Anyone moved from the UK to live in the USA?
Discussion
Where in South Carolina? Only 2 places worth considering after living here since 04. I'm in Charleston, SC. Just under a million folks in the 3 county area and growing rapidly. The other might be Greenville in the upstate near the mountains. Lots of auto industry up that way too.
Yes the heat and humidity is a bit brutal but it's bearable. Columbia is the state capital and a bit of an armpit of heat in the summer but I don't hear it's great to live in.
Florida is about a 4 hour drive from Chas, Atlanta about 5hrs and Charlotte NC about 3hrs.
I've been to Charlotte a few times but it's a bit "vanilla".
Yes the heat and humidity is a bit brutal but it's bearable. Columbia is the state capital and a bit of an armpit of heat in the summer but I don't hear it's great to live in.
Florida is about a 4 hour drive from Chas, Atlanta about 5hrs and Charlotte NC about 3hrs.
I've been to Charlotte a few times but it's a bit "vanilla".
I spent most of my time in Charlotte but visited various other places. Charlotte feels very new to me but there's a lot going on and I enjoyed the life style.
I've traveled a lot and lived in several different countries and whilst NC/SC felt alien, it also felt like somewhere I could live after spending quite a lot of time there.
The downside is the fast food is so awesome my jeans would 'shrink' everytime I'd spend time there! My guilty please was chick-fil-a (did I spell that right?)
I've traveled a lot and lived in several different countries and whilst NC/SC felt alien, it also felt like somewhere I could live after spending quite a lot of time there.
The downside is the fast food is so awesome my jeans would 'shrink' everytime I'd spend time there! My guilty please was chick-fil-a (did I spell that right?)
I live in Raleigh NC, 2 hours from the beach, 3 hrs to the mountains, good airport links.
It's a great place to live, but not the best place for a tourist visit.
Outdoor sports, food, leisure activities aplenty.
Local taxes aren't too severe and there is a plethora of accommodation available.
American Airlines have a direct flight to LHR too...
I moved here 6 years ago and love it. The area is thriving with employment and is considered one of the best places to live and work in the whole US.
If you need any pointers or info for this area ask away...!
It's a great place to live, but not the best place for a tourist visit.
Outdoor sports, food, leisure activities aplenty.
Local taxes aren't too severe and there is a plethora of accommodation available.
American Airlines have a direct flight to LHR too...
I moved here 6 years ago and love it. The area is thriving with employment and is considered one of the best places to live and work in the whole US.
If you need any pointers or info for this area ask away...!
So I have been offered a job, Greensboro NC, L.A. Or Seattle WA.
Not accepted it yet as I need to discuss pension and my holidays will drop from 30 + national days to 15 + national days.
So will accept the offer so I can progress to negotiation, honestly, not very confident as I am on an 'old' contract in Germany which don't exist anymore and I know they will not offer the same terms, quite frankly they are excellent for the employee but awfully expensive for the company!
Any experience of salary negotiation in the USA? Are they more fact or emotion based? In your experience, room for movement?
I will be losing 15 days holiday, my house being paid for, my partners income and potentially have to give up a German contract for a USA one (no where near as secure), pension TBC.
Not accepted it yet as I need to discuss pension and my holidays will drop from 30 + national days to 15 + national days.
So will accept the offer so I can progress to negotiation, honestly, not very confident as I am on an 'old' contract in Germany which don't exist anymore and I know they will not offer the same terms, quite frankly they are excellent for the employee but awfully expensive for the company!
Any experience of salary negotiation in the USA? Are they more fact or emotion based? In your experience, room for movement?
I will be losing 15 days holiday, my house being paid for, my partners income and potentially have to give up a German contract for a USA one (no where near as secure), pension TBC.
Need to discuss that; what (if any) is the pension contributions, bonus might be 30% rather than my current 15%, can they up the salary, car(s), additional holidays due to 10 years service, guaranteed promotion after "x" years in the USA, job to come back for ... etc, as it is a totally separate HR system I have no idea.
Not to be crass, but would $150K offer a good standard of living for two people out there? (Healthcare would be covered by the company, again need to check it covers my partner), we have no kids, 28 / 23, two dogs, only financial commitments in the UK are two mortgages.
ETA; North Carolina is the choice, I am not really interested in L.A. as it is in downtown and I really didn't enjoy my past two visits.
Not to be crass, but would $150K offer a good standard of living for two people out there? (Healthcare would be covered by the company, again need to check it covers my partner), we have no kids, 28 / 23, two dogs, only financial commitments in the UK are two mortgages.
ETA; North Carolina is the choice, I am not really interested in L.A. as it is in downtown and I really didn't enjoy my past two visits.
Edited by Trexthedinosaur on Monday 5th June 15:23
I read that the average California household income was $65k.... so yes, I think $150k is more than enough. Plus surely your partner will try to get a job over there too? Just go for it! You only live once. I could only dream of emigrating to Cali.... I'm going there next year for a travelling holiday with my partner which is the best I can do!
I think it's rather difficult to comment on the appropriateness of your situation, because whilst the salary is not remarkable, a lot of the other elements most certainly are (I'm referring to paid housing, guaranteed promotions etc.)
