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Hi, thanks for linking my post! FYI, I live in Adelaide, not Sydney.
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Great post! For me it was the worst part of journey so could have done with reading something like this beforehand. I remember completing immigration here in Australia and taking a deep sigh of relief!! Pleased to say there were no dramas and I was carrying seashells in my handluggage!!!
mummi g -
Sounds like you had a fab time and at least you had some snow even if it was slightly late in arriving! Glad to hear that you had crackers, we certainly went through the hat, rubbish joke and naff toy motions over here in Oz during Christmas lunch! All the best for 2013 mummi g and mummi h xxx
Hello there.
Hope re wll. i enjoed your post about xmas overseas. I libved in Oz for 6 years and always found it different to celebrate the Aussie way. But now, australian culture and chrissie is part of me and this years Slovak Christmas were with Pavlova as well.
Happy new year. sonishka.blogspot.com
Hello – I'm from NJ and currently an expat. Send me an email and we can chat !
we are missing the snow! 🙁 but we'll get over it 🙂
Lovely pictures especailly 'More than usual snow fall in a December'
it looks beautiful! -
Loving all this having just returned from our six week visit. Have you noticed that ALL the bread has high fructose corn syrup added to it?
The meat tasted delicious every where we went. Diners were the best!Keep them coming please.
My tip, particularly as I'm getting older, is to shovel little and often during the storm. We were out 3 times yesterday. Tempting though it may be to say "we'll just leave it and do it when it's stopped snowing" that means the snow is much deeper and heavier and you're more likely to injure your back.
We are a Sydney family about to do what you have done ie. move to USA. We also researched and found Montclair seemed a good choice. Btw what school did your kids go? I will have a kindergartener. Do you recommend the apartment you stayed? How hard is it to rent there? Looks a bit of a shortage. We'd be keen to buy but realise about credit history… are you guys at that stage?
Believe me you aren't missing much in Sydney. Ok the summer was warmer but the cost of living is thru the roof,and top 3 most expensive cities to live in.-
Feel free to contact me for help acclimating.
I've been a world traveler and am native to nj. North central and south.
Donna at donnascoffeehouse@ gmail.com
You live in a beautiful neighbourhood – the snow on the trees is just gorgeous. When we lived in the Middle East the one thing I truly missed were large deciduous trees. For me, big old trees=home 🙂
We relocated to Northern NJ 12 months ago, and have been in Montclair since June 2012, love the town.
If I could add my 10 cents worth regarding the food in the forum.
The meat is good quality (especially if it is certified, beef that is at least), pork is plentiful and cheap, I have recently discovered pulled pork, at about $1.50 per pound, a shoulder of pork goes a long way, check is fine, lamb is cheap at Costco (Australian boned legs, about $6.00 per pound, cheaper than Aust).
I hear you on the sausages, everything is sweet italian, or hot italian (not that hot), but both laden with fennel seeds, nice but after a while get a bit boring.
I have not bought a loaf of bread in 6 months, as I make my own, but had a disaster with hot cross buns, so might be buying those!
I'll check the other posts and add some comments. I just came across this site, and it is a breath of fresh air.
Well done to you.
Chris. -
We participated in the maple sugaring a few times.
Once at Basking Ridge (Lord Sterling Road, nature reserve), once at Chatham (mentioned above), and also at Van Vleck House Montclair. We became "friends of Van Vleck" members, and they offer lots of activities. We have a 3 year old and every fortnight they have a nature centered activity for 3-5 y.o. age group, so I can thoroughly recommend Van Vleck. Come summer there are concerts etc in the gardens, which, come spring and summer should be beautiful, it is all on a few acres (maybe 10 acres) in the middle of Montclair.
But back to the maple sugaring, you really appreciate why it is as expensive as it is when you see what goes into making it.
Chris -
Our daughter is in a pre-school, and we received a note with all of the childrens' names, saying that if you are giving a Valentine, you need to do to all, not selectively. My duaghter ended up with 16 valentines (from a class of 23), a lolly pop usually with a card/note attached. I am sure the party shops trot out these gifts each year (a bit like the Halloween shops that are around for 6 weeks of every year).
I was surprised at how big halloween was (even though it was punctuated by Sandy, and I believe 2011 was cancelled due to a large dump of snow), maybe 2013 will go off without a hitch. I must say the anticipation for a 3 y.o. to dress up and go "trick or treating" was fun to see.
Chris -
Some insightful comments here, somne that I actually forgot about over the last 12 months.
I have not gone for the passenger side of the car in 6 months, so I must be getting used to it, but seriously, I think I am more confortable now on this side of the road that the left side, well see when we return to Aus in a few months time.
One ommission above is the "4 Way" stop sign, one of the most stupid traffic regulators I have ever seen. I have asked many people on the rules in such a traffic system and have not had a consistant answer (one of them was a policeman!), even the NJ drivers book skirts around the issue. I believe cars go in the order they arrive, except if you are turning across someone,not sure what happens when 2 cars arrive at the sae timne, but in the end it is normally the largest SUV that goes first, (oh, and of course the driver has a coffee in one hand and a mobile phone in the other!).
The right turn on a red light is fantastic though.
Chris -
I too am a Expat living in New jersey. Further south than where you are. I enjoyed reading about your food comments, I found your blog looking for spearmint syrup. How hard is that to find in the US. Very!
You are fortunate to at least be close to New York City, where there are so many Australian restaurants. Some great and some not so great. But they are using USA regulated food so it all tastes different, just as the choccies here taste different.
Have you tried Tucks for the take out meat pies and sausage rolls? I really like Eight Mile Creek restaurant as well. Their meat pie was a bit gourmet but delicious. I am going to have to try Pie face, I haven't heard of it before.
My husband and I spent a weekend sampling as many Aussie restaurants as possible. And to be Quite honest I didn't expect so many. Philadelphia has an Expat community but there are no Aussie restaurants to be had in Philly. But they do have their own Footy team and gather weekly.Well, off to do more research on Spearmint Syrup.
Thanks again for sharing.
Hi there again,
South Jersey is less expensive to live in and there some areas with very good school systems if anyone is interested I would love to help out. We lived in Center City Philadelphia while our children were younger, recently moved to New Jersey because their school systems are much more superior. Unless you live in certain suburbs of Pennsylvania. They too have Blue Ribbon schools. We chose a beach town because all three boys in the household like to surf. No brainer.
Anyway, I have a lot of resources if anyone might be moving to southern New Jersey, My husband is also a Co founder of a successful Charter school in Philadelphia. So we have a lot of knowledge after doing all the research for the school.Sorry for the interjection. Just want to help.
Off again to look for syrup and cordial. Your blog keeps popping up and distracting me. Ha, ha…
Wow, that's a really comprehensive list! When we lived in the Middle East I often found myself interpreting between British and American friends and food was the most common source of confusion. I guess Australian English and British English have the same issues?
This is a wonderful description from one newcomer to another. We moved here from Atlanta last year (which may as well be a different country in comparison to the Northeast US) and love MC thus far. Thanks for this post – I will share it when faraway friends ask about my "new hometown." -Azie
Great article, thanks! I'm just the opposite of you – a New Yorker who moved to Australia. The lingo and culture are the biggest daily challenges. Nothing like being in a discussion where everyone laughs and you have no idea what was meant by a slang phrase…or realising that Friday is a public holiday and everyone but you knew that…but wht's gorgeous is how everyone laughs with you and tries to help you along. Love that about Australia. Forums are great as well. Love Expat Women and its lovely founder, Andrea, who lives right here by me!
Lots of good advice there!
I am a UK expat living in the daunting and strange world of the USA.
One tip I always say to other expat spouses is not to try and be superwoman (or man). Go easy on yourself – give yourself time and the space you need to settle into a new country.
Also, it takes about 6 months to a year to start to feel fully settled.
Great Blog! -
Hi there! Just wanted to let you know how much I'm enjoying your blog and reading 'back' to things in OZ. We were expats for over 10 years of which 4 in Sydney. Wish we could have stayed and after 3 years in the US, I still miss it each and every day.Hardest transition of all transitions, especially as we we lived in the South first 2.5 years. We moved to South Orange NJ this Jan on a local contract as our kids are getting too old we find to keep relocating like this.
Anyway, just wanted to say a quick hello and let you know how much I enjoy reading your blog. Who knows, we might meet one day! 🙂 -
Great blog, thank you!
I currently live in Perth (Western Australia), but was born and raised in Jersey (Channel Islands) after which your state takes its name.
