Philippa.Jones01

My Husband has been offered a job in the US, we have 2 children, 10 and 6 and are looking to relocate to North Carolina. We'd like to be based on the coast but are open to suggestions. Most importantly is our childrens education, so good schools are a must. Your advice on where to settle would be greatly appreciated.

penguinsix

Hi,

Do you happen to know what type of visa they are talking about? That will affect when you will be coming over, how long, and whether you will be allowed to work. It may also have an impact on whether you children can stay while in university and afterwards.

North Carolina is kind of big, basically larger than all of England, so if you have a few more details on what city you'll be in we might be able to advise you on schools, since they are generally geographically based, down to which side of the street you live on.

You may also want to check out http://www.city-data.com/forum/north-carolina/ which is a relocation forum dealing with different cities / areas.

This is our primer on schools which might help a bit as well.

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

SanDiegogirl

Where in North Carolina is your husband's job. That will dictate where you live.

Ruth16

CARY have good school ratings, but I would contact a realtor and ask them..or Google

Bob

Big state....pointless folks having suggestions if they're on the other end of the state to where work will be.

city-data.com mentioned above is a great resource though, then there's greatschools.org and also search out past threads on the state for general info as the state has come up a fair bit.

Good luck and welcome to BE

Homeiswheretheheartis

Is this a temp move or for longer, because the eduction here is quiet different.

I'm in NV so can't comment on the schools in North Carolina, but I can tell you that my son has just started Middle School aged 11. They don't offer History, Geography, any languages, RE and you can only do Art or Music.

This is going to be an issue for us as we are going to be returning to the UK.

If the move is permanent, this may not be an issue for you. Research as much as possible, ask lots of questions, none of them are stupid. I didn't ask about the History at school as I just thought they would do it like back home in the UK.

Schools and how they work vary so much in the US, each state is like its own country, so I can tell you about Las Vegas schools but North Carolina schools could be very very different. Hopefully their will be someone from there that can help.

I don't believe my son is getting a better education here in the US, he is very bright and I feel he is being limited by their very strick grade lead system. But on the other hand, I also have a daughter with learning difficulties who I feel is getting a better education here as she has more support that she had in the UK.

Good luck with your move.

Philippa.Jones01

We are moving permenantly on a local contract, and are able to live anywhere in NC due to my husband being able to work at home. As for the type of visa his company will be dealing with this, as with Healthcare etc. We'll be looking initially to rent, and as already stated NC is huge. We will be moving in the New Year. I am also interested in how to obtain credit, as we will not have a credit history, will this be a problem with renting etc?

Ruth16

Don't see why that should effect renting, no one turns down cash.

Philippa.Jones01

Thanks Bob, I have looked at city-data.com, but did not know about greatschools.org of which we'll have a look at tonight.

ian-mstm

Respectfully, there's no such thing.


Ouch... bad move! Neither you nor your husband should let the company act on your behalf without knowing, at all times, exactly what is happening. Why? Because the long-time members here have seen too many good people screwed over by the company... and don't ever think it can't happen to you! The type of visa will dictate what you can and can't do in the US. You must find out exactly what visa they're planning on pursuing.

Ian

Bob

But depending on how hot the local market is, it might be a problem, because a landlord might not have to bother worry and go with a sure bet.

Really depends on the local market, could range from anything from the renter paying realtor fees or the landlord and for paying 1-3 months worth of rent as a deposit with first and last months rent up front on signing, or not. No credit history, landlords might want to see a larger deposit, but it's usually less of a problem with private rentals over a condo type place.

To the OP, don't go on a local contract, it would mean nothing and you'd have no job security that way, certainly till you get a greencard. You need to be more pro-active about the visa and insurance situation because it is important and you need to understand it because the company lawyer is working for the company, not you, so the best interests might not be the same and often isn't.

You don't want to turn up and then get laid off after a couple of months and be left with 10 days to move back on your own dime. It does and has happened.

TimNiceBut

I agree with Bob, if it's an internal transfer you're likely to make yourself worse off by going for a local contract - less job security (NC looks like an at-will employment state), a lot less paid time off (how does ten days a year including sick days sound? That's not unusual) and health care is a big deal even if the employer offers health insurance as you have to find out exactly what they offer, what the plan is, how much it'll cost, what the deductibles are etc etc.

They're also very good at avoiding to pay out and you as the patient are responsible for the bills if the insurance decides they don't like paying for it.

Last but not least, unless either you or your husband are a USC, there is no such thing as a "permanent" move unless your employer will eventually sponsor you for a GC. Depending on your visa, I would have it written into the contract that your employer will begin the GC process as soon as you move to the US.

As to the location, I'd make _very_ sure that you husband can actually work from home, a lot of employers over here are about as keen on that as they are in the UK (ie, not very). Again, have that written into the contract to avoid the situation that your husband finds himself suddenly travelling 300 miles a day because this matter wasn't discussed properly beforehand.

Philippa.Jones01

The company are covering the medical insurance, it is a permenant job, along with sponsorship for a GC, a significant increase in salary and working from home. Along with 32 vacation days, 7 paid public holidays.
All I asked for was advice on moving to NC, in regard to location and schooling, I didn't realise personal circumstances and the contract needed to be discussed too.

TimNiceBut

Well, I apologize for trying to be helpful, especially given that your earlier posts suggest that you might not be completely familiar with the way things work over here. For example as you don't even seem to be aware what visa you're being sent over on, which has massive implications on simple things like if you're able to work or not.

For example, 32 vacation days (what about sick days? Any mention of that?) does suggest you're on anything but a local contract. Most people over here would probably kill for that amount of vacation.

A lot of people come in here and ask similar questions to yours and haven't covered or aren't aware of the differences between the UK and the US, so having some actual information to go on might allow us to try and help you also think about issues that you might not be aware of.

ian-mstm

I hope you've got it in writing that they will sponsor you by a specific date... because if you don't, it's as likely that they'll conveniently forget. There is no obligation on the company's part, ever, to sponsor for a GC. Why? Because once you have a GC, you have no obligation to work for the company!


I've got to agree with TNB on this. We're trying to help you... because we've seen things go tits up many, many times - because the person posting wasn't aware of any number of issues prior to tossing their hat in the ring.

You say you're on top of things... great! Do you know what visa you'll be getting? In a few years - since this is a permenant [sic] job - your children might want to work part-time, or get a driver's license. That all boils down to visa eligibility.

Ian