Tiffanymsmart

Hi,

my family and I are potentially looking to relocate to Tennessee and work within restaurants.

we both have worked in the industry collectively for over 18 years and ultimately want to be able to raise our 2 beautiful children in the USA.

can I ask, what the comparisons are to our current life style of...

● 48 hour week
● 2 days off a 2eek
● 5 weeks holiday a year
● planning in and taking weekends off

thank you!

old.sparkles

Moved to US section for you as more visible here.

First questions are likely to be, how do you plan to move to the US?

Twinkle0927

Rete

I have worked the industry for over 20 yrs. Vacation 1 to 2 weeks to start. Work week will include some weekends and night shifts. Often unpaid overtime and 24/7 availability. You want short hours be a waiter.

civilservant

Within restaurants you can bank on working weekends, nights, holidays, the whole smash or you won't make any money.

Oh and there's no way you'll get 5 weeks off. 10 days maybe, but that will include sickness and personal days.

Luckily, it doesn't much matter if you can't get a visa, and unless you have a path to one (working in a restaurant isn't going to get you a visa in all likelihood) you won't be coming to the US as anything other than a tourist.

ddsrph

Rete

You have to read her other post to know that she is a manager of sort for TGIF in the UK and is hoping to get an L-1 to work in the US at their Nashville restaurant. If she is lucky and gets it, she has no choice as to where she will live.

Anian

Then I guess she should look at her company policies for that branch.

Best companies for work-life balance are in cutting edge industries, usually technology, where smaller businesses use it to poach good employees and larger ones have to catch up to prevent that. or just small local businesses, but you'd never get a visa from one of those.

SpoogleDrummer

I would have to be getting paid serious money before I'd consider bring my kids up in Nashville. It's OK to visit but the quality of driving there is shocking and the violent crime levels are some of the highest in the US. Not to mention TGIFs are closing down restaurants all around here, it's certainly not a gamble I'd be willing to take.

Giantaxe

TGIF is a franchiser so if I were the OP I would be extremely careful about such a move, unless they are in a management position with the parent company as opposed to being at a specific restaurant.

PetrifiedExPat

TGIF is rapidly heading down the swirl of the toilet, not a good idea to chase a role there.

hutchison

Hi Tiffany , I relocated last year, working in another industry in virginia.
my first year (although I have 6 years 'seniority' from being a remote worker before i relo'd) = I get only 15 days paid holiday, company policy.
raises to 20 after 15 years. (big cheers)
i am and have 43 been working 20 years, as if that should stand for something!.

this years hols in our company were
new years day jan 1,
memorial day may 28,
research this one jul 4,
labor day sep 3,
thanksgiving nov 22_23, (2)
xmas 24-1 (7)

so i got 28 paid. very good. as when i left uk employment I had 28

christmasoompa

That's low for the UK though, everybody I know gets at least 25 days plus BH's - hubby gets 30 days plus BH's, so 38 in total.

hutchison

SpoogleDrummer

The sun can be great but the tornadoes not so great in Tennessee, so if you're taking weather in to account I'd recommend owning a storm shelter more than I would a pool.