As corny as this may sound, my boyhood dream has been to live in the USA (New England region, or there about) but after a 3-months exploratory trip to MA and FL in 1990/91 I met my ex-wife and got sidetracked to Australia for 20 Years. Over Christmas and New Year I visited New Jersey and basically my boyhood dream was re-awakened, which I intend to fulfil this time.
I have worked in the Environment, Health and Safety field for the past 15 years and have been advised by a NJ immigration attorney that me best chance would be for an employer to sponsor me (How many times have I heard people who want to move to Australia say that).
To this end, is there any recruitment agencies that you can recommend that work with people like me who want to move to the USA.
My preferred location is Morristown, but I am open to living and working anywhere in NJ.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
Ta ta
MarkPS. Keep up the helpful blog.
If you are so inclined you can keep the pumpkin seeds and roast them in the oven. Makes a tasty snack.
If I had a dollar for every small appliance I've given/thrown away …. 🙂 Moving back and forth between Canada and the UK/Central Asia/the Middle East we quickly decided the best solution was just to buy new each time, wasteful and expensive though that is. Fortunately at least the "white goods" (fridge, stove, washer & dryer) came with the apartments we rented. Even leaving small appliances in storage in Canada until we returned wasn't a good idea, as we usually found they either looked rather grungy or were outdated by the time we came back. The only thing that has worked successfully (apart from computers) is the "region free" TV & DVD player we brought back from the Middle East. Even cell phones can be a problem as the frequencies are different in North America compared with the rest of the world. As you say, the whole issue is very confusing unless you're an electrical engineer. Thanks for this valuable post.
hi your blog is so nice and full of the new information.
Interesting- we bought our lamps from Australia with some picked up along the way in both Hong Kong and South Africa and they work here without any converters, just with plugs changed. I usually find that things from elsewhere work OK but never trust anything from US in another country because nearly everywhere else has higher voltage and they don't seem to make dual voltage things here. Friends in South Africa were thrilled to get a 'white noise' maker on a trip home (to the US) but forgot about the voltage difference and on the first night nearly caused a little fire in their house in Durban. We also have our HK tv here – just connected to cable and gaming devices, although one is a US one. I cringe though when I think of the appliances we have bought and where we may move next and cannot take with us. Ahh time with tell.
Great article once again!
Also, 1 of the most important things we should do is let our own 'standards'/ways go.By that, I mean, to not always 'judge' situations from our own culture/background given the fact that we are now living in a different culture with different ways/traditions whether it's living in a so called western society, where you wouldn't expect a lot of differences from any other western country, but they're always there. From experience I know that many expats expected to struggle in maybe strong developed cultural countries like the Arabic countries, Asia etc ,but never in 'fellow' western countries.
Becoming acceptant of our new surroundings, the new traditions, new ways is key. You might not necessarily agree or understand everything, but to not judge and take it all in with the most open mind,is very important in our journey to settling in.:-) -
I have yet to experience all seasons here. Have to say though that I struggled quite a bit with winter. It's been 8 years nearly that I've lived in a country/place this cold! I'm ready for beachweather! Loving all the pop up colors though!
Is there some international relocating article/blog in particular – among the huge amount you can find on the Internet – that you have read and you've found particularly interesting, or thorough, etc.? Other than your blog, of course!
I'm an expat myself and write–among other things–about expat-related issues. Unfortunately not with the same frequency like you, for what I can see.
Glad to have found you.
Cheers! -
I think the fact most electrical stuff is big and heavy to ship and cheaper in the U.S leads me to think we are better off buying it over in the U.S.
Funny I brought a hairdryer home from the UK years ago and had to use an adapter plug for it but it worked perfectly for a long time. But I bought a sound system in the U.S and it must of been a different voltage and i blew it up pretty quick back in Australia. -
When you say that American society is just a bit different in one way that you'll never accept, how would you call that? Paranoid attitude?
Terrific, terrific post as is the other one which led me here (the FAQs) — spot on from my 'reverse' experience to yours — minus the increased security measures since we left US In 1995.
I grew up in suburban NJ schools (K-12, different schools as you described) and my son went to elementary K-2 and then 3-4 in suburban CT before joining his Year 4 class in Sydney.
The differences you describe are so well-observed and written, from the uniforms we found in Oz (love, love, love them — sooooooo much better than the alternative, IMO) to the regular bus vs. yellow school busses and so on.
I'm sure your posts will help ex-pats from Australia and other countries. Well done and keep writing 🙂
American formality seems to be pretty far away from a warm "G'day mate!" 🙂
Great list – well done you! great, accurate summary. As your antipodean opposite – I'm a New Yorker living in Australia – the marinara one gets me every time. I'm used to marinara being a 'red sauce' back in NY and when I mistakenly order it here in Queensland, and get seafood in my sauce, I just shake my head [at my own silliness for forgetting the difference].
In the 'hoagie' category – FYI it is also called a 'wedge' in parts of NY and a 'grinder' in parts of New England.
In Dubai we had regular debates about this as frequently you'd have an Australian (who come from a non-tipping culture), a Brit (who tips 10%), a Canadian who tips (15%) and an American (who tips 20%) all sharing a meal and again low wages for service staff. What made it worse was that there is (or was) a Municipality fee of 10% which would usually be described as "service charge" on the bill, which many took to be a tip. Usually expats ended up tipping what they tipped in their home country, which is the wrong way to go. When in Rome and all that. I'd rather over tip than under tip. Unfortunately due to overwhelming number of expats from so many different countries, there didn't seem to be a local standard. I used to pity the poor wait staff who never knew how much tip they'd receive – anything from 0-20%.
So interesting! For me, the first and real diner is a fictional one: Arnold's in Milwakee of the sitcom Happy Days!
I'm sure you, as an Australian, are well used to grilling. Every time we rented an apartment down under we knew that it would have most likely had a grill on the back!
My favorite part of the US summer is September in Southern California.
Your blog is a rather thorough source of information about NJ. -
Scotty's diner! Great food that wasn't junk. We were able to get home cooked meals and amazing milk shakes. Cnr of Lexington and (32,33 or 34th). New York.
Loved it!! -
Thanks for sharing these photos of before and after the storm. It's so wonderful to see how things are starting to return back to normal.
I learnt a lot from your insights above, but I still struggle to understand how, in a supposedly rich first world country that the wages mentioned above can be paid legally.
My time here in the states has made me realize that we really do some things well in Australia (safety net for unskilled workers, as well as school and higher education, and healthcare to name a few, we're maybe not perfect, but a hell of a lot better that the USA).
Essentially the tip is to supplement the wages for the staff, so we are actually helping out the business owner. I do begrudge tipping restaurant staff that are rude, untrained and uncaring, but "when in Rome".
My solution is to increase the prices, decrease the portion sizes and pay the staff a decent wage, seems to work in Australia.
I wonder how most of the Washington DC and state pollies sleep at night sometimes.
Anyways, our 18 months in Montclair has come to an end and we move to Singapore at the end of the week, no more tipping to worry about there, and closer to Aust.
Thanks for the website. -
I liked the diner experience, food turnover is high, so you will always get a fresh meal.
The Nevada Diner in Bloomfield is great. The dessert display is one of the best I have seen in any diner, and would put some good restaurants to shame -
I was a Stop and Shop fan, good member discounts, and nice laid out store, that was consistent across many stores, the ability to pre-order deli items while you shopped, and they would announce (or text you) when the order was prepared. I loved whole foods, but not on our budget on a regular basis anyway. Nice variety of sausages (without fennel seeds).
Also I liked the self check outs -
We narrowed our search to Montclair on our "familarisation visit" in Jan 2012. Walked some streets between Grove and Ridgewood, and Oxford and Watchung, and ended up in one of those, close to Walnut Station.
I liked the town, the transport, the "high Street" shops and feel, great library, great restaurants, and Egans Irish pub.
The saddest thing about leaving (moving to Singapore) is leaving the house (only owned it for 14 months) and the area, very convenient to NYC and Parsippany for work -
I plan on moving to Montclair in the next eight months with my 11 year old son. I wanted to l know, where would I be able to find a nice house to rent (for right now) that's is safe and inexpensive and what school is good for my son, who will be going to middle school. Any suggestions, please help.
Great article about a very controversial topic. I remember being very annoyed at first for the constant reminders and pressure to tip everywhere for almost everything. In Germany we usually round up to the next Euro, so I was a little irritated at first having to add 15-20% to a restaurant bill, that would have been less for the same meal and service in Germany.
