boogiemonkey

Good morning,
I am desperate for some insight and help before we make a very big decision and move to Atlanta.
My husband works for an American company who have offered to relocate us all to Atlanta should we want. They are very supportive and have offered us a very generous relocation package with everything taken care of. My husband is very keen, given the economy in the UK (I’m sure I don’t need to get into the details) he is adamant America is the place to be right now. We have 3 children yr4, yr2 and one due to start reception in September. Our children are bright and doing really well at school, top of their class both of them. We live in an area with lots of amazing secondary school options (reason we moved here from London) and we’ve worked really hard to get them (and us) settled here and doing well. My husband and I are both immigrants to the UK 17 years ago but we are both not far from this part of the world so it’s easy to travel and go see family when we need to.
we’ve visited Atlanta and the US numerous times on holiday so I am familiar with the US but every instinct in me is telling me this isn’t what it all seems to be. Given how much more expensive it is any extra money he will be making is going to be eaten up so quickly. But my major concern is the schooling for our children and the quality of things like food, holidays and access to the rest of the world, I’m worried it’s very isolating over.
I guess my question is has anyone moved from the UK to Atlanta in recent years with similar age children who can tell me how they found it? Was it the right move for you or did you regret it? How do you find the schools over there and culture in general? To be honest I’m looking for any advice as I really do not know what to do. My head is saying this is a great opportunity and we should take it and my heart is really not in it at all and my anxiety and worry is not making me sleep and is putting a strain on our marriage.
I should add my husband is the only one working, I stay at home with the children.
Thank you

Moses2013

Where are you living now and the same rules apply everywhere that it's more down to location, personal situation/preferences rather than the whole country. I could happily live in Abersoch but living in the middle of London would be my nightmare, the US will be no different. At the end of the day it all comes down to budget and how you live now. What does the salary get you in Atlanta compared to where you live right now? Even if somebody had a successful move to Atlanta and told you that, worth nothing if you already achieved what they are still trying to achieve. Just saying, look at your personal situation first and what are you hoping to achieve?

christmasoompa

A full corporate relocation should mean you don't have to worry about it being more expensive, but not sure what you mean by 'everything taken care of'? Does it include a cost of living adjustment? Housing? Cars?

If it does, then I'd say go for it personally. Your children are young enough that it won't impact their schooling if you decide to do it for a couple of years and then return to the excellent schools for secondary education. It is a great way to have an adventure without risking too much (depending on exactly what's included in the 'very generous relocation package').

But that's just me. The fact that you've titled your thread 'major concerns' and say that you are suffering from anxiety and it's putting a strain on your marriage already rings alarm bells tbh, if you feel like this when only considering the move. As somebody about to move for my husband's job, which has been a long time coming, trust me when I say it only gets more stressful the closer you get! I'm currently drowning under to do lists, ready for the packers to arrive in a week's time. But I'm still super excited about the move and can't wait to get there, if you're feeling anxious about it and don't want to go, then that's going to be awful.

Could you do a trip out there but a reccie trip rather than holiday maybe, so go and look at schools, areas, etc, and see what you think? That may help with the decision making and if it's a good relocation package, the company should pay for you to do that.

Good luck with deciding, and welcome to the forum.

excpomea

My son lives in Atlanta,
He's very happy with it.
He lives in the NE side of the city.
I suppose you should state what sort of salary he is expecting to make. This would give us a good idea as to the area you could relocate to.
Will you work? You state you are no originally from the UK, where are you from? There are many expat communities around Atlanta that would ease the transition.
Thankfully your children are still very young so they will transition very quickly.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

SanDiegogirl

With 3 young children, doubt whether Mum is going to find it isolating. With all the activities kids do these days, she's going to spend a lot of time ferrying kids back and forth and meeting other Mums doing the same.
Most different things money wise are paying for health insurance and also property taxes (expensive compared to council tax)
As said, has hubby got a good relocation package, an uplift in wages and, if it does not work out, has he got an agreement that company will relocate him and family back to UK?

tht

If you already live away from family and don’t have that support network this should be less of change than others have who have that local support network.

Atlanta is the worlds busiest airport so I think you will be OK for transport links….


Big global companies like ICE are HQ’ed there and like anywhere I am sure you will be able to find good food etc if you pay…

Do you know what visa you will be on, if your husband comes in a L1a, you could work on an L2S, if it’s an H1b you have less options. And if you decide you like it and want to remain you will need a Green Card, the L1a will be the easiest path to that.

If you won’t work it’s worth noting that you can file tax’s as a married couple here which can reduce tax paid if only 1 person works.

The biggest thing to look at if you own a house in the UK and other investments is what the impact is if you only remain in the us for a few years vs. if you decide to stay. Timing can have very big tax implications, especially when selling a home that has been a primary residence.

SanDiegogirl

But my major concern is the schooling for our children and the quality of things like food, holidays and access to the rest of the world, I’m worried it’s very isolating over.

You are going to America, not outer Mongolia .... presuming you have a decent wage coming in, all the above can be achieved; good quality food, holidays and plenty of airports going to all over the world.
True, flying to Europe will be a 5 to 6 hour journey and not the quick 90 minute hop as from the UK .....