Edinburgh to Boston for 1-2 years
Discussion
Hey folks,
My company's asked a colleague and me to work in our Boston office for a year or two (up until we sell the company, basically) as that's where our sales guys are and most of our clients are US based. (It's a tech company and I deal with getting the customers set up on our product and what essentially amounts to account management thereafter). Given the nature of the process, we tend to have to have running email conversations, Skype sessions, phonecalls etc and thus the time difference can disrupt the process somewhat. Hence the move.
So, although I've spent about 3 months in the States travelling the west coast and into Arizona a couple of years ago, I've never actually properly lived there. And I've never been to Boston.
The current plan is to move out in April, but I thought I'd start asking questions as soon as possible
Don't ask me what the visa situation is yet, we'll be finding that out just after New Year. My colleague, Neil and I will share an apartment sorted by the company initially, before finding our own feet. The offices are actually in Andover, a little bit to the north of Boston itself.
So I guess the first question is, what's the quality of, and cost of, living in Massachusetts compared to the UK?
Any particular gotchas to raise right now with my employer regarding this process?
Bank accounts - I had a Wells Fargo account when I was travelling (I was quite surprised I was able to just open it in the SF branch with just my passport tbh) but I closed it when I got back to the UK at the end of 2008. Is it likely to still "exist" and can thus be reopened, or will I have to open a new one?
Shipping one's personal stuff - thankfully I only rent a room in a shared house at the moment, so I have no furniture, just a wardrobe full of clothes, PC & associated gubbins, and a couple of boxes of miscellaneous tat
Definitely not container sized amounts, but also not within the realms of checked baggage. What are the options there?
That'll do for now, thought I'd get the thread rolling - no doubt I'll come back as things progress with more questions.
Cheers
My company's asked a colleague and me to work in our Boston office for a year or two (up until we sell the company, basically) as that's where our sales guys are and most of our clients are US based. (It's a tech company and I deal with getting the customers set up on our product and what essentially amounts to account management thereafter). Given the nature of the process, we tend to have to have running email conversations, Skype sessions, phonecalls etc and thus the time difference can disrupt the process somewhat. Hence the move.
So, although I've spent about 3 months in the States travelling the west coast and into Arizona a couple of years ago, I've never actually properly lived there. And I've never been to Boston.
The current plan is to move out in April, but I thought I'd start asking questions as soon as possible
Don't ask me what the visa situation is yet, we'll be finding that out just after New Year. My colleague, Neil and I will share an apartment sorted by the company initially, before finding our own feet. The offices are actually in Andover, a little bit to the north of Boston itself.So I guess the first question is, what's the quality of, and cost of, living in Massachusetts compared to the UK?
Any particular gotchas to raise right now with my employer regarding this process?
Bank accounts - I had a Wells Fargo account when I was travelling (I was quite surprised I was able to just open it in the SF branch with just my passport tbh) but I closed it when I got back to the UK at the end of 2008. Is it likely to still "exist" and can thus be reopened, or will I have to open a new one?
Shipping one's personal stuff - thankfully I only rent a room in a shared house at the moment, so I have no furniture, just a wardrobe full of clothes, PC & associated gubbins, and a couple of boxes of miscellaneous tat
Definitely not container sized amounts, but also not within the realms of checked baggage. What are the options there?That'll do for now, thought I'd get the thread rolling - no doubt I'll come back as things progress with more questions.
Cheers
No idea about boston, but with regard the move itself, checkout excessbaggage.com. Ive used them a couple of times and they have been very good - basically your stuff gets shipped as excess baggage or via a courier such as dhl, they usually do a door to door service.
You could open an HSBC premier account, which is pretty moveable, you can set up stirling and dollar accounts,but tbh if its just a year or so you could probably retain your uk accounts esp if your uk based employer is paying salary into it, UK credit cards work fine and you can pay them off electronically. The only problem is that internet shopping from yankee websites might not work.
You could open an HSBC premier account, which is pretty moveable, you can set up stirling and dollar accounts,but tbh if its just a year or so you could probably retain your uk accounts esp if your uk based employer is paying salary into it, UK credit cards work fine and you can pay them off electronically. The only problem is that internet shopping from yankee websites might not work.
Boston is a great city and has a very "European" feel to it. It's quite expensive to live in a nice neighborhood close to the city though and some of the outer suburbs are a bit/very nasty.
Very pleasant in the summer, but winter gets very windy and cold.