Unfortunately the food and service industry is taking full advantage of the American tipping mentality while still charging full price and not having to pay their staff properly. And still people are eating out all the time. -
Love your list of school terms! The "Moving Up Ceremony" is really funny and it all starts as early as daycare. I go to the "Graduation Ceremony" of my daugther's daycare every year and it's too funny to see all these 5 year olds in outfits and hats like college graduates. They even get a little rolled up certificate and are getting called up by name one after the other. Americans for sure love their ceremonies…
Hi there,
Just wanted to let you know what a great help your blog has been to me over the last few months. We have recently arrived in America from Sydney for an expat adventure, and are now settling in to life in Yardley PA. Particularly enjoy your posts with school info. We haven three kids all of whom are starting school next week.
Thanks again,
Megan -
A very important topic in expat life. A central one. It makes the difference between happiness and misery.
As for us, we are in the middle of the transition, I guess. -
Very nice article and I have to agree. At some point your new country or city of choice becomes your new home. For me this goes very fast, because I feel home where my wife and daugther and all my stuff is.
The New Jersey Relocation of the employees to the unfamiliar locations is not only to shift the employees, but their family members are also transferred. The agencies engaged in this purpose are responsible for the arrangement of the educational institutions and jobs for the employee's family members.
Thanks for joining in, funny how we bith experienced this recently, i realised it too on a hol to the UK. It just creeps up ans then suddenly hits you doesnt it.
Hope to see you bck joining in again soon and great that i have found another expat blog to read f -
I stumbled onto you blog by accident.. I was looking for an Aussie tree guy in NJ :/ I've been in Jersey for the last 4 1/2 yrs…..The weather takes a bit of getting used to after living in Melb, then Adelaide.
Maz -
Informative article! I am going to go and put our rego papers in the car right now and watch out for the Jersey drivers. After driving here a few weeks I think they are bad drivers in general, we saw three accidents in one morning and one lady backing into a parked car in a parking lot.
My chant as I am driving and coming to grips with the other side of the road driving is what my father in law told me 'loose left, tight right'. -
You are a great photographer! A picture really does speak 1,000 words when it comes to visualizing yourself in a new location.
Your photos make winter here look like a walk in the park compared to where we just moved from. We won't miss the very intense winters of Montreal!
Beautiful photos!! We moved to the area at the beginning of October and have thoroughly enjoyed the brilliant display!
I have really enjoyed reading your Blog. It has helped me settle in a bit as I have just gotten the news that we will be relocating to the US from Germany. We need to be in Bergen County and of course I know nothing about life there. Schools, communities etc. I'd love to hear your opinion on nice communities in Bergen County if you have any knowledge of them. Keep up the good work!
Marian -
Having just been through the whole driver's license palaver (finally obtained today!), a related topic I would add to this list is the importance of shopping around for insurance coverage if one plans to purchase or lease a vehicle. As "new" US drivers, we obtained quotes for annual coverage in the $2500-$3000 range from companies like Allstate, State Farm, and Progressive. A little more research and we were able to secure a rate of $1500 from Geico which seems like a bargain by comparison – though still a far cry from the $600 we were paying in Canada… 🙂
Hi. We are repatriating to NJ after a three year stay in Bangkok (and before that we lived in various places around the US – Boston, SF, Atlanta). We are looking seriously at Montclair. Sounds like you have been very happy there — wondering about the social aspects of the town. Are there good opportunities to meet other families? Did you find that there are lots of new people moving to town? Thanks. Our kids are ages 8 and 4. Even though the US is our home country, the move still feels daunting – we joke that it was actually easier to move to Bangkok. Thank you!
An open mind set is a must for an expat! With out the open mind you will be daunted until the bubble has burst! Great post, thoroughly enjoyed read it!
We LOVE maple sugaring each spring with the kids! Such a great way to get everyone off the iPad and outside. Last year we picked up this kit: http://www.amazon.com/Maple-Syrup-Spile-Saver-Lines/dp/B00B5579E4/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1388355717&sr=8-3&keywords=maple+taps
Oh tell me about it! Canada is somewhere between British & US when it comes to spelling (leaning more to the UK), but with a son educated in international American schools, I had to do the switch in order to help him with homework and now I'm totally confused. And don't even get me going on pronunciation … shedule, skedule?? …..
Totally with you on Mum – I insist on it! I also spend far too much of my life being a little bit indignant towards Americans about spelling of English words in 'not America'. I was already muddled by my Chinese English from Hong Kong and the mix of US and UK spelling they adopt in South Africa. Yesterday I was mortified when my son wrote a poem for school and asked could he use the US spelling of Mom because he thought his teacher would prefer it. grrrr
I would like to add from my experience:
1. The first year is the honeymoon phase. Everything is interesting and an adventure. Second year is tough .. One settles into the hum drum of life and reality really settles in. Third year things start looking up and places/roads start feeling as familiar as home.
2. Relocation has been the biggest challenge on our marriage. Before relocating, agree reasons for going and what you aren't willing to sacrifice. What happens if one wants to return but other doesnt?? A relocation 'pre-nup'! Write it down. Turns out my husband and I had different motivations to relocate resulting in one being happy and the other wanting to return.
I am SO glad I found this blog! My hubby and I, together with our 3 children ages 13, 10, and 8, are considering a move to Montclair in April. We have been overwhelmed because apart from looking for a place, we have to consider the schools – elementary, middle, and High. I guess my first question would be what side of town would you recommend. I want to be close to work (an academic at MSU) and close to my children's schools. We are looking to spend about 2000, for a nice apartment atleast 2bed, 2bath.I am looking for a neighborhood with a community feel, close to my fav shops such as Whole Foods market. Also looking for amenities such as swimming pools, tennis courts, skating rinks, and rollerblading paths for the kids. What are the places to absolutely avoid in Montclair due to crime or just sloppy neighborhoods? I know these are many questions but would absolutely love to hear from a resident, ant information would be greatly appreciated, feel free to email me. Thanks.
Breathtaking images…you truelly have an eye for beauty. I enjoyed viewing these pictures and can't wait to visit with my family! Thanks for sharing.
So sorry it has taken me so long to comment.
I agree with you about Tucks and I did hear good things about Pie face. They have a French Pastry guy for the pie crust. Yum.
Yes, to Ruby's. Cute, but very small. Just walked by it yesterday. The others, I have heard of but have not tried. Eight Mile Creek is now closed. Unfortunately. Was a very nice space and good food.
As far as meeting other Ozzies. There are footie teams practically in every state. Philadelphia's team is the Hawks. And I forget the New York team. And they gather for b-b-ques on a regular basis. They also have websites that you can become a member and follow for updates, fundraisers as well. there is also a group on facebook that I am a member of. But most of the meetings are in New York and that is not an easy commute for me either. Try Advanced Global, they are for Australian professionals in the US. Their office is across the hall from the Australian Consulate. They send you a list of things that are going on here in the states.
I just recently lucked out and can now buy vegemite in this small beach town that we live in. Very excited. And this woman's other store has just about everything, including meat pies, sausage rolls, etc. Although she didn't have violet crumbles or Cherry Ripes. But she is looking into it. Very exciting. she is also relocating closer to where I live. Could be dangerous.
As far as other Australian's. For me there is one on the island. Very nice and funny but we only bump into each other on occasion.
Hope you have been adjusting to your new homel.
As a potential relocator to NJ your blog has provided much needed information. Irish quite similar to aussie way of life so it pretty much all applies. Have lived in Aus and enjoyed it immensely and just trying to make a decision now as to whether I will like NJ. The specifics of life in NJ, holidays, weather, towns, renting, etc from an outsiders perspective is exactly what is needed.
My husband and I were looking for a town to move to from NYC which had a lot of what urban living had to offer but yet space and privacy. We came across Montclair and we loved the town but once we started seriously looking at homes we quickly realized three things:
A: Most sellers were moving out of their homes once their children became "school aged". I guess the school lotto system (similar to China) is a turn off? Or maybe it's the poorly rated school system?
B. The prices of homes were inflated for the fact they hadn't been remodeled in over 40 years some cases. Many homes still have buried oil tanks! Builders are coming into this town and buying decrepid homes for $100K and cosmetically refurbishing the existing homes with cheap materials and selling them for $499K. Our joke is if you see a home in Montclair listed for $499K run.
C. A lot of the A-holes we were trying to get away from by moving to NJ were suddenly also moving here!Anyway…we decided in the end that many other towns in NJ had a lot of what Montclair had to offer but for a better price tag and more bang for your buck. We are now moving to Summit at the end of next month and couldn't be happier.
Hi folks,
just happened to stumble by today randomly to this blog.I saw it was about tipping and could not help writing about my amazing experience with an Australian guy.I don't even know if anyone will see this,but what the heck….
In 2004,I was a pre-med student,working my way through school.
Anyhow,I had just started working as a server at this restaurant in los angeles.
