Hi everyone

I would like some advice to help me make a decision as to whether or not I should accept an opportunity to go work in New York. There is no issue with regards to getting a visa as the company have already detailed the visa which I will get which is a 7 year L1 visa that will allow my wife to also work if we move.

My children are young 2 & 5 and i doubt they will settle without issue. However we would like them to attend education at a Catholic school like the oldest one currently experiences. I have been looking at New Jersey as a place to live and if anyone has advice on good areas that have access to open spaces such as parks, lido's, good links into Lower Manhattan for work and local schools. I would also like no more than a 1 hr commute similar to what I have today.

The most difficult decision is to determine the package I would move on. To help this I am trying to understand what I would need to earn in order to have a similar lifestyle that I currently have in London. the type of things that I would like to include in my lifestyle are below

- 4 bed house with garden (most likely to rent in first year)
- gym membership
- eating out 3 time a month with family
- family shopping for a family of 4
- car lease
- still contribute to savings of $700 a month
- au pair if wife gets a job

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Em

Welcome to BE. I'm sure someone will be along shortly to give you an estimate on costs and salary... but #1 at the top of your list should probably be healthcare insurance - unless your company is going to pay for it 100% (and get it in writing). It could be the most important decision you have to make since a single hospitalization without healthcare insurance could easily bankrupt you. Good luck.

Ian

Hi yes dental and medical are included in the package, I cannot remember if there is a small contribution from myself or not, as well as 401K which I know is like a pension which I think I have to pay 4% and the company pay 10% again do not know if that is good in the US or not?

The other thing I forgot to ask is are utilities expensive like gas and electricity for the home.

Welcome.

You may currently be thinking of eating out 3 x a month. Budget for 3 x a week

Best wishes

As Ian says, since it appears you have a plan for the visa, the next most important consideration is a health plan.

In particular, do you or any of your family have pre-existing health problems?

The US health care system is quite different in scope and culture to what you are used to. If you have satisfactory coverage and/or money, it's great, and you can expect a high standard of care. If you are living just within your means, even a minor health issue could become financially devastating.

I'm not up to date on the current status of Obamacare, but it doesn't seem to be moving quickly. Therefore, on your part I recommend some solid research on your family's healthcare situation before you make the leap.

This may be entirely useless information but from what I know, London living expense wise is very comparable to New York living.

But yes, the health care insurance is number one. Most employers will offer it but you have to pay a certain amount out of your pay for it. Ask about that, ask for a family of four just how much would you be paying. Each employer chooses their own insurance provider and some change frequently, so that price fluctuates. My husband's employer has changed their provider numerous times and it almost always affects us somehow in either how much is taken from my husband's pay, how much our co-pays are (and believe me, you will be stuck with co-pays) and how much our deductible is. It also usually effects the cap- like if the insurance cap is say one million (and yes, it is possible to rack up that much in healthcare in the US) then after that you're on your own and have to pay what is owed.

I don't mean to make it sound impossible, but just things to think about.

I've not been, but my brother has family in New Jersey and every time he goes he hates it more than the time before. I can't be too biased having not been there but *I* would tend to veer away from there for living.

New York is amazing and the chance to live abroad could be amazing. I can say I would go for it if it were me.

Locations, plenty of threads covering NY and NJ that'll get you started, Englishmum has posted loads of great info, so search her posts out as a starting point.

city-data.com will also be a great place to look at for info, especially for schools.

Package, well there's a wiki entry that offers the basic things to look out for.

You mention you get medical, but find out what is included, how much are your monthly contributions, co-pay, levels of cover etc...the wiki is a good place to look into what all this means.

Also, the OH will need a EAD to work, that'll be 90 days or so, so figure that into your decisions and the cost of renewing it.

Factor in Greencard application, in writing as to when the company will begin the process, it's quite important, depending on if you are L1A or L1B.

Utilities, hard to say, makes a massive difference if you're in a new condo, house or old etc...but generally, the utilities tend to be more pricey, paid monthly and as you'll have no US credit history, expect to pay a deposit anything from $50-600 to get anything hooked up and be happy if you don't have to pay one, but that would be unusual.

Renting for the first year is a great idea though, because it'll give you a chance to figure out what your life style will be like and what you'll like out of a place, might be stupid things you don't even think about till you've experienced it such as how steep the drive way is and how much of a pain in the arse that might be to put the bins out in the winter with the ice, or whether there is town pick up or you've got to go to the dump etc. Likely be looking for first/last and anything up to 3 months for deposit all up front when you sign the lease and if using a realtor to find the place anything from 1/2 to 3 months rent worth as a fee, but these are things you can negotiate about depending on local market and what you probably can get the employer to expense as part of the package.

Oh yeah and welcome to BE and congrats on the offer!

You'll need to factor in school fees if you want Catholic school for the kids.

If you plan on commuting also factor in a few hundred dollars a month in commuting costs. Utilities for a 4 bedroom should be a few hundred a month as well. Find out if your company offers a family plan for health insurance. You will all need to be insured. Catholic school as mentioned will cost as well.

As previously mentioned, I've written dozens of posts on New Jersey over the years, so don't want to re-write the info all over again!

What I will say though is that the RC schools (also known as Parochial schools) are much cheaper than the non-religious private schools. There is one 2 blocks behind my house, St. Rose of Lima in Short Hills, NJ. You may wish to contact their admissions office for a guideline of fees (and parishioners attending the attached Church pay less than non-parishioners AFAIK).

I would imagine that most of the RC school fees are similar (although some RC schools in NJ have been closing down recently as the Church can't afford to subsidise them).

http://srlacademy.org/

(The Short Hills train station is a short walk from the school and church with the Mid-Town Direct trains to NY Penn Station and trains to Hoboken for lower Manhatten/Financial District).

You may also wish to take on board that if your wife decides to take a job in the US, she is unlikely to get anything like the amount of leave she is entitled to in the UK. Most employees only get 10 days annual leave for the first five years, then it typically goes up to 3 weeks pa. It's not uncommon for new employees to get no annual leave in their first year....! The lack of annual leave is one of the reasons why kids go to Summer camps for weeks during the school holidays - because their parents hardly get any time off work, and even then many don't take all the leave they're entitled to!

Why? We didn't start eating out more when we move here.

I definitely did! I find as a single person groceries are very expensive in California and eating out can actually compare favourably.

Not sure how that works out for a whole family, of course.

Same here. You will definitely eat out more.

Is there a sprouts shortage in your local restaurants then?

We eat out many, many times more frequently here than we did in the UK.

How strange - don't think I've ever come across this sentiment before. Still - it's a bit of a stretch making such a blanket and absolute statement to the OP when we barely know the first thing about them.

I live in the north east, and while I wouldn't class groceries as being cheap, I can easily prepare good food at home for half the cost (or less) than eating out. For me it's about enjoyment, and sometimes convenience, the net result being I do it about the same as back home - my relative circumstances in these regards haven't changed, but I can see how this can be different for others.

It's still daft to *tell* the OP they *will* eat out more.