Dougster75

Hats off to you all! Every search I have done, whether it be about taking my PC, Xbox or kettle to the US, it's always come up with something from BE.... I've picked up some titbits from searches but haven't found anything too conclusive... Money's going to be tight when this happens and so would really appreciate your thoughts on the following (if any of this is State specific, we are looking at TX):

1) Taking a PC from UK to US - It's obviously going to have to have a converter but is it generally compatible with broadband etc (or is that purely down to the router)? Am I wasting my time trying to take it.

2) Taking an XBox 360... OK - now we are getting down to the priorities... I know that my XBox won't be able to play US games so I'll need a new one at some point but would I be able to play on Xbox LIVE with my UK system with a plug convertor - or would it even plug into a US TV? I'm assuming my controllers would work - how about the thing that beams from XBox to my broadband hub?

3) Furniture - We have a lot of "cheapish" furniture. Did anyone take it out to the US and regret it? We are slightly concerned that as it all fits our tiny house in the UK, that we'll need bigger in the US anyway and so there's no point in moving it given the cost. I guess it depends if the company will fund it all but even so we might be better off selling second hand and getting the cash.

4) Schools - How long does it take to get the kids into a new school in the US?

5) Bank account - Can you set up an account prior to arrival or do you need to wait until you are on US soil? I know there are credit issues with this and so presumably need a reference from employer (and lots of cash) etc.

6) Rental properties - Do the monthly rental payments include property tax (ie it's borne by the owners)? I can't get a straight answer out of the realtors so far but early days...

Really appreciate all of your help. This is still up in the air but this is likely to be pushed through (as much as it can be) as a fast L1 when it happens and so I need to be ready(ish).

Cheers,

Doug.

Tracym

Hi and welcome

PC should work fine, not need any converter. At least any UK computer I've seen worked fine here.

Property tax should not be a concern if you're renting. The owner just pays it - it's not your problem.

Someone else will come along with advice on the rest

penguinsix

Actually most computers have a switch by the power cord that says 110/220. You just flip that switch and replace the cord and you are good to go with the desktop. The monitor, however, may be a different story. You'll need to double check to make sure it can do 110/220

I've read but am not sure that UK xboxes try to connect to US xbox live servers and barf. Someone who has done it will probably know better. The networking stuff (ethernet, wifi) is pretty universal last I checked so I wouldn't anticipate problems there (though you may need a to buy a router here or get one with your ISP)



Not long. BE SURE YOU HAVE THEIR VACCINATION RECORDS! See the WIKI on Education for more info.

http://britishexpats.com/wiki/What_d...s_in_school%3F

If it does, you won't see it. It won't be broken out separately. It will be one price that includes the tax by and large.

Ray

But forget the furniture ...

Bank account can be got on arrival ..

MsElui

you need to look at the power supply on the PC base unit. If it says dual voltage or 110 ~ 220 then you will be fine without a converter. We simply cut off the uk plug and replaced it with a US plug. If it doesnt say this (likely very old) then it would need a converter. Same goes for the other peripherals (ie check the transformer plugs to see if the are dual voltage - most of our stuff was fine - the odd bit needed a converter). If you have a lot that needs a converter consider buying a larger converter and plugging a UK multiway adapter into it and then you can plug all your various uk pieces that need the converter into the multiway.


it depends. we took a few bits of cheap furniture with us to tide us over and we are still using it one year later. We hope to move into our new build home shortly and will eventually buy nicer pieces that will look better in the new setting but in the meantime we have something that does the job. We didnt take everything though - just useful servicable bits (BUT our company paid for the move in entirety so that made a difference). The furniture styles here are quite different though.

i believe its very quick. It will be entirely dependant where you live - ie the subdivisions/roads have allocated school that all those kids go to - the only time it changes is if that particular year/school is full then you end up at the designated overflow school.

we didnt have references from our employers - but our realtor did take us into his branch and introduce us which seemed to help. I think its quite hard to do in advance (ive seen people say they have managed it but most cannot). We opened ours the day after arrival without ssns etc. They gave us chequebooks and cards very quickly (think they game my husband temp cheques on the spot).

its typical that the property tax is included in the rental. We rented via our realtor who looked at the house market and found properties they owners couldnt sell and were prepared to rent to at least cover their mortgage in the meantime. We could negotiate on price quite a lot!

Hope that helps!

hobbes79

Regarding the PC, the only other tip I would offer is to buy a US keyboard when you get here. Then in Windows change the settings to say you have a US keyboard.


