Homecoming - Where to buy?

[Dr Gloom 21937]

At the risk of angering Gemmill, that housing package was on the table with the original offer, and so you can still honestly claim you're 30% down on expected income.

well no, but the housing package is a given for expat roles. the job alone warrants a meaningful merit pay rise. the money you get from on the housing deal goes if you return to the UK, which i probabably would eventually. 

 

first world problems, eh.  

[Kid Dynamite 7033]

They won't pay him in dollars cos then the company bears the cost of currency fluctuations. Doing it this way, Gloom bears the cost.

 

His lunchtime bento box and mochachino will be costing him a different (but no less scandalous) amount every day.

Am I being dense here? If they pay him $50000pa then it's always going to cost the company $50000pa. If they pay him £35000pa then it could cost the company $50000 one year and $60000 the next

 

Edit - I take it it's a UK company?

Edited January 12, 2017 by StraightEdgeWizard

[Park Life 71]

well no, but the housing package is a given for expat roles. the job alone warrants a meaningful merit pay rise. the money you get from on the housing deal goes if you return to the UK, which i probabably would eventually. 

 

first world problems, eh.  

It will be a great experience, do it if you can.

[Gemmill 44930]

Am I being dense here? If they pay him $50000pa then it's always going to cost the company $50000pa. If they pay him £35000pa then it could cost the company $50000 one year and $60000 the next

 

Edit - I take it it's a UK company?

Aye, UK company, so they want to pay him an amount fixed in their reporting currency and let him handle the fact that when he withdraws 100 dollars one day, it costs him more or less sterling than it did the previous day.

[Dr Gloom 21937]

hence why i'd want a bigger than standard pay rise. you can handle the usual annual fluctuations. but look what's happened in the last year to the pound. a half decent wage here won't go anywhere near as far as it did before brexit. 

[Gemmill 44930]

Aye, without the payrise, at your stage of life, and in the current economic environment, it's probably not a good idea. It's the sort of thing you could do in your 20s and just suffer the consequences.

 

Unless you're on the sort of money where swings of thousands of pounds per year in your salary don't matter, it's a lot to take on that risk.

 

On the other hand though, you could end up becoming the next James Corden.

[Dr Gloom 21937]

what the fuck is that all about anyway? how did that fat twat get so big over there? he's a genuine hosuehold name all of a sudden, where as far as i can tell he was mostly despised when we was over here, best known for being the fat unfunny one out of gavin and stacey and cutting adelle's acceptance speech short at the brits. what do they see in him? 

[Park Life 71]

what the fuck is that all about anyway? how did that fat twat get so big over there? he's a genuine hosuehold name all of a sudden, where as far as i can tell he was mostly despised when we was over here, best known for being the fat unfunny one out of gavin and stacey and cutting adelle's acceptance speech short at the brits. what do they see in him? 

Yanks are clueless. You could take over.

[Gemmill 44930]

I suspect he's quite charming and they just love the accent. I agree though it's mental that he's got so huge over there.

[Dr Gloom 21937]

interviewing michelle obama ffs - wtf? 

[ewerk 30629]

Is he actually any bigger over there than the Scottish fella who was doing the job before him?

[Gemmill 44930]

Aye Craig Ferguson. That was also mental. I remember him as a not very funny comedian and the next thing you know he's one of the "kings of late night".

[Park Life 71]

Aye Craig Ferguson. That was also mental. I remember him as a not very funny comedian and the next thing you know he's one of the "kings of late night".

Once you're on prime time you're famous that's it. There is little discernment.

[ewerk 30629]

It's on at 12.30 am ffs. Do Americans not sleep?

[Howay 12496]

Is he actually any bigger over there than the Scottish fella who was doing the job before him?

I think he's slightly more popular but it's mainly because he's a draw for a younger audience which networks always like, I still think it's only around 1m people per episode and is less than that Seth Myers bloke who is in the same slot on a different channel. 

 

I wouldn't say he's massive really, he gets good guests but I think that's because the networks push hard for these late night talk shows rather than him doing much. A lot of the interest in him came from those carpool karaoke things, he done a few with Justin Bieber which is obviously going to garner youtube views but I think that schtick has ran its course.

