u/rudishort

I’m contemplating a move from the UK to the Thousand Oaks area and as part of my due diligence I’m hoping to pick this community’s brains a little bit.

I’m basically trying to get a feeling for what life would be like for me and my family and what we could or couldn’t afford on our expected household income.

We’d be moving from the reasonably low cost of living area in the UK where my current salary afford us a large house in the best school district and I’m wondering if we could replicate this in Thousand Oaks. I get paid around $350k a year, while my wife wouldn’t be able to work in the first year at least (visa regulations) and we have two children (3 and 5).

Priorities for us would be a decent sized house (min four bedrooms) in an excellent school district for the kids. I’d be working in Thousand Oaks and wouldn’t want to commute too far - I’d like to max out at a 30 minute commute each way if possible. We’d also like to be able to fly back to Europe once a year and given that this is Southern California, I suspect we will need two cars. So finances need to account for that.

Does that sound reasonable on $350k?

Anything else to consider? What’s the community like? This is especially important for my wife since she won’t have work to socialise in the first year.

Also, what’s the consensus on wildfire risk? I’ve heard that it may be difficult to insure your house in some areas. Would that be less of a problem moving closer to the coast and if so, are the commutes and the school districts still acceptable?

Thanks in advance for your help.

I work in life sciences and currently live in Glasgow. I’m mostly remote with teams scattered all over Europe and the US. Total comp is just North of £150k. Living in Glasgow this is a very decent salary. Important to mention that I’m already 50 years old and have only been earning at this level for four years after a long career in academia.

I’ve now received an offer from an American pharmaceutical company. Director-level job. $300k base around $420k total comp. LA area.

I’m really tempted by the science and environment, but it’s a major move. I’ve lived in the US 20 years ago during my PhD, and I kind of know what to expect, but the US has definitely changed since then. I also have family, two primary school age kids, and that obviously plays into the equation.

Worthwhile to mention that my current employer is struggling. My section is working well and making money, but the overall company is losing money, bonuses are unlikely to appear in future years and it’s even possible that we may be sold / split up / worst case insolvent. This is what triggered me to activate my network in the first instance, which led to this job offer.

If I lose my current job then we’d likely have to leave Glasgow to find a similarly well paying job, likely in a hurry. Remote work is not as easy to come by these days.

Anyone have any experience moving to / from California? Does the salary just look good on paper, but once you factor everything in it’s actually not that great? Anything I should consider / ask for before accepting? I come from
academia, so my corporate experience is limited. TIA

I have two tickets for June 20th in Toronto. Casamigo Clubb Lounge. Face Value $358.70. I ended up getting tickets to the game so happy to part with these. Face value or best offer. Transfer in person preferred.