best place for English family with 17 and 11yr old girls (New York: rent, how much)

[inkythumbs]

Hi,
My partner had just applied for a job with the UN, nothing high powered, the salary is 50k, plus we would have half our rent paid, and the kids would get free schooling (private I assume). I'm unsure whether to accompany him with our 2 kids, 17 and 11. I work here (in the UK), earning around 50k with a charity promoting green travel. I don't know if I'd be eligible to work in the US, how easy it is to find work, if my skills are transferable, or how much I'd earn.

Where should we aim to live? Reasonable commute, safe(ish), fun neighbourhood etc. We would probably be in NY for 2-3 years.

sam

[Viralmd]

Originally Posted by inkythumbs

Hi,
My partner had just applied for a job with the UN, nothing high powered, the salary is 50k, plus we would have half our rent paid, and the kids would get free schooling (private I assume). I'm unsure whether to accompany him with our 2 kids, 17 and 11. I work here (in the UK), earning around 50k with a charity promoting green travel. I don't know if I'd be eligible to work in the US, how easy it is to find work, if my skills are transferable, or how much I'd earn.

Where should we aim to live? Reasonable commute, safe(ish), fun neighbourhood etc. We would probably be in NY for 2-3 years.

sam

50K isn't much, even for a single person in the New York area. Even with half the rent paid. What is your partner going to be earning with the UN?

Remember, if your kids will get schooling, they're going to have to commute to school if you don't live near the facility. What school(s)? Where?

And the 11 year old and 17 year old will likely go to different schools. Is the 17 year old planning to go to University? If so, she would be better off in the UK, unless you want her to attend a US college, in which case she had better start thinking about taking SATs, and you'd best be saving your money, as that's an expensive proposition.

I think you have many more questions to ask...and get answers.

Just because your partner is working here doesn't necessarily mean that you'll be able to work here unless you arrange it with an employer HERE in the US.

[Henna]

Aren't the salaries at the UN tax-free? Meaning you don't have to pay income tax? I didn't believe this the first time I heard it but I think someone else confirmed it for me. This is something you need to check.
Salaries with the UN tend to be quite low given the qualifications of the people getting the jobs, but there are so many extras like cost of living allowances, etc. that sometimes you can make it work. Definitely need to do your homework on this. The UN website is not at all well designed but most of the info is on there if you have a few hours to spend going through it.

[KB4]

You said that your partner just applied for a job. Did he/she actually get a job offer? The offer letter would mention the salary and other benefits. You definitely need to get more information. UN staff pay a "UN tax", on top of the salaries there is a cost of living benefit, some (not all) staff get a part of their rent paid (but not half), some staff get most of the education expenses for their kids reimbursed, but not all of it. You need to find out about what applies in the case of your partner in order to know what you can afford. Another thing is, it seems that you are not married (?), that means that you might have a problem getting a visa to live in the US. Regarding the 17-year-old, how does she feel about the move? I think that this would be the worst age to move, going from one educational system to another just before the end of high school.

[Henna]

oh - I didn't catch this. If all it is is an application at this point and not a job offer, don't hold your breath. The UN is notorious for making people wait and wait and wait, and after all that there may not be a job offer at the end.

however, if you know the job class or code, I do think there is a significant amount of info about what benefits that job code includes that's listed on the UN jobs website. Finding it is another matter.

[inkythumbs]

yup, I should have said, that's 50k for him, with no tax to pay, an allowance for schooling, in the US or UK, half our housing costs (presumably within reason) and an unspecified allowance for a 'spouse'. And no, he hasn't been offered it, he's only just applied, and I am immediately getting all excited mostly due to thefact that the New Year party I was invited to has been cancelled, and I am bored our of my tiny skull in Northumberland. It's a tres boring place.

[Viralmd]

One of the posters above is correct: if you're not legally married, you're going to have a hard time getting a visa to work here....

And if it's only an ALLOWANCE for schooling - private school is expensive: it STARTS at about $20,000/year and increases as the grades go up.

[inkythumbs]

you are all very knowledgable, thanks for your advice, especially KB4. Things are at a really early stage. No offer expected in the immediate future. My partner is a middle ranking civil servant (accountant). One thing I hadn't thought about was our marital status. This is useful info. We're not married, and in fact, one kid is mine not his, and the other is a foster kid. We may have to get hitched just to cut down on paperwork. Apparently there is also a facility for UN to pay partner's child support (he has two sons in UK), although I forsee substantial extra costs in flying them and/or partner back and forth for access visits.

I'd already thought the oldest kid might need to stay behind in the UK for the last year of her schooling (she's almost 18). She wants to be a photographer, so NY might be a good place for her to do an internship before UK art school, again visas could be problematic- I'll look into it.
Youngest is a foster kid, but social services here are surprisingly positive about any potential move. I think they like the idea of coming over for regular catch-ups! I would probably want to keep her in the British or European (ie 'International school') system if possible, as we are not likely to be in US permanently.

So finally- given the huge complexities involved - where are the best places to live, that may be within financial reach? Our current knoweldge of NY is based on 'Friends' (the youngest kid), Vogue fashion shoots (the oldest kid), SATC (me) and 70's films featuring Italian Americans and guns (partner). Maybe not the most realistic basis for choosing a new place to live....

[LookingtoLeave]

Originally Posted by inkythumbs

So finally- given the huge complexities involved - where are the best places to live, that may be within financial reach? Our current knoweldge of NY is based on 'Friends' (the youngest kid), Vogue fashion shoots (the oldest kid), SATC (me) and 70's films featuring Italian Americans and guns (partner). Maybe not the most realistic basis for choosing a new place to live....

Please don't base your decision to move there or where to live on tv or magazines. I'm not saying you are, but if you do that's a huge mistake! I've been there many times and can honestly say it wasn't until my 3rd visit that I wanted to move there as it was NOTHING like I expected. Visit beforehand (more than once if possible) and decide if it's something you and your partner can deal with as it's a whole new world in NYC.

[inkythumbs]

Thanks folks, maybe I should send him to Kosovo with the EU instead!
sam