Well done. Thankfully not something I have to worry about, which means we can live in our dream location.
Oceania Life in America
- Thread starter Mijoro
- Start date
Well done. Thankfully not something I have to worry about, which means we can live in our dream location.
Sm1smom
Super Moderator
Awesome! Congratulations.
With all this car talk, you guys could try my method.... Move to Chicago! I think it has the best public transport in the country. 2 years in and a car still isn't even on our radar. Though I must admit, I just turned 30 and have never owned a car in my whole life, so it's kind of normal to me. Plus with all the texting and driving that people here love to do, my chance of death will increase by 3000% as soon as I start driving.
I did a licence test with a rental car when we arrived, so my future insurance premiums are constantly dropping with my "impeccable" driving record. Hopefully that's how it works anyway.
My wife is getting lessons at the moment so she can do exactly the same thing.
We bus, walk, train and cycle everywhere. The busses even have bike racks on them, so you can be pretty mobile, especially in summer.
Let me know if anyone has any Chicago questions.
I did a licence test with a rental car when we arrived, so my future insurance premiums are constantly dropping with my "impeccable" driving record. Hopefully that's how it works anyway.
My wife is getting lessons at the moment so she can do exactly the same thing.
We bus, walk, train and cycle everywhere. The busses even have bike racks on them, so you can be pretty mobile, especially in summer.
Let me know if anyone has any Chicago questions.
Ricardo7
New Member
Do u need to tell the rental agency that u are using it for the road test? Perhaps a document that u need to show the examiner?
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
You have to show registration, and it depends on the rental company. Obviously you can only do this if you already have an international license, as you can’t rent a car without a license. As I know you are young, you should also be aware that rental companies either don’t let you rent or load a premium for renting if you are under 25.
Also scroll down to the relevant section here https://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/insurance/where-to-get-a-car-for-your-drivers-license-road-test/
I can't think of any reason why you'd need to tell the rental car agency that you are using it for the road test, but the centre will ask for proof of insurance, and the receipt from Enterprise seemed to satisfy them.
I was just driving around with my Australian licence before that. You're allowed to do it for 2 or 3 months before you need to get an American one. Luckily for me I came over here for a job that has pretty good rental car perks.
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
Again, the period of time you can use an international license before needing to get a local one depends on the state you move to. It ranges from, afaik, 10 days to 6 months depending on state.
Julio Z
New Member
Hi All,
I'm an occasional participant here and like to check in every few months . . .
I'm about to make my permanent move from Victoria to New Jersey and wondering if anybody can recommend an international removalist? Would also be great to hear any stories of how people went about relocating their belongings.
Thanks in advance !
I'm an occasional participant here and like to check in every few months . . .
I'm about to make my permanent move from Victoria to New Jersey and wondering if anybody can recommend an international removalist? Would also be great to hear any stories of how people went about relocating their belongings.
Thanks in advance !
Aidyn
Well-Known Member
My relocation involved myself and two suitcases, so I'm not going to be much help sorry.
I'm sure there are others that have done bigger moves - good luck!
Hey Mijoro, just out of curiosity how long did it take you to secure a job? Or even get an interview? My main concern with the move will be finding work. I'm in IT (Operations) and I have seen a fair few jobs in Chicago (where we are planning on moving) that seem suited, but just concerned about the lack of local experience.
Cheers
Aidyn
Well-Known Member
I'm in IT Management and it took me about 6 weeks. I moved to the Seattle area so lots of IT related jobs here. Make sure you format your resume to meet US standards, use keywords so you'll get picked up in searches, join job websites like glassdoor, indeed and make sure your resume and details are up to date.
Not once did I receive feedback that my lack of US experience was an issue, I do have extensive experience across various sectors of IT so my experience speaks for itself. And when you finally get an interview our Aussieness shines through and most of them love it
I'd also suggest finding a great recruitment consultancy firm - if you find a good one they can be a godsend!
Not once did I receive feedback that my lack of US experience was an issue, I do have extensive experience across various sectors of IT so my experience speaks for itself. And when you finally get an interview our Aussieness shines through and most of them love it
I'd also suggest finding a great recruitment consultancy firm - if you find a good one they can be a godsend!
I'm from Vic living in Chicago too. Let me know if you need any advice
Thanks damo, at the moment I'm mainly just trying to find a suburb with affordable housing (to buy) and IT jobs not too far away. So yeah just trying the impossible.I'm from Vic living in Chicago too. Let me know if you need any advice
And also trying to figure out how we'll survive the brutal winter
Julio Z
New Member
Thanks Aidyn
traveling light seems light a smarter way to go!It seems pretty mild so far this year which is nice.Thanks damo, at the moment I'm mainly just trying to find a suburb with affordable housing (to buy) and IT jobs not too far away. So yeah just trying the impossible.
And also trying to figure out how we'll survive the brutal winter
I'm assuming you know about Zillow? You can see all the property prices, school districts, etc with it. It's pretty good.
We decided to rent closer to a blue line stop before buying anything. Then you can get to know people and ask them what property ownership is like in IL, as well explore different neighbourhoods. Plus the mobility that public transport affords you can really expand your reach as far as jobs are concerned, without having to immediately jump into car ownership.
SusieQQQ
Well-Known Member
We decided to rent closer to a blue line stop before buying anything. Then you can get to know people and ask them what property ownership is like in IL, as well explore different neighbourhoods. Plus the mobility that public transport affords you can really expand your reach as far as jobs are concerned, without having to immediately jump into car ownership.
Sensible approach imo. Sometimes the reasons some suburbs are more affordable than others are reasons you don’t want to live there; everyone’s trade-off priorities are different. I think renting before buying is a good investment in knowledge of what you are buying, even if you start off with a few thousand dollars going to a landlord rather than your own home.
Mijoro
Well-Known Member
The toilet paper hoarding hit my city a couple of days ago, much like the chaos we have seen in Australia with folks fighting over loo paper.
People seem to be either wildly blasé with it or ready to go into their bunkers there’s not much of an in between.
I don’t have much confidence in the CDC response to it as yet and there seems to be no one steering the ship so to speak.
How does everyone else feel about it?
People seem to be either wildly blasé with it or ready to go into their bunkers there’s not much of an in between.
I don’t have much confidence in the CDC response to it as yet and there seems to be no one steering the ship so to speak.
How does everyone else feel about it?