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Moving to New York

upinsmoke

Hi Folks, have the opportunity to move to New York with work, they'll look after Visa, accommodation etc but just wondering if anyone has any tips before I move over.

Pros/cons, general tips etc about living there. I have been to New York before and loved it

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upinsmoke

They'll pay three months and deposit, after that then will pay half the rent. Health insurance paid and young fit and healthy.

Wages are 80K dollars a year.

About the whole health system Norwegian airlines are 220 now to get home most of the year. I always have a bed to fall back on with the parents back in Ireland.

Be grand

Im 32,, not too bothered about health insurance to be honest but getting in. I know from others over there it's a good package

NSAman

So take home pay will be approx 5350 a month. Might sound like a lot but it isnt. Even if they are subsidising 50% rent unless you get a room share at a good rate that will go fast.

I know you may not be concerned with health at the moment, but anything can happen... also as someone above said, dental is vital and you have to wait a year for most policies to kick in. 3 fillings for me (and I am not in NYC cost $1300).

Living costs eg. food etc. are relatively cheap in NYC. So all I can say is have a ball... sounds like a great opportunity.

upinsmoke

NSAman wrote: »

So take home pay will be approx 5350 a month. Might sound like a lot but it isnt. Even if they are subsidising 50% rent unless you get a room share at a good rate that will go fast.

I know you may not be concerned with health at the moment, but anything can happen... also as someone above said, dental is vital and you have to wait a year for most policies to kick in. 3 fillings for me (and I am not in NYC cost $1300).

Living costs eg. food etc. are relatively cheap in NYC. So all I can say is have a ball... sounds like a great opportunity.

TBH my teeth are perfect, I'd probably fly home to get dental of I needed it. Id be worried I'm my 40s about the whole health plan.

I'm 32, good health. I'll be grand

[Deleted User]

upinsmoke wrote: »

TBH my teeth are perfect, I'd probably fly home to get dental of I needed it. Id be worried I'm my 40s about the whole health plan.

I'm 32, good health. I'll be grand

Exactly.

I lived in the US between the ages of 25 and 31

I was single and did not care about health insurance.
My employer gave me a health plan and that was enough for me.
I got on fine.

If I was still there now with a family I'd have a very different outlook.

él statutorio

upinsmoke wrote: »

TBH my teeth are perfect, I'd probably fly home to get dental of I needed it. Id be worried I'm my 40s about the whole health plan.

I'm 32, good health. I'll be grand

It's a good package they're offering, not a great one.

But, if you're 32 with no commitments I say take it.

If I were you I'd get more details on the following things so you can better prepare. None of these are dealbreakers just the more info you have the better.

Healthcare, whats are the deductibles etc. Does it include dental?

If they're going to organise a place for you great, but find out is it furnished or unfurnished. If it's unfurnished, be prepared to eat the cost of furnishing it.

If it is an L1 visa, and you end up loving it, will they sponsor you for a green card (this would be the most important thing in my book).

I'm in CA 4 years now, I don't know the NY market but knowing what I know now and if I was moving here, I'd want more details on the above.

Third_Echelon

When I was based in Ireland I did a lot of travelling to the US for work on an L-1 visa so i got to know a lot of places and nice cities like New York. I moved over to California in 2015 with my employer (again on L-1 internal transfer) and been here since (just coming up to 3 and a half years). The Bay Area (SF/Oakland/San Jose) is crazy expensive and pretty similar rent wise to NY from what I hear. A one bed apartment is at least $3,000 per month. If you're single, house/apartment share is the way to go. NY is a little bit cheaper, but not a lot.

First of all (depending on your experience and leverage) - i'd be asking for more on the salary. The closer you can get to $100k the better (ask for annual bonus info too). It may sound like a lot compared to Ireland, but NY will eat up that monthly take home pay pretty quickly in rent and other expenses. It's great that they will pay half of your rent after the 3 months. That's definitely a bit help.

How long will they continue to pay half of your rent? Just the first year or is it indefinite? Get that in writing!

No matter your age or how healthy you think you are, you need good health and dental insurance. You never know what is around the corner. One of my good mates that moved over around the same time as me (same employer) was going about life as happy as Larry and out of nowhere he was rushed to hospital one night. Turned out to be a cancerous tumor on his kidney. No idea that it had been there for quite a while... thankfully he's all clear and good now, but he never saw that coming. If he didn't have the health insurance from our employer he would have been in serious debt. Hundreds of thousands of dollars. Don't dismiss a good health package.

Health coverage can be quite confusing coming from a relatively simple insurance system in Ireland. In the US they have HSA, FSA and some places have HMO (and many other products). I have a HMO in California that I don't have to pay anything for out of my own pocket expect $10 per visit. My employer pays towards it and I do have to pay something pre-tax per month. That is golden! With FSA and HSA they are like tax free savings accounts that you put money into and you get a debit card to use at the doctor or hospital to pay for you bills on. You really need to research and know which of these you are getting yourself into. It could cost you big time down the road should something happen and you need to use your coverage.

As others have said, if it turns out that you like life in the States and you want to make it your home, you need to know now if your employer will sponsor your Green Card application. It can be quite an expensive process. Thankfully my employer is covering this for me and I've just started the process. For Irish people it can take 18 months to 2 years on average to fully complete the process.

I did my J-1 in New York in 2001 and have spent a lot of time there over the years with work. I'd jump at a chance to live and work there. It really is a great city with a lot on your doorstep (especially in the summer time with long island, the hamptons etc).