It was lunch time,the place was packed to the gills.So this guy walks in,he's seated and I hand him the menu.I took down his order.
The food was ready and I bought it to him.I'm a friendly person by nature so even though I was slammed,I spent a couple to minutes chatting with him.
He said he was from Australia and had just arrived in the US.His plan was to travel through the US on a month's vacation.
Anyhow,after he was done I presented him with the check,thanked him for his business and started to remove the dishes from an adjoining table.Then I checked his receipt folder to make sure the check had been settled.
He had left a 79 cent tip on a 23.21 dollar bill.79 cents!
I felt so disrespected and slighted(did not know at the time that there is isn't a tipping culture in Australia).The look on my face must have given me away,as the manager immediately came and took a look at the check.When he saw what the guy had tipped,he did something neither the Australian gentleman or I will forget for the rest of my life.
He picked up the loose change and jangling the coins loudly he ran after the patron,who was just making his way out.Then still moving towards the patron he said" sir you forgot your tip" loudly a few times!OMG,there was total silence for a second and then the other patrons started snickering and smiling furtively.
The Australian gentleman turned a shade of red I have no words to describe.Redder than the ripest of tomatoes would be doing it no favor.He spluttered for a few seconds and then tried to tip me 20 dollars for the meal!It would have been funny if I did not feel so sorry for the guy.I refused the tip and reminded him in a soft and gentle voice that this is America and you HAVE to tip at least 15% specially as I had taken such good care of him.
He was profusely sorry and I told him it was no biggie. We shook hands and he was off on his way.
Wow!Wow!It was only when I checked later that I saw that tipping is not a tradition in Australia.
My advice to people coming to the US or any other country for that matter is to do a little research before heading out of home.It will certainly save one from cultural and social faux pas.I will certainly do some research before I head down to Australia later in the year.Certainly don't want to be faced with a situation that the guy found himself in.
I hope I did not offend anyone,just wanted to share my experience.
Cheers -
Finally someone who can confirm the last 11 years of my life since moving to nj. The chopped disasters of a hair cut and chemically damaged nitemares continue. I have spent a fortune for ruined hair which has taken years to grow what used to be long beautiful curly or straight hair. Not to mention a base of orange chemically damaged hair that I know have to color dark every 4 to 6 weeks. What a scam and sad situation. I am trying a new curly hair specialist Ricky pennisini of rici hair products and cuts. II pray my 11 year nitemare can finally end
sorry for the rambling on my previous post but Miss Aussie couldn't have said it better. It sadly brought up the very upsetting 11 years of getting my hair butchered, fried and colored orange for god knows how many $1000s I've spent w these frauds.
Since my previous post i had it chopped even worse by this supposed expert and founder of Rici hair cuts and products. An 11 year nightmare that just got another good couple of years added in growing it out again and then what!!! This has been my the rollercoaster ride I want to get off once and for all. I guess that's leaving NJ for your hair. I may consider exploring PA or NY at this point.
NJ has some good qualities but hair salons/stylists are ABSOLUTELY not one. I have also been to the gammit of salons like Miss Aussie and can not tell you how much networking and research i've done each time it was time to find someone else.
I realize some may think i'm being very superficial but I'm not. I take pride in my appearance. I just can't understand what the problem is, especially with the prices you pay here. I've spent the extra for so called top stylists and colorists thinking that would ensure good results. NOT!!!! Thanks for letting me whine and vent
Having lived in the U.S. my whole life, I use some of the spellings listed as English here, but I've noticed a pattern in which ones I use, l prefer the letter c over s ie licence and the letter c over k ie disc and l prefer the double ll ie cancelled over the single l.
I would also recommend South Orange. It is the town one south of Montclair – has a nice little downtown, trains to NYC (shorter commute than Montclair), large homes with yards and swimming pools and a large expat community of Brits and Aussies. This is where people move to from Montclair after they have been in the area for a few years – and realize how much more they can get for their money by living in the adjoining town.
Do expats have to go to any specific DMV to get the permit prior to the vision/knowledge test? I've been told that we have to go to one of the main offices and that there is a limit of them issuing foreigners license so we have to turn up by 7:30 am. I've not seen this mentioned anywhere and as your article is fairly recent I thought I'd check 🙂 Ideally we'd like to try a more local office as it may be slightly less busy but I'm sure it will still take time.
Great website by the way !t's helped loads in the first few weeks of being here.
Neil -
We've moved from Spain to North Arlington NJ, I tried to register my children in School, but because we don't have bills yet at the new place they cannot start school until I get them. Also my kids reports are in spanish and until they get translated, can't start school either. The translator hasn't call me yet with the transcripts an I have not recieved any bills yet, so my question is, is it ok that my children can't start school till then? Will they or I have any problems for not taking them to school? They won't let them start anyway.
Thanks for this site … I just moved from Bermuda to Jersey City. Trying to figure things out and your posts are real helpful!
Hi, do you have any advice on obtaining car insurance here? My husband and I have been here two months, he just recently got his NJ licence and we're looking to buy a car. We called up some insurance companies to enquire about how much it would cost and it is through the roof!
Susanna -
I have had a number of my Aussie clients report some embarrassing difficulties with the word Coke in the USA. Such embarrassment that they have taken to ordering a cola or pepsi instead….
So glad you tweeted about this one and brought it to my attention. I blogged about Changing Climates in July -( remember mid-winter back here in Sydney..)
I think the challenges of managing in a different climate can be one of the supposedly "little things" that can completely overwhelm people when they move. Good on you for adapting well and becoming a snow shoveller!In my post I said "Don't forget to ask the locals for advice. They will know how best to heat or cool the house, clear the snow, or when to watch for the cooling sea breeze." I'm going to add this blog link to my post for those who need to learn how to clear the snow!
Head over to Philly for your hair cut. The salons there are SOOO much better than in the suburbs and much more like what we have in Australia. Let me know if you need some suggestions. Cheers, Lauren.
Great post. As an American living in the U.S. I forget about some of the things you covered. Take for granted not to buy a dryer. For anyone looking for new jersey apartments, make sure to visit Harrison Apartments. It is a beautiful building with a tennis court, pool, doorman and fitness center. Additionally, it is close to Rutgers University, The New Brunswick Station and St. Peter's University Hospital. Close to parks and shopping. The setting and quality of life at Harrison Apartments can't be beat.
Beautiful pics. Thanks! Sometimes you have to get away (Paris) to appreciate where you came from.
Dear Expat Aussie in NJ,
My name is Joyce and I work for ExpatFinder.com.
ExpatFinder.com is a free one stop website for people preparing to move or working and living overseas. We provide a myriad of services for expatriates and we have over 2,000 articles to help and support the people moving around the world and we are now creating an interview section to help the expats with real life experiences!
We quite enjoy your blog about living in New Jersey, it is very interesting and informative. Would it be possible to interview you to further share some of your tips and feature some of your first hand experience as an Expat and your interview will be published on our Expat Interview section as a guide for our expat readers. The questions are mainly about the day to day lifestyle of an expat. If it would be possible, could you also send some photographs that we can use?
Of course, if you accept, we can add a link to your blog or some of your website.
The questions are enclosed, feel free to respond freely. You can return the doc with your answers if you accept this invitation.
Thanks in advance and do let me know if you prefer other means to conduct this interview and we would be happy to accommodate your terms.Best regards,
Joyce -
We're in even worse situation – I need to register two kids (8 and 9 years old) in Kearny, NJ. We're coming back from Poland, and my children, athough both are citizens had never been in US school system. I'm not sure if they can be registered in February, or will they have to wait till next school year. Another thing is the English level. They took ESL classes at their school, but the level is much lover than expectations for their age. How schools will deal with that? Is there any programm for kids speaking other language?
I don't know what you're talking about. I rented in New Jersey from three different landlords from 2006 up until I bought my own place toward the end of 2014. During that time…..
1. I never carried renter's insurance, nor was it required in the terms of any leases that I signed.
2. Prior to each move, I paid the first month's rent and security deposit with personal checks. Bank checks or cash was never required.
3. The landlord paid the real estate agents' commissions, both for their agent and for mine (when applicable, I don't always work with an agent). In each case, the combined commission for the two agents was equal to one month's rent. I would write the checks myself and, like you said, they were not necessarily divided equally between the two agents. Since I was writing personal checks, though, they just told me at the time of the lease signing how much to make out the checks for each agent. These payments were made in lieu of paying the first month's rent to the landlord. So in effect, I paid the first month's rent to the real estate agents instead of the landlord and then I started paying rent to the landlord at the start of the second month. So I guess I technically paid the agents' fees, but it is the same net result as me paying the first month's rent to the landlord and then the landlord giving that money to the agents…….so I really didn't pay the agents' fees in practice. The security deposit was 1.5 months rent as you stated.
