family wanting to immagrate to california from uk any advise would be great (Bakersfield: unemployment rate)

[lace4]

we are wanting to move to california from the uk, and would like some advise on places to avoid, afordable property and wether we would have to pay for our childrens state schooling untill we get residency? we have 4 children under 12 and need to know if we can move to california withoput having to pay for their education as you can immagine with four it will be too far out of our reach if we had to pay.
im a hair stylist does anyone know if there is a call for hair stylists? we were looking at merced is that a good thing? lol

[Gottasay]

Watch this Californian's videos about the state's economic crisis and google what you can -- from what I hear, people are leaving the place in droves: YouTube - george4title's Channel

[Charles]

Originally Posted by lace4

we are wanting to move to california from the uk, and would like some advise on places to avoid, afordable property and wether we would have to pay for our childrens state schooling untill we get residency? we have 4 children under 12 and need to know if we can move to california withoput having to pay for their education as you can immagine with four it will be too far out of our reach if we had to pay.
im a hair stylist does anyone know if there is a call for hair stylists? we were looking at merced is that a good thing? lol

Congratulations, you are the 1000th original poster requesting info on moving from the UK to California.

Why do you want to move to California?

Lots of existing threads similar to yours.

What about your spouse? What line of work is he in?

Public schools in Merced costs $36,624 per year for four kids - paid for by the taxpayers

from

Merced City schools - per student spending information - Greatschools

[CA central coast]

schooling will be free. Merced is one of the more affordable areas of CA, not sure about the job prospects? Merced is located near Yosemite National Park. That's probably the biggest plus.

[loveautumn]

do you have proper visa to move to the United States...to work here?

[Christine Joan]

Overall, the unemployment rate in California is over ten percent. Some areas have higher unemployment rates. You can look on Craig's list in Merced and look on the internet for a local Merced newspaper's classified ads to get an idea of whether there are any openings for hair stylists in Merced. If there are openings, there will be plenty of people applying for those jobs.

In order to work here, you need to have an Immigration Visa that allows you to work. I believe that needs to be done before you come here. You should contact an Immigration lawyer.

Most people enroll their children in public schools if they live in a good school district. You might want to ask people about the schools in that area before you move. Some public schools here are very good, but the bad ones can be awful.

[cedew]

Are we trying to deter UK folks from moving here with our cheery personalities?

Let's assume this family understands the legal requirements to move to the states, or at least has the intellect to sort it out on their own. The questions are about places to avoid, not what paperwork is required.

As for tax dollars paying for your children to go to school here, get the proper paperwork, don't send every extra cent back to the UK, and you'll be an asset to your community! Our state economy really suffers from people who send most of their money outside the US, instead of putting back into the local economy.

It's important to know that unemployment is high, but its high everywhere. The national average is 8%, and maybe 10% in California, but is 2 people out of 100 significant? I don't think so, and I see jobs posted all over, though about 1/10 of what it was a couple years ago. There are still jobs to be had, but only for the most motivated.

I personally do not care for pretty much all of those central California cities, from Stockton(avoid Stockton like your life depends on it) to Bakersfield. Now, if you headed east of these towns, you can find some nice small communities. I'm picky by the way, many folks are happy as can be in the areas I would prefer to avoid.

It's hard to tell you where to avoid, it helps if you give a generic area first, like you did with Merced. Maybe you can offer some generic criteria, and we can help suggest locations too.