guynkate

Hi,
I am new to this forum and would firstly like to say hello
My company (a large global) has offered to send me and my family on a Secondmant for initially 12/18 months.
I do know that this will be with an L1 visa and this seems to tick the right boxes.
The company will cover all rental/utility, medical, tax, car rental and so forth
I will stay on a UK contract and be paid into my UK account (my company sorts all the tax side out).

We are a mid 30's couple with 2 girls, who will be aged 6 and 4 in September (which is the approximate date if we decide to accept), so I have read that the school is pretty much based on your address.

So my first question would be, which areas should we be looking at based on being being a young family, looking for good schools.

I would say that we are mid to upper class and that from a rental perspective we have a high cap.

My wife is very unsure on such a big move and I would like to get as much info as possible before we make a decision, our intention would be to store everything in UK (as we currently rent) and save the money for a deposit for our own place as we will pratically live for free whilst in Charlotte

Thanks in advance for your advice

penguinsix

Hi and welcome to the boards.

Some of the folks from North Carolina are just waking up now so expect to have a few messages before you go to bed.

One good site to look at is City Data. It's a relocation messageboard that often talks about this neighborhood vs. that neighborhood.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/charlotte/

Your package sounds like a pretty good deal. Please note that even if you are getting paid into your UK account, your US tax return will probably require all worldwide income to be reported and taxes paid appropriately. If you are sorting this and that in the package, you should request as a benefit a 'tax accountant' to handle your first year US / UK tax returns, at the very least. Also note even if they are handling all that, your name is still on the return and are liable for any errors.

You'll have to figure out how to handle the age/years difference that exist as your youngest, ready for reception in the UK, is probably not going to be in school next year as the USA starts kindergarten at 5 in most places (there are some that start at 4--depends where you live). Your oldest may be put in an age appropriate class (first grade) rather than Grade 2 which she would likely be entering in the UK. The wiki has a long discussion on that point your should review.

Here is our primer on schools you might want to review.

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

lisa67

Hi and welcome,

Although we didn't move to NC so I can't help you with that side of things, we did move here when my kids were 3 and 5 on a 2 year project and we've been here now for 13 years.
We decided to come initially for the experience of living in another part of the world and see what we could before heading home but liked it so much we decided to stay.
Come over with an open mind and have fun! See as much of the states as you can while you're here and you'll give your kids an experience they'll never forget.

Pulaski

I've been here working in Charlotte for ten years, and could write a book on the subject. For now I will say you will need to look for housing in south Charlotte, from the city centre south between I77 to the west and Independence Blvd to the East, though not close to either. The central areas of focus for you will be South Park, and Ballantyne.

The schools in the area are considered to be the best in the area, there are also several large private schools, and if you're only expecting to be here for a few years you might want to consider the British American School , which is close to Johnston Rd at it's intersection with I485. (More info to follow )

guynkate

Thanks for the input, from what limited information I have so far, I would be working just north of the Mineral Springs area.
Is commuting bad would there be more than an option of driving?
Thanks

Pulaski

Driving outwards from Charlotte will be no problem at all... .. though Waxhaw (just to the west of Mineral Springs) is a really nice area - move there and you won't want to leave! Houses are typically 4,000-5,000 sqft, .... though I'm not sure what would be available to rent in that area. If you were to commute from the South Park area, you could probably expect about a half hour drive. If you're interested in the BA School, do not plan on your wife driving west along I485 during the rush hour between Independence Blvd and Johnston Rd - it backs up every day, and road works are about to start to widen it, which will make the problems worse for the next 2-3 years.

Depending on exactly what you want, there are also very nice flats (condos) in the south Charlotte area, so if you're not looking for a large house and, by British standards, a massive garden, don't be necessarily put off by a high end flat.

If you were to live in the Mineral Springs/ Waxhaw area you'd be in Union County, which is separate from Charlotte-Mecklenburg school district (CMS). Union county has benefitted from what has been labeled "white flight" from Charlotte. Schools in south Charlotte are still considered to be the best by far in Charlotte, though I honestly don't know how they compare to Union county schools, but are likely similar and (very) acceptable to you.

Pulaski

Which is why I would strongly encourage consideration of the British American School for children who are likely to return to the UK in a few years.