What about towns with ferry access to NYC- hope this is a series of town reviews that continues as it is excellent reading the post and the comments for an Aussie expat looking to move out of Hoboken.
Hello, I'm really glad to have come across this website- thanks! We've lived in the States before for 2 years in San Fran and then Seattle. That was over 10 years ago before kids. Now we've got two kids (primary school) and my husband has some opportunities back in the States this time either mid west or North East coast. We're a multi-racial family so respecting diversity is important to us hence choosing NJ also for the proximity to NYC. Just wanted to ask what your thoughts are on towns like Cranford, Summitt and Westfield? We are ideally looking to be close to Newark airport as interstate travel will be required for work. We currently live in Sydney so am use to expensive real estate, lots of traffic and lots of people- a change from this would be good! Interested to hear your thoughts, thanks.
My family and I are moving to NJ in June, from Australia. I was hoping that you could advise me on what grades they might be placed in when they start school in September 2015 🙂
My eldest was born in December 2000, my middle child was born in September 2006 and my youngest was born in March 2008.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Im feeling very overwhelmed, lol! Its all so different.
Thank you! -
Thank you so much for your detailed response! You have certainly made things more clearer 🙂
I will definitely email you closer to the move date. We are still waiting for further details from my husbands employer.
I have to admit I so was excited to find your blog. Its such a wealth of information and I'm really grateful to have found it!
Many thanks 🙂 -
I'm over it already! And we spent a good part of it in Aus.
Hey there,
After reading your fantastic articles in your blog, I went out to experience the via dolorosa of getting a license in MVC/DMV yesterday (March 2015).
I'm a 30 year old expat who lived in Israel his entire adult life, thus having a valid Israeli license for the past 12 years or so, but never any American license.
I made sure to get all the right papers and documents- my passport, SS card, a current bank statement, the addressed envelope I got my SS card in, and my Israeli license.
I went to the MVC in Lodi, NJ, and as I've expected, there were quite a few people waiting on the various lines. My documents were checked at least 6 times throughout the day, each time by a different person, but happily they didn't find any problems with them.
After 3 document checkups, filling out personal information, taking a horrible picture and paying the $10 for the permit, I went to do the vision test and the written test. As you've stated, people taking it should make sure to study the material, as they ask a few questions that you'd never know without studying (such as what kind of fine would someone get of s/he does X, etc). I guess without studying any experienced driver with common sense could answer easily 30 questions correctly at least, but you don't want to take chances. The eye checkup takes about 10 seconds, where I guess anyone without vision issues should pass it.
After I successfully completed both tests, I went over to the lady at the desk, and she told me to go back to the main building to get my license. I was quite shocked to hear so, as everyone whom I spoke to told me I would have to go through a driving test. She put on a shiny sticker on my permit paper I received earlier that day, and before she was able to change her mind I ran out the the main building.
At the main building I waited on line again, and happily the lady at the counter didn't argue with the paper and issued me my very first NJ license on the spot, sporting the horrible picture on it.
All in all I spent about 3 hours at the MVC, mainly waiting on the various lines, where I showed up at 12PM on tuesday noon. The employees were mostly unfriendly, but most were not as hostile and mean as I expected.
I just wanted to thank you again for your elaborate articles, and I wish all the other expats lots of luck with dealing with the American bureaucracy.
Your education system is good as I am interested to be part of it. My son is 6 year old wanted to get admission there in new Jersey . we are from India pls reply us thank you .
Thanks for this post – on some level its good to hear of similar struggles from other expats in the area. I live in SE PA myself and miss my meat pies…but your post has just made me miss many other things now! 🙂 I recall the pizza places in Haberfield and Leichardt area growing up (in Strathfield)…especially the cabanossi – why is that not available here??! Admittedly I have not done as much research into the foods and their differences, which may provide a reason for their absence here I suppose… I look forward to trips into NYC (more frequent with my old job, and now with kids only as day trips in the summer) and eating at The Australian in midtown. I have to check out these other places as well this year. I wish there was something in Philly though 🙁 I have met one other Aussie near me during the recent Soccer World Cup in fact, but otherwise not much else. Anyway, I am gonna go off and daydream of my meat pie and Flake bar…and dont get me started on the milk bar hamburgers (with salad and egg)! Its also a rare treat to see my Bulldogs play in the NRL on TV…but I will keep searching.
Take it easy -
Having lived through a few hurricanes – most notably Hurrican Ivan, a force 5 that just chipped the edge of Jamaica when we were living there – I can vouch for how important it is to be prepared! We had no electricity and no water for quite a number of days afterwards. And in St Lucia, our house was flooded when the island was hit by Tomas. Fun days….!
Hi I an Aussie from Melbourne. I am an on an L -2 visa holder and have been here for 6 weeks. My wife the L-1 has a SS card. However I am about to get one too, as I will eventually need one and require it for my NJ Drivers license. I have applied for the I-766 however is still 3 months away. My question is on point 5 on the form do I check the box "illegal alien allowed to work" or "illegal alien not allowed to work"?
Thanks darren -
I cleared the knowledge test and is exempted from driving test because of my home country driving license. HOwever, I have not been given the DL so far becasue of ongoing SAVE case check. Its more than a month now and still the DMV office has not received the verification from USCSI/Save. How long does it takes ? Is there a way to check with USCIS for the delay in verification ?
Fetus – American
Foetus – British -
I'm a New Jersey resident of Italian descent and "Eye-talian" is definitely not the common pronunciation. On the other hand, my family pronounces "Italy" as "Itah-lee" not "It-ly" or "It-lee". I think those pronunciations came from Brooklyn, New York.
That's my cart!
Sometimes stores will try and work something out if you let them know.
My stop and shop didn't carry 2 varieties of baby food brand that I used, so I asked the grocery manager if he could help.
He was able to get shelf space to make one a regularly stocked item, but not both.
For the second, he would order a case (it was 10 or 12 jars) of it for me and call to let me know it was in the back room next time I came shopping.
I am very happy I discovered your blog, I've already found a lot of good tips. Then, I'd like to have some advice for some concerns I have.
My husband and myself, are going to move to New Jersey this 20th July. We are a young Belgian couple and wanted to discover some other horizons and I really wanted to learn English. We started by moving to London because that was close from our home country, we have been living here for these last 10 months. In January, my husband went to NYC for his job and enjoyed his time. The dream was growing and we decided to try to live an other adventure. And, there we are.My husband is transferred by his company so he has a job but, that's different for me.
I got my Psychology degree in Belgium in September 2014. As soon as I got it, we came to London. I started by taking some English class because I was unable to understand and speak neither. But because of the price I couldn't follow these classes for ages, then I stopped. I wanted to find I job but we had to travel several times between Belgium and London to get married, so I couldn't. I'm aware I need to work to keep improving my English. However, this is not my only purpose, I also want to get a job to meet people. So this is my first aim when I'll arrive.Would you have any advice to find a job in New Jersey. Of course, as you probably understood I'm not bilingual, I can't work as a Psychologist. I'm really motivated to work whatever the area. I just want to get involve in the society and improve my English to be able in the future to start my Psychologist career.
I really would appreciate your advice, feel free to email me.Thanks
So many good advices! I'm going to need them because next month I'm starting planning my move to Spain and although I have a job waiting for me I'm quite nervous. Thank you so much for sharing!
I love your blog! We are relocating from Florida because of my husband's job. We have 3 small children. I homeschool my 6 year old and was looking for a very safe place (we currently live in a gated community). So safety, homeschool community and close access to stores such as Target, Whole Foods and Trader Joes would also be nice:) I keep coming back to Montclair with my current research. Although I have to say, we started with Edgewater. I was wondering what your thoughts were in comparing Edgewater with Montclair and having small children.
Thanks so much,
Lisa -
I'm so glad I found this while searching endlessly for help! Luckily or not, I'm returning to the U.S. From India after 2 yrs of trying to settle back in India with 2 kids. No luck there! Too many health issues and man is india expensive to live in.
Anyway, I've looked and researched the best I could to find good school districts and safe communities but seem to get nowhere.
My kids have had experience with U.S. schooling (WA) so I have sone basic idea there.
My husband will be working in Weehawken NJ so I've narrowed down Rutherford, Ridgewood and Parsippany.
Any pointers to a good middle school and primary school in the same area will be helpful.
Thanks -
i find this article funny.. most of the american pronunciations on this list are harder to say than the australian ones. and im american!!
Who the hell in America pronounces offer as ARF-ur. I'm going to make you an ARF-ur you can't refuse.
