Want to move from NYC to Maine...what now?!?! (Portland: appointed, rent)

[jez124]

Wow. I'm so glad I found this forum. My hubby & I have recently decided that we would like to try moving to New England within the next few years. We're very disappointed with the way our current location seems to be deteriorating (we currently live in Western Suffolk County in Long Island NY). We moved here almost 7 years ago from PR & at the time our neighborhood was very peaceful. Suddenly it seems crime has shot up. Needless to say its also expensive. In addition, this has never felt like home & I think we've always known we'd move further north eventually. So we thought Maine. Which is crazy because we've never been there but oddly, it feels right.
So I'd love some ideas about where to start looking. The good places and not so good places. We'd look for jobs first and decide on our location based on that. For reference, we're both government workers. I'm in social services & he works for NYC subways with a specialty as electronic technician. I know jobs ares probably harder to find in Maine but I think it might work out. We're a fairly young couple (mid 30's & early 40's) and we have one daughter 1.5 years old. The projected time for our planned move would mean our daughter would be about 4-5 years old so we'll also be looking for good schools. We've heard Maine is a great place to raise kids & that's the most important thing for us. Like most other people our child's well being is our priority.
Also, is there a large Spanish speaking community anywhere? I'm a Spanish interpreter & my jobs usually focus on my bilingualism.
I'm sorry for the long note. I'd love to hear from people who've been I in our shoes & made the move to Maine from a big city. Anything you regret? Are we setting ourselves up for disaster? We know social problems exist everywhere and aren't thinking Maine is utopia. But we'd sure love to find a more peaceful place that is more relaxed & feels like home.
P.S. I'm aware many people have posted messages similar to mine but I don't want to hijack anyone else's posting. This is my first time posting on this forum & would like to follow the forum "etiquette" as closely as possible.

[mainebrokerman]

Originally Posted by jez124

Wow. I'm so glad I found this forum. My hubby & I have recently decided that we would like to try moving to New England within the next few years. We're very disappointed with the way our current location seems to be deteriorating (we currently live in Western Suffolk County in Long Island NY). We moved here almost 7 years ago from PR & at the time our neighborhood was very peaceful. Suddenly it seems crime has shot up. Needless to say its also expensive. In addition, this has never felt like home & I think we've always known we'd move further north eventually. So we thought Maine. Which is crazy because we've never been there but oddly, it feels right.
So I'd love some ideas about where to start looking. The good places and not so good places. We'd look for jobs first and decide on our location based on that. For reference, we're both government workers. I'm in social services & he works for NYC subways with a specialty as electronic technician. I know jobs ares probably harder to find in Maine but I think it might work out. We're a fairly young couple (mid 30's & early 40's) and we have one daughter 1.5 years old. The projected time for our planned move would mean our daughter would be about 4-5 years old so we'll also be looking for good schools. We've heard Maine is a great place to raise kids & that's the most important thing for us. Like most other people our child's well being is our priority.
Also, is there a large Spanish speaking community anywhere? I'm a Spanish interpreter & my jobs usually focus on my bilingualism.
I'm sorry for the long note. I'd love to hear from people who've been I in our shoes & made the move to Maine from a big city. Anything you regret? Are we setting ourselves up for disaster? We know social problems exist everywhere and aren't thinking Maine is utopia. But we'd sure love to find a more peaceful place that is more relaxed & feels like home.
P.S. I'm aware many people have posted messages similar to mine but I don't want to hijack anyone else's posting. This is my first time posting on this forum & would like to follow the forum "etiquette" as closely as possible.

sounds like you are doing alot of the right things-planning ahead, finding jobs first

come up for a visit if you have never been...

Im not aware of any spanish speaking areas...tho I know its getting pushed as a second language in high schools- my son took classes

maine is what you make of it.....on one hand we have mountains, many lakes and rivers, the coast, one of the lowest crime rates in the country
on the other hand... we are a fairly large state with sparse population...
if I remember correctly, long island is a bit over 100 miles long and over 7 million people

maine has about 1.3 million people and around 35,000 square miles, we are the most forested state in the nation, over 90% trees


from what most say on here, mainers are quite welcoming to outsiders....

