moving from Scotland to California

[suncassie]

As an (older) mother of a 3 year old DD and 2 cats, we are hoping to move out to America in the NY with DH. Lots of questions about moving in such a big way and living in California. Is there anyone out there with any words of wisdom?

Hi Everyone so sorry for the gap been v. busy. Looked at the rental properties listed gave us both an idea of what to look for and prices expected. This will probably be our main aim when we visit in 3 weeks. Most important for me and DD will be a good pre school and therefore living nearby so that can be part of the community. Any recommendations? Thanks for the My Gym info. she goes to Gymini here as well as Enjoyaball and Dancing and loves them all so need to something similar so that she can adjust easier.Not sure what DH's company will offer in the way of relocation advice and support but all your comments will help me get prepared for all eventualities .

Alipiggie and Dodgykeeper - what is the other link? Sorry new to this .
DK, moving from Livingston, which removal company did you use? Thinking of Purdie's.

Although I am thoroughly looking forward to some time off work , realistically I may have to in the future.Currently work as a midwife, so need help with local hospitals and some info. on maternity care in California, not sure if they use midwives. Also need to know about retraining the American way or exams etc.Should probably do this as a separate link....

Make sure that you have all your dd's jabs well documented in her redbook. You will not be able to get into a pre-school/nursery without evidence of being up to date on the jabs. You will need to register with a local pediatrician and get them to "authenticate" your dd's jabs and fill out official forms for pre-school application.
Get your family back home set up on Skype with a video cam so that your dd doesn't lose touch with her relatives.
Other than that you will love California and never ever want to go back.

Hey suncassie,

Hows it going? Making any progress with the move?

bump

We used Doree Bonner who are based in Edinburgh. They gave a good quote and we were pleased with the service we got. They were happy for me to come in to the depot with additional boxes and on one occasion, open a box to get something I needed. I got to see all our stuff loaded into the container and the security seal put on which put my mind at rest a little. Everything was packed well, the paperwork was thorough and clear and they seemed to know what they were doing. The only issues we had were with the American company they were affiliated with who refused to unpack all the boxes as we had been told they would do. As it happens, I would rather unpack the boxes my self anyway as they were only supposed to take everything out and not actually put them away so we would have ended up with piles of stuff all over the floor IYKWIM. Check the British expat website for lots of info on other companies although most of them seem to be negative (I think people are more likely to share bad experiences than ones that were good).
Re vaccines, in general the schedule is the same as Scotland but you also need hepB and poss. chickenpox. You can't get the chickenpox one in Scotland (and shouldn't need it if your dc has had it) but you can get the hepB. It is a course of 3 injections over 6 months so you may or may not fit them all in. Most places would be happy if you can show that you have begun the process. The nurse at our GP did the first two for us before we left and we didn't have to pay anything, although I have heard of people being charged for it.
I know there is so much to take in and your head must be spinning, but its all worth it. I'm sitting on the deck in shorts looking at the bluest sky you have ever seen and the only sound is kids laughing.

Dodgykeeper, that last line about sitting on the deck in shorts looking at a blue sky made me smile- a lot.( Note to self must lose weight and get a tan as legs donot see much daylight ). As a fellow Scot you can imagine what the weather is like here at the moment!! Am a bit concerned about having to repeat vaccines for DD must get GP involved in that one. Wish Id taken photos of those pesky chickenpox. Yes my head is realing at the moment. We have just been making a list of costs to give to DH's HR dept. when we visit them at the end of the month ( wish me luck ). Definately we will rent, very little chance of selling up here for a decent price just now. There is just nobody buying unless for cash.An estate agent visited and told us that he had 580 properties on his books and had had 3 viewings last week. If we have a zero credit rating then I guess we will need plenty of cash initially otherwise how do we e.g. buy a car, or rent a house? Do you pay for preschool? Hope we don't have to wait too long to get DD into nursery, then she would definately notice something was amiss. Didn't think that I would be able to work but DH's work want to know why my loss of earnings is an issue!! Want to know what I would have to do to be able to work in current profession.

The zero credit thing is really annoying, esp if you have a really good credit rating at home! We managed to get a car loan on a new car because we had a fair amount to put down and because we had been referred by a friend. Another thing we did was to place a big order on line from Ikea using our uk credit card which meant we could pay it off as we liked and had alot of the major household stuff when we moved in. Keep at least one uk bank account but let them know where you are so that they don't stop your card because of unusual activity!
You will have to pay for preschool and actual school doesn't start until they are 5 (and even then it is usually half days for the first year!) There is a huge variation in what is offered under the category of preschool. If you are going to be at home, try to get one that is not part of a daycare centre. The daycare ones were nice but it felt more like daycare than education. If you can find a private, independent preschool where children go for a few hours either morning or afternoon, they tend to be similar to nursery schools in Scotland. Also take a look at Montesori schools as they are excellent but only if the system suits your child. Where we live the only state preschool education offered is for special needs.

Cat info. new, thanks. My poor girls are outdoor cats and at the moment are the hunters as we live beside a wood but raccoons and coyotes are more of a challenge than squirrels!

I found that pre-school/nursery is pretty much the same in the uk and the usa. There is a wide variety ranging from the very exclusive private to the one attached to our local public (state) elementary school. If you are planning on working and need full time coverage then the former is going to be more practical than the latter, which like in the uk is only 2.5 hour a day coverage. Here is los angeles, full time care runs about $1000 a month. I'm sure it will be cheaper in Walnut Creek. Here, the best ones are filled up years in advance, but I don't know if that's unique to la. I would advise looking into it when you are there for your visit. And visit a few....it's just like in the uk, you will know the right one when you've visited it. And you will want to make housing choices based on school (you are automatically entitled to a place at your local public school in california...they have to add another teacher if they run out of spaces). Though if you are renting, start out making choices based on preschool options (and work of course).

Have just had a removals firm in to give us an estimate, they went through all he do's and dont's and suddenly it all felt a bit real!!! Only a week till we leave and I see it all for myself.

Bump for this thread. Move set for 25th March. Removal company arrive Monday. Still no accomodation in Walnut Creek. Could do with some advice on areas especially with a view to preschools.Getting very excited but nervous about the move. Most things sorted we think..... Have resigned from work, have rented out house for 3 years, have sold cars, have opened international bank account, have American express visa card, still need to find good home for 2 moggies!!!! What have I forgotten? Terrified I pack the wrong things and don't see something really important for 3 months. Am off to a spa for the day to try to relax but please get in touch with some words of wisdom

Hello Cassie. I moved to CA in September although I'm in San Diego. It was a bit of a culture shock but now I'm loving it - especially the sunshine! If you're still considering bringing your cats, we brought our cats over - three Persians, but they're very much house cats. I think we used Airpets. They were excellent and got them to LAX from a Yorkshire cattery with no trauma or difficulties.

Good luck with your move

Just yesterday someone came along who will take my cats so I am quite relieved. Move going well so far. Surrounded by boxes at the moment. DH going to see some more houses at the weekend so heres hoping. What is the schooling dept. called who I would notify that my daughter needs to go to nursery or is there a different system?