[arel]

Originally Posted by GypsySoul22

Arel,
It's not just you. I emailed a few places (real estate) and never got replies. Or I got a standard machine reply and it went no further. In the end, we had to rent the one place we saw.

I know it will make you nuts trying to predict all scenarios and all outcomes. You just can't. You can only plan the best you can and then try it.

Ultimately, you are right. But I believe in managing risk. My primary concerns about Vermont are financial. You can bundle up against the cold, but you need money to buy the clothes and the fuel.

Not having heat is terrible. One day when I lived in Rhode Island, my heat failed. I didn't want to impose on my friends so I challenged myself to bundle up and sleep in it. I went to bed in my down coat. A stray cat I had taken in slept on my feet. It was stupid. I could barely sleep, and I conceivably could have frozen to death. My friends wondered why I simply hadn't come over and stayed at their house.

[arel]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

"Also, I also know that my situation is further complicated by the presence of 5 cats. (No, giving them up is not an option.)"

Somehow, I don't think all five cats will find work...

If you have people genuinely interested in hiring you, it may be time to make the leap of faith.

Well, my cats might find work mousing, if they can muster up a work ethic. But I know Kasha will want a big cut of the profits.

Seriously, faith has worked for me and I have been rescued by circumstances plenty of times, sometimes in surprising ways. But I still want to do my part to the extent possible. I think there is a Muslim saying: Trust in God but tie your camel.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

I really dont think the kitties will be a major obsticle. People in VT are very 'creature' oriented for want of a better term ! 'Cept for a stray bat or two, our cats kept all the other animals such as the mice , squirrels and chipmunks coralled nicely in the attic where I didnt have to worry about them too much !
In otherwords, people like predator pets around to keep the unexpected critter intrusions to a minimum. Moose might be a differnt story, though

[arel]

How about a pet fisher cat?

[Djuna]

I am applying for jobs in Vermont at the moment and one place is reluctant to telephone interview me, instead they are expecting I will fly from Australia for a face to face. Unbelievable.

[harry chickpea]

"I am applying for jobs in Vermont at the moment and one place is reluctant to telephone interview me, instead they are expecting I will fly from Australia for a face to face. Unbelievable."

So why not set up a webcam and do a teleconference interview?

[GypsySoul22]

Lining up a job before you move MAY NOT be possible. I do wish people would understand that sometimes you cannot do this.

Like I said, we tried for a few years to hook up jobs before we moved (considering about 30 different places all told). It just did not happen. Once we had a local address, my husband got a lot of calls...more than in a year in NY...as for myself...once my husband's schedule is set I can try to get a job.

[arel]

If it's true that I can't get hired in Vermont until after I've moved, then that takes away the time pressure I wrote about in my original post.
The strategy will be move, live on money you bring while you look for work, and then start work. No time pressure.

I just hope I won't have to live on my savings for too long, or need them to supplement what I eventually earn.

In that case, I will need to have money for my next move - to Burlington, to Montpelier, to the Upper Valley, to New York.

[flu189]

If you do not have a job lined up before you come up here then you are assuming major risk. If any employer tells you tou need to live here before giving you the position tell them to shove it, as that is not worth the risk. Yes, you can move up and then try to find work, but have a hefty savings account balance to help you survive. Of course there are menial labor jobs available, but they will not pay all of your bills. Another point to consider is that even if you land a decent job right from the onset do not assume that this job will last. I have heard many horroe stories in person of folks who thought their jobs were somewaht secure and then only later to learn they would be shafted. Unless you have a very specialized skill that is in current demand or you know somebosy to hook you you up the job market here really is pretty lousy for decent career oriented work. Then again you hear how much your degree is valued, yeah right! I have two degrees and know tons of folks with degrees that are working below their potential because there just is no opportunity to get into good work related to your academic field. I hate to sound pesimistic, but all the culture and diversity experience that is such a big selling point for relocating here is meaningless here if you have to sweat it out working 60 or 70 hours a week just to make it by. Do your research and if you require solid professional income get it up front before actually moving up.

[arel]

Originally Posted by flu189

If you do not have a job lined up before you come up here then you are assuming major risk. If any employer tells you tou need to live here before giving you the position tell them to shove it, as that is not worth the risk. Yes, you can move up and then try to find work, but have a hefty savings account balance to help you survive. Of course there are menial labor jobs available, but they will not pay all of your bills. Another point to consider is that even if you land a decent job right from the onset do not assume that this job will last. I have heard many horroe stories in person of folks who thought their jobs were somewaht secure and then only later to learn they would be shafted. Unless you have a very specialized skill that is in current demand or you know somebosy to hook you you up the job market here really is pretty lousy for decent career oriented work. Then again you hear how much your degree is valued, yeah right! I have two degrees and know tons of folks with degrees that are working below their potential because there just is no opportunity to get into good work related to your academic field. I hate to sound pesimistic, but all the culture and diversity experience that is such a big selling point for relocating here is meaningless here if you have to sweat it out working 60 or 70 hours a week just to make it by. Do your research and if you require solid professional income get it up front before actually moving up.

Your points are very well taken. This is what primarily scares me about moving up. One agency said they wanted to interview me once I moved up. But, as we all know, an interview is not a job. I haven't made an exhaustive search of employers, but the ones I did speak or email with wanted me to be in contact once I moved up.

My fear is that once I move up, I either won't find a job or the job I find won't pay enough to live on. And now you add another concern, that the job won't last. I hadn't thought of that, but it an obvious thing to be concerned about. Thanks.

And if you lose a job you don't have the choices of other agencies that you have in a big city, especially in New York.

I do not want to work 70 hours per week. I do not want to do miserable work that I hate.

I do not want to be seduced by Vermont's beauty and then be miserable and embittered, like one poster who used to post here but no longer does.

I have been told that people in my profession can do well. My plan is to work at a job, and to develop a private practice. But even though there are some agencies there, including a famous one (The Retreat), there is no guarantee that I would be hired.

BTW, I am a professional, but I am a social worker. There is no solid professional income in social work unless you are a high level administrator or a private practitioner. I understand that the high level administrators at local agencies make a lot. I assume the actual line worker clinicians make peanuts.

Truthfully, I am really at a loss as to what to do. I am willing to take some risks, but not others.

Again, I can't move without a job, but I can't get a job without moving.

Maybe I should just take my chances and consider early retirement.