Arf, is what off Sounds like when most of you US peeps say it.
"Too sweet"? "Too chocolaty"? Said no American kid EVER. What the heck is wrong with fussy Aussie kids? Too sweet and too chocolaty is a GOOD thing!
Haha, I grew up in Tenafly! Right by the nature center, too. I was wondering if it would come up in your blog. I live in the midwest now. It sure is fun reading about my home state through the eyes of a foreigner. I read some blogs of American ex-pats, and am now reading of ex-pats who came to America.
Great 'to do' list and links, Thank you! Really enjoy all your posts, they give a great insight of living in NJ that the promo video's and real estate pages don't. Please keeo posting!
My mother & grandmother were born in Englewood, New Jersey.
Thanks for the great photos.
My son (born Feb 12,2009) is currently a Grade 1 student in an International School (with IBS curriculum) here in the Philippines. His school year starts August 2015 and ends June 2016. I am planning to move to New Jersey this year. My dilemma is that I see the registration for Grade 2 will happen on Feb 2016. One of the requirements is his school card which will be completed come June 2016. What do you advice that I should do? Should i bring him to NJ for registration in February, then have him come over again after June? How about the requirement for a complete school year card? Can that be to follow once he has completed grade 1 here in Manila?
Your website is great – nothing can equal a practical lesson like what you have put up. I have a particular question. My husband has come out on an L1 visa and I am therefore a dependant on L2 status. I am not eligible to apply for a Social Security number but do obviously need a licence. How can I address NJ DMV requirement for a SSN?
Your reply would be apprecaited.
thanks, Suresh
We are planning to relocate in NJ near Short Hills. May I know where is the most suitable location to relocate near to public school with good neighborhood or downtown for family with teenage kids?
Thank you -
Helli, my question is what happens if a child doesn't register at all?. My neighbor kids are home all day n I know they are of school age.
Maybe these children are homeschooled. Get to know your neighbor. It's always good to be concerned. Better to be cautious and not jump to unnecessary conclusions.
Amazing advices! Preparing your children for culture shock is essential. Kids understand things differently. If they want to feel sad leave them. If they want to feel angry leave them, too. It is important to give them space to express their emotions. Best regards!
Hey NJ resident here! The problem with 4-way intersections is that lot of NJ drivers don't even understand how they work to begin with. So, you will see a lot of them not obey the rule of the road.
In NJ you can turn right on red at any traffic light unless it is specifically posted that you cannot. Look to your right and above for a sign indicating this. "No turn on red". Some crazy intersections allow it only during certain times of day.
Yup, we take the fire hydrant rule very seriously. Tickets are written almost immediately for parking in front of them as they should be. Delaying the fire department from hooking up to one in case of a fire could mean death or serious injury.
Never park where the pavement or the curb is painted yellow.
I have a 14 year old high school son and I'm waiting for my home to be sold in East Windsor prior to the loss of my husband on June, 8th, 2015 I'm looking for nice, safe and change of life place to live and I have people overwhelmingly visiting that were never there for me for years with his illness and I've been praying that God send me a nice place, with nice people. I'm not racist but, are there African Americans in the area because I'm African American. Thank you
Also, I'd really like to rent to feat feel of the area. Are there Any town homes or homes for rental and is the school system pretty could. I'm a nice person and desire peace. Your input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance!
Just stumbled across your blog….thank you!
We are relocating from Sydney to NJ in the new year. We need to be commuting distance to Basking Ridge – what are your thoughts on Bernards, Morristown? We are looking for an area wit good elementary and middle schools and are trying to compare Catholic and Public – do you have a blog on these? What has been your expeirence, we are coming from the Catholic System in Oz. Did you go over to the US sans kids to check out schools etc, we are not sure we'll get the time, so may need to do our 'discovery' with them…..would love to hear your thoughts 🙂 -
Hi Anne-Marie, I've read all your blogs now on schooling and I must say I'm so confused, not by your writing, but by the choices and what's best for my children. You mentioned in another post you made the wrong schooling choice initially and then swapped, can I ask what choices you made and how you found the different systems, and how they compare to Sydney's systems? Thanks so much 🙂
Saw your blog post on 'The NJ Explore Daily'. We just posted it as well.
Reach out as your time/interest allows.
Thanks & kind regards! -
This is great information, thank you! We are trying to work out our finances….Can you tell me if there are additional property taxes or are these included in the rent? Are there any other fees additional to agents fees? how much are these usually? thanks in advance 🙂
You'll see a lot more variation among the ShopRite stores than you will with any of the others, because ShopRites are independently owned, whereas Stop & Shop, Kings, Whole Foods, and A&P stores are all owned by the corporation. For instance, the ShopRite in these pictures is the Bloomfield ShopRite, owned and operated by Brookdale Supermarkets, which owns this store and the one in Newark. The ShopRite in Nutley, however, is owned by Nutley Park Supermarkets (Nutley and Belleville); the ShopRite in Passaic is owned by Cuellar Family Markets (which owns just that one).
The above article is undoubtedly the best guide for applying for a NJ DL. I have got all my documents ready based on your article. I have 2 questions. 1. Do we have to submit our Original documents? If yes, when are we going to get it back. and 2. Where can I find the list of MVC approved translators.
I am staying in Bridgewater, New Jersey and visiting my friend which is in Jersey City on next weekend. Can i apply driving license in Jersey City
Dear ,
i am moving my children 7th grade and 9th grade from a school in Saudi Arabia to new jersey USA , and my children transfer time will be in the time of midyear school , what is the best procedures to make to move the kids without losing any academic year ,
your prompt Reply will be highly appreciated ,
Kind Regards
My 16 year old daughter is moving to NJ from the U.S. Virgin Islands. She is a US citizen, but I wanted to make sure if she would be able to register in a high school at this time of year when she gets there, or is it too late. Also, there isn't an exact date on when she is leaving since we really want to know when the best time is and if she can get into a high school when she gets there first. When do you recommend that she register/transfer to a high school in NJ or would she have to wait till the next school year starts? By the way she is already a senior, and she will be staying with my sister in Paterson, NJ. …. One last thing, if she is able to do so, what documents or papers does she need to take with her from here. -
Thanks for the article and comment Judy.
We are moving to the USA in 6 weeks and are trying to figure out if buying a continuous step up converters for our fridege, washing machine, TV, stereo, computer, etc is going to work. We are taking our stuff over in a container, so buying a $100 step up converter seems a much better option than getting rid of a $1000 fridge and then buying another when we are in the USA. Have you used a step up converter with success? Is there one you recommend? What is your experience with various white goods and applicances? Would you recommend it?
Thank you -
I'm from America, and I pronounce these things differently from the way you said we do:
Anti (interchangeable), reptile, harassment, cordial, car, futile (interchangeable), mobile, gala, offer, aunt, cement, bouquet, kilometer, route (probably because I mainly watch British youtubers), nuclear, missile (interchangeable), fragile (interchangeable), australia, Italian (I have never heard anyone ever pronounce this word with the "Eye" sound), Italy, pasta, taco, yoghurt, caramel, and oregano.-
I always thought that pronouncing it as "EYE-TALIAN" is considered rude or offensive even. So I totally agree I've never heard anyone pronouncing it like that unless they were using it as some sort of insult.
We are moving back to nj after living abroad for 4 years . My daughter is 13 and in 8th grade. She is very young and not as mature as other children . She struggles with school a bit.I m having her evaluated for learning difficulties. I would like for her to repeat 8th grade in NJ. Is it possible? What is the process like in Monroe twp NJ?
I'm a Stop and Shop fan too. While their prices are a tad bit higher than Shoprite, their stores are bright, clean, and organized. Plus, in Shoprite, I have OFTEN picked up produce and found mold growing on it. You have to search very carefully to find produce that is "somewhat" fresh.
[…] I'd read about Jersey's summer humidity before we got here, so was ok with that. But now in winter, it's crazy dry in our furnace-heated house, so a good humidifier is the only bastion between us and the North East's nasty viruses. I've learnt way too much about humidifying recently. For example, I probably read 97% of this ridiculously detailed product review before purchasing the latest fix. […]
We are moving into New Jersey by Jun, 2016 and I am hoping that you could advise me on what grades they might be placed, when they start school in September 2016.
Our kids were born in Dec, 2007 and Sep, 2009 and they would have completed their 3rd and 1st grade respectively, when they reach US. I am afraid whether they would be required to repeat their grades in NJ, due to the age restriction or whether they would be joining 4th and 2nd grade during Sep, 2016 in NJ. Your valuable inputs and comments will be highly appreciated. Thank you.