[retiredtinbender]

I would say Portland or Bangor for the bilingual. Bangor area see quite a few and beyond sees quite a feew migrants from Hondorus, Guatamala, etc (bluberries and potatos) I would check there. I would think it woould be less seasonal work wise. May be wrong.

[birdinmigration]

Dear jez,

You are a good parent, and your child's well-being is paramount. So I will tell you this right out -- you have heard that Maine is a great place to raise kids, but that is true of a lot of places, including all the other New England states. As a person who has been commuting back and forth for the last several years between the NY Metro area and Maine, I will tell you that Maine is far. If you have extended family or close friends in LI, it would be a schlep and a half to get back there for family parties, etc. You just can't drive back and forth in a day (especially not with a toddler). Gas and transport are not cheap also. Every time I make that drive (and I am only going as far as the city), it is $100 round-trip just for gas alone. Add the tolls, especially around the city, and you are $150 every time you drive it.

You and your husband would need to learn new job skills, preferably before you move here. Second language in Maine is French. Canada is our neighbor, and there is a huge influx of Canadians in the summer, and many of the older folks speak it as their mother tongue. Other useful languages up here are Arabic (to work in Somali social services around Lewiston or Portland), and I have recently seen ads for Dinka interpreters (for the immigrants from S. Sudan? I guess). My current job is working with French speakers from Quebec, and I am fluent in French. I only know one Hispanic family, they are from New York. The mom works in health care, and they do not speak Spanish on the job. You can check out listings on the Maine job boards, monster, or whatever to see what you find.

For your husband, we do not have any subway systems in Maine. None at all. We do have a train line, the Downeaster, that goes from Boston to Portland. I would guess Amtrak probably hires in Boston for that. There are freight lines all through Maine, and there are certainly technician jobs at any plant, but with the amount of unemployment in Maine right now, I would guess any openings would go to those laid off locally.

I wish I could be more encouraging to you. Really, I would suggest you come up, not in the summer, but in an "off" season, say in March, and see if it 'feels right' to you. Come up several times around the year. It's a big decision, but you are clearly intelligent and can figure it all out.

Suerte!

[mainegrl2011]

You seem like a very nice person. birdinmigration has offered you some very good info. If you have credentials (state teaching certification) to teach Spanish, you probably could find a job in a high school teaching. A job as a Spanish interpreter? not in Maine...Also, I do not believe that Maine schools are trying to get students to learn Spanish as a second language. Even MANY years ago, French and Spanish were ELECTIVE courses in my Maine high school. Most chose French. As far as Maine is concerned I believe it would be more advantageous to be fluent in French. I think the consensus among Mainers is that people who live in Maine really should learn to speak English even if their native language isn't English. There are varying degrees of tolerance for those from northern parts of Maine (for example) who didn't speak English until they went to public school or those who refuse to learn to speak or speak English. Many whose native language is French also speak English.

Electronic technician? Are those skills transferable to something besides subway trains? If not, your hubby might want to look for a job in Boston. As has been said the Downeaster travels between Boston and Portland, but the jobs are most likely in Boston. If you're set on Maine, you could look at the Kittery, Maine area for relocation and your hubby might be able to drive to Boston to work. You on the other hand, may need to find a new profession if you're going to live in Maine.

I also would like to suggest that you search the Maine CD threads on the topic of moving to Maine.....lots of info.

If you want a job as a Spanish interpreter, you might want to consider NC even though it's not a Northeastern state. There's a huge Spanish speaking population, Amtrak runs through the state and there's a local train in Charlotte.

[jez124]

Thank you all for your ideas & honesty. Any type of move is so scary and having a child who depends on us to make the right moves only adds to the pressure. But I will take all of your thoughts into consideration. In terms of jobs I also have a background in HR & recruiting in addition to secretarial sciences so that might be a good plan B. While I can read some French it's not enough to be an interpreter. Then again, every state needs at least one person who speaks Spanish. I'll have to figure out a way to be that person. My hubby's background is also varied & he can (and has) work in many different industries. If not trains then he'll have to find something else in the electronic field. I sure am glad I listened to my dad when he said it would behoove us to be a Jack & Jill of all trades. As for travel time, commuting back to NY is not something we'd have to worry about because we are alone in the U.S. When we leave NY there won't really be any reason to return. All of our family is in PR & that's where we travel once or twice a year.
In terms of cost of living I read recent statistics that indicate Portland, Maine is 26.7% cheaper than my current location. Would you believe that to be accurate? I know our salaries would decrease but if we manage to find salaries more or less within that 26.7% change, can we expect our net profits to stretch a little more? Example: rent & groceries take a huge chunk of our income. Rent alone definitely exceeds the recommended shelter expense (experts suggest this shouldn't be more than 30% of net salary if I'm not mistaken). We will certainly plan to take a trip during
the off season within the next few years. Any suggestions on where we should look to stay during that very first trip? I'm really appreciating your feedback.