Re work, MA is a heavily unionised state (may not be relevant) but the type of visa that your employer utilises will have some bearing on your options further down the line, so you really need to stay engaged, rather than assume that they'll be acting in your best interest.
If you don't have one already, get an AmEx card now. Establishing creditworthiness is a major challenge to newcomers.
There are no skeletons in your closet (arrests/convictions/criminal record), I'm assuming. If there are, you could have some very major problems with a visa, - an experienced immigration attorney would advise you in that regard. Don't wing it.
Getting your possesions here is the least of your worries really. Just box 'em up and ship them with UPS.
What are they planning, re health insurance, car, repatriation, security deposits for accommodation, utilities etc?
I work in Boston frequently - socially it is one of my favorite US cities. It also has a very high 'hot women quotient', as with most big college towns.
Good luck and welcome to the US.
Very pleasant in the summer, but winter gets very windy and cold.
Re work, MA is a heavily unionised state (may not be relevant) but the type of visa that your employer utilises will have some bearing on your options further down the line, so you really need to stay engaged, rather than assume that they'll be acting in your best interest.
If you don't have one already, get an AmEx card now. Establishing creditworthiness is a major challenge to newcomers.
There are no skeletons in your closet (arrests/convictions/criminal record), I'm assuming. If there are, you could have some very major problems with a visa, - an experienced immigration attorney would advise you in that regard. Don't wing it.
Getting your possesions here is the least of your worries really. Just box 'em up and ship them with UPS.
What are they planning, re health insurance, car, repatriation, security deposits for accommodation, utilities etc?
I work in Boston frequently - socially it is one of my favorite US cities. It also has a very high 'hot women quotient', as with most big college towns.
Good luck and welcome to the US.
Thanks guys. Will make a note of the shipping options.
No skeletons, no
s
te credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).
There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
No skeletons, no
s
te credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
Famous Graham said:
Thanks guys. Will make a note of the shipping options.
No skeletons, no
ste credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).
There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
no sweat, Dont be tempted to hand back your uk credit cards, or close your uk bank accounts. It will be a pain to reopen or get new ones when you return. No skeletons, no
s
te credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
Typically brits who move abroad and then return (for whatever reason) seem to report that its $50k adventure, so you should negotiate some form of remuneration to cover this. My experience would suggest that this figure is a little high, but I think some of this fugure relates to difficulty finding work, or having to take low paid jobs. Obviously this won't apply to you
Car wise there may be state to state variance in how well your uk licence is received, probably best to check with the massachusetts licencing agency.
If you haven't seen it already,have a look at this website, may be some useful info for you: expatforum
Famous Graham said:
Shipping one's personal stuff - thankfully I only rent a room in a shared house at the moment, so I have no furniture, just a wardrobe full of clothes, PC & associated gubbins, and a couple of boxes of miscellaneous tat Definitely not container sized amounts, but also not within the realms of checked baggage. What are the options there?
I have a largish loft that I rarely(!) use... Definitely not container sized amounts, but also not within the realms of checked baggage. What are the options there?fluffnik said:
Famous Graham said:
Shipping one's personal stuff - thankfully I only rent a room in a shared house at the moment, so I have no furniture, just a wardrobe full of clothes, PC & associated gubbins, and a couple of boxes of miscellaneous tat Definitely not container sized amounts, but also not within the realms of checked baggage. What are the options there?
I have a largish loft that I rarely(!) use... Definitely not container sized amounts, but also not within the realms of checked baggage. What are the options there?sawman said:
Famous Graham said:
Thanks guys. Will make a note of the shipping options.
No skeletons, no
ste credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).
There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
no sweat, Dont be tempted to hand back your uk credit cards, or close your uk bank accounts. It will be a pain to reopen or get new ones when you return. No skeletons, no
s
te credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
Typically brits who move abroad and then return (for whatever reason) seem to report that its $50k adventure, so you should negotiate some form of remuneration to cover this. My experience would suggest that this figure is a little high, but I think some of this fugure relates to difficulty finding work, or having to take low paid jobs. Obviously this won't apply to you
Car wise there may be state to state variance in how well your uk licence is received, probably best to check with the massachusetts licencing agency.
If you haven't seen it already,have a look at this website, may be some useful info for you: expatforum
When you say 50k, do you mean their travelling or the cost of returning?
