Single Mum- Job offer in USA. Good move?

[chedda88]

Hi everyone,

I am a single mum of 2 and I have just been offered a job in South Carolina. That means I will be moving from Bristol to South Carolina Charleston, to be precise.

It has been a long time coming but I am happy that I have been given the opportunity. I haven't accepted yet. I said I will get back to them by the end of the week.

I will be working as a Case Manager with Children's Services. However, downside is the salary. $40,000 USD which is about £30,000 . Roughly about what I earn now. Note, a lot of American job sites do not put the salary there, which is very frustrating! So I went out on a whim.

I have been able to manage just fine on this. But bear in mind I am a single mum of 2 very young children. I get additional help from the government whilst in the UK such as child tax credit, 30 free hours funding for my oldest.

I have lots of friends in Charleston and I have lived there before (many years ago) when I was 19 and 20 and I am now 30. But now I am a lot older and wiser. Plus I have kids! $40,000 USD, is that a good starting salary for a single mum with kids. I would have to stop my benefits in England and I am not sure I would be able get any government assistance in the USA until I am properly settled and my legal status changes.

Children's father should ideally help financially but I can't factor his "payments" into the equation right now.

Any advice would be helpful.

What about health care costs? What are the Co-pays?
What is the cost of living like there? Child care? Is the child care of a sort you would be happy with? (Adult child ratios can be a lot higher than here.)

I live in SC so might be able to help. First of all I'm assuming that you are not a US citizen or green card holder and will require a visa. Which visa has you prospective employer said they will apply for?

The cost of living is high here and there is no way I would have done the move for the amount of money you are being offered. You will be significantly worse off than you are now. Are they providing 100% health insurance? That is a major factor to consider. For example it costs just over $2000 a month for me, DH and two children and we still need to pay the first $8000 of our family healthcare bills. You will also want to budget for trips home. Rent is also very high.

Charleston is lovely and we did consider living there but were put off by the schools as they don't score particularly highly.

Sorry if I seem to have put a dampener on your plans but unless you have some clarity on the visa situation and a significant increase in the pay offer then I just don't think it will be doable.

My big concern is how on earth you will afford health insurance.

Even with a really good insurance policy it costs $25 anytime we visit the doctor. That’s before the costs of any prescriptions.

If health insurance is covered in the package, then yes it’s certainly doable

My sister had to come back (dream job and the company needed her specific skills) because she couldn’t afford the health insurance once she had her son. It’s a shame but unless it’s an extra provided by the company it often not cost effective to move.

Does the children's father have PR? Will he allow the kids to emigrate? Will he support any visa applications? Not sure what is required for a Child US visa.

I live in CHS - as @QueenCity says, housing is quite expensive, and the schools are not great. $40K wont get you very far tbh.

That is a very low salary. The cost of living is way higher than the UK and healthcare is ridiculously expensive. There will be no tax credits and no free childcare. You are much better off in the U.K.

I would not be looking at an equivalent salary to UK but something closer to double, social workers are badly paid compared to UK. Is this an unqualified post? Transferring socialwork qualifications is possible, although I think maybe only an MA, but it is a rather lengthy process and you then need to study for and sit the licensing exam for your state. This will enable you to access better paid jobs that should have better work/life balance. I can only speak for the Midwest where life is good but notably more expensive than UK, particularly food and utilities. Is your visa either sorted or not an issue?

Unfortunately, I have to agree with the other assessments: that doesn't sound like a great situation. In my experience, a UK-to-US move works when you get to take advantage of the higher white-collar salaries that are often offered in the US - that was my situation when I moved. If you move for roughly the same money, you'll find yourself having to stretch that money much farther thanks to a lack of social provision. (Particularly in a place like South Carolina, where it's bad even by US standards.)

Seconding (thirding) all the comments about health insurance. You won't be eligible for benefits on a visa in the USA unless you eventually become a citizen, and even then if you're working you're unlikely to get anything

The other thing to factor in is holidays - most places still only give ~10 days a year, plus public holidays, so I'd take that into account for a) trying to get back to the UK for visits (Christmas, kids dad etc) and b) school holidays. Our public schools are shut at least 1 day a month for religious, state and federal holidays, and thats not counting spring break and the ~10 weeks at summer. Summer is the kicker as you will have to find the $ to pay for camp or similar

Thanks for this. I made it very clear that I would need a work permit. They said that's fine that they have experience filing for these. I am a UK national so certainly will need a work permit.

