Hockey schreef:Zonder mijn vriendin zou ik mezelf ook nooit naar de VS zien gaan, permanent althans. Silicon Valley lijkt me leuk om een tijdje te werken, maar permanent wonen?
Ik geef als ik alleen zou moeten gaan de voorkeur aan Nieuw Zeeland als emigratieland.
Waarom precies NZ Hockey? Hier een leuke run-down van de NZ vs. de US (Bron: elders)
Healthcare
NZ: Cheap'ish but okay, sort of
USA: Expensive but universally excellent (the horror stories are very few and far between)
Dental care
NZ: Dentists pull healthy teeth when they can be repaired
USA: Universally excellent; most employers offer excellent dental insurance
Education
NZ: Mediocre secondary, very mediocre and overpriced tertiary
USA: World-class to "meh" secondary (depends on the state, but ALL public schools are COMPLETELY free, including for foreigners); all major public state universities and private universities are world-class. Students who study within their state will pay much less than domestic students in New Zealand -- this also applies to foreign nationals who have established residence in a state (this is separate from immigration). Out-of-state students pay the same as international students (which legally can't be more than the difference between fees and what the state pays on behalf of its own residents -- so no gouging and no cash cows due to federal student financial aid laws). The major private universities will typically meet ALL financial need (fees, room, board, etc.) for students whose parents earn less than $200k/year.
Media
NZ: Slim offerings on television. New programs rather sparing. Internet overpriced and slow.
USA: BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, etc., etc., etc., etc., all have their own dedicated channels on BASIC cable. Basic cable usually consists of 60+ channels and costs about $30/month.
Telecommunications
NZ: Incredibly expensive and limited. Poor internet.
USA: Lots of competition. Cell phone service with 500 any time minutes, unlimited night and weekend minutes will cost about $50/month. Landlines now usually include free national long distance and will cost about $30/month through the phone companies. I had a bundle: cable broadband phone with free long distance, basic cable (65 channels), and truly fast and unlimited broadband for $55/month. Note: cell phones are on the same exchanges as landlines, so there is NEVER an additional charge for calling a cell phone. Calling a US cell phone from a landline is like making a regular local or long distance call.
Mentality
NZ: Universally parochial. Difficult to make friends or find like-minded people. Cliques. People are very uncritical of their own country.
USA: Regionally diverse. If any mentality exists, you'll find lots of it in the USA. Cliques exist but aren't impenetrable. People are HIGHLY critical of their own country.
Multiculturalism
NZ: In its infancy/non-existent -- whitebread in denial.
USA: Well-established; foreigners are typically welcomed with a genuine curiosity (it's usually a PLUS to be foreign).
Race relations:
NZ: Insidious, widespread racism -- people try to hide it
USA: Pockets of open racism, but overall inclusive
Labor market:
NZ: Closed to foreigners except in times of utter desperation
USA: Open to foreigners (it's a plus to be foreign)
Work/Life Balance
NZ: Bare minimum performance expected, mediocrity rewarded, no incentive to work hard
USA: Merit REQUIRED and properly rewarded and recognized, but plan to give up a LOT for your work if you expect to be rewarded
Legal system
NZ: Similar to the US (common law)
Recognition of overseas qualifications/experience:
NZ: NZQA ... need I say more?
USA: If your employer recognizes your qualifications/experience, that's all that matters, except for certain professions (teachers, doctors, lawyers, etc.), but I've not met anyone who had trouble getting their Western qualifications recognized.
Politics
NZ: Apathetic, conformist, fractional parties with little to no activism; the people consent to things they don't really want.
USA: Vocal minorities who aren't shouted down or expected to conform (so very non-conformist mentality); LOTS of activism; two-party system (with HUGE variations within parties, from far-left to right, due to the school of "American Pragmatism" -- whatever works, works, so there's no real need for 50 mini-parties of no consequence)
Wages/compensation
NZ: Pathetic
USA: Higher than most Western nations, with additional fringe benefits and pension top-ups
Banking
NZ: Very good.
USA: Insanely 19th century.
Housing
NZ: Pretty poor, except for the highest-paid people; exceptionally overpriced.
USA: Usually very good (better in the north than the south) due to very strict health and building regulations; usually reasonably priced (except in four or five of the largest cities). MUCH better protections for tenants.
Pension scheme
NZ: What's that? I'll just buy houses.
USA: One of the highest-performing public pension schemes in the world.
Food
NZ: Supermarkets are okay, some things are hard to find, VERY expensive. Restaurants are pretty boring.
USA: Supermarkets have anything and everything. If it exists, and you can eat it, you'll find it in an American supermarket at a reasonable price. Restaurants cater to EVERY taste, but they can be very pricy.
Cultural Offerings
NZ: Zzzzzzz, even in the cities
USA: Usually excellent, even in small cities. Not so much in towns smaller than 50,000, but there's usually a bigger city within an hour driving distance with something better.
Landscapes
NZ: Gorgeous
USA: Gorgeous
Weather
NZ: Kind of annoying
USA: No comparison -- desert, tropical, continental, sub-tropical, you name it, take your pick.
Public transit
NZ: What's that? Incredibly overpriced.
USA: In cities over 100,000 (so, in a LOT of cities), usually excellent and usually heavily subsidized.
Crime
NZ: Under-reported, not usually punished, lots of unprovoked violence, widespread drunk driving, widespread domestic violence, widespread drunken attacks
USA: Over-reported, over-punished, unprovoked violence is UNcommon (in the US, if it LOOKS like trouble, it problably is, and you can avoid it -- in NZ, you can be beaten for simply not wearing the right shoes), drunk driving rates are low -- it's a felony, domestic violence also low. Keep in mind that the media blow crime in the USA way out of proportion. It is actually quite orderly.
Poverty
NZ: Comparable to the USA, but NZ is ignorant of it.
USA: Recognized as a problem.
Mobility
NZ: $2500 (return) to get anywhere outside of the Asia-Pacific region
USA: Less than $700 (return) to anywhere in North America/Europe, usually no more than $1,500 to the Asia-Pacific region, lots more non-stop flights to every continent on the planet. Wages are enough to pay for trips without taking out a loan.
Motoring
NZ: Awkward roads, awkward drivers, boy racers
USA: Good and well-planned roadways, usually good drivers (except in major cities ... once you're used to it, it's fine), boy racers will find themselves in jail and/or HEAVILY fined for reckless endangerment and/or vehicular manslaughter and/or mayhem and/or disturbing the peace. Needless to say there aren't many boy racers (I didn't know what they were until I moved to NZ).
Cities
NZ: "City" = a few villages piled on top of each other
USA: Many world-class cities, even those with populations under 100,000
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