Family of 3 coming from Europe, low income, can we make it?

[sgc from LI]

I think you need to take a few things into consideration before getting into a tizzy

First ,and foremost, get a more specific locale where your husband will be assigned, keep in mind that NYC means all 5 boroughs and possibly LI. And even if he is working in Manhattan , there is no reason you would need to live in Manhattan, there are a lot of nice suburbs in Long Island and New Jersey (may only be 20 minutes by transportation) and they are MUCH cheaper and probably more family oriented
Other things to consider would be the fact that while he would be working and traveling you would be alone for 10+ hours a day and MAY need a car in case of emergencies , so don't discount the need for a private vehicle so quickly

Good luck
SGC

[Henna]

Originally Posted by sgc from LI

I think you need to take a few things into consideration before getting into a tizzy

First ,and foremost, get a more specific locale where your husband will be assigned, keep in mind that NYC means all 5 boroughs and possibly LI. And even if he is working in Manhattan , there is no reason you would need to live in Manhattan, there are a lot of nice suburbs in Long Island and New Jersey (may only be 20 minutes by transportation) and they are MUCH cheaper and probably more family oriented
Other things to consider would be the fact that while he would be working and traveling you would be alone for 10+ hours a day and MAY need a car in case of emergencies , so don't discount the need for a private vehicle so quickly

Good luck
SGC

If they live near subway access somewhere in the 5 boroughs, this eliminates the need for a car. I think when you move out further in order to save in rent but then take on the additional cost of car (insurance, maintenance, registration fees, gas) it would probably cancel out any savings on rent.

There are plenty of family-oriented neighborhoods with subway access.

[Green Irish Eyes]

I'm currently finishing my tenure with the Teaching Fellows program, and I can tell you that it'll be VERY difficult for your family of four to survive on a beginning teacher's salary. Many of my colleagues ended up sharing apartments with roommates in order to make ends meet.

Here's the salary schedule for NYC teachers --> 2007/08 Salary Schedule (http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/15074C44-E87D-4A0A-982C-72DBAD1EAC8E/25312/SALARYSCHEDULESOCTOBER2007_Teacher.pdf - broken link)

And here's a very useful site for estimating your actual take-home pay -->Paycheck City

Remember that as a Teaching Fellow, your husband will be responsible for paying part of his graduate tuition. That will be approximately $100 *per paycheck*, so be sure to include that in your calculations.

Also, during his mandatory pre-service summer training, he'll receive a total of only $2,500 -- and that won't go very far at all.

It's an exciting opportunity, and I hope you can make it work, but be aware that it will be a financial sacrifice.

If you have any questions about the Fellows program in general, feel free to PM me .....

[paolairl]

I just want to thank all of you for all your precious help, in light of all the new info we have got, we are now reconsidering and looking into different options. Thanks again to all the new yorkers for your time and your wise words.

Paola

[New York Man]

salary of 41,000 per year, you are not going to cut it considering the size of the apartments. You will practically get a shoe box apartment for 1,600.00 per month not including utilities. You will need about 2,100.00 per month income to just pay necessities, (Gas,electtic,rent,phone, cableTV,food) and thats being very stingy. Could cost alot more per month.

You really should look into the suburbs like Staten Island, Brooklyn or Queens considering that salary. I make over 100,000.00 per year and just live comfortably.

If you need more specifics, email me at SIUFUMP15@verizon.net