[PAhippo]

Since your time frame is a few yrs, I'd say pick a couple of likely areas and visit. As for costs, get a few local newspapers, esp Sunday editions. Look at the ads (after the comics of course!)

[jez124]

I should clarify that I'm currently a Spanish interpreter within the Medicaid division of Social Services. My official title is basically eligibility caseworker. But the bilingual aspect comes into play because I mostly handle the Spanish speaking applicants. I couple of weeks ago I was looking at Maine government jobs & saw that they are accepting applications for a position that is basically the same as the one I have now. I'm aware there is a hiring freeze at this time. The other day I read a local Maine newspaper that said the governor was looking to cut Medicaid programs (or something along those lines). I guess I could always try & apply to a job like that but based on the economic woes of the Medicaid program, I'm not holding my breath that positions like that will be available in the coming years. Here in NY there have been a lot of lay offs in the public sector (fortunately I didn't go in this round of 400+ layoffs) and I assume that'll be a trend for many states within the coming years.
I can't recall the name of the Maine newspaper I read.

[birdinmigration]

Mainegirl is correct, with this proviso:
The requirements for attaining teaching certification vary from state to state, and I can tell you in all honesty that full certification for teaching any subject in Maine is difficult, expensive, and time-consuming.

Please check the Maine DOE site for current information on initial cert., if you are considering going that route, vis a vis Spanish-teaching. You need a certain number of hours of student teaching, coursework in "Teaching the Exceptional Child in the Regular Classroom" and "Methods" courses in your subject, for example "Methods of Teaching a Foreign Language" for Spanish teaching.

As an example, I have a "Targeted Need" conditional cert for French teaching, meaning that there is assumed to be high demand for French teachers in Maine. I believe (but I am not sure) that the only other Targeted Need subjects are special ed (all grades) and certain subjects in science (physics, for example). But the Targeted Need subjects change from year to year! So, for example, many near-grads at an excellent U for teacher education, such as UMF, might specialize in SpEd, and that Targeted Need goes away next year! So planning to focus on Targeted Need cert for 2-3 years hence is a logistical error.

And even with my Targeted Need cert in French, and many years teaching the language privately, and using it for many years in workplaces in the US and overseas, I am still passed over in favor of "Fully Certified" teachers, even after going through two interviews and the whole nine yards.

The initial certification, whether it's Full, Conditional (non-Targeted Need), or Targeted Need, costs $135, and you must produce much documentation, including certified college transcripts. That in and of itself is not a problem, but bear in mind that with Conditional cert, the clock starts the day you get the cert, and it expires at the end of the school year. So if you do not find a job quickly, you could find yourself redoing the cert, and continuing to pay the fee.

I hope this helps give a clearer picture of entry into teaching in Maine (even if you think you are not interested in that now). You can't just come up here, and "if nothing else, you can teach".

[birdinmigration]

Originally Posted by jez124

I should clarify that I'm currently a Spanish interpreter within the Medicaid division of Social Services. My official title is basically eligibility caseworker. But the bilingual aspect comes into play because I mostly handle the Spanish speaking applicants. I couple of weeks ago I was looking at Maine government jobs & saw that they are accepting applications for a position that is basically the same as the one I have now. I'm aware there is a hiring freeze at this time. The other day I read a local Maine newspaper that said the governor was looking to cut Medicaid programs (or something along those lines). I guess I could always try & apply to a job like that but based on the economic woes of the Medicaid program, I'm not holding my breath that positions like that will be available in the coming years. Here in NY there have been a lot of lay offs in the public sector (fortunately I didn't go in this round of 400+ layoffs) and I assume that'll be a trend for many states within the coming years.
I can't recall the name of the Maine newspaper I read.

Oy. Going out on a limb here -- Portland Press Herald?

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