What company in their right mind guarantees a promotion?
What company in their right mind guarantees a promotion?
Matt Harper said:
I think it's rather difficult to comment on the appropriateness of your situation, because whilst the salary is not remarkable, a lot of the other elements most certainly are (I'm referring to paid housing, guaranteed promotions etc.)
What company in their right mind guarantees a promotion?
Thanks Matt, your posts have been a great help during this process, nice to speak to someone who ahs been there and done it. What company in their right mind guarantees a promotion?
By guaranteed promotion, generally it is a development plan to the next grade, if you meet the plan and are deemed competent then ... I am caught between two grades at the moment.
GavinPearson said:
$150K in North Carolina will be fine. You can live very comfortably on that.
Your biggest issue will be your girlfriend because she will need to be your wife to get a visa or get her own visa by also transferring with the same company.
So turned the job down, a shame really, but our current situation doesn't really support it and the package doesn't make it worthwhile to force it to work.Your biggest issue will be your girlfriend because she will need to be your wife to get a visa or get her own visa by also transferring with the same company.
Biggest point for me was pension and holidays, 15 days(!) that was rubbish!
I think that your experience highlights the fact that a move like this is rarely easy to reconcile. Those that claim they'd move "at the drop of a hat" tend not to consider all of the ramifications.
I pretty much railroaded my wife into our move here - she was happy in the UK and her career (specialist nursing) was developing very well. My view was long-term. My suspicion was that we would ultimately enjoy a more fulfilling life (in and out of work) and afford greater opportunity for my then 19 year-old daughter.
As it turned out, I think I was right, but I could just as easily of got it totally wrong and bollixed our collective lives, due to my own selfishness.
My view was that if I'd let the opportunity pass, I'd have spent a lot of my thinking time wondering 'what if' - and if it had all gone piss-shaped, we could always have moved back to the UK and started over.
Good luck to you in your endeavors - and maybe leave the door slightly ajar, because further down the road a move like this might make more sense.
You didn't really turn the opportunity down just because of the holiday entitlement, did you? (That would not have been one of my concerns - every weekend's a holiday here).
I pretty much railroaded my wife into our move here - she was happy in the UK and her career (specialist nursing) was developing very well. My view was long-term. My suspicion was that we would ultimately enjoy a more fulfilling life (in and out of work) and afford greater opportunity for my then 19 year-old daughter.
As it turned out, I think I was right, but I could just as easily of got it totally wrong and bollixed our collective lives, due to my own selfishness.
My view was that if I'd let the opportunity pass, I'd have spent a lot of my thinking time wondering 'what if' - and if it had all gone piss-shaped, we could always have moved back to the UK and started over.
Good luck to you in your endeavors - and maybe leave the door slightly ajar, because further down the road a move like this might make more sense.
You didn't really turn the opportunity down just because of the holiday entitlement, did you? (That would not have been one of my concerns - every weekend's a holiday here).
Fair play to making it work! I really enjoy visiting the US, but when you get into the details there is a lot to give up in order to move there, in my situation at least.
If my partner had a slightly more developed career and we were married then it would probably make sense, but bring forward our marriage 3 years and completely upsetting our plans just is not worth it, today.
I agree, people say I would move at the drop of hat, but there is so much to consider, even with an internal transfer (so a pretty secure job), I lose holidays, I lose my company pension, my dormant contract is closed, my girlfriend didn't want to move to N.C., I didn't want to move to California, I knew nothing about the healthcare, pension, nor living conditions, would we get a mortgage, finance for car(s), the dogs need to be shipped as they can't fly.
15 days was part of a decision, I love travelling and we planned to spend 4 weeks per year in Central / South America, which obviously would be a no-go if we ever wanted to visit family at home too.
The door is still open, perhaps in 4-6 years I would reconsider.
If my partner had a slightly more developed career and we were married then it would probably make sense, but bring forward our marriage 3 years and completely upsetting our plans just is not worth it, today.
I agree, people say I would move at the drop of hat, but there is so much to consider, even with an internal transfer (so a pretty secure job), I lose holidays, I lose my company pension, my dormant contract is closed, my girlfriend didn't want to move to N.C., I didn't want to move to California, I knew nothing about the healthcare, pension, nor living conditions, would we get a mortgage, finance for car(s), the dogs need to be shipped as they can't fly.
15 days was part of a decision, I love travelling and we planned to spend 4 weeks per year in Central / South America, which obviously would be a no-go if we ever wanted to visit family at home too.
The door is still open, perhaps in 4-6 years I would reconsider.
Edited by Trexthedinosaur on Tuesday 6th June 19:19
K50 DEL said:
Similar to me, god knows how many trips, 47 States visited but, at 37 years old despite having a good CV and trying for over a decade I simply cannot get myself a position there.
Probably the only time in my life that I regret being in IT, there's simply too much home-grown ability in the US for any company to need to employ me!
Get a job for a US company in the U.K., prove yourself then transfer at their expense. That's a very common thing.Probably the only time in my life that I regret being in IT, there's simply too much home-grown ability in the US for any company to need to employ me!
