Friday, 09 January 2009

• Englishman Moving to New York. HELP!

  Guest post submitted by MelancholyRambler

  

  Okay, so I'm an Englishman through and through, always will be. I love my home and my country, but I have a tendency to get itchy feet and up and leave at a moment's notice. I don't have a mortgage or family tying me down here, in London, and I've reached that point where it's time to do something else. On impulse I have decided I'm moving to NewYork.
  

  I've never done anything like this before, as in actually move my life across an ocean to somewhere I know basically nothing about and have no friends or relatives there. Let's put it this way: about the biggest connection I have to New York is watching re-runs of Friends on the TV. I also know a very minimal amount about immigration and visas to the states from here.
  

  In my attempts to further my knowledge and prepare for this major change in my life I have trawled the web a little, but am completely baffled by US immigration. There are something like 70 different types of visas! My gosh people, that's just overwhelming. So, I come to you wise and plentiful readers searching for help and answers.
  

  You mayneed some more information about me to give more perspective to my situation, so here goes:
  

  I am a 23 year old male. I have no criminal record and a fully valid UK passport. I am a full UK citizen and always have been. I graduated in Computer Science two years ago and have since been working various jobs; I have a rather extensive resume for my age, my most significant job being an IT consultant and other jobs revolving around office temping and IT support. I have some savings, at least enough to live on for maybe a month or more without work.
  

  Here aremy current thoughts:
  

  • Visa – What I'm after is a temporary working visa. I know that, for UK citizens, it is possible to get a visa that allows you to work in Australia and Canada for a limited time, something like a year or two, as long as you are under a certain age, 30, I think. Can anyone tell me if there is a similar thing for the US? If so, please let me know where I can find out more about it.
  • Work – I am willing to look into anything if need be but my preference would be towards office work, at least initially. How does office temping pay in the states? I'd really rather not have to rely on tips from a service based job like bartending, though I in no way look down on such employment. I'm pretty decent at finding work for myself in London but are there any New York specific job hunting tips I should know? If you can get me a job before I actually come over, I will love you forever and give you... erm... something... maybe something English. Find me a job and you'll find out!
  • Money – I realise that New York is going to be expensive but as I already live in London, which is pretty dear as it is, does anybody know how they compare in terms of cost of living? How much should I be expecting to pay for rent in an area of Manhattan for instance? Are there any particular areas anyone could suggest that would be a) safe and b) affordable. Examples or websites would be a great help, please.
  • Safety – I've never lived in a country full of guns before; this scares me. I'm extensively well travelled and have never had any trouble with crime anywhere in the world. Is crime in New York really as bad as the media and movies portray? What tips would you give for staying safe in New York? Which areas should I avoid at night? Which areas should I just plain avoid, period!?
  • Finally, Timing – My current plan is to save up a little more money here and I'm looking to come across in about March/April time. Is there anything I should be aware of during that period, I don't know, like that it's rainy cold season or burn the Englishman day or something Friends forgot to tell me!?
    

  Okay,that's all I've got for now. If I think of more, I'll add to this later. Thanks in advance to everyone who helps me (and remember much love for work... wait that sounds really wrong... erm). So yeah, cheers guys and gals.
  

  • 9:36 PM
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