure your salary covers a house with a pool - not for you, but for your kids. Gardens are like large, brown grill-plates here in the summer.

Cape Blue

make sure you job has health cover for you and your family, otherwise it'll cost a shed load. Things like car insurance are pretty expensive (as you are effectively a new driver), food, petrol, clothes and many other items are far cheaper than the UK

don't know if you have visited Dallas or Portland, my experience is that someone who would like to live in Portland may not be keen on Dallas, and vice versa.

I assume that your potential employer has already submitted your H1B petition if that's the type of visa you are going for? otherwise it looks like Oct 2007 before you could start.

Good luck

good luck

scrubbedexpat097

Now if you live in the real world..

.......it is possible to live in Texas for $40k a year. Not all houses are over $200k and it's possible to find nice enough areas to start off in with good school districts.

.....the countryside is different but you can get used to it.
.....it's hot (very hot) and in some areas very humid and you do need to have a good car with a good AC. You will need to drive everywhere but IMHO the driving in Dallas and all parts of Texas is no worse than back in England and in some places it seems better!
....Texas people are very friendly and polite. If you dont act like a superior know it all Brit then you'll be fine

Enjoy your new life. It will be a great experience. It's not England and be prepared for a life change, it's a challenge that can be enjoyed. Good luck!

AdobePinon

No kidding. My choice would be Portland, even with a pay cut. Decent size city with great brewskis and a laid back attitude, plus oceans (ALL beaches are public in Oregon), snow-covered mountains, lakes, whitewater, desert, forests all within 1.5 hours. And Seattle is ~3 hours north.

Oh, and did I mention that PDX has good enough public transport (trams, buses, trains, etc) that many people there don't use their cars?

But hey, Dallas is hot. I think someone might have mentioned that.

Ray

Stop givinmg Immigration and visa advice .. you really don't have a clue ...

dbj1000

Thanks for pointing out that I don't live in the real world Sugarmooma. You're right, I don't. I live in Plano, which seceded from the real world long ago!

Yes, it's possible to live in Dallas on $40k. It's possible to live anywhere on $40k, I imagine. Would I have considered uprooting my family and moving from England to Dallas for $40k? Never.

Yes, there are many lovely houses for much less than $200k. In fact, the $100k houses here are much, much better value than most properties in the UK. Would I have moved my family over to live in one? Possibly.

As for the rest... well that's all pretty subjective except the "superior Brit" thing. Face it, we are superior, if only in our whinging skills.

scrubbedexpat097

My point is not everyone starts off in the same situation. Your post made it sound as if you had to make a mint to live an anyway near decent life in Dallas. Thats not true and some of us know (and don't have to "imagine it") that you can live a fairly decent life on 40k a year.