The keys are a little different between the UK and the US, and I found it confusing jumping from one at work and the other at home. Best to just go head first into the American ways

As others have said, the monitor could be a different matter. My flat screen monitor was ok, but when I bought it in the UK I deliberately looked for a dual voltage one since a move to the US was on the cards.

The Horticulturalist

Hi Doug,

As others have said, your UK laptop should work fine here, don't know if it's really worth lugging a PC over here unless it's brand new. I have my laptop plugged in with a US travel plug thingy.


Again, it depends who is funding your move. If you are paying for the move yourself then I would think carefully about what you really need, if the company is paying then maybe. Would they give you a budget and allow you to decide between taking some stuff and buying some new? That's what we did.
Ditto what everyone else has said.
Make sure you have the red books for the kids that detail all the vaccinations they've had and the dates that they were given. In addition to the vaccinations that are routine in the UK the kids here get chicken pox vaccine (varicella) and Hep B. If any of your children have had chicken pox then they will usually be exempt from getting the vaccine. They will ask you when they had it.
Hep B is a course of 3 injections spread out a few weeks apart. If you have time before you leave, go and see your GP or practice nurse and ask them if they will give it to your children. Even if you have to pay for it at the UK end (you will have to pay here) it will be one less thing to do when you get here. When you rrive you will need to contact the office that deals with school admissions in your area if you're going the public school route. The vaccination records will need to be verified at the health department probably.

Hope that helps! When do you think you'll be moving out here?

Bob

xbox, the account will die if you don't keep the UK credit card going as you can't transfer a card to a new one, that'll be one of your problems, and you'll only be able to get UK games and get shite connections from here..better off flogging it to a friend or so.

The puter, a new power cord only costs about $3 and you should be set. I've seen PSU's in the US that don't have the switch tab, but I've never seen one without in the UK.

Rent over here generally includes all the taxes factored in and then you pay the utilities, water is often included and some places include the heat if from a shared tank.

Bob

Get a titre test done to show that it's covered, some schools will require it, some just the word of the doctor, but you shouldn't have to pay for it in the UK...medical insurance should probably cover if it done in the US, other wise can be anything up to $260

Jerseygirl

Regarding the furniture...it depends who's paying for the move. If you are paying for it yourself then it's probably not worth it. If your employer is paying then why not...you've nothing to lose.

meauxna

Getting it back home?

Jerseygirl

Of course repatriation should be written into the OP's contract with his employer.

Chrissywissy100

Xbox
Hubby brought his over, Couldnt play Live, Microsoft were rubbish at helping with the power cable issue, bought powercable / converter online, worked for 3 days, then got the 3 red light thing (or is it blue light?) Can you tell I'm not that techie?!

Furniture
We brought our UK furniture with us, including the cheap stuff, but then the company paid for it all, so it didnt really matter to us. They have Ikea here in North Cal, so you can get inexpensive stuff, and also on the second hand market.. check http://Craigslist.org

Bank account
Are you looking to rent within a month of you coming over to the US? IF so, see if your company will agree to lend you / Provide cashiers Check (bankers Draft) to the amount of your first months rent and deposit.

We had a few issues with getting money transferred from UK to US accounts, online banking and the like, AND that was with both accounts being for the same bank! (HSBC). That said, the US bank manager was VERY understanding and helpful and gave us the bankers draft even though we had no money in the US account (although he did speak to UK collegue who confirmed that we had the money in the UK account!) All sorted now though and had no problems since.

Rental Properties
You will normally need deposit and first months rent = 2 months rent. I think it varies between owners, but we pay for garbage, water, utilities, and he paying all the ownership costs inc property tax, and the gardener! Just so you know there is no equivilent to Council tax which tennants have to pay like in the UK, not in Cal at least.. cant speak for TX.

Repatriation
We didnt think of it at the time since we saw it a permanent move, but Jersey Girl is right, you should get repatriation written into your contract with your company, esp being on L visas. We have been here 8 months on L visa's and there is a disctinct possibility hubby will lose his job, meaning we HAVE to back to UK, AND foot the bill!

Jerseygirl

To the OP...it may be worthwhile to use the search function located at the top of the page to search for Relocation Costs etc. There are loads of tips as to what to ask your employer for if you are being relocated by your company...ie paid trips home in case of a serious illness or death of a close family member, repatriation expenses, transferring UK holiday entitlement etc.

Bob

That's pretty good going...I've not seen any place that didn't also require last months on top.

One thing to consider, if you go through an agent to find a place, you'll be the one paying the fee rather than the landlord, and that's often a months rent, though this could be discussed.