^^^This is my current plan, being a healthcare consultant is equally is difficult as IT sadly and have applied and been completely qualified and provide all the essential and desirable elements but not been getting anywhere.
The paid annual leave element is a stark difference to the UK mind, some healthcare organisations I've been looking at offer <10days per year (excl. national)
So I am now in the final throws of moving to a US firm in the U.K. with a view to then giving it 18mths and applying to shift internally with them ... not sure if it matters but we are looking at Nevada
The paid annual leave element is a stark difference to the UK mind, some healthcare organisations I've been looking at offer <10days per year (excl. national)
So I am now in the final throws of moving to a US firm in the U.K. with a view to then giving it 18mths and applying to shift internally with them ... not sure if it matters but we are looking at Nevada
Just a small, but maybe important note to consider...
If seeking an intra-company transfer, which would most usually utilize L-1A/B or E2 visa, the sponsoring company does not have to be an American organization.
A UK based company that either has an existing US subsidiary, or is planning to establish one, is equally viable - and may have a slightly more generous policy around paid time off etc.
If seeking an intra-company transfer, which would most usually utilize L-1A/B or E2 visa, the sponsoring company does not have to be an American organization.
A UK based company that either has an existing US subsidiary, or is planning to establish one, is equally viable - and may have a slightly more generous policy around paid time off etc.
Matt Harper said:
Just a small, but maybe important note to consider...
If seeking an intra-company transfer, which would most usually utilize L-1A/B or E2 visa, the sponsoring company does not have to be an American organization.
A UK based company that either has an existing US subsidiary, or is planning to establish one, is equally viable - and may have a slightly more generous policy around paid time off etc.
This^^If seeking an intra-company transfer, which would most usually utilize L-1A/B or E2 visa, the sponsoring company does not have to be an American organization.
A UK based company that either has an existing US subsidiary, or is planning to establish one, is equally viable - and may have a slightly more generous policy around paid time off etc.
I moved to Texas nearly 4 years ago - UK based company. Worked in UK for them for 5 years before coming out here, so negociated a better holiday package based on UK contract.
madtoro said:
Matt Harper said:
Just a small, but maybe important note to consider...
If seeking an intra-company transfer, which would most usually utilize L-1A/B or E2 visa, the sponsoring company does not have to be an American organization.
A UK based company that either has an existing US subsidiary, or is planning to establish one, is equally viable - and may have a slightly more generous policy around paid time off etc.
This^^If seeking an intra-company transfer, which would most usually utilize L-1A/B or E2 visa, the sponsoring company does not have to be an American organization.
A UK based company that either has an existing US subsidiary, or is planning to establish one, is equally viable - and may have a slightly more generous policy around paid time off etc.
I moved to Texas nearly 4 years ago - UK based company. Worked in UK for them for 5 years before coming out here, so negociated a better holiday package based on UK contract.
alorotom said:
That's really useful actually as my current company is in the process of creating a loose partnership with a major US healthcare actuarial organisation so that could work! Cheers all
It needs to be more than a 'loose partnership' for an L-1A or B to be utilized - one must be a branch or subsidiary of the other. An employment based E-1 or 2 wouldn't work unless the US entity was a subsidiary of the UK one.For a 'loose partnership' your best bet would be H-1B and being healthcare related may not be subject to cap. H-1B does have some quite punitive restrictions and limitations, however.
If you need any help or info I have been in California for 11 years now.
Depending on what industry your in, the crap US vacation time has got a lot better actually. last three tech companies I have worked for have had unlimited PTO. Especially in San Francisco and Los Angeles, tech companies/startups cant really get any talent without offering 4 weeks PTO minimum but unlimited is fast becoming the norm.
Obviously this is not the same across all industries but its getting better for sure. In 2007, my first full time job in the states I had 10 days PTO and that included sick days.
Depending on what industry your in, the crap US vacation time has got a lot better actually. last three tech companies I have worked for have had unlimited PTO. Especially in San Francisco and Los Angeles, tech companies/startups cant really get any talent without offering 4 weeks PTO minimum but unlimited is fast becoming the norm.
Obviously this is not the same across all industries but its getting better for sure. In 2007, my first full time job in the states I had 10 days PTO and that included sick days.
K50 DEL said:
Similar to me, god knows how many trips, 47 States visited but, at 37 years old despite having a good CV and trying for over a decade I simply cannot get myself a position there.
Probably the only time in my life that I regret being in IT, there's simply too much home-grown ability in the US for any company to need to employ me!
I work in IT for one of the big banks in the NYC area. I would estimate 50% of the people in my building (>3000) are not US nationals. It is a running joke when we have to go to diversity training. Probably the only time in my life that I regret being in IT, there's simply too much home-grown ability in the US for any company to need to employ me!
My move over to the US was in the pharmaceutical industry in 2004. I was on an L1 inter company transfer visa. My company then paid for a Green card through marriage. They did stop at paying for the actual wedding or supplying the bride though. I made the jump over to Finance because there is more opportunity in the Tri-state area.
Anyway, to the point. Your IT background is not holding you back. However, if you are trying to land a job in Google you will not have a chance as you say.
Edited by h0b0 on Thursday 13th July 21:34
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