What to do pre/post move
Nov 25th 2024 | 8:15 am
#16
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 10,058
From: Milwaukie, Oregon
Re: What to do pre/post move
Nov 28th 2024 | 2:17 pm
#17
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Posts: 3,349
From: Lauren's Co. SC by way of Palmetto, Florida
Re: What to do pre/post move
Word to the wise, if you have previously opted to receive an SSN it is best to wait for it to come, as annoying as that wait may be.
I was keen to get started working ASAP and sort out driving license etc when I first arrived so I went and hassled my local office, several times if I recall. At the time that the office sorted it out they discovered that on that very day a number had been issued and I now had two numbers. Quite a bit of back office faffing ensued. Apparently, if you hang out with the likes of Tony Soprano then two SSN's can have their uses but a new immigrant probably does not want to start their journey on that footing! I never did find out what the second number was...
I was keen to get started working ASAP and sort out driving license etc when I first arrived so I went and hassled my local office, several times if I recall. At the time that the office sorted it out they discovered that on that very day a number had been issued and I now had two numbers. Quite a bit of back office faffing ensued. Apparently, if you hang out with the likes of Tony Soprano then two SSN's can have their uses but a new immigrant probably does not want to start their journey on that footing! I never did find out what the second number was...
Nov 28th 2024 | 2:38 pm
#18
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From: Lauren's Co. SC by way of Palmetto, Florida
Re: What to do pre/post move
Oh, and a warm welcome from upstate South Carolina.
Are you headed to the upstate (that means the Greenville area to most people), midlands (that'll be the Columbia area), coastal lowlands (Charleston area), Rock Hill (commuter zone for Charlotte NC) or whatever they call the shithole area around Myrtle Beach?
Are you headed to the upstate (that means the Greenville area to most people), midlands (that'll be the Columbia area), coastal lowlands (Charleston area), Rock Hill (commuter zone for Charlotte NC) or whatever they call the shithole area around Myrtle Beach?
Nov 28th 2024 | 6:43 pm
#19
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Joined: May 2022
Posts: 114
From: Teesside
Re: What to do pre/post move
Oh, and a warm welcome from upstate South Carolina.
Are you headed to the upstate (that means the Greenville area to most people), midlands (that'll be the Columbia area), coastal lowlands (Charleston area), Rock Hill (commuter zone for Charlotte NC) or whatever they call the shithole area around Myrtle Beach?
Are you headed to the upstate (that means the Greenville area to most people), midlands (that'll be the Columbia area), coastal lowlands (Charleston area), Rock Hill (commuter zone for Charlotte NC) or whatever they call the shithole area around Myrtle Beach?
Yes, i've found a house in Boiling Spings just outside of Spartanburg.
oh, my SSC has arrived alreasy so I'm glad I didn't manage to get an appointment in Michigan when I was there.
Thanks all
Derek
Nov 29th 2024 | 6:59 am
#20
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From: Lauren's Co. SC by way of Palmetto, Florida
Re: What to do pre/post move
Nice spot, I'm about 45 miles south of there, which will make me one of your closest neighbours.from the Old Country.
Dec 1st 2024 | 8:36 pm
#21
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From: Teesside
Re: What to do pre/post move
Good to know, we looked at a few places around Spartanburg but some where just a little too far away from shops etc and Boiling Springs seemed to have everything we wanted.
Dec 12th 2024 | 8:09 pm
#22
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From: Teesside
Re: What to do pre/post move
Most states have a very similar process for obtaining a drivers license, and for staters you can't just swap your UK licence for a local one. You will likely have to do [1] a "written test" (on a computer), and so you should download and read the SC DMV manual (local equivalent to the "Highway Code"), just Google <SC DMV>, and particularly focus on the rules for driving around school buses (when to stop for them) and rules against drink driving, as both seem to be favorite topics for the written test (generally speaking, I did my test in New York, and you only ever do the test once. If you ever move to another state you can swap any state license for another one with minimal formalities). Other things which have rules that you likely aren't familar with include railroad crossings and warning signs, which are various shapes, but always yellow - a round one is for a railroad crossing, a house-shaped one is for a school, and a penant is a no-passing zone (also marked with solid center lines on the road).
Oh, and [2] you will have to take a road test. It will probably take around 10 minutes, and you could likely pass it blindfold, and with one hand tied behind your back! Seriously, so long as you don't actually kill anyone, or even worse, pass a stopped school bus,
you will pass .... there is a reason why US driving standards are so terrible.
Oh, and [2] you will have to take a road test. It will probably take around 10 minutes, and you could likely pass it blindfold, and with one hand tied behind your back! Seriously, so long as you don't actually kill anyone, or even worse, pass a stopped school bus,
you will pass .... there is a reason why US driving standards are so terrible. as you said both were pretty easy, questions around the school bus and a few on braking distances, nearly all were pretty obvious, I had one on the weight restriction of a certain class of vehicle that I got wrong but that was it, the road test as you suggested was about 10 mins included a short drive, with a few stops to show parking on a hill, a 3 point turn and back to the test center for a parallel park... all good and the people at the DMV were VERY helpful, only downside is I need to decide if I want to now do my motorcycle license (which I had in the UK) as it's a separate test but looking at the driving here probably not
Dec 13th 2024 | 2:34 am
#23
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,356
From: Dixie, ex UK
Re: What to do pre/post move
I sat my computer and road test yesterday and passed as you said both were pretty easy, questions around the school bus and a few on braking distances, nearly all were pretty obvious, I had one on the weight restriction of a certain class of vehicle that I got wrong but that was it, the road test as you suggested was about 10 mins included a short drive, with a few stops to show parking on a hill, a 3 point turn and back to the test center for a parallel park... all good and the people at the DMV were VERY helpful, only downside is I need to decide if I want to now do my motorcycle license (which I had in the UK) as it's a separate test but looking at the driving here probably not
as you said both were pretty easy, questions around the school bus and a few on braking distances, nearly all were pretty obvious, I had one on the weight restriction of a certain class of vehicle that I got wrong but that was it, the road test as you suggested was about 10 mins included a short drive, with a few stops to show parking on a hill, a 3 point turn and back to the test center for a parallel park... all good and the people at the DMV were VERY helpful, only downside is I need to decide if I want to now do my motorcycle license (which I had in the UK) as it's a separate test but looking at the driving here probably not
