looking for a web design job in southern california

we’ll be sure to check out a lot of california before we plant ourselves, and what we miss we will make up later when we actually live there, i cannot wait to visit the redwood trees, i’ve always wanted to feel their energy :smile:

i have a quick questions about the wages in the US. Say if they say you earn $20.000 a year, is that what you actually get or are taxes deducted?

and if taxes will be deducted, what will you have left afterwards?

in holland they always tell you your salary before taxes, the amount you will actually get on your bank account is about 30% lower.

About 15%-20% less if you are married and/or have children you can take more deductions so they take out even less. Also at the end of the year you get some of that money back when you file your tax returns every April.

long time ago time ago I earned $23,500 I think I took home about $600.00 every two weeks.

thanks milod :smile:

wow if you are married and/or have children the tax deductions are immediately visible on your paycheck? that’s great :happy:

Some of the savings you get right away because you add more deductions on your w-4 form which means less money is deducted from your paycheck. How well could you live in holland on $1,200.00 dollars take home per mo?

ugh I hate the boardwalk all of the rides are slow and boring, and they are not very safe, but There are a lot of hot girls there during the summer :cool_laugh:

milod, $1200,- is about 1000 euro, and you can make ends meet with that.

You cannot afford to buy a house with that income, maybe in the northern provinces but in the city you can probably forget it.

for rent you can get subsidy from the government, so you will be able to pay the rent for an appartment… But rent will be about $500 per month or more - if you want a cheaper one you will have to wait for at least a few years before it is your turn. There is a housing shortage in holland.

You probably cannot afford to have a car, or maybe a real small one, for taxes and insurance.

shopping (food, bare necessities) is very expensive here, after the euro things have risen in price.

So you can make ends meet with that income, and probably safe some money too, but you have to pay attention to what you buy. It is a little above minimum wage.

You will find the same to be true here:

Until you decide where to plant yourself its hard to say how much you will pay in rent because they vary so much from place to place. Right now I pay $100,000 per mo just for an apartment and no I don’t live in a big city. You can go to places like AZ where you pay $100 to move in and get the first mo free. Thereafter I think the going rate is something like 300-450 per mo for rent.(of course you are also living in a desert)

You already know what food prices are like here.

To be honest $20,000 a year in CA would be rough. You would be barely above poverty level. Not trying to discourage you. I just want you to have realistic expectations.

In NY which is cheaper than CA I did not start to feel comfortable till I made over $30.000 a year.

There are other places in the US where you can live better on less. Just do lots of research and feel free to ask any questions.

It is interesting that a lot of people from the Netherlands want to move to the US and people from the US want to move to the Netherlands.

yeah housing/apartments are insane here. INSANE. You could buy 3 houses in minnesota with the money you use to buy one here. Well that’s what my parents tell me. Yeah you’d be better off finding a good job, don’t settle for one just to bring yourself here. You can wait, right? Oh yeah they tell you your income, but you don’t know how much of that you’re actually gonna get out of that. I guess the reason is because everyone is taxed differently.

milod, the $20.000 was just an example, i want to make $60.000 a year the least :grin:

And yeah, i wont just take any job just to come over - i have to be satisfied with the job as well as the pay.

it will take several months too before i have the necessary papers to work. First i have to find an employer, then he has to file the forms, and after that it will take several months until i get my working permit.

that is at least if i have understood the legal talk on the immigration website :smile:

(i still have to buy the book milod suggested)

i’ve changed the title :content:

Who can help connecting me to employers in southern california who like my web design style (eg: LD4all) and need a creative force to design and pay me $$$$ for my uniQue work?

I wish you the best of luck in your job search. I wish I could give you some good advice on where to search, but I just don’t know where you would start for that type of job. Have you looked into the possibility of teaching web design at universities, community collages, or even high schools in S. CA. What about teaching art. I recall that you mentioned you have an art degree.

Good luck and I hope to see you over here soon. :smile:

thanks milod :wink:
yes i have a master of arts degree :content:
(MA in european media)
i didnt know that means i’m qualified to teach?

yes me too i hope to come over soon! :happy:

I am fairly certain you could teach at highschools and community collages with a masters degree. I believe you could also teach at universities however, I don’t think you can get tenure ( means you are nearly impossible to fire) unless you ave a PhD. Also, many collages hire what we call adjunct professors. These are people that have practical experience in a given field so, the school waives the normal requirements and allows the person without the necessary creditials to teach.

It is something to look into anyway.

Teachers have it pretty good. A strong union which protects your employment and summers off.

Just wanted to check in and see how your search is going. Do you still plan to move here?

Maui, Hawaii! wow you gotta let me know! I’ll find a way to come over! And to Cali ld4all meetings too! :wink:

Good luck with your job seeking. The funny thing is, my aunt from california said that she’d help me hook up with companies or even hire me for her company when I’m able to move to california! :happy: So I might move to california after all. I’ll see… first I have to finish school though. :biggrin:

Instead of California, Try North Carolina, You have the best of everything there, you have beach, and mountains, and lots, and lots of forrest, and country inbetween The North Carolina mt are very bueatyfull. I think it would be more spiritual then California. California has allways freaked me out, it never sleeps. Hollywood, personally I dont even want to visit the place.

Milod: why yes certainly! The search continues. I’ve posted my CV on some big job hunting sites and I also have applied to some jobs. I’m going to live and work in california :smile:

too bad you don’t live in cali, since you want to come over to europe, we could do a swap then :wink:

of course :biggrin:

:cool_laugh: hmm your aunt doesn’t need a web creative director by any change? :wink:

kavaa: I know NC, I’ve family over there :smile: But it doesn’t appeal so much to me as california does :smile: See my earlier comments in this thread :smile:

At the moment, she’s not hiring anybody, but I’ll let you know :biggrin:

Believe me if you ever move to California I find a way to come out to visit. I was reading in another thread where you were talking about going to school over here. Is that still a possibility for you. A student visa would be the easiest to get and would also allow you to work. You could go to school part time and work part time. Once you are here it will be easier for you to find a job.

well as I’m married I don’t know if we can go together if only I have a student visa. Also I believe when you have a student visa you aren’t allowed to work, only study :eh:

right now for me the way to go as I see it is get hired by an employer and then the rest will fall into place.

you’re welcome in cali :smile: I’ll hold the first LD4all USA meeting in california :wiske: