ilovetotravel29

This is a question for those who have relocated to Paris or London from the States.

Is there a website or links that can give an idea of the costs involved in relocating? I am under the impression that the relocating costs may be more than just the basic 1st/last month rent plus security deposit for 1 or 2 months until work is found.

starrsville

Have you checked into whether or not you can legally move from your country to one of these?

ilovetotravel29

Of course I realize one has to get a work visa first, or apply for permanent residency, etc. I am aware of the laws, interested also in the cost aspect.

starrsville

Well, your comment "until work is found" made me wonder. I would be surprised if you are given permission to enter the country - with the intentions of moving there - without a job.

janisj

you can't just relocate (assuming you are from the States) to either one legally untill you have work and a visa. And if you can manage that because you have skills that are in demand, your new employer will pay your relocation costs.

There are exceptions - but in general you just can't go on Spec . . . . . .

ilovetotravel29

Ok, let me rephrase, what are good links or sites for those looking to relocate to the UK or France?

starrsville

Information on renting an apartment in France -
http://www.intransit-international.c...istration.html

Basically says, your employer (in France) may need to assume the lease on your behalf -

And information for legal residency in France -

http://www.intransit-international.c...visa_work.html

PS - found by googling "relocating to Paris"

mvor

Here's some info I posted on a recent thread:

Author: mvor
Date: 05/08/2006, 11:23 pm
Here are some of the resources that we used in preparation for our 2005 relocation to London. Our relocation company (Phoenix) was wonderful to work with, so hopefully you already have a relocation specialist helping you.

(For us, one week before we were supposed to leave to arrange our London housing, my husband was offered his dream job here in the US!)

RESOURCES:

We found these books helpful (available at bn.com or amazon:

Expert Expatriate: Your Guide to Successful Relocation Abroad-Moving, Living, Thriving by Melissa Brayer Hess

Living & Working in London : A Survival Handbook by Dan Finlay

This might be more helpful to you since you don't mention a specific city/town:

Living and Working in Britain, Fifth Edition : A Survival Handbook by David Hampshire

There are some good links here from the Key Relocations Group for family/children relocation:

http://www.keyrelocations.com/Information.html

London neighborhood info including house prices:
http://www.upmystreet.com/

Quarantine/vaccination info for bringing a US cat or dog into the UK: http://tinyurl.com/rwvn9

Expat groups and info:

http://www.americanexpats.co.uk
http://www.expatexchange.com/
http://www.overseasdigest.com/country/uk.htm

UK salary info:
http://www.payscale.com/salary-survey/vid-3814

International Salary Calculator:
http://tinyurl.com/ofn7l

Fun: The American's Guide to speaking British:
http://www.effingpot.com/

Best of luck!

ilovetotravel29

Thanks, everybody!!!

wow....if I am one day posting on fodors from my apartment in a different country.....that would be so wonderful!!!

or posting from NYC. I would be ok with that, too.

BTilke

Brits are interested in relocating too:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/5237236.stm

walkinaround

to rent a home in the UK, you typically need first month rent and security deposit plus fees (budget 1.5x monthly rent). you also need a bank account and referencable salary that is in acceptable proportional to the rent. as well as causing difficulty in renting a place, it can also be difficult to get a bank account without an employer/employment history in the uk. you also need to pay council tax for your flat(varies greatly but budget £200/month).

BTilke

Yes, walkinaround makes very good points. On some of the expat forums, many Americans have spoken of the difficulty of opening a new UK bank account unless you're a highly paid exec or have independent means.

We were exceedingly lucky in that someone was able to help us bypass those difficulties (we're making sure that we remain a valuable customer). And the cottage we rented we found through a guy we know who happened to be moving to Brussels. He was relieved to simply rent to us rather than have to deal with interviewing and checking out prospective tenants. And we didn't have to pay a security or pet deposit.
Note: For the £850 pcm cottage we're renting in a London commuter burb, the council tax is £120 per month.
Also note that, just like in NYC, there is a disconnect between starting or average worker bee salaries and the cost of housing in London (and probably Paris, too). In London, you have to be willing to live VERY simply (most likely with flatmates) until you've become established financially.

OTOH, in one expat forum, someone about to be posted to London sinicerely wondered if the company's housing benefit of £5000 per month would be enough to find a decent apartment for themselves and their daughter. This was on top of the £300k salary (plus bonus). Hmmm, I think they just might be able to squeak by.