[…] name, or get an MVC employee misinterpret them and turn them away, because according to the blogger Expat Aussie in N.J., it happens pretty frequently. Crikey! A School/College ID can cover another two points, or you […]
Hi Madam,
I am from India I have a 6 year old son (In 2nd grade here) & would be moving to Edison, NJ in June 2016. From what I've gathered uptill now, sessions start in Edison public schools on October 1 2016 & new enrolmets have already started. My biggest concern is if I bring him in Sept/ October (that is when I can bring him here soonest along with my wife), would I be still allowed to get her admitted at that time. I am afraid of seats fetting filled by that time.
Also if I admit her in October, he would be admitted in 1st grade. He turns 7 years on 12 Dec. So if I admit him after that he would be eligible for grade 2 in Edison which is his current class & would not lose a year.
Many thanks. -
This is great thanks, found it through Google. We (family of 5) are about to move to NJ for work in New Brunswick and are also Aussie's from Sydney so looking for all the help we can get! Any other tips you can give us would be fantastic! Thanks again…
Hi how did the step up divice work? Australia to USA, ? Did you require a step up device for each item? Did it even work? Any advice would be helpful when deciding what to take in a container to USA?
I too have similar query. My daughter she is in 7th grade now and 12.3 yrs (in April) we will be moving to NJ in month of May. I am having tough time as not able to decide if to move or not only coz of age difference.
As I have read so far required age criteria for 8th grade has to be 13 to 14 yrs by September but she will be 12.8 yrs only. I am ok for assessment-ESL to be done but don't want her to repeat her year. What if after assessment they put her in 7th grade only?
She is has completed her 7th grade in India. If you can help me understand what to do in such case?
Raj -
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They ask to do road test when I have valid pakistan licence for more than 5 years I passed my written test . What should I do ?
My Son Birth date Is Nov. 05 2006, We Move In NJ Iseline In 31 March 2016, My Son Passed 4 th Grade In India, Now woodbrige School granted Him 3 Grade, How Can I Change This Decision Because He Go To 5 Grade And Now He is In 3 Grade. Can You Suggest Any Suggestion To Solve This Problem, In US Any Upgrading System Is Working If My Son Pass Both Exam 3 And 4 , Then They Upgrade him to 5 Or NOT ? Can My Son Give Both exam ? Tell Me ……..
My son will be 5 on August 5th. I know he is eligible for kindergarten but I do not think he is ready. Do I have the ability to hold him out of school until next year and register him for kindergarten as a 6 year old?
Thats interesting to hear about how much you miss Aussie food. If you are interested there is a shop called "The Australian Shop" which posts food from Australia World Wide, you could certainly get your Auusie Weet-Bix and anything which can be found in a grocery store. The Shop can be found at http://www.theaustralianshop.com
The web address has changed, its now https://www.theaustralianfoodshop.com/
Ok this is infuriating because first of all lots of the American pronounciations had an "r" where there shouldn't have been and some were just plain wrong. A few of the words are pronounced the same as the Australian pronounciations even though you had them as different. The most horrid part of it all though is that you are spreading the pronounciations of aunt as "ant" THATS WRONG! An ant is a bug NOT SOMEONES PARENT'S SISTER! It is pronounced "on-t" only people in the stupid parts of the country say "ant" and they are WRONG!!!!
no, it's pronounced ant.
My daughter will be 5 years on december. She is good in study. Is she eligible for kindergarten in this year?
Hi my son born in the month of December 2011. We moved in new jersy.He will be 5 years by the end of December 2016. Will he be eligible for kindergarten?
Is my expired ID enough for the 4 points? I can't find my Birth Certificate anywhere and I don't have a passport.-
Did you happen to get an answer to your question?? My license expired on June 30 and I am going to renew on Monday. I am hoping a "current" license doesn't mean non-expired! Thanks so much
My mother in law just moved from WA state to NJ. We wanted to change her driver license and they rejected the change. She had middle name initial on Certificate of Citizenship, on current WA driver license but not on Social Security card. According to ssa.gov site they don't consider middle name as part of legal name, so was that rejection even legal ad MVC office (https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0110212001) ?
My name is Rejina and we are in voorhees city NJ. My daughter has completed her 8th grade in India. But when we tried to enroll her in 9th grade , they said like she is little under age for high school(she is completing 13 years and 3 months in sep 2016). We did not want to wast one year .So We tried in Philly , they also said the same thing.
My question is , is there any middle school with 9th grade?(heard that some schools have).How to know the school names? If I google , it is very confusing.
Pls Help us. THANK YOU. -
My son was current on 6th October 2011, will he be eligible for current academic year. Please let me know if there are any schools in Ney Jersey who can give him admission.
My son was born on 6th October 2011, will he be eligible for current academic year. Please let me know if there are any schools in Ney Jersey who can give him admission.
I came to USA on 1st of April. I have visited Rahway MVC with all the required documents to get the NJ DL after one and half month. Unfortunately during the ID check process, MVC is not able to verify me in the SAVE system. They took a copy of my I94 and raise a case with SAVE to verify my details. They gave me the case number to verify the status online from SAVE website. They told me that they will call me once verification is done. They got my number. After 2 days, I checked my status and the status showing as 'SAVE has returned your case to New Jersey – Motor Vehicle Commission'.
To my understanding, SAVE is able to verify my details and send the information to MVC. I have visited the Rahway MVC to get my DL but to my surprise, they told me that the verification is still pending from SAVE side. I am confused now. Not sure the status in SAVE website is correct or MVC is doing something wrong. Anyone has any idea how long it takes to complete this verification process and what are the steps for the verification.
Please help me on this.
This was really enjoyable
I'm a Perth Australian expat living in Las Vegas Nevada.
California didn't have blue skies it was mostly cloudy so we moved to Vegas and it's much more blue but I do miss Perth beaches!I'm a professional photographer and videographer!
http://www.skysimonephotography.com -
Thanks to Expat Aus in NJ
The information given in the article saved me from buying a 110 – 240 V transformer. -
Thanks for your blog! Yeah it's funny how it sneaks up on you. We have been in Singapore for 6 years after Sydney and Brisbane and the same thing happened to us after about 2-3 years.
Hello my newphew is coming from Brazil to leave with me he is from 12/18/1997 so 18 now and also an American citizen that leaved here until 3rd grade ! He is there in his senior year ! But here should start senior year on September, went to a public school and heard that he may not be able to attend because he is already 18 !!!!! Is that true ? Is that legal ???
Actually I am in Springfield / NJ
Hi my name is Simone And my son CHRISTOPHER is 18 from de 18,1997, citizen and he was already in NJ school system until his 3rd grade And Now is going back to livre with my sister who is a citizen in Springfield NJ and today she went for application and they said cause he is 18 already a senior he may not de allow to go to Dayton School cause his age … My question is this is by the law cause sound me as a discrimination cause he still need the 12th grade to complete…
I got my DL when I was on F2 visa. MY DL is valid till September 2016.
I returned home to get F1 visa as Im starting school in August 2016.
My question is when I return to US on F1… will I be able to drive using my current license? or Should I update my new visa information with the DMV before I can drive. My address and other details will remain unchanged.
my daughter attends a school that i would like to change i want her to go to another district how can i do that.
Hi Aziz,
I am a H1B holder working in NJ end of May. I worked in California for 4 years and moved here. I went to MVC in first week of June and they told me that my status has not able to verified in USCIS and will call me later. I updated my NJ home address through AR-11 form after I rented an apartment 2 weeks ago. I also went to Canada last weekend and returned to NJ. Should I go to MVC this week or wait for one more week to allow all info updated? It is very frustrating as my California plate also cannot be changed due to my drive lic has not been fixed.
Do you have any advise on my situation? -
Hi there,
First of all thank you very much for spending time in putting all this things together.
I am planning to give the Vision and Knowledge test in next few coming days. I just have one query related to 6 point Id verification. I am planning to show my Bank records/statements to earn one point in verification process. My query is as follows: Do I need to carry original statement from Bank or E statement (downloaded from bank website) will work?
Truly appreciate your help on this.
Anil Kumar -
My daughter will be starting kindergarten she is a us citizen but i am from another country. How can i provide 4 forms of proof of residency when we are being allowed to live with a friend? I dont have utilities in my name or paystubs or insurance ofcourse…the administrator who handles registration is saying they wont accept the application if i dont have those 4 forms for proof of residency.