The BA School also has preschool years, so could accommodate a 4 year old.

notonuksoil

Hi
I can't offer any info on NC but can on our experience.
We came over in 2003 with a very similar relocation deal that you have been given and our kids were 18 months and 5. We looked at it as an opportunity to live overseas short term with a relativity low risk.
Hubby retained all his UK terms and conditions which meant he had considerably more holiday than his American colleagues plus he also got the US holidays that he didn't get in the UK. We took full advantage of this and did lots of travelling within the US
After the 2 years we returned to the UK.
Within 6 months of returning to the UK we really missed the US and it took us another 18 months to move back here. We now have GC's
If your wife is unsure and you are only planning to come over for 12/18 months tell her to look at it as an "extended vacation" with lots of new shops to explore and great weather

English Muffin

Pulaski has pretty much said all that needs to be said. I don't have kids so I can't offer any advice regarding schools etc. but I've been a resident of south Charlotte for almost five years and love living here. I live in an area called Carmel Commons, which is close to Ballantyne and I would recommend it to anyone.

Apart from the I-485 issue of course!

If you really want to keep your mid/upper class lifestyle of living then Myers Park is somewhere you'd want to look at too.

fog

Hi
It is a bit cheeky but I would love to know you get on with the schools etc. I am in a similar situation to you except moving next year but my kids are the same age.
Thanks

penguinsix

This always makes me nervous when people say this.

Here's why--taxes are YOUR responsibility. Many people have come over saying "company is sorting this" but sometimes the company doesn't have a clue what they are doing in international assignments, or worse, they have a clue and try to do something the wrong way to save themselves a bit of hassle.

You are working in the USA regardless of where you contract is signed and where your paycheck is deposited. As such, you are required to file US tax returns on your income. Also as such, your company is required to make tax withholding payments to the IRS, along with unemployment payments and Medicare/Social Security payments that are the responsibility of the company (similar to PAYE expenses in the UK). To do this, they have to have a US presence set up (like a shell company) or register as an overseas corporation and fill out reams of paperwork to the US government.

Now, many big companies do this. They have a US subsidiary for the purposes of payments and tax withholding and whatnot. But some do not, either because they don't know or because they don't want the hassle of filing all this paperwork to the US. If the company doesn't comply with the law and make the payments required, then the US will come after you for the 'employer's share' of the payments.

To illustrate, say you are making $100,000 a year working for a USA company. The USA company actually pays $112,000 a year, with $12,000 for the employer's share of certain taxes, and then they withhold say $30,000 of your income as tax, which they submit to the government quarterly. Now, if your company is a UK company and doesn't do this, guess who pays that added $12,000 a year? You do. So instead of $100,000 a year your income is now $88,000 a year (and you still have to pay personal income tax on that $88,000). You also have to make quarterly estimated tax payments to the government as well. It's all quite annoying.

I don't know the specifics of your company or their tax policy, but I would encourage you to 'dig a little' into this issue and not just accept a "we'll take care of it all" response. Ask them how they will handle US withholding and unemployment expenses, and how they will submit things like W-2s to you for your tax filing purposes.

Good luck with the move.

Pulaski

They posted three times on the same day almost three months ago, and have never been back since, at least not to post. At this point, experience on BE suggests that the chances of them ever posting again is slim to none.

Pulaski

They posted three times on the same day almost three months ago, and have never been back since, at least not to post. At this point, experience on BE suggests that the chances of them ever posting again is slim to none.

fog

Ahhh .. Oh well looks like I might have to start asking my own questions now
Does anyone have any opinions on the SC side of Charlotte, we have a severely disabled 6 year old and it looks like SC is better about Medicaid (which comes in handy as health insurance won't cover wheelchairs and they cost about $4000)?
Also in Dallas there was an Expat Meetup group which was a lot of fun, is there anything like that is Charlotte? I googled it but can't find it.
Thanks

Orangepants

I live on the SC side of Charlotte but I don't know anything about health care/Medicaid or schools as no children planned! I live on the lake and it is a fabulous boating community, only downside have to drive 40 mins for a decent restaurant and OH has to drive on the horrendous I-485 most days.
No meetup here I don't think. Once went to a Brit meetup in Indianapolis when we mistakenly moved there for 6 months - it was awful and vowed never to go to one again!