Proposed move to Albany
Jun 14th 2006, 9:33 am
#1
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 5
Proposed move to Albany
Hi All
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
Jun 14th 2006, 11:31 am
#2
Account Closed
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 22,220
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
Hi All
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
Heating bills:...f'kin astronimical. Expect monthly electric bills in the region of $300 to $400. of course this also depends on what heating sytem your house will have, furnace, electri, wood stove, infloor heating or a combination of them.
Weather:: F'kin cold. The weather upstate can be brutal. I have seen -42C at night and -29C during the day. However, I am a little further noth than you in a notorious spot for hard winters.
Personally, I like Albany but you should also look at Troy and Schenectady for comparision, although some parts of these towns are not as nice as others.
Jun 14th 2006, 12:03 pm
#3
A lion in your lap
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Sparta NJ
Posts: 7,605
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch?
You will also both have to get NYS driving licenses (including taking written and road tests) but it's a doddle.
Car insurance in NYS is often expensive compared to most other states but less so than a few others (eg NJ).
Jun 14th 2006, 12:04 pm
#4
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,022
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
Hi All
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
2. Tough, property prices may have peaked in this area and who knows how easy it will be to sell in 3 yrs. All depends how much your husbands company is willing to contribute.
3. Make sure you live in a good school district. Could be a problem with your 11 yr old if you are moving back to the UK in 3 yrs. My daughter was 11 when we moved here.
4. Yes the winters are cold, but usually the sky is bright blue and the sun is shining. It is very dry in winter, not damp like the UK. IMO the winters here are much better because of the sun and lack of dampness. We can also have periods when it can be quite warm. A 4 wheel drive vehicle is worth considering.
5. Sorry can't help you there.
6. Forget any UK history, same applies to your credit rating. You will be starting from scratch. Car ins. is very expensive.
Look carefully into health insurance ie what the employer will cover, what your contribution will be, also dental and optical insurance and prescription insurance. There is often a co-pay to pay each time you visit a doctor, hospital or need meds. try to find out how much this is especially as you are a family of 5. Use the search facility on this site because many of your questions and others have been answered time and time again.
Last edited by Jerseygirl; Jun 14th 2006 at 12:57 pm.
Jun 14th 2006, 12:09 pm
#5
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,022
Re: Proposed move to Albany
How rude of me.....welcome to BE. 
Jun 14th 2006, 3:06 pm
#6
Blondie22
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 2,738
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
Hi All
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
My husband has been offered a 3 year contract in Albany, New York State. We have been over for a brief visit to look around the area and also visited some schools. We appreciate that ‘just visiting’ can feel a bit like a holiday and it’s difficult not to look at it all with rose tinted glasses. As you can imagine we came back with lots of information, but also lots of questions! We would be very grateful if you could offer us any advice.
1. That old chestnut, cost of living! We understand that the taxation rate for NYS is very high. What percentage of salary are we talking about? Also we were told that costs for heating in the winter can be high. Could you please give us a rough idea of how much heating would cost? Any other info on cost of living would also be helpful.
2. Would we be better to buy or rent bearing in mind we would only be in the US for 3 years. We liked the Delmar/Bethlehem area.
3. We have 3 children who are currently in years 7, 9 and 11 in the UK. We were quite impressed with the schools that we looked at. We realise that this is not the ideal time in their education to move the children, but would be interested in your views on the education system. Also has anyone moved back to the UK with children who have achieved Regents Exams or APs and then gone on to University?
4. Weather. Do you find it easy to cope with the cold winters?
5. Any advice on the Albany area would be great.
6. Car insurance. We both have full no claims bonus. Would this be considered at all or would we be starting from scratch? Is car insurance expensive in NYS?
Any other advice you could give would be gratefully received as we have not yet made a decision and are sure to be pushed for one soon!!!
Thanks.
Sent you a PM
Jun 14th 2006, 6:06 pm
#7
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: Proposed move to Albany
what visa you on? L1a/b? because if you got an H1B and spouse on H4, wouldn't be able to work on it.
another thought, your eldest is 11, 3 years in the US 14...it's GCSE time back in blighty, could be a tough trans, and need to keep track on the curriculum back home, and also definately make sure you have 3 years residency back in the UK so that you don't have to pay international rates....temp company transfer could be a way out of that, but if you decide to stay and go for greencard, that'll put paid to that.
another thought, your eldest is 11, 3 years in the US 14...it's GCSE time back in blighty, could be a tough trans, and need to keep track on the curriculum back home, and also definately make sure you have 3 years residency back in the UK so that you don't have to pay international rates....temp company transfer could be a way out of that, but if you decide to stay and go for greencard, that'll put paid to that.
