Very OT - possible move from Ireland to Boston, MA

wedjul05

hey,

I haven't posted on here in a good while, been plugging away myself as gym etc.

This is very OT but myself and my DH are looking at moving to either Boston, MA or Dubai. My DH has been told my his employer to pick between the 2 as he cannot pursue both. We were originally looking at Dubai but now have shifted our attention to Boston. My DH would be the primary job mover/relocator as he can get more money, I would be looking to work also but wouldn't earn as much as him. I am a senior quality control analyst in a large multinational pharma company. My DH works in IT sales and is looking at the Canadian market as he is french.

We have 2 kids: ages 3 & 4 so education is very important obviously.

I stayed in Boston years ago when I was a student and loved it. Totally different now we are all grown up and have kids. We will sit down this weekend and write a pro's/con's list this weekend for both but we are leaning towards Boston.

So anyone with young kids on here live in Boston? What are the suburbs like, schools, community, rental (I know this is expensive there)???? Any other info you think would help, advise etc.

Thanks

wedjul05

Anyone got any words of wisdom/advise?

linxus

Hi there! I live about an hour south of Boston. I very much enjoy it there. I am not biased at all, as I'm originally from the south.
So, I will say- you may have more fun in Boston as a tourist than actually living there. Getting around is fairly easy once you get familiar to it. Plenty of commuting options. However, being a southerner, the attitude is very far from ideal from what I'd like. I'm not saying people are mean.. I'm just saying the rushy, get-things-done is very different from my "come have a seat!" hospitality : ).
So please know, Boston is as city as it gets besides NYC. And cities are expensive. However, that also means there is better job opportunity there. Say you or your husband happens to get laid off, your chances of getting another one are better. Schooling, I can't speak much for, but I imagine it varies with the actual schools itself as opposed to just the area. However, higher education is OUTSTANDING (yet again, costly though). I just go to a community college in my area and you would think it is a university with how amazing their standards are and how they treat their students.
Also, my biggest con is the weather obviously. I prefer heat to the cold. I hate the rain and I hate snow. That is all personal preference.
If it were my choice, I would go with Dubai for the experience. However, that is because I just don't see U.S cities as interesting. I feel all of the U.S cities revolve primarily around money than anything else (attractions, culture, etc.) We are a big melting pot : )
But, its possible you may prefer Boston as you are already familiar with it. Being irish, you will fit right in : ) Above all else, I do love it there.

TravelDog14

So your husband would be sponsored to work here in the U.S. by his employer? Or are you U.S. citizens?

I have quite a few expat friends and while one spouse has been sponsored to come here for work by an employer it's pretty common that the unsponsored spouse isn't allowed to work under the conditions of the visa. This can be very frustrating for the unsponsored spouse.

Disregard this post if you're U.S. citizens...

wedjul05

My DH would be sponsored by his employer. He is French and I am Irish. He spoke to another french guy who has been living in Boston for a year now and works for the same company as my DH. His Polish wife is allowed to work under their visa and is actively looking for work. But thanks for the heads up, obviously a big thing to consider and look into asap.

wedjul05

Found this in Wiki for a definition of an L2 visa (spouse visa for those with a spouse sponsored to work in US under L1 visa)

'The holder of an L-2 visa does not need to obtain an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) to be allowed to work with any employer.[1] However, it is recommended to apply for an EAD in order to be able to prove to prospective employers that the holder is authorized. The spouse of an L-1 visa holder with an EAD is allowed to work freely; dependent children of an L-1 visa holder are not automatically authorised to work in the USA'.

wedjul05

thanks for your opinion linxus. WRT the big city attitude: I'm from Dublin and we live in Dublin so not nearly as big as Boston but I'm kinda used to the city attitude. My DH is from Paris and the Parisiens are not known for their hospitality either!!

WRT weather, we are well used to wet, cold seasons here. Ireland doesn't have seasons: just one long miserable maybe a bit of sunshine season. At least in Boston there are seasons, albeit cold/snow in the winter. We are prepared for that. My DH loves the hear but I fear the excessive heat in the summer months in Dubai would be too much.

ibroad

I went the other way, I grew up in Boston and now live in Co Mayo! I am thoroughly biased but I say go for Boston! I'd say you'd find the winters a little rough but the other three seasons make up for it. Plus you have a greater chance for a white Christmas

Housing is more expensive
Food, petrol much cheaper

Schools- I don't have children but I have a friend who recently started her daughter in first grade. I am not totally clear on how this goes but Boston public schools are a kind of lottery. The quality is not consistent from school to school. There are some GREAT schools but equally there are terrible ones. I believe you nominate a few schools and it's luck of the draw what you get. My friends didn't get their first three choices and they ended up sending their daughter to Catholic school which are tuition schools. But I think I read recently that they're looking at changing this system. There are towns bordering the city with great public schools (Brookline, Newton, Milton, Needham).

I don't know how much help I'd be because when I left Boston my friends and I were still in the 4 people in an apartment phase of life but I'd be happy to answer any thing I can.

katimama

I live in the suburbs about 30 min outside Boston. Although when I used to commute to Boston for work it took an hour to get into Boston due to the traffic. My husband is from Ireland and moved to America when he was 18. He loves it here and, unless there is some amazing job opportunity, we will stay in America. Many more opportunities for him (and me) here.

We have two small children and live in a town with a great education system. The Boston school systems are less then ideal, but if you are living outside of Boston then you have a variety of towns to choose from with excellent schools. You will have to pay more money to live in a town with good schools though. Given that your children are so young though I wouldn't be too concerned b/c you move to a town that is less expensive and then when they start elementary school you could move to a different town.