Nutmegger

That's why I noted above that the OP should ascertain what type of vaccine is required in the state he is moving to (they aren't all the same), and then request that vaccine before leaving.

Aansell

Thanks again for the information, i'd hope the vet would know what the specific jabs the cat would need. However i'll be sure to check out the website just to be sure, don't want there to be any confusion on the other end!

Apparently it is 10 Days not 60 days to get a cali license, not sure where i must have pulled that figure from. Either way we'll get ourselves booked in for as soon as possible. Been told so long as you can show your planning on doing it, we should be ok on our uk licenses.

Just need to book in our embassy interview now!

Dizzyp

Don't worry too much about the 10 day requirement for the CA driving licence since you can't apply until you have your SSN anyway and who knows how long that will take. As you say, as long as you are intending to get one you'll be fine.

dj6372

That's the point, make an attempt, get to the DMV start the process, so if Chips do pull you, you can show your UK licence and also your paperwork from DMV

Just so you know I passed my test the day I booked it, just borrowed a friends car sorted some insurance, he drove me there as my 'experienced' driver, drove round the block twice, didn't kill anyone passed!, the 'written' test is a doddle, you stand in front of a PC and do multi choice question, if you have any knowledge of driving its easy!

mrken30

You can probably download the driver's manual from DMV website. Read it once and the test should be easy.

username.exe

For the written test it is worth spending a couple of hours with the handbook.

Most of the questions are common sense, however there are some that you would never have known if you didn't read it, for example what are the legally acceptable levels of blood alcohol for driving in California?

You can also find websites online that will give you a dummy test too.

SanDiegogirl

So where in North County are you looking for a home?

bewildering

In 2004 I did not need a residential address to get a bank account with Wells Fargo. I used my work address at the Wells Fargo branch in Ralphs near UCSD. They were used to foreigners. Although again this was 2004 and things might have changed.

Where are you looking to live? And where is your workplace (roughly)? The commute south from north county is not pretty in the morning. I went surfing in the early morning at Del Mar two weeks ago and got stuck at the 5/805 merge for 40 minutes.

username.exe

This is what persuaded us to not move to North County.

Aansell

Hi all

I've spent some time do some of the online theory tests, seem to be relatively easy/common sense for anyone who's already been driving for years. Been watching the California DMV video training on YouTube and downloaded the driver manual from the site for more specific instruction. It's not the most enthralling video to watch!

Location wise my work is based in Carlsbad, so we've been looking at Carlsbad, Encinitas, Vista (shadowridge area), and Oceanside

username.exe

All of the beach towns are lovely, but predictably more expensive. Oceanside will be a little cheaper than the others. Inland North County you can get a better deal in Vista, San Marcos, Escondido etc. Gets hotter in the summer and further from the beach. Wouldn't stray too far from N County less the commute become horrible.

Aansell

Aye, it does seem the coastal towns are a bit on the pricey side, we may just bite the bullet for a year to get the beach town experience and getting an idea for the area before moving inland for cheaper rent.

On a side note we've been looking at apartment complexes, but are starting to look at more traditional family homes. Is there anything we should be aware of that we'd need to pay on top of the rent that would be different from the norm.

So far i've got Utilities (Water,Gas,Electric)
Internet
Renters insurance

I've been told that you have to pay for refuse collection, seems odd to me as thats included in our council tax/rental price here in the uk.

Thanks

username.exe

Not that I can think of.

Nutmegger

If the town doesn't offer pickup, you can usually take it to the dump/recycling center yourself, if you don't want to hire a contractor.

bewildering

Good idea. You can get more bang for your buck by renting a normal single family home. One issue might be that you have no credit history for private landlords to examine. I'd get a letter from your employer to help with that problem. Most landlords will be very happy to rent to a professional with a family. If you can get a place west of the 5 it will be expensive, but great fun for the family.

Cardiff/Encinitas is a great place. That would be my top choice (I surf and Cardiff is amazing surf). But you can't go wrong with Carlsbad, Leucadia or Solano Beach. Oceanside is a little sketchier in parts, and has a lot of military.

My Single family home has about $90/month water, $50/month internet, home owners insurance is $50/month (renters insurance is cheaper), ~$120/month over the year gas/electric (depends on season, and if you have AC, and the summer. Last summer was remarkably hot and i had AC on a lot). I do not pay for trash collection but i am in city of San Diego. I am not sure about the cities in North County is different. I also pay for cleaning service once every 2 weeks ($80), and yard work once every 2 weeks ($20), but that should be included in rent. My biggest expense is family daycare for my toddler and infant. That is about $1000 per child

Most importantly get yourself a costco membership when you arrive. Their surfboards are only $99 each and are great to learn on (and even a sneaky pleasure for us more experienced surfers)