My wife has decided we shall 'up sticks' and move to Florida. We are UK based at present.

I wish to find the reality and practicality of this before she sells our house!!!

I shal not attach a resume at present as advice and direction is all I am after.

However, Quality Manager, ISO9k2k, ISO14001(2004 ready but our cert body is not!!), soon to be TS16949:2002. Plastic Injection Moulding (23 years worth of experience, started as toolmaker and the last 6 years as the QM.)

Any advice, good or bad, welcome.

Chris

One thing is that Florida is surely not a major manufacturing area in the states. Start some web searches in the major cities papers and look in the want ads. This should start to give you a feeling for the employment situation. Also check the state run unemployment center for employment availability.


Do you have the resources to accept employment in Florida for a few months before you sell your current home? It'a a big, big move.

Anybody from Florida here at the Cove that can chime in with a more detailed response?

Al...

My wife has decided we shall 'up sticks' and move to Florida. We are UK based at present.

I wish to find the reality and practicality of this before she sells our house!!!

I shal not attach a resume at present as advice and direction is all I am after.

However, Quality Manager, ISO9k2k, ISO14001(2004 ready but our cert body is not!!), soon to be TS16949:2002. Plastic Injection Moulding (23 years worth of experience, started as toolmaker and the last 6 years as the QM.)

Any advice, good or bad, welcome.

ChrisWhen I was out of work a few years back, I looked into Florida. You may have your best shot in Melbourne, not far from Cape Kennedy or in Tampa/St. Petersburgh, on the west coast. My wife's dream is to move down to South Florida. There is very little mfg in South Florida except for Motorola, but I think they have gotten Hammered. The cost of living is relatively low but so is the pay.
So, before you sell the estate, take a look at these job search web sites.
www.florida.preferredjobs.com/ (http://florida.preferredjobs.com/)
www.jobsearch.org/fl (http://www.jobsearch.org/fl)
www.monster.com (http://www.monster.com)
www.careerbuilder.com/ (http://www.careerbuilder.com/)

Chris,
Try the monster website for job research, quickly I found this.
http://jobsearch.monster.com/jobsearch.asp?q=plastic+injection+moulding&cn=&lid=377&lid=378&lid=379&lid=380&lid=382&lid=383&lid=385&lid=386&lid=20585&lid=388&lid=389&lid=390&lid=391&sort=rv&vw=b&cy=US&re=14&brd=1%2C1862%2C1863

www.plasticjobsource.com


good Luck
Rob

You may also want to do a google to get the Brunswick Boat Groups Web Site. I know that not too long ago, they were looking for Quality Folks in several of their Florida Sea Ray Locations.

Good Luck to you. :)

Many thanks all.

I shall study the suggested information sources with detail.

It is a big move, and not one I am entirely sure is correct.

However, do the research and know the reality.

Chris

Chris,

Florida does have a small electronics industry and petochemical. These might be industries to focus on when looking for a job. As others have mentioned they tend to be around Tampa and North Florida.

If the Keys offered much industrial employment I would already be down there myself.

Also I heard real estate in Florida has become more affordable lately due to the Hurricane beating of 2004.

Good Luck,

Chris Harden

Oh come on Chris. You have to love all this white, cold, slushy, dirty, freezing, car won't start, etc. etc. winter wheather.
Look at all the sun burns that happened during the Daytona 500, we sure didn't have to worry about that on Sunday now did we?

Don't worry, I can't make myself believe it either

My wife has decided we shall 'up sticks' and move to Florida. We are UK based at present.

I wish to find the reality and practicality of this before she sells our house!!!

I shal not attach a resume at present as advice and direction is all I am after.

However, Quality Manager, ISO9k2k, ISO14001(2004 ready but our cert body is not!!), soon to be TS16949:2002. Plastic Injection Moulding (23 years worth of experience, started as toolmaker and the last 6 years as the QM.)

Any advice, good or bad, welcome.

Chris

Chris, as a Brit who moved to USA nearly 9 years ago here is a list of point to consider:

1. Do not sell your UK property. Rent it out so that you will not fall foul of the UK's "residency" laws. Also, having a sterling based asset at the moment when it looks highly likely that the US$ is heading for a significant drop on the exchange markets is an important hedge.

2. Make sure you get good health insurance coverage. The NHS does not exist over here and the common saying is "you are only one serious illness away from bankruptcy." Medical costs are egregious. Many employers offer health care schemes. Read the fine print carefully before accepting the job: establish, for example what your "copayments" will be for routine vsists, treatment, prescriptions, major surgery/ procedures and for how long the insurance will actually pay up (number of days per year.)

