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Old 03-09-2014, 06:29 PM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,764 posts, read 28,094,478 times
Reputation: 6711

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I would try to make a go of it in New Haven. Your quality of life will be much better without the commute, and you'll get a better value for money with your apartment. For $1900 you can live in the best apartments in the city, either in downtown or in East Rock or Wooster Square. There will be several luxury apartment buildings becoming available in the next few years, but in the meantime there is a decent selection. Buildings like the Eli, 360 State, and Ninth Square Residences are nice. Or properties like these: The Chelsea Company Properties Rentals in New Haven, CT

New Haven is actually the architectural hub of CT. There's a lot of architectural firms in the city, a surprising amount actually. This is probably partially due to tapping talent from Yale's program, as well as reasonable rents in the city and a location between Boston and NYC.

I have some friends from London that live in New Haven and love it, as they feel it has a lot of the character from home whereas other cities in the region can feel new and sterile. New Haven is also arguably the most walkable and complete urban city in CT.

Here's some architect firms in New Haven:

Gray Organschi Architecture
Pirie Associates Architects
Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects (probably the biggest firm in the city)
Svigals + Partners
Mitchell Studio | Home
Newman Architects - Home
Newick Architects, Craig Newick, modern architecture, Contemporary architecture, Connecticut, competition advisor,world trade center memorial competition, Linda Lindroth, modern architect, architect, arts project, arts organization, gallery, museum,
Charney Architects
Architect CT | Archiect Paul B. Bailey | Award-winning designs | New Haven, CT
dBr/ARCHITECTS | New Haven, CT | Derek Byron Collaborative Design Studio
| Patriquin Architects - New Haven Connecticut Architects - Karin Patriquin - Commercial Architecture & Residential Architecture, Hospitality, Education, Medical, Restoration, New Haven CT, Guilford CT, Madison CT, New Haven County
New Haven, CT Integrated Design Architecture - Tyre Studio Architects
http://www.buchananarchitects.com/
Towers|Golde Landscape Architects and Site Planners in New Haven, CT
Welcome - Knight Architecture
http://www.c-studio.us/index_ing.php
http://www.peterjacksonarchitect.com/

For some reason, the forum isn't letting me spell out P1ckard Chilton (replace "1" with "i" and Google it), which is another big one.

New Haven Shapes Chicago Skyline | New Haven Independent

Etc. There's certainly no shortage.

Last edited by Stylo; 03-09-2014 at 06:46 PM..
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Old 03-09-2014, 06:42 PM
 
5,989 posts, read 6,783,775 times
Reputation: 18486
Not to mention that Americans LOVE to hire Brits - we find the accent, even Cockney, very classy and intriguing. So maybe you'll get lucky and find work in architecture.
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Old 03-09-2014, 08:08 PM
 
80 posts, read 108,833 times
Reputation: 135
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greatel View Post
Kanzakura, thank you for the message. May I ask a bit about your experience about moving to CT from London? What's good, what's to look out for? Also how did you find a flat from abroad (if that was your situation). I have so far been looking on craigslist and rent.com, any suggestions?
I would love to help

We came over a month before we emigrated to find somewhere to live and we used a real estate agent in Stamford. The rental market is as tight as London so you'll need to be on the ball. There's often plenty of comments about the various apartment blocks on this forum so definitely check those.

Perhaps flats will be different but with houses, there's not usually an agent to act as a buffer between you and the landlord - he is the one with whom you will be interacting for everything. In addition, the landlord has freer access to your home and you have fewer rights of privacy than the UK. Some landlords can be very intrusive and there's a limit to what you can do about it.
So it's really important to meet your landlord and establish what kind of person he is. How much he will be in your life and whether you can feel you will be able to deal with him personally to get repairs done.

Also be very careful about the 'showing' rights in your lease. If you can, make sure the showing period is only the last month or so and you might want to insist on a 24hr notice period clause for entry (the default is nothing). You can't unreasonably refuse buyer/tenant showing access (unlike the UK) in this period so limit it as much as you can if that kind of thing bothers you.

On the positive side, you don't have to pay the US equivalent of council tax - that's the landlord's duty!
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Old 03-11-2014, 05:09 PM
 
8 posts, read 8,829 times
Reputation: 10
thank you all so much, we will be going to scout the area in a few weeks and see what fits best with us.
STYLO thank you for the in depth list of offices
KANZAKURA thank you for the useful tips, I had no idea the law is so different and I will pay attention when contract comes.
Lets see if my british accent will get me a job in new england!
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Old 03-11-2014, 09:45 PM
 
Location: CT
720 posts, read 920,160 times
Reputation: 449
Hi, if you need help finding employment, here is a good contact David Mann - United Kingdom | LinkedIn. They also have offices in NYC, David is also a fellow Brit who works in Stamford. By the way I just got back from London, totally fell in Love with the city. Good luck on your move and job hunt.
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Old 03-11-2014, 10:38 PM
 
1,632 posts, read 1,850,357 times
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Lots of Brits in Ct, maybe the name New England's the attraction , yes Norwalk would be your best bet, South Norwalk is Yuppievill and close to the water. Good luck , Yale ,very impressive
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Old 03-12-2014, 07:48 AM
 
Location: Coastal Connecticut
21,764 posts, read 28,094,478 times
Reputation: 6711
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greatel View Post
thank you all so much, we will be going to scout the area in a few weeks and see what fits best with us.
STYLO thank you for the in depth list of offices
KANZAKURA thank you for the useful tips, I had no idea the law is so different and I will pay attention when contract comes.
Lets see if my british accent will get me a job in new england!
The fact you're from the UK might help. Especially with an architectural firm that's so global like Pelli Clarke Pelli.
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Old 03-12-2014, 07:59 AM
 
468 posts, read 708,943 times
Reputation: 229
Stamford to New Haven is a horrific commute, according to my friend who does it now and actually went on anti-depressants as a partial result. (Not an exaggeration.) The train station in New Haven is not conveniently located to Yale, or really most of the downtown parts of the city, and I wouldn't want to be walking to/from it early in the morning or late at night.

If you want an urban feel, just live in New Haven, in a neighborhood like East Rock. There are plenty of architecture firms in the area.
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Old 03-12-2014, 08:37 PM
 
4 posts, read 5,043 times
Reputation: 16
As an Aussie expat living in the US, I'd focus on the visa and work permit issues first. If you don't intend on getting married before moving to the US, you have 90 days after entry to do so (your visa expires at that point). You also need to prove that you've been in a relationship for longer than 2 years. Obtaining the visa typically takes 5-7 months, and involves jumping through a number of hoops, and all up it will probably cost around $3,000 USD

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/f...urces/A2en.pdf
K1 Visa Process Flowchart and Timeline

Once you're in, in order to work you need an Employment Authorization Card (EAD or I765). I've been through the I 765 process a few times, and I personally would always bank on 3 months processing time, during which no one can legally employ you.

The only other option would be to line up work before you come, and get the employer to sponsor your visa.

http://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/f...urces/E2en.pdf

Typically, the employer has to front a few thousand dollars to sponsor the visa (and deal with a heap of paperwork), so they need to really want you to do it.

The visa options may very well restrict your employment opportunities, and dictate where you are likely to live.
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