Puzzle said:
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.