3. If you come so as to work, it is better to get an employer to do the sponsoring. But, you may not then get "Permanent Residence" status: you might only get a work p[ermit. If your wife wants to work at all, you will need to make your peace with the INS and the IRS.

4. Beware the IRS (America's equivalent to the Inland Revenue). The IRS is proud that it is the only USA agency that really nailed Al Capone! The tax rules are complex and make sure you do not run foul of them. If you should retain any UK bank account worth more than $10000 over which you exercise control, you must declare it. A competent tax prepare/ accountant is a wise insurance policy.

5. Employment protection and law in USA is different to UK. Beware.

6. Look carefully at the benefits offered by an employer. Defined benefits schemes for pensions are dead. Over here, an employer will offer defined contributions for what is known as a 401K plan. But, there are often strings attached - notably a vesting period whereby you will not actually get the money if you leave before say 5 years. And that can be a long time.

7. Before accepting employment, do some research. Many companies are vulnerable to offshoring as factories close when work is sent to China, India etc. The stability and prospects of the firm must be examined or you might find yourself in a "foreign" country, your possessions in a container and little sympathy from creditors. And in that vein, protecting your personal credit rating is essential. We do not particularly take much notice of that in UK but over here if your credit rating appears poor, banks, lenders, agencies will stick in the boot - fast!


America has much to offer and commend itself and I certainly enjoy the country, but you cannot expect a "Nanny state" or the kind of safety nets to which many Brits and Europeans are accustomed.

Chris, as a Brit who moved to USA nearly 9 years ago here is a list of point to consider:

1. Do not sell your UK property. Rent it out so that you will not fall foul of the UK's "residency" laws. Also, having a sterling based asset at the moment when it looks highly likely that the US$ is heading for a significant drop on the exchange markets is an important hedge.

2. Make sure you get good health insurance coverage. The NHS does not exist over here and the common saying is "you are only one serious illness away from bankruptcy." Medical costs are egregious. Many employers offer health care schemes. Read the fine print carefully before accepting the job: establish, for example what your "copayments" will be for routine vsists, treatment, prescriptions, major surgery/ procedures and for how long the insurance will actually pay up (number of days per year.)

3. If you come so as to work, it is better to get an employer to do the sponsoring. But, you may not then get "Permanent Residence" status: you might only get a work p[ermit. If your wife wants to work at all, you will need to make your peace with the INS and the IRS.

4. Beware the IRS (America's equivalent to the Inland Revenue). The IRS is proud that it is the only USA agency that really nailed Al Capone! The tax rules are complex and make sure you do not run foul of them. If you should retain any UK bank account worth more than $10000 over which you exercise control, you must declare it. A competent tax prepare/ accountant is a wise insurance policy.

5. Employment protection and law in USA is different to UK. Beware.

6. Look carefully at the benefits offered by an employer. Defined benefits schemes for pensions are dead. Over here, an employer will offer defined contributions for what is known as a 401K plan. But, there are often strings attached - notably a vesting period whereby you will not actually get the money if you leave before say 5 years. And that can be a long time.

7. Before accepting employment, do some research. Many companies are vulnerable to offshoring as factories close when work is sent to China, India etc. The stability and prospects of the firm must be examined or you might find yourself in a "foreign" country, your possessions in a container and little sympathy from creditors. And in that vein, protecting your personal credit rating is essential. We do not particularly take much notice of that in UK but over here if your credit rating appears poor, banks, lenders, agencies will stick in the boot - fast!


America has much to offer and commend itself and I certainly enjoy the country, but you cannot expect a "Nanny state" or the kind of safety nets to which many Brits and Europeans are accustomed.In other words, There Is No Free Lunch!

In other words, There Is No Free Lunch!
Amen to that Al. But, there are plenty looking for the source of one! ;)

Amen to that Al. But, there are plenty looking for the source of one! ;)Don't I know it.

Sort of makes me want to move to the UK. And here I thought we had it pretty good, you know home of the brave, land of the free all that mumbo jumbo. I got to go catch up on past episodes of, "Are you Being Served"

.....

Well, the wife has been wearing out our broadband connection the last week, and some really strong and 'real' advice has come out of the woodwork. However she has managed to ignore the negatives and concentrated on the nicer information.

Many thanks all. :thanks:

Me, I still need to be convinced that the USA is our destiny. The kids are not entirely happy with the idea.

You need to drop me line Chris.
I'll even have a talk to your good wife.
Have you ever considered Canada? :rolleyes:
Wallace.

North America is a BIG continent, with an incredible amount of diverse places to live and visit. Diversity includes climate, mountains, plains, lakes, rivers, sea shore.