 

He is a twat mind, so I always expect bellends like him to do well. The talk show hosts are interesting mind I'm always shocked people love Jimmy Fallon so much, the bloke can't get through any sort of skit without completely ruining it by laughing so much, he interviewed Bradley Cooper a year or so ago where they wore these stupid hats and Fallon was laughing for about 5 minutes straight the bloke literally couldn't do the interview and it got to the point the audience were clearly nervously laughing thinking when the fuck is he going to pack in laughing. Conan O'Brien is the best one out there imo but it starts so late through the week I never watch.

 

The move sounds good mind Gloom, I think the homeless are a problem in general in California which is somewhat understandable as if I was homeless I'd prefer it to be somewhere that's warm pretty much year round. I understand your wife being a bit nervous of them but in general they don't seem to do much, the ones in New York Penn station are often yelling in the toilet cubicles, booting doors, etc but they don't seem to attack anyone or anything like that, can still be distressing to see mind.

[Howmanheyman 33266]

I'll stay here and take my chances with Johnny Decker in Wallsend after reading about the tramp situation in California, tbh.

[Dr Gloom 21937]

I think he's slightly more popular but it's mainly because he's a draw for a younger audience which networks always like, I still think it's only around 1m people per episode and is less than that Seth Myers bloke who is in the same slot on a different channel. 

 

I wouldn't say he's massive really, he gets good guests but I think that's because the networks push hard for these late night talk shows rather than him doing much. A lot of the interest in him came from those carpool karaoke things, he done a few with Justin Bieber which is obviously going to garner youtube views but I think that schtick has ran its course.

 

He is a twat mind, so I always expect bellends like him to do well. The talk show hosts are interesting mind I'm always shocked people love Jimmy Fallon so much, the bloke can't get through any sort of skit without completely ruining it by laughing so much, he interviewed Bradley Cooper a year or so ago where they wore these stupid hats and Fallon was laughing for about 5 minutes straight the bloke literally couldn't do the interview and it got to the point the audience were clearly nervously laughing thinking when the fuck is he going to pack in laughing. Conan O'Brien is the best one out there imo but it starts so late through the week I never watch.

 

The move sounds good mind Gloom, I think the homeless are a problem in general in California which is somewhat understandable as if I was homeless I'd prefer it to be somewhere that's warm pretty much year round. I understand your wife being a bit nervous of them but in general they don't seem to do much, the ones in New York Penn station are often yelling in the toilet cubicles, booting doors, etc but they don't seem to attack anyone or anything like that, can still be distressing to see mind.

 

i think it's also particularly bad in SF because a lot of other cities across the US paid for buses to take their homeless people to SF, knowing they'd be looked after there. it's probably the most liberal city in the country and a lot of private charities put on soup kitchens shelters etc to help. i don't see the issue going away without greater state intervention, which is never going to happen over there. meanwhile, the 6 to 10k homeless (depending on which metric you use) become increasingly visible as the number of shelters declines. the property bubble there, fuelled by the tech boom, means every square inch of real estate is being snapped up by developers and turned into new apartments - there's nowhere else for them to go. it's a real problem, and kind of a tragedy really.

 

i had this idyllic view of the city, mainly based on hollywood films featuring cable cars, dramatic hills and bay views, but the reality on the ground is quite different. in our short city stay we encountered used needles, what looked like human shit on the streets, plus one deranged guy followed us shouting out random threatening nonsense for about 3 or 4 blocks until we took shelter in a starbucks. 

Edited January 12, 2017 by Dr Gloom

[Howmanheyman 33266]

i think it's also particularly bad in SF because a lot of other cities across the US paid for buses to take their homeless people to SF, knowing they'd be looked after there. it's probably the most liberal city in the country and a lot of private charities put on soup kitchens shelters etc to help. i don't see the issue going away without greater state intervention, which is never going to happen over there. meanwhile, the 6 to 10k homeless (depending on which metric you use) become increasingly visible as the number of shelters declines. the property bubble there, fuelled by the tech boom, means every square inch of real estate is being snapped up by developers and turned into new apartments - there's nowhere else for them to go. it's a real problem, and kind of a tragedy really.