The only time I've driven was on a VWP and I had no problems buying a car for cash in WA (Seattle to be precise) and driving it through Oregon and CA. Sold it in CA too.
Ta for the link - will look at that tomorrow.
Famous Graham said:
sawman said:
Famous Graham said:
Thanks guys. Will make a note of the shipping options.
No skeletons, no
ste credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).
There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
no sweat, Dont be tempted to hand back your uk credit cards, or close your uk bank accounts. It will be a pain to reopen or get new ones when you return. No skeletons, no
s
te credit history though, so chances of getting an Amex are slim to none. I do have a Visa debit card with my bank (Nationwide) that works fine on US websites so I would assume works fine in ATMs over there (my last UK bank account did when I was travelling).There's no formal package worked out yet - we'll be thrashing it out after New Year. Neil & I have already figured out that we'll want a repatriation fund included but that's it. Hence asking these questions now so we don't miss anything.
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
Typically brits who move abroad and then return (for whatever reason) seem to report that its $50k adventure, so you should negotiate some form of remuneration to cover this. My experience would suggest that this figure is a little high, but I think some of this fugure relates to difficulty finding work, or having to take low paid jobs. Obviously this won't apply to you
Car wise there may be state to state variance in how well your uk licence is received, probably best to check with the massachusetts licencing agency.
If you haven't seen it already,have a look at this website, may be some useful info for you: expatforum
When you say 50k, do you mean their travelling or the cost of returning?
The only time I've driven was on a VWP and I had no problems buying a car for cash in WA (Seattle to be precise) and driving it through Oregon and CA. Sold it in CA too.
Ta for the link - will look at that tomorrow.
I reckon if you are on your todd and the company are assisting apartment rental etc it's gonna be less.
For example, shipping 13 cartons with excess baggage cost $1000 CAD. Single flights are more expensive than returns, although I would imagine that flights to boston are cheaper than to central Canada - which is my term of reference. Believe it or not it was cheaper for us to return to the UK on the queen mary 2 than it was to get oneway flight from winnipeg!
You will probably want to travel more in North america so you need to budget for this,
All I did was pack a couple of suitcases with the clothes I really used on a regular basis, and bought everything else when I got over here, was a good excuse for a good house cleaning exercise. Clothes etc are so cheap here its easy to just buy new stuff. Just make sure you get a good relocation cash lump sum to cover these items including housewares.
Famous Graham said:
Car-wise, I seem to recall that I could drive on my UK licence for the VWP length, but no more, so would require a US test - is that still the case?
Uh oh, an alarm bell has just gone off. You can't do any of this on the visa waiver program. You cannot 'work' in any capacity and you certainly can't reside here, using that concession.Worth checking, but I have a feeling that you cannot drive in MA for more than 30 days without a valid US license (same as FL). You can't get a license without an SSN and an I-94. You don't get an SSN - or a license with an I-94W ESTA approval.
All this is intentionally interconnected to prevent abuse of the VWP concession. You are going to need an L type (intra-company transfer) visa. Don't f*ck around with this. The consequences of being busted can have longstanding influence on any of your future plans that involve the US.
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I know this has to be done with a "proper" visa I meant do I get 90 days grace to drive on my UK licence on the other visas too, can I use the UK one "forever", or do I have to sort a US licence immediately.
Which you answered in the second paragraph which I skimmed in my haste to correct the misapprehension
I meant do I get 90 days grace to drive on my UK licence on the other visas too, can I use the UK one "forever", or do I have to sort a US licence immediately.Which you answered in the second paragraph which I skimmed in my haste to correct the misapprehension
Edited by Famous Graham on Sunday 26th December 16:11
Famous Graham said:
Sorry, I wasn't clear. I know this has to be done with a "proper" visa I meant do I get 90 days grace to drive on my UK licence on the other visas too, can I use the UK one "forever", or do I have to sort a US licence immediately.
Which you answered in the second paragraph which I skimmed in my haste to correct the misapprehension
How long you can drive on your UK license differs from state to state. Google DMV for the state you are moving to, all the information will be in their webpage. In CT I could only drive for 30 days on my UK license once I enetered the US on my L1A visa. I meant do I get 90 days grace to drive on my UK licence on the other visas too, can I use the UK one "forever", or do I have to sort a US licence immediately.Which you answered in the second paragraph which I skimmed in my haste to correct the misapprehension
Edited by Famous Graham on Sunday 26th December 16:11
Looks like it's a year in MA.