Individual temperament decides whether climate or location features are more important than employment opportunities or vice versa.

A very important issue for folks with families is the cost and availability of health care in the United States. It is a sad fact that the majority of personal bankruptcy filings in the USA are attributable to costs of a catastrophic illness afflicting one family member. If it afflicts the main bread winner, regardless of health insurance, the odds go up because the family living expenses go on even if the health costs are covered.

I strongly recommend anyone with family considering relocating to the States make health insurance coverage a high priority in employment issues.

Public elementary and high schools in the States range from superb to horrid, often within the same town. Folks with school age children need to make locating in a good school district a priority unless they intend to ship the kids off to a boarding academy.

On the plus side - there are lots of good companies with good paying jobs in many areas of the USA. Ambitious people with skill and talent can achieve success on many levels if they are willing to make an effort and also willing to compromise some desires about specific locations. (Investment bankers located in Keokuk, Iowa do not have same opportunities as those in New York, New York.)

Chris,

Wes sagely repeats the warning about health care I made in my earlier posting on this matter. In fact my wife received a bill just yesterday in respect of her late mother's 22 hour stay in a local hospital. The total billing was around $12000.00 (twelve thousand dollars!) and she did not receive any major procedures but was in for tests and observation only. The ambulance bill was separate at around $800.00. Her problem? Dehydration!

But Wes also raises another important point: education. Here is what I recently wrote for a forthcoming article in the ASQ's "Quality Progress" magazine:

"The latest survey by the OECD's "Programme for International Student Assessment", (PISA), released in December 2004, reveals that America is slipping behind most other OECD countries. (Reference, www.oecd.org/pisa.)"

I would suggest you check out the PISA report and determine the relative positions of USA and UK with respect to your children's education. It also appears an increasing number of American parents concerned about the quality of schools are opting for home tuition. I do not profess to be up to date on the status of UK education but it is still held in high esteem by many Americans (rightly or wrongly, I do not know).

My own memories of my UK education are probably irrelevant as it occurred some decades ago, before the "comprehensive school" political nightmare.

I would also suggest you might take up Wallace on his offer and contact him. And if you wish to send me a private email, you are most welcome.

Gentlemen, I am a realist.

However, my wife is totally blinkered on this subject. Apparently this would solve all of our problems. Not too sure why that should be, but there goes the female logic.

Wallace, what is the time difference??? You most probably shall get a call at some point in the not too distant future.

Do not get me wrong, I am not against the idea, just very much wanting ALL of the information available to make a solid decision. You could call it a 'Relocation FMEA'. :lol:

Gentlemen, I am a realist.

However, my wife is totally blinkered on this subject. Apparently this would solve all of our problems. Not too sure why that should be, but there goes the female logic.

Wallace, what is the time difference??? You most probably shall get a call at some point in the not too distant future.

Do not get me wrong, I am not against the idea, just very much wanting ALL of the information available to make a solid decision. You could call it a 'Relocation FMEA'. :lol:

Puzzle:

Let me tell you just a little about the Great State (?) of Florida, since I am a resident.

Florida has resonable climate, however, there is six months out of the year that is considered Hurricane Season. Just look back at the last two years and see what has happened during these 6 months. When hurricanes hit they are sometime not nice. You could loose electricity from 1-30 Days + and almost everything is electric. Cold showers, cold food and so on.

It is over rated. The housing costs are almost the same as the Great State of California. I have lived in California for 40+ years, Missouri, for about a year and now in Florida going on 2 years. And yes the State is not known for Manufacturing.

I would choose a different State then Florida.


Coury Ferguson
Program/Contacts Manager

Puzzle,

My husband was born, raisied and lived in South Florida until he was 39.

He is a carpenter by trade.

He doubled his salary moving to the Chicago area.

I won't relate the rest of his opinion of the state, but it is not favorable.

I'd sure like to know why her heart is set on Florida. I see you say 'it would solve all your problems' - hoping that isn't too serious, perhaps you could shed some light? That could provide some insight to us all. As someone who can't wait to move farther south and get out of 10 months of sweatshirts, Florida still wouldn't be my choice. What does she really hope to get out of it? Warmer weather? I had relatives that lived in Ft Lauderdale 30 years - raised a family and relocated to Tallahassee (north Florida) a few years back, for several reasons. They did say they would not want to be raising a family there now. While they loved their time in Lauderdale, they think Northern Fla is much more suited to living. Is there a particular region, or just the glamour and warmth of florida that is intriguing? Did you recently vacation there?

PS - if you keep the house and rent it out - let us know - it's on my families list of places to visit!