Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Hi all, I am looking for some advice regarding schools and the UK/US education systems. I have searched the forum but I cannot find anyone with a similar situation so hopefully someone can help.

My employer has offered me a 2 year assignment in the US, Chicago or Dallas would be preferred locations but there is some flexibility to move elsewhere. This could be extended to 4 years or maybe even become a permanent move.

I have two daughters currently aged 10 and 13. The move is proposed to happen in January 24 so my youngest will be in Year 6 and eldest in Year 9. Both girls are outgoing and performing well academically so I don't want either of them to be compromised by this move.

Fortunately my employer recognises the critical stage of my eldest daughters education so they will pay for private school for her to complete GCSE's (or other internationally recognised qualification) and offer some flexibility to extend my assignment to allow her to complete the school year in the US but my youngest would currently be expected to attend a public school as the stage of her education is not viewed as being so critical.

This forms the basis of my first question, does anyone have experience of a child moving between the UK/US systems between Year 6 and Year 9? I am concerned that changing between the education systems within a couple of years will mean these two years of education are 'lost' due to the differences in the school systems.

My second question is related to my eldest daughter, there are very limited options to study GCSE's or IGCSE's in the US so the International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program (IB MYP) seems to be a suitable alternative and much more widely available. However, the MYP is only an internationally recognised qualification if the student completes an external assessment (eAssessment) and based on the IB website, out of 747 schools offering the IB MYP only one school offers the eAssessment! Does anyone have any experience in completing the MYP with eAssessment in the US?

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

You should take a look at the British International Schools in the US as one of those may be a solution to your concerns.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Thanks Pulaski. I have looked into the British School in Chicago but as this is right in the city to make the commute workable we would realistically need to live in the city. We currently live in a rural village and have a dog so city centre/apartment living isn't really what we are looking for. Houston might be an option as the school is in the suburbs but then I would not be near an office so makes the value of the move questionable.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Is Charlotte, NC an option for you? While traffic on the south side (where the school is located) isn't the best, it's not bad compared to larger cities, and isn't far from the commuter train line into the city center ("up town" in Charlotte-speak), and there are outer suburbs and rural areas within a short drive of the school.

I think you will find the summer weather in the Charlotte area more agreeable than anywhere in Texas, though it's still hot and sticky, and I am certain you will find the winter weather in Charlotte more agreeable than in Chicago! :lol:

Full disclosure: I live in NC, and used to commute into Charlotte, though mostly WFH these days. My wife and I actually visited the British International School in Charlotte (a decade ago) when considering a school for our daughter, though, despite being very impressed with the school, we decided it wasn't the best option for her, primarily because at that time it only offered education to age 16.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

I hadn't considered Charlotte but it sounds like its worth investigating further. I have been told there is flexibility on location so I'll test that statement and see what the feedback is! As you live in the area how is the airport for direct connections to major US cities?

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

CLT is an American Airlines hub, so there are direct flights to almost all major cities, and many lesser ones east of the Mississippi. Other airlines also serve CLT because it is also an international gateway with some flights to Europe, and also to the Caribbean and Central America. The only downside is the ticket prices from CLT are higher than many other airports.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Sounds like you're in a very similar position to us - also a 2 year expat assignment with a choice of locations (with potential to stay if we want, we have green cards). We also lived in a rural location in the UK and have dogs, so didn't want a city centre which discounted NYC for us (the British school is in Manhattan), and we wanted to be on the east coast for shorter flight times to/from the UK. We decided on Boston for various reasons and moved here recently, and our son starts at the British school in a couple of weeks. They do GCSE's there, I'd imagine most other British schools offer either the IB or GCSE's as options too? If you think there is a good chance you will return to the UK at the end of 2/2.5 years then locations with a British school are worth shortlisting so your daughter can do GCSE's and then return for A Levels.

What age does your employer offer private schooling for? My husband's company offers it for any child in secondary school, not sure if yours is the same but could be worth negotiating so they can both go to a British school in case you do return?

Best of luck to you.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

From the wording I presume you are excited by this opportunity?

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Unfortunately my employer is only offering to pay for my eldest due to her needing to complete her GCSE’s. I guess they will do the same for my youngest if the assignment is extended.

I think we are settled on going to a British School so just need to decide which city.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

This is a good question! It is a great opportunity for me career wise but I am also quite apprehensive about the impact such a move might have on my family.

Our life in the UK is pretty good, the kids are settled and doing well at school, my wife has a good job, we have friends and family close by plus we have recently bought and refurbished a beautiful house.

I have always needed a bit of a shove to make any major life changes (changing jobs, moving house etc) so maybe I need to take this offer as the latest ‘shove’ and just go for it!

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Thanks for sharing! Have you spent much time in the US? All that glitters is not gold has been my experience.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Don't sell your lovely house then.... just taking a 2 year stint in the US might be just that..... so you'll want to return to it.
Presume your wife will have the necessary visa to get a job.... although for just 2 years she'll probably not bother.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Others experience differs.

ChappersUK Don't let others rain on your parade even before you arrive. I think, generally, America turns out to be what you expect it to be. If you're not "all in" on the idea, as is sometimes the case with trailing spouses, then you don't enjoy the experience, but if you have your own dreams (whatever they are) of experiencing life in the US then that experience can be fantastic.