Jun 14th 2006, 6:10 pm
#8
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 5
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Bob
what visa you on? L1a/b? because if you got an H1B and spouse on H4, wouldn't be able to work on it.
another thought, your eldest is 11, 3 years in the US 14...it's GCSE time back in blighty, could be a tough trans, and need to keep track on the curriculum back home, and also definately make sure you have 3 years residency back in the UK so that you don't have to pay international rates....temp company transfer could be a way out of that, but if you decide to stay and go for greencard, that'll put paid to that.
another thought, your eldest is 11, 3 years in the US 14...it's GCSE time back in blighty, could be a tough trans, and need to keep track on the curriculum back home, and also definately make sure you have 3 years residency back in the UK so that you don't have to pay international rates....temp company transfer could be a way out of that, but if you decide to stay and go for greencard, that'll put paid to that.
My kids are in years 7, 9 and 11 which makes them 12, 14 and 16 years old . My oldest is just doing his GCSEs this week.
Jun 14th 2006, 6:13 pm
#9
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,022
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
Don't know what visa we'd be on - company sorting that out, but they did say they would organise a green card for me.
My kids are in years 7, 9 and 11 which makes them 12, 14 and 16 years old . My oldest is just doing his GCSEs this week.
My kids are in years 7, 9 and 11 which makes them 12, 14 and 16 years old . My oldest is just doing his GCSEs this week.
Jun 14th 2006, 6:13 pm
#10
strangely floppy..
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Ohio - originally London
Posts: 1,719
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Jerseygirl
How rude of me.....welcome to BE.
Jun 14th 2006, 6:44 pm
#11
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
Don't know what visa we'd be on - company sorting that out, but they did say they would organise a green card for me.
My kids are in years 7, 9 and 11 which makes them 12, 14 and 16 years old . My oldest is just doing his GCSEs this week.
My kids are in years 7, 9 and 11 which makes them 12, 14 and 16 years old . My oldest is just doing his GCSEs this week.
If you are only staying for 3 years, don't go for the greencard because your kids will have to pay international rates for uni back in blighty, an]d that could be 10-20K a year.
If you know you want to stay longer, greencard process can take as little as months and up to a few years to get, so you do need to plan things out now.
oh yeah, and welcome to the site
Jun 14th 2006, 6:48 pm
#12
Just Joined
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 5
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Thanks for the welcomes.
I'm not very au fait on the visas, etc. but should have said that my husband's company said they would apply for 'something' so that I could work!!
I'm not very au fait on the visas, etc. but should have said that my husband's company said they would apply for 'something' so that I could work!!
Jun 14th 2006, 6:51 pm
#13
SUPER MODERATOR
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 88,022
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
Thanks for the welcomes.
I'm not very au fait on the visas, etc. but should have said that my husband's company said they would apply for 'something' so that I could work!!
I'm not very au fait on the visas, etc. but should have said that my husband's company said they would apply for 'something' so that I could work!!
Haha....he must be on a L1 then.
Jun 14th 2006, 7:57 pm
#14
BE Site Lead
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: MA, USA
Posts: 92,170
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Originally Posted by Mini-mum
Thanks for the welcomes.
I'm not very au fait on the visas, etc. but should have said that my husband's company said they would apply for 'something' so that I could work!!
I'm not very au fait on the visas, etc. but should have said that my husband's company said they would apply for 'something' so that I could work!!
Jun 14th 2006, 9:36 pm
#15
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
Re: Proposed move to Albany
Welcome to BE!
I think you should consider that your 16 year old stay on in the UK and go to boarding school or stay with a relative for 'A' levels and then possibly go to college in the US.
University courses in the US are for four years, unlike three in the UK. College fees can be astronomical even for resident students, often far higher than in the UK.
We moved to the USA when our daughter had just taken her IGCSE's at 16. She had an American boyfriend who attended the prestigious Singapore American School and said that the work he was doing was two years behind what she had done...yet they were the same age and the same grade.
My daughter also wasn't keen on joining a local US school as she thought it might be too 'cliquey' so in the end she chose to go to boarding school in Oxford, where quite a number of girls arrived to join the Sixth Form. My husband negotiated with his company and they paid GBP10k per year towards the fees.
You might need to register with the New York Times to read this report but it is all about young people fleeing Upstate New York and was published today (13 June):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/ny...&ex=1150430400
I think you should consider that your 16 year old stay on in the UK and go to boarding school or stay with a relative for 'A' levels and then possibly go to college in the US.
University courses in the US are for four years, unlike three in the UK. College fees can be astronomical even for resident students, often far higher than in the UK.
We moved to the USA when our daughter had just taken her IGCSE's at 16. She had an American boyfriend who attended the prestigious Singapore American School and said that the work he was doing was two years behind what she had done...yet they were the same age and the same grade.
My daughter also wasn't keen on joining a local US school as she thought it might be too 'cliquey' so in the end she chose to go to boarding school in Oxford, where quite a number of girls arrived to join the Sixth Form. My husband negotiated with his company and they paid GBP10k per year towards the fees.
You might need to register with the New York Times to read this report but it is all about young people fleeing Upstate New York and was published today (13 June):
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/13/ny...&ex=1150430400