Pulaski

In truth that risk is always going to be there when you transition over to a HD plan, and anxiety about that is what put us off switching to HD plan for several years. Having made that switch I wish we had done so years earlier. We are probably about $7,000/yr better off on the HD insurance, so while you might feel exposed during the first 1-2 years, the payoff if you and your family are generally in good health is huge.

FWIW If you get a big medical bill not covered by insurance, you will be offered a payment plan over an extended period. I had a 10% copay before I switched to the HD plan and was offered payments over 24 months. Before I had paid it all off, I switched to the HD plan and made the monthly payments out of my Health Savings Account. ....... Which reminds me, you recommendation for a flexible spending account has a risk because it's an annual "use it or lose it" account.

petitefrancaise

not any more, you can roll $500 over to the next year.

It probably should be another thread but one of the biggest things to put me off switching to the HD HSA was that you are in charge of finding the cheapest provider. At a meeting at the company they showed us an online tool to "help " us to do this. I think it's bad enough just trying to find one in-network that is good without the added stress of knowing that maybe you should be going to a cheaper place that's on the other side of town. They showed that in Austin alone, the same MRI image could cost from $500 to $2500 (in a hospital btw).

Twigstar

Welcome Mark,

We live, and have a maid service business in Lewisville TX. Been here since 2009 having moved from Florida, so been in the states since 2003.
Flower Mound is a great area, we rented there our 1st year. Trash is included in your water bill. Our daughter was 16 when we came to Texas, she graduated from Flower Mound High school and is now on a F1 visa and attending University of North Texas. Yes she qualified for in state tuition which saved us a fortune ($15000 a year down to $7000)
I have customers who are realtors and can connect you if you wish.

markcst

This is why I love self help forums, thank you and I have done some digging. I can't find any info on my intended school district website but I have on a nearby one.

The school years starts as you say six months after ours (in Feb). I find this a bit odd, but there you go. It means both my kids move down a grade as they will (initially) place on age. Selling this to them is going to be interesting... In effect they will go from youngest in their age group to oldest.

It also, as another poster pointed out, gives them a chance to learn the requisite American History (as it happens my son is good at History). As he also elected to take the eBacc, we have two ways to present his GCSEs. The eBacc subjects give him all the right subjects they require in Texas (bar the history) to graduate, so not so much to adjust to.

I'm happy because he's a great kid and working hard for his GCSEs and this gives him another shot if he needs it, but if he doesn't, he can do a lot of the extra curricular stuff "in his free year" which gets mega credits for University entry and potential scholarships. I still have to sell this to him, but I think my wife will also be happy as it takes the pressure off him on what would be a tough emotive move.

Thanks again.

markcst

Wow thanks. Once I know its all happening I absolutely will be in touch.

I've also looked at that university for my son as its the local choice and commutable, but I think once we sit down and discuss it he'll set his heart on one of the other State universities that is big on Physics and Astronomy. Though the great thing with the US system is you can move around Universities which is much harder here.

petitefrancaise

Is it Lewisville ISD?
If so, policy documents are here Lewisville ISD - Policy On Line - Search Results for transfer credit

Policy documents regarding admissions credit by exam etc are listed under the F.Students section on the lower left side of the page.

You're in luck. Provided you can prove the UK curriculum covers the subject level then you'll get credit and weighted credit. Don't let them force you to take credit by exam because then you won't get the weighted credit...

Why is weighted credit important? It affects class ranking, in Texas any student in the top 7% of their year (class) has automatic entry to a Texas State Uni. This is how 70% of the places are filled, leaving everyone else (out of state, international or out of the ordinary students like mine) with the remaining places.

My son also wants to study theoretical physics and is looking towards California to study. OUch.....

MsElui

im over the ne part of dallas - mckinney. traffic does suck a lot - so make sure you have a decent route into wherever you are working. that whole NE corner can suck especially driving into downtown.

what im seeing here in McKinney is not a lot of property to rent and house currently moving on and off the market very quickly - so you may have to widen the search if you cant find what you want in just flower mound alone. I have several friends in grapevine and southlake and they like that. Lewisville can be a bit grim in places so be picky.

markcst

Thanks I was stupidly looking on their actual information website Didn't realise they had a seperate site for policies (then again they don't make that clear!).

I know that some Cal Unis are world renowned for Physics, as is MIT. But I'll temper his ambitions until he gets to Masters level. The cool thing is the average starting salary for Physics grads is $100k in Texas, especially, as you would expect in Houston

Owen778

I suspect that salary is skewed by starting salaries in the last few years for petroleum geophysics. To get that he would need to concentrate some of his classes on geophysics. Plus he'd have to hope the oil price goes up again.

It's possible medical physics is also well paid. Astronomy or astrophysics, I suspect not so much.

Leslie

Hi,

I have a friend that lives up there and will try to talk to her about some of the more nuanced differences between Dallas proper (where I live) and that area.

Some initial thoughts for you though.

First, don't worry too much about the Spanish speaking thing. If she speaks Spanish it certainly could help her, but quite often it's not relevant. There are so many Spanish speaking people in Texas, there's no shortage of interpreters. Honestly, unless she's looking for work in education or healthcare, it's not really a thing. Even in those fields, plenty of workers don't speak Spanish.

As far as jobs, unless either one of them have a specific degree or skill set, which you haven't mentioned, retail is most likely the easiest way to get a job near home. This is pretty much how it is in Dallas, and the US for that matter, retail or food service is where people can get into the job market. The good news is that there is plenty of work in this area. The recession was less horrible here and the setbacks that we did suffer seem to be receding.

For your son, Costco or Whole Foods would be where I would send my teenager to apply. However, if he has specific interests, or an idea of what he'd like to do, there are plenty of other places to work.

Something to consider, and this could fall under "hidden costs", is the traffic situation in the DFW Metroplex. It's HORRIBLE. There is no way that I can describe it that will give you a realistic view of how very much it truly sucks. The best advice I can give is ... try your level best to live near work. I've known too many people who bought the McMansion in the burbs and ended up spending half their life in their car. That said, if you have any kind of commute at all, you'll need a Toll Tag.

Other than the traffic, it's a great place to live. The people are (mostly) nice and it's an exciting and diverse melting pot. If you decide to relocate, look at it as an adventure or social experiment and you'll do fine.

MsElui

and the toll tag that leslie quickly adds up - my husband moved jobs recently and now uses the toll a lot more and its costing him at least $40 for 2 weeks -