I would so do it, but make sure you aren't selling yourself short on salary, health benefits and things like that. Best of luck!

SweetSand

Hi upinsmoke. First of all I think that is a great opportunity for you, at 32, with no ties I would definitely take it.
One of the things to think about - would you be planning to go back to Ireland in few years time - in which case I would try to save like crazy or to stay in US long term - in which case I would make sure your employer is in position to sponsor you for green card.
Another thing to remember - you can’t change your employer on L1. If you are out of that job you have like 10 days to leave the country.
And few othe observations from previous posts:
- don’t over rely on Irish medicine, it’s not the best to start with and unless you are coming from ER it’s a very long process, starting from your GP, referral to specialist and etc. If you have a really sore tooth tomorrow and you are in NY - you are not going to book a flight to Ireland to check it out. So health insurance comes to play.
- don’t underestimate US medicine, it is actually really good but depends on your health insurance. So as other posters said check out how much do you have to pay each month on top of your employer’s contribution.
- your rent situation is very strange, I never heard of that arrangement before. Ok, 3 months paid is kinda a norm for international transfer but I do not get them paying 50% of your rent after it. For how long? Does it mean you have to live in the place they choose? And $1200 per month sounds very low. We lived in California and Boston area in corporate accommodation and it was always more than double of your budget for something out of 1970s without recent updates.
- google your position/wages. When my husband was offered position here - I googled his company name and his position and got exactly (or very near) what last person in his position got. Gave us a great idea at the time.
- yes, tickets between NY/Boston - Ireland are cheap at the moment (low season). Don’t rely on it. In the summer you ll struggle to find anything under $500 return, especially August.
- don’t rely on those “we ll have a pint once you are here” - most likely it will never happen. Once you move - you are here on your own. Totally up to you to make new friends. It is hard.
If I was you - I would do a lot of research on rental option they offer, check out the area through google maps and etc. And is is L1 you are transferring under?
Best of luck!

Fathom

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

Op are you healthy ? If so don't get too hung up about the medal insurance side of things. If the company pay it great, don't let worries about deductibles etc cloud your decision. Accommodation and commute are far more important factors to base your decision on.

Many companies pay all or require you to contribute to medical plans. Ask HR about employee benefits.

Runaude

You need to have your company fully pay for your medical/dental insurance. They should pay 100% of your rental needs in NYC for at least the first year. Your income should be at least 100k US dollars. You're probably not going to get it but some guarantee of job security as well. This is a very unique opportunity for you to a acquire a green card and US citizenship so no matter the difficulties if you can get 5 years legal status in the US you can get citizenship which is a huge advantage to yourself and any future children. Take this opportunity and run with it.

Fathom

Runaude wrote: »

You need to have your company fully pay for your medical/dental insurance. They should pay 100% of your rental needs in NYC for at least the first year. Your income should be at least 100k US dollars. You're probably not going to get it but some guarantee of job security as well. This is a very unique opportunity for you to a acquire a green card and US citizenship so no matter the difficulties if you can get 5 years legal status in the US you can get citizenship which is a huge advantage to yourself and any future children. Take this opportunity and run with it.

Check to see if your company is "at will." This means they can terminate your employment without cause.

Nermal

Fathom wrote: »

Check to see if your company is "at will." This means they can terminate your employment without cause.

Isn't pretty much all employment in the US 'at will', outside of government or a few specific states?

Fathom

Nermal wrote: »

Isn't pretty much all employment in the US 'at will', outside of government or a few specific states?

At will employment per the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Nermal

Fathom wrote: »

At will employment per the National Conference of State Legislatures.

It’s something to bear in mind when comparing US salaries to those in the EU. US salaries should be compared with contracting roles here - that’s effectively what they are!

él statutorio

Nermal wrote: »

It’s something to bear in mind when comparing US salaries to those in the EU. US salaries should be compared with contracting roles here - that’s effectively what they are!

That not accurate at all.

Nermal

él statutorio wrote: »

That not accurate at all.

Elaborate - the definition of at-will in the link seems pretty close to contracting to me. Unless you’re saying that better terms for the employee are generally negotiated in the US?

él statutorio

Nermal wrote: »

Elaborate - the definition of at-will in the link seems pretty close to contracting to me. Unless you’re saying that better terms for the employee are generally negotiated in the US?

I certainly negotiated better terms for myself in the US.

Employee rights are not as strong as in the EU or in Ireland but the firing at will part really depends on what State you're working in.

By saying it's the same as being a contractor in the EU you're grossly over simplifying things.

In practice, it doesn't happen that often. Where I am, it's usually a negotiated dismissal as the employers tend to fear wrongful dismissal litigation.

ReturningForY

Just to add some perspective: I first moved to New York City ~6 years ago as a PhD student and in the first year barely made $35K. Everything was fine! Most of my friends in NYC make less (even significantly less) than the OP does and get along totally fine - the caveat is that most of them share apartments with other people.

Delighted that you decided to do it!

AllForIt

ReturningForY wrote: »

Just to add some perspective: I first moved to New York City ~6 years ago as a PhD student and in the first year barely made $35K. Everything was fine! Most of my friends in NYC make less (even significantly less) than the OP does and get along totally fine - the caveat is that most of them share apartments with other people.

Delighted that you decided to do it!

May I ask what line of work you are in, and the flatmates?