In my case, on the day I arrived here to live, I had visited the US IIRC seven times, totalling less than three months. Of that time, one week was the week before I got married, and another was spent interviewing for jobs in New York. My only experience of working in the US was a 2 week assignment to Chicago.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Again, we were in a very similar situation. We loved our life in the UK, had an amazing house there that we'd renovated ourselves over a decade, and our kids were in great schools. But we've come for the adventure, a new life experience, and the impact it will have on our finances and my husband's career. Frankly it was just too good an opportunity to turn down. We're just going to take it as it comes, make sure we make the most of it whilst we're here, and then we'll see what we think in a year or 18 months. But we are in the fortunate position of being here for our son's last 2 years of school, so if we go back to the UK in 2025 he won't have to adjust to going back to school there, obviously that's different for you.

I wish you the best of luck in deciding.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Thanks for all your comments.

I have been travelling to the US regularly for the last couple of years with trips often extending over a weekend so I have had time to do ‘normal’ activities (going to mall, walks in local area, colleagues house for BBQ) and not just going between the airport, hotel and office. We have also been on holiday a few times so we have a bit of an idea of what to expect.

Fortunately my company are covering house rental costs so we are not under pressure to sell our home but we may rent it out. Aside from the additional income renting would provide I feel that not having the convenience of an empty house to return to might help us focus on settling in the US.

My wife will have a working visa (we would be on H-1B) as part of the move so once the kids are settled she will probably look for some part time work,

We have decided that the best option for my eldest will be a British school so she can complete her GCSE’s and hopefully slot straight back into A Levels if we return to the UK. I am still in discussion with my company regarding private school for my youngest but if that doesn’t work out hopefully a top rated junior high school will provide a good enough standard of education that she is not too out of sync with the schools in the UK.

I’ve been given freedom to base myself wherever works best for the schools and our lifestyle so I have been looking at Charlotte and Houston as options. I think I am leaning towards Houston as despite the summer heat I like the idea of year round sun plus the schools look good if my youngest ends up at a public school.

The more I look into it all I feel it is a great opportunity to be able to experience life in another country for a couple of years without the commitment of a permanent move.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

We were in a similar situation many moons ago but our children were only aged 4 and 6. A company paid move with rental support etc, etc was too good an opportunity to miss in our opinion so we went for the 2 year assignment in Houston, which was renewed for another 2 years in another city, Baton Rouge. It worked out so well that we ended up transferring permanently and it we all had a fantastic experience. The position I took had been filled by another colleague, who I knew well, and he had moved with his wife and 2 small children but his wife hated being away from home so after 2 years they came back. That cemented our decision to go because it was likely to be a great adventure but if it was bad for any of us, it was only 2 years.

We kept our lovely house in England and rented it out until we made the move permanent after 5 years in the USA.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

I know someone with more expertise will correct me, but I thought it was only possible for the dependent spouse to work if the visa holder had already applied for permanent residency?

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Eligibility to work in the US as an H1B dependant

To be eligible for employment authorization as an H1B dependant:

• You must be the spouse of an H1B non-immigrant worker.
• You must have applied for and been granted H-4 visa status.
• The H1B worker must be on track to attain a Green Card, that is they hold an approved Immigrant Petition for Alien Worker form I-140, or have been granted an extension to their H1B status under sections 106(a) and (b) of the American Competitiveness in the 21st Century Act (AC21).
• As an H-4 visa holder, you must reside in the US at the time of your EAD application.

Note that H-4 status unmarried children under 21 years of age are not eligible for an EAD.

The OP said in his first post that his employer had offered him the job in the US; and he's getting a relocation package

Surely he would be moving on an L-1 ????

Then his wife could work from day one

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

It looks like I'm wrong. :o .... I misread the page that SDG cited.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

I think the OP is on an L-1 visa ...... Maybe he can check and let us know.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

OP stated H1b already today, and given lottery timing (if not exempt) they should already have the visa, else it’s a hyperthetical until they are selected.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Sorry, you are all correct I will be on an L1A. I am on holiday so used google rather than checking my emails!

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Then your wife should get an L2S stamp on arrival (which is like an EAD) and be able to work from day 1 in theory and 2-3 weeks after arrival in practice (having her SSN in hand).

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

A SSN is not necessary to start work, and I myself started working just a couple of business days after arriving in the US, which was more than a week before my SSN arrived. There was no problem putting me on the corporate payroll with an all zeros SSN, and the understanding that I would advise my employer of my SSN when I was notified of it myself.

And [1] that was a career job at a large corporation, not a cash-in-hand or low level service job, and [2] my employer had not sponsored a visa for me, I was a "local hire" equivalent to a USC in my employer's eyes, so they had no documentation in their files of my status - they knew I was a new immigrant, they just weren't part of the process.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

I live near Charlotte, it's a decent enough place to live but is a very bland city. The city center is very bland and corporate, and the rest of the area is just big suburban sprawl. The weather is definitely better than Texas or Florida though (summers are hot but not nearly as long and miserable as those two states).

I'm not too familiar with Boston but that would probably be my pick among the cities with official British schools. Though those inner suburban neighborhoods of Boston and adjacent suburban towns are renowned as being very expensive.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

Charlotte reminds me a lot of Toronto - a good place to live, but almost no reason to visit. It's a struggle to find a couple of things to do when visitors come to stay that don't provoke thoughts of "Is that what we came to see?" :confused:

For children, teenagers, and the young at heart, the "Carowinds", local theme park is one of the better ones that isn't in Orlando.

Re: Relocating for 2 Year Assignment
 

It is crazy expensive (our house is quite a bit smaller than our UK home, yet three times the price - and we lived in one of the most expensive parts of the UK!), but if the OP is coming on a fixed term expat assignment then hopefully that will all be taken care of for them. They do say above that housing is, I'd assume they'll get a cost of living adjustment too.

If they have a choice of cities then it might be worth them asking what the housing allowance for each would be, and the cost of living adjustment, as that may factor in to the decision as well.