(bottom of page 3 section title "A note about Appendix “C”:")
http://www.mass.gov/rmv/forms/21317.pdf
(bottom of page 3 section title "A note about Appendix “C”:")
http://www.mass.gov/rmv/forms/21317.pdf
As far as credit rating goes, your UK rating counts for nothing, so you are effectively starting from scratch - a good thing if your history is a bit patchy. There are loads of offers of 0% finance on everything (furniture, clothes (storecards), electronics etc.) - so the best thing to do is to take a few small items on 0% finance and pay them off over at least 3 months or so. That will get your score up and allow you to borrow greater amounts, get a higher limit on your credit/debit card etc. I had a $750 limit on my card when I first got here, and it was quite annoying being denied the purchase of a $1000 TV when I had over $20k relocation allowance sat in my account!
sawman said:
You could open an HSBC premier account, which is pretty moveable, you can set up stirling and dollar accounts.....
We opened a HSBC premier account when we came to the states last year - absolute waste of time as the closet branch was NY we're in GA, so it ended up that everything was an out of state cheque and additionally when we transferred money we had to transfer to HSBC then transfer again to a local branch (Bank of America)Matt Harper said:
If you don't have one already, get an AmEx card now. Establishing creditworthiness is a major challenge to newcomers.
We also did the Amex thing when we we're moving - to "transfer" your account you need to have been active in the UK for 1 year......so not much use.I'd personally look to you employer to provide some of it - for example we got a mortgage through BOA with no credit history as the firm had a relocation agreement with them. I also managed to get a company AMEX card - which is essentially a personal card.
The driving license thing does vary state by state but the first thing is to get your SSN and then go to the DMV......but it ends up as chicken and egg.....you need insurance on a vehicle i.e. you need to be named. But you can't register one until you have your license!?!??!?!? My wife tried to do it on our rental, but as it was listed as "Hertz" she couldn't....long story short - we insured with a firm on a UK licence and then did our test in the car we'd bought and insured on the UK licenses....but again that was a tie in with the firm.
Oh, the most important things - New cars are cheap, used cars a more expensive than the UK......insurance is similar, bike insurance is more groceries are similar, bills (gas and electric) seem to be more expensive (maybe due to home design).......but generally wages are higher, healthcare is more expensive (obviously) but taxes are lower.....
If you have any more questions - please feel free to drop me a line.....wish I'd had half the info I know now when I moved out!
Neil
I can highly recommend the Chartis Travel Guard relocation membership. I took this out before I moved, $400 annual membership. Before I had even left the UK they arranged an unsecured credit card with HSBC for me ($10k limit) along with a bank account, they had a very good tie in with an insurance company, got full cover on a BMW 335i for $420 for 6 months (they don't do annual policies here) with no driving history over here, and they provide other services such as car lease options etc etc. Just getting the credit card and bank account made the annual fee worthwile.
Here is the link. You want Inbound USA
http://assist.travelguardworldwide.com/RelocProgra...
Here is the link. You want Inbound USA
http://assist.travelguardworldwide.com/RelocProgra...
neejah said:
We opened a HSBC premier account when we came to the states last year - absolute waste of time as the closet branch was NY we're in GA, so it ended up that everything was an out of state cheque and additionally when we transferred money we had to transfer to HSBC then transfer again to a local branch (Bank of America)
I would have thought it was obvious to check that there was a local branch to make this work!With regard cars, it might be worth considering a long term rental - which will save the bother of selling when you return. Insurance will be included. We rented a truck for the first winter we did in canada - phoned round a few dealers and one came up with a pretty good price - much cheaper than the rental we picked up from the airport
I live in Massachusetts.
Are you planning to live IN Boston, or outside?
Think of Boston like London (or Edinburgh, in your case) - it's more expensive than anywhere else in the state, but then within that the different suburbs can vary wildly (in cost and quality).
Not terribly helpful I'm afraid, but it's a broad topic to try and answer If you want to know anything specific, I can try and help out.
Have you watched "The Town" yet?
Adam
Are you planning to live IN Boston, or outside?
Think of Boston like London (or Edinburgh, in your case) - it's more expensive than anywhere else in the state, but then within that the different suburbs can vary wildly (in cost and quality).
Not terribly helpful I'm afraid, but it's a broad topic to try and answer
If you want to know anything specific, I can try and help out.Have you watched "The Town" yet?
Adam
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