Re: will we cope??
 

Bus and Trax (rail) service in the metro area are okay, but if they end up in Provo (BYU) they are going to be severely limited in mobility. They would absolutely need a car, and car insurance alone would blow their minds. Is the appeal of coming to the motherland of the church the driving force here? I know of many Mormons that came over because of the desire to be close to the LDS headquarters and were quite disappointed that it was not as expected. The faith here is distinctly more staunch than the wards outside the state/country and the foreigners were not exactly embraced the way the doctrine suggests they do. This is quite a closed community because most are born and bred here.

Re: will we cope??
 

Tegwyn, that is not the reason at all. My husband wanted to do an MBA for a while we look into doing it here and it is very expensive. BYU is a good school, great for families and also "cheaper" for us. At the same time we have been thinking of emigrating (Canada is my first choice but not my DH's) we have been to Provo a few times as we have family there and we really like it. So it kind of gave us the idea.
I don't have the "rose tinted glasses" on regarding the members there. I also have been born and bred in the church so I know exactly what to expect. I served a mission abroad and serve with quite a few people from Utah so I know they believe they are in a bubble and don't know much about the real world. I'm generalising.
And to be honest the church now discourages people of emigrating there as they want the members to stregnthen their own wards.
Saying that I'm not english, so this is not home for me, and I have no desire to move back home (Spain). I don't mind Englad I've been very happy here.
Thanks everyone for your comments it just gives me and idea, we don't have to go right now. We are submitting the application begining of December, so we will be re thinking everything again. We can always go in a few years time we are not a hurry. Thanks again.

Re: will we cope??
 

How the heck is a US university going to be cheaper? Any school with a semi decent reputation is going to cost tens of thousands of dollers per semester.

Re: will we cope??
 

im guessing she meant discounted fees due to religious affiliation for that uni compared to similar us universities elsewhere.

Re: will we cope??
 

$40K for 9 months = $53K pa. As you are bringing this over in cash it is equivalent to a net or take-home number. Therefore your $40K equates to a salary of approx $65K to $70Kpa.

Could you live on that in Utah? I think yes, especially if you have family in the area that will help reduce your high start-up costs and give you pointers on ins etc (like your brother).

Re: will we cope??
 

I would think if you're thrifty you could live on that. Utah being a relatively cheap place to live. But I'd be looking longer term. Many internships are unpaid or very low paid and thats assuming you can find one anyway. Dont know much about Utah but hardly see it as a business hub of the world. I would be very skeptical about such a move without having a promise of a reasonably paying job/internship.

Re: will we cope??
 

there would be nothing worse than having to go back half through because the original money ran out and the intern position was poorly paid or unobtainable. Ask them how many interships are available (typically) and the average pay or the range of pay they attract to give you a better idea about the chances of getting one.

Re: will we cope??
 

A number of good responses. I've lived in Utah a few times, most recently a year ago. I'm American but spent a few years in Scotland.

I would be a touch concerned about living on $40K for 9 months, given the startup costs.

You've got kids - so you'd probably be renting a house or condo at $1000 a month (or maybe a touch less). Add $1000 for the deposit, and you may have to pay both first and last month. Figure $10K for the housing.

We are a generally healthy young family that has to pay our own healthcare. We pay $650 a month, add on to that all the deductibles, etc - it sucks. So, figure what - $6500 for healthcare? BYU probably has a better plan than we do...

You can probably get by on $400 a month for food, you might get some help from Deseret Industries. $3600. Look into the Food Co-op based out of Crossroads Community Services in Salt Lake. It will save you a bundle.

So with food, housing, healthcare - you are at $20K.

Add your utilities (gas ain't cheap and it gets COLD!). Depending on your situation, you are looking at 2-400 a month. $3000.

You will need a car in Utah. Fact. I lived in downtown Salt Lake and STILL needed a car. The Happy Valley is much, much worse. So - you buy a decent used car for $4000. And then you are paying $150 a month for gas and maintenance ($1500). And then I really can't imagine the cost of insurance for you two with no US history. Someone else could probably tell you that.

I'm at $28,500 (and then insurance, which will probably be another couple thousand). Certainly, there's probably an extra 3-5 grand that I'm not thinking of...but could you make it? Sure. You just won't be able to go out or anything...and that's just the way it is.

Do you really understand what living in Provo would be like? I know you have been there, you have friends/family there, etc. But do you realize how huge of a shock that it is just going to be? I hate Provo. My strong advice would be to live in Lehi. It would give your husband a commute, but it is a much, much more "normal" place...and it gives him a better position to do his internship either in Provo or Salt Lake, as it is between the two.

Lastly - I agree with a few previous posters that the biggest concern is after the nest egg runs out. Is your husband going to be able to make $50K a year to continue to support the family on an internship? I'm not an expert in such things - but I guess that I would be surprised by that.

Sterling has rebounded a bit in the past week to $1.64. Are you basing your $40K on the $1.98/$2.00+ rates that were seen a few months ago, or the real possibility of a $1.50 pound?

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Isn't an MBA a two-year program? So really they are 100% dependent upon a good paying internship to survive. Otherwise this money is for 1 year and basically no degree.

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When we were there this summer, my husaband met with the people that run the MBA, I can't remember the names, they told him that and intership during the summer could be between $4K-$6K, he thought they were exagerating a bit but then he got talking to one of the girls that was on her second year and she was english and she also said the same. They have a 90% something of people getting interships. That is really what we were told.

Also the $40k figure is based on the exchange rate of two days ago, so it is not the $1.90 I wish;)
And we were thinking of renting in Lehi or Springville, my brother lives there. As I know Provo is more expensive.
Athanasius thanks for all the numbers, my sums don't add up:confused: So to have some estimates like that will help.

Re: will we cope??
 

Int'l students MUST carry the insurance the university offers. I'm sure he can pay more and get family coverage. Some school's let you waive the insurance if you can prove you have it with someone else, others do not.

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That's still pretty shit money for a summer period, okay for one person alone, but for a family, that's crap, and there's taxes on the income and you really should leave yourself enough money to get back to blighty or where ever as a back up incase you don't like it or get a decent internship.

Re: will we cope??
 

While I don't agree that an MBA makes someone more qualified, at my company without one your opportunities for advancement are drastically limited. I got mine for this very reason, and no, I don't think I'm a master of the universe. ;)

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It depends. Mine was 2 years but I went part-time to school as I worked full-time. You can do it in a year full-time at many schools.

Re: will we cope??
 

Well, the summer period is a few months which would equate to about $25,000 a year which would put you below the 150% of the federal poverty line for a family of 4. You would be close to the poverty line itself actually. Good money for a student that is single and living on a shoe string and having fun topped up by the parents, not good for a family.