Considering Relocation to Boston - Need Advice - Job First? (Framingham: sublet, apartment)

[mnala]

My partner and I are looking to move from a mid-sized southern city to Boston. We have been researching this for a while. I have started applying to jobs, but I am doubtful that I'm going to have any luck finding a job there when I live 1,200 miles away. I am wondering if I should just suck it up and move and find a job when I get there. I have not been without a job for almost 20 years, so the idea of being unemployed is terrifying. However, if I am going do do this I am willing to commit to it. I feel that living there would increase my chances.

I am 40 years old and I have experience in customer service and administrative support. For the past 7 years I have worked in administration for a health professions school at state university affiliated with a university medical center. I graduated in May with a BS in Health Care Management. I want to move out of academia into the clinical side of health care. While I am willing to consider an entry-level position, I feel that with my experience I should be able to find something that is at least a step above that. Something that is either senior admin support or assistant management, etc. I have been trying to do this here since April and I've not had any luck. There just isn't anything here.

I have already applied to almost 70 jobs at three hospitals in Boston that I feel were appropriate for me, but again I doubt my chances considering the fact I do not live in Boston.

My partner is 32 and also graduated in May with a BA in foreign language. He is interested in working in translation and interpretation. For the short term he wants to get a certification and in the long term is considering a MS in international business. He has not had any luck finding work here that is related to this field.

So of course, I am looking for advice for those of you there about the feasibility of moving there unemployed. We would be able to move there with anywhere from $10-$15K in savings. There are two of us, so I feel like that would make renting a room with someone else difficult. Ideally we would want to sublet an apartment. I would like to be somewhere we would have access to transit so I could sell my car. We wouldn't really have any expenses outside our living expenses.

I have a friend who lives in Boston and works for a university. He has given me some good advice and offered to help. We could stay with him a week or so on arrival, but I would not entertain asking him to do more than that. Ideally I would want to come up and have some time to secure a place, then move.

My friend suggested looking at temp agencies. I have done that and it seems that with my experience in academia and all of the universities in the city it could be a good option. I even saw some positions in health care that looked like great options. Both of us are willing to do whatever work we need to...

I just want to make the most informed decision I can. I appreciate any comments you guys have.

[bostonguy1960]

Not sure if Mass General Hospital still has their Bulfinch Temps division for clerical temp jobs. I worked for them briefly 20 years ago doing medical transcription and secretarial jobs at about $12-$13 per hour. They may have had higher level medical temp jobs also. I also temped at MRI (Medical Register Inc.) back then. They were at 396 Commonwealth Ave. in Boston. Children's Hospital also had a temp pool in house. Nowadays, everyone does their own typing and phones, so those jobs are needed less. The universities often had in house temp services as well.

Of course, almost nobody will rent to you without a job here no matter how much you have in savings. Believe me, as I've already encountered this while exploring rentals in other cities.

[maggiekate]

do you both have a job now if so you also need to consider health insurance if you give that up.
There are many colleges and of course hospitals in Boston but the cost of living in Boston is really high.
I would also hate to see you waste all your savings if it takes awhile to find a job.
Maybe look at job openings on the web sites and see if you can get an interview b4 you make the move.
Mass general is a big hospital as even northeastern for a college. there also is boston college and BU check out
there web sites and maybe even talk human resources to get the real picture as to pay etc.

[mnala]

bostonguy1960, that is my concern - how the hell am I supposed to get a place to live with no employment - even if I have money?

[bostonguy1960]

Mnala: some think that you simply pay six to twelve months upfront if not employed. Nope. For various reasons, I've learned on the renting forum, most landlords will not do this; .in fact, it seems suspicious to some of them.

Even rooming houses on Craigslist often stipulate SS income or paystubs, sometimes three to twelve months of pay stubs in the local area.

I proposed upfront rent on a CL ad in another state, for a weekly room, and they still demanded employment. Even the YMCA near Chicago requires a certain level of weekly pay. They explained they don't care how much you show in savings...what if you blow it gambling or need to repay most of it soon to a relative. They need the certainty of a paycheck.

[mnala]

I have thought about asking my friend if I could use his mailing address and getting a Boston phone number through an iPhone app I have. That would make me appear local, but then the problem comes in if I start getting calls. I can't be running back/forth to Boston for interviews and it really wouldn't be worth a trip I would want to make unless there was a strong possibility of an offer....

[brienzi]

As someone who has lived around Boston their entire life, i say go for it. Their are job's here especially in healthcare, that's the field to be in here.
As far a living and what not, you can find many cheaper alternatives outside of the city until your settled with a job. Places that have the commuter rail and such to zip yeah right into town. Also Lahey clinic is major employer located outside of Boston and is always hiring.
Framingham ma, is close to Beantown and always has rentals available, if you have cash, you will find a place to live, no problem.
good luck.

[mmyk72]

To secure a rental, assuming you found something that you can rent, most LLs require upfront payment of the deposit and first month rent (or first and last). So figure a 1300 to 1500 per month apt on the low end, that's still close to 3K out of pocket. A savings of 10K only affords you around 4 months to find a job. You may be able to do lower pay work in the meantime to stretch that out.

I don't think you need to pretend you're local to BOS as long as you are clear that you intend to move as soon as you get an offer and how soon that can happen. The type pof job you r looking for seems unlikely to pay for relo, but doesn't mean you are OOL if your experience puts you above other candidates and you show how serious you are about moving to the job.

[sobo16]

Originally Posted by mmyk72

I don't think you need to pretend you're local to BOS as long as you are clear that you intend to move as soon as you get an offer and how soon that can happen. The type pof job you r looking for seems unlikely to pay for relo, but doesn't mean you are OOL if your experience puts you above other candidates and you show how serious you are about moving to the job.

I, too, recommend securing a job first. Just be patient and keep applying. I got my current job while living out of state, and like the advice offered above, I explained that I was willing and able to move for the job.

[texas2188]

Does anyone else have any tips that helped them secure a job from out of state? I'm working through my network of contacts in the area to see if I can get my resume through to HR rather than having to go through the online process- it sounds like OP is having the same trouble.