I will make enquiries into their healthcare policies. As from the thread I can see that it is something I should really negotiate for

Yes I have a Master's in Social Work. I am researching this and there is process which I can go through to become licensed.

I think that you should be looking for at least double this salary to be looking for a decent standard of living. With 2 children it will be extremely tight.

OK. Thank you for the insight. The children's father (we are still married just separated) says he will support in ways he can. However I am not counting on this. I don't want to have to rely on any of his income.

But what do you think I could negotiate with the employees? Healthcare certainly. Salary wise, how much should I bump this up.
If they aren't ready to negotiate then fine, I won't take the job. Not the end of the world. But any suggestions for negotiation. I am also trying to save to at least cover me for 9-12 months rent. Then my son will start school next year so my childcare costs will reduce a bit.

My spouse may have to buy me out of the house because the marriage is pretty much over.

But yes any suggestions for negotiation will help 😌😌

I can't believe they offered you something so low TBH.

*employers not employees

$40k isn’t a low salary for a social worker in Charleston, SC. It really is the health insurance that will be an issue. And don’t think you will be able to take holidays in America the way you can take them here. They will be stingy with your time, and resentful if you take it.

There are lots of things to consider here

Health insurance is going to be a big issue and can cost a fortune and even if you are insured you will be expected to pay a co-pay to visit the doctor and for hospital visits and stays etc. A friend recently had to pay several hundred dollars when her son had to go into the hospital despite being insured.

Childcare is also going to be a big issue. In the UK you are getting the funded hours but in the US you will have to pay. Even when your children start school you will have the holiday daycare costs as it is very common to only have 10 days of holiday in the US.

I know I might sound crazy but why do you need insurance?

I go to the gp once or twice a year and I’ve only been in hospital to have my kids!

My kids rarely go to the gp

So why not just pay as you go?

Childcare is not subsidized in the US and health insurance premiums can be crazy expensive.

You've said you're checking on the insurance package, but I'd also carefully research childcare costs AND availability. And be sure of the leave policy for your expected employers. Some can be really mean as far as paid parental leave. Unpaid leave is guaranteed by law, paid leave is not. Most let you use annual leave, but a shitty employer will deny annual and make you take unpaid.

Moving to the states will cost $$$$ and you will need to dip into any savings you have. You will have no credit rating when you arrive here so will find it very difficult to get things like car finance. All the utility company companies will require you to pay a substantial lump sum (ours were approx $300 each) before they will give you service. You also need to consider the cost of shipping your belongings over. Most of your electrical items won't work so you will need to buy everything new. We had a relocation package but we are still considerably out of pocket.

The summer holidays are 12 weeks long. There are a lot of childcare options but they obviously cost a lot of money and as others have said you will probably get less holiday here so that is something else to consider and possibly negotiate for more holiday.

You really need to ask which visa they will be applying for. If it is an H1-B visa that they will get for you then the earliest you would be able to be out here working is October 2019. Are they really going to hold the position open for over a year before you can get out here? I'm sorry if I seem negative but there are so many things that you need to consider otherwise you could find that you would have been much better off staying in the UK.

The costs of all things medical are much more expensive than in the UK, My only experience of a medical provider believing wrongly our insurance wasn't valid with them was being asked to leave. Places won't see you without first checking your insurance.

Why not PAYG for health care? Because it costs $5,000 to get tonsils removed. For example.

@Melliegrantfirstlady You need health insurance because there is no national health service here. Without insurance you would be paying a couple of hundred dollars for each doctor's visit. What if your children broke their arm, needed stitches, had appendicitis etc, etc? You could very quickly run up a medical bill of thousands of dollars. Medical bills are one of the leading causes of bankruptcy here. Even with insurance a trip to A&E would cost us $500 and that's before any treatment.