 

i had this idyllic view of the city, mainly based on hollywood films featuring cable cars, dramatic hills and bay views, but the reality on the ground is quite different. in our short city stay we encountered used needles, what looked like human shit on the streets, plus one deranged guy followed us shouting out random threatening nonsense for about 3 or 4 blocks until we took shelter in a starbucks.

#prayforgloom

[Dr Gloom 21937]

first world problems, like i said. 

[ewerk 30629]

Seeing a grown man standing in a busy street just off Union Square with his pants round his ankles having a wank was worth the trip to SF alone tbh.

[Kid Dynamite 7033]

i think it's also particularly bad in SF because a lot of other cities across the US paid for buses to take their homeless people to SF, knowing they'd be looked after there. it's probably the most liberal city in the country and a lot of private charities put on soup kitchens shelters etc to help. i don't see the issue going away without greater state intervention, which is never going to happen over there. meanwhile, the 6 to 10k homeless (depending on which metric you use) become increasingly visible as the number of shelters declines. the property bubble there, fuelled by the tech boom, means every square inch of real estate is being snapped up by developers and turned into new apartments - there's nowhere else for them to go. it's a real problem, and kind of a tragedy really.

 

i had this idyllic view of the city, mainly based on hollywood films featuring cable cars, dramatic hills and bay views, but the reality on the ground is quite different. in our short city stay we encountered used needles, what looked like human shit on the streets, plus one deranged guy followed us shouting out random threatening nonsense for about 3 or 4 blocks until we took shelter in a starbucks.

That's nee different to Sunderland tbf

[Howay 12496]

That's nee different to Sunderland tbf

 

 

That does sound grim tbh, at least you are going into the decision with full knowledge of this mind. 

[Gemmill 44930]

Seeing a grown man standing in a busy street just off Union Square with his pants round his ankles having a wank was worth the trip to SF alone tbh.

You catch your reflection in Macy's window?

[ewerk 30629]

I always stare into a mirror when knocking one out tbf.

 

Edited January 12, 2017 by ewerk

[scoobos 298]

Thanks,@@Rayvin - there are a few moving parts at play so it's no guarantee I'll take it even if I'm offered it. Though it sounds like it's mine to lose.

 

I went there last summer to do a proper recce and try to sell it to the wife but it didn't go exactly to plan. They have a real problem with unhinged homeless people. Makes you realise how important it is to have proper state provision for mental health that we take for granted in the uk. Apparently Regan cut funding to mental health institutions when he was governor. The result is you're never far from some intimidating, deranged crack addict pan handler stinking of piss and talking to themselves in SF city - even in the nice areas. All big cities have homeless people but it's something else in SF.

 

Salary negotiations are going to be another stumbling block because of sterling's slump - i'd need a massive rise now to make it worthwhile.

 

And the prospect of Trump in the White House doesn't make it more appealing either.

 

Still fancy it though. We would probably try to relocate to East Bay or Marin, which is a different world.

Same for america as a whole imo - and that's why I really didnt enjoy it there at all. It really starts to get you down when you come from the UK with our welfare state and see how the average, nice , normal citizen will treat someone in that position as if they are not human.

You're also right about the buses, but its more about the weather being more temperate in winter so they dont have to "deal with" frozen dead homeless people on the subway grids, at 6am in January, than they are better looked after by the state or anything. (and I'm really not joking)

 

Also, don't get me wrong its great to work overseas for a bit - but make sure you factor in things like: you will be expected to take almost FUCK ALL holiday - get a good medicare package, don't go for standard or even +1 , they are not good enough - If I were you, I'd not try push for any special currency payment terms, get paid in USD and bring it home as gold if you have to ,  also try move to match a tax year, and return that way.

 

In all honesty I dont understand the sterling slump comment, I must be missing something - I'm paid in USD and its meant a 21% pay rise for me ? USD buys more sterling.

 

The positives are absolutely worth going for at least a year or two though, but to emigrate and live, you're going to need a lot of money and a very blind eye (especially as you approach retirement). IMO America is by no means the land of opportunity anymore.

 

you didnt ask, but if my threads getting derailed I'm going to act all knowledgable

 

Benton seems to be winning by the way - pretty nice houses there for 150k!!

Edited January 13, 2017 by scoobos