mmac88

HI there, ive had a look around the section and saw various questions and answers, but wondering if someone can help me out.

I recently got offered a job transfer through my work to California, which i couldnt be happier with.

Thing is contract talks are coming up now and was wondering what kind of things you guys think i should try and negotiate into the contract.

Already i have asked for full GC sponsorship, which they have agreed to, also some accomodations and possibly a rental car.......do you think there is anything else??

Thanks in advance

Mark

Noorah101

Get a specific date in writing when they will start your green card application.

Make sure you have good health coverage through the employer...read up on it and get the figures ahead of time, so you can budget accordingly.

Rene

The Horticulturalist

Others will be along shortly I'm sure with a bigger list.
I would ask to keep your UK holiday allowance, it's certain to be more than you would get here.
Healthcare - what are they offering?

Do you know where exactly in California it will be and where you plan to live? That would help in terms of knowing whether your salary offer is enough to live on or not.

joto

Get in writing that you will get your belongings transported to where you will be living, and back again, if unfortunately, things don't work out.
What visa will you have, and if it includes wife and kids, if you have them. Will they do flights for you to come and interview or have a look at the place you will be living and working in? Have a look at the costs of renting/buying in the area.

SanDiegogirl

Your salary should be at least what you get in the UK, with an uplift for living in the LA area.

I moved to Silicon Valley and had (I think) a 10% uplift because of the higher cost of living there. I came from the South East area of London. You might find, coming from Scotland, that LA is much more expensive.

I understand that YOU have put in for the transfer, not your company asking you to re-locate. You might find that you have less room to negotiate in this situation.

mmac88

Ok i will start from the top. Yes it was me who asked for the transfer but my company have been rather forthcoming with everything.

Im 99% sure that they are applying for a L1A visa for me, according to the law firms emails.

They are willing to cover the costs of transporting my belongings, to be honest isnt alot. I am travelling alone, and as i stay at home just now i dont really have too much to move.

The company are also going to cover 100% Health care, which i believe to be a good thing.

I am going to be working out of their Westminster office, so have been looking around the area of Fullerton as a kind of start for somewhere to live, as its close to work and also close to where my friends stay(Chino Hills)

Flights to have a look around, and holidays i will have to try and negotiate in the coming weeks.....anything else?

Bink

SanDiegoGirl is right, this is more than likely to going to affect the answers that you get too.

There's no standard, but typically from what I've read on here and my own experiences most people that are asked to relocate (rather than pushing for it themselves) ask/get something along the lines of the following (the actual amounts vary):

- All visa/legal costs paid by company
- Shipping allowance (up to a full container but many get a monetary value)
- Cash moving allowance (to buy white goods etc)
- Temporary accommodation (anywhere from a couple of weeks to 6 months)
- Car hire/lease (again length of time varies massively)
- Tax preparation for year of transfer and first full year
- Round trip flight for first few years back to UK
- Reccie trip to scope the place out

In addition, make sure you have healthcare provided by your employer.

From what I've seen on here, people who request transfers typically don't get the above list so if you really want to relocate here then anything you can get from the list is a bonus.

Good luck!

Nutmegger

I'd suggest that you clarify this statement with them -- they may cover 100% of your premiums, but whether that will cover 100% of the cost of medical care is possibly a different matter.

Noorah101

This doesn't really mean much. Does that mean the company covers 100% of your premium payments? But make sure you understand how the plan really works...can you choose your own doctor? Is it an 80/20 plan where company pays 80% of the medical costs and you pay 20%? Is it the kind where you have to visit an in-network doctor and have a $20 copay per visit? What are the yearly caps? How are prescriptions covered? Etc. Make sure you understand what you will have to pay out-of-pocket.

Rene

SanDiegogirl

re: Healthcare. It is very unusual for companies to pay 100% healthcare premiums. What this term usually means is "yes, we have a 100% healthcare policy"

The way it works is that the company pays a percentage of the premiums and the employee pays the rest. The premium is taken out of your salary each bi-weekly and can be a couple hundred dollars for a single,young guy.

The employee then - usually- pays deductibles, co-pays etc when they have medical treatment up to a certain amount each year

It is important to check what your company's healthcare policy is and what it will cost you. I'd be very surprised if your company is going to fund 100% of the costs.

The Horticulturalist

Just thinking that myself! You will almost certainly have out of pocket costs for healthcare and should adjust your budget accordingly.
If you are well and have no chronic illnesses (asthma?) then an occasional visit to the doctor won't break the bank, but it can be very costly if you require ongoing treatment or tests.

Just had to fork out nearly $200 for my son last week after a dose of swimmers ear (outer ear infection), it cost $25 for the Drs visit, $10 for one eardrop type and about $160 for the other one, that's with prescription cover on our insurance.

mmac88

Lastly on the healthcare, as stated by everyone, something i will have to look into and ask about. I didnt realise there were so many variables within this.

Site paying off again,

Thanks

Bink

Yep! I had to take my 10 month old son to urgent care on sunday as he has been throwing up. $75 for urgent care with insurance, and I have a good policy too. I was at $15 for the prescription with insurance. Out of hours kicked up the price for me otherwise would have been a $20 copay.
My premium is 100% paid but I still have to pay contributions for my wife and son.

SanDiegogirl

White goods to me means fridge, washing machine, dish washer etc. You will most likely to staying in a rented apartment and if its any good it will come with these commodities.

Bink

By white goods, I mean electrical items; fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, tv/stereo etc, kitchen items (coffee machine etc). Typically white goods is only considered to be fridge/freezer, dishwasher, washer/dryer etc but I've expanded it slightly here.

Some of these you may get in an apartment but you may find that you don't, and these things typically won't work in the US as they're normally fized voltage input (or at least limited input). Things like laptops etc typically you can just bring across and use an adaptor as they normally work on a 100-240V range (or similar).

EDIT: actually you really want it to cover buying a new bed, mattress, sheets, linen etc etc etc. It's very expensive starting from scratch.