I only have access to 2 proof of residency. Lease and mail from welfare
I went to NJ dmv with all necessary document . but they did not allowed me for computer test because my middle initial name was missing in Homeland Security Record. could you Please help me guiding how can I fix this issue
I am Canadian (close enough to American) and know very well how most Americans without huge regional accents that differ speak. Most of these are quite wrong. While us Canadians also have a few words that we say differently from America (route for example), I can tell you are misinformed about quite a lot of these. I know that there are different pronunciations around America, but the 'most common' or most understood and widely broadcast accent/pronunciations of a lot of those are wrong.
We will be relocating within NJ during the month of September. My children (entering grades 5 and 7) currently attend a charter school. I am assuming they MUST attend the charter school for the 3 weeks we will be living in our current location before we move to the new location? I wasn't sure if they could just wait to begin the school year until we have officially moved to the new location as long as I am in the process of enrolling them in the new school as soon as we can provide documention of our future address?
Thanks lot for this info!!
I was just freaking out because the movers just told me that I cannot take with me our LG Led TV nor the Klipsch sound system nor the Denon.But checking behind the these machines I could find always '110 – 240V', which, as I have understood rightly in your article, is OK for the US.
I assume toaster and other kitchen appliances won't work, but at least the expensive things will.
Is that right?
I didn't verify in save either, but I've been in the country for months. Not sure what's going on with that, but apparently I'll be contacted withing 6 business days.
Thanks for the useful information yet again! 🙂
Hi There,
My name is Andy, I am an Australian Citizen and on E3. I had my QLD license for more than 2 years, do I need to give a driving test to get my NJ license or just the Knowledge test. Thank you.
Kind Regards
My parent in law name got totally f'd up at the flemington d m v. First of all her given name has 2 characters in Chinese like many people in this world which meant the spellings on her green card and passport had either a dash or space between the 1st names but her bank statement had the 2 1st names combined with no space or dash. The lady at the dmv couldn't do the dash or the space but sh can use the 2nd 1st name as a middle name and I had to explain to her we don't have middle names as if she cares. So we settled on combining the 2 1st names without a space cuz that's what many people in this case does.
Regarding her last name Cheung Chan was on her green card and SS card of which Cheung was her husbands family name and Chan was hers. To avoid confusion she wants to put down just Chan on her dmv application only to find out the license came out with just Cheung on it which don't match any of her docs. So we had the lady who took the picture change this and she agreed but it had to go with the green card and she has to take her picture 1 more time. Then we had to find out the ridiculous result that they combined the 2 surnames with no spaces. We were like WTF. . .this doesn't match any of her documents so her name was all f'd up. This day and age with the advance technology in this world they can't get the stupid computer and their workers to record the right names of people how that's possible is really beyond me.
I went to NJ DMV to get my license renewed today . I took my original I797A copy. They said, they could not verify my immmigration status and will have to do a SAVE check. I checked your website and figured that I did not print out my latest I94 from the CBP website. They went with the I94 on my I797A document which was probably why they couldn't verify my records.
Would it help if I go submit that on Monday in DMV? I am just too worried now as my drivers license is only valid for less than a month and I need to drive. Please help.
My partner and I are moving back to NYC area from Hong Kong, what are your thoughts on Weehawken? We like restaurants, downtown feel and walkable.
Thanks in advance!
Randal -
Have you been able to buy bulbs with the right attachments for your Australian lamps? We don't want to leave our lamps behind but I'm not sure what bulbs are available in states. Thanks
Thank you for your response and suggestions. As far as I know, my name etc., is perfect in all records. I have checked the USCIS website myself and my latest I94 etc., reflects the real date etc. I am not sure why SAVE is taking longer. However, they have posted in their website that due to high volume of SAVE verification cases, their response times have slightly increased. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Hope it all comes through soon!
My wife and I recently moved from TN to NJ. My wife's driver's license expired two weeks ago and we want to have her license renewed in NJ.
We went to a MVC on 9/8 with all necessary documents. Yet, we were told that we need to print out a recent I-94. We switched from J to H visa but haven't gotten a visa stamp yet. We have I-797C (approval notice). We got I-94 when we were on J visa and its status is D/S.
Anyway, we visited US CBP website to get a recent copy of I-94. Yet, although we entered correct information, the website says it is not found and suggests us to go to a deterred inspection site. The nearest site from our place is Philly's international airport. We're very irritated and frustrated with this. Do we really need to go to the airport to get the most recent I-94? We didn't go out of the country since we got the I-94 on our passport. Will our I-94 be updated when we switched from J to H? We are not sure what kind of I-94 we get?
Any idea?
Your article is very helpful! I have one question though. I am a permanent resident living in Jersey City (originally from South Africa), I have a valid South African drivers license, but it is in my maiden name. All my other documents (Green card, SS and prove of address) are in my married name. Would I have to take my marriage certificate with? Will they accept that? I would much rather just do the written test as I do not own a car, but need a drivers license for my new job.
Well written. This coming from a native jersey girl! Lol
Hey just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem too be
running off thhe screen in Firefox. I'm noot sure if this is a format issue or something
to do with browser compatibility but I thought I'd post to leet you
know. The style and design look great though! Hope yyou get the problem
fixed soon. Cheers -
Hi,This is Senthil.My son will be moving to Jersey city on September 30th.He is in 4th grade in India now.He will be supported by his mother who works in jersey city since April 2015.Will he be allowed to get admission in any nearby public schools?His mother arranged multilingual assessment appointment on October 4th.
I just had query regarding admission of child into kindergarten which says after age 5. My kids birthdate is 14 September and I read few articles which say child should be of age 5 before 1 September for admission. Is it like my kid won't kid admission for just 14 days, will he need to wait for 1 long year to get admitted to kindergarten? Can you please help me with my query? Let me know if there is way we can get exception for 14 days as he will complete 5 year next year on 14 September and I wanted him to get admitted to Kindergarten…
Hi! Love your website. It's really useful. We're Australian, currently in the UK and getting ready to move to New Jersey. My husband is going to work in New Brunswick. We're currently looking at either Hoboken or Princeton….I have two children (6 & 8) and think maybe Princeton might be a better option for us. Schools in the area seem very good. However, I was hoping to work and thought there might be more opportunities for be being closer to NYC but seems like people do commute okay. Also, my main priority is getting the kids settled after another move. And the property seems more affordable in Princeton than Hoboken. Any tips you have re: Princeton v Hobken for a family would be gratefully received 🙂
Thanks for sharing! they are great tips! I have just started working in a new country and started to read different expat forum and joining different groups to expand my social circle!
The above informations are really valuable.We shifted to New Jersey on 24 Sept,16.
My son 'S birthday is 31 Jan , 2012. He is a 4 yrs old but was going to Kindergarten in India. Please advise when is the right time for us for registration . Following the informations I found out that he has to wait until next year to start school.We would be locating at Edison .Please advise which school we should send him.
Thank you in advance ,
. -
My wife recently changed her passport name from Maiden to after marriage and we came to US. The Visa was done on Maiden name so the I -94 reflects the old name. But rest documents we have new Last Name . Since we were in US before she also has SSN in her Maiden name.
Now we want to have her License done in new name. Please suggest if there will be any issue.
Mandar -
My husband and I and two children (3 & 9months) have just moved to Princeton from Sydney. Your blog has been super helpful to us so far! I'm actually wondering if you can point me in the right direction for some playgroups etc or know another blog/person who might be able to?
Lindsay -
That's a good list.
I just recently moved to Seattle, WA from Sydney.
Apart from the obvious I think two things I've missed like crazy would be chicken salt! Every chip shop ("fries" for our US friends) would have a bottle of it on stand by.Also chicken flavoured chips (chips for our US friends this time… confusing, I know) seem to be non-existent.
However, I'm spoiled for meat pies, a couple hours north of Seattle in a town called Bellingham is a store called Man Pie. The owner lived in Melbourne for several years and opened an Aussie style pie shop when he came home.
It is amazing and FAR better than Pie Face 🙂 -
[…] with the usual SSN application, passport and visa. This process was written about previously: How to Apply for a Social Security Card in the USA. During your application visit, the SS officer will check the S.A.V.E. database to see if your […]
[…] of the last documents that expats relocating to the USA have to apply for is their DL. As highlighted in earlier posts, this can be one of the most frustrating things any expat goes through. This is partly due to the […]
This is Rajneesh .we will be moving to New Jersey near Near Moorestown nj.
My son is in 2nd studying in Bangalore expecting his travel on first week of December please help me with the following information to get admission in 3rd .
1-session ends in march in Bangalore Halfyearly exam result TC migration certificate is fine to get admission in 3rd ?
2- When session starts in NJ public school ,is it possible to get admission in between ?Please help since we are new and do not have idea about USA NJ admission system
I have a friend who works at comfyco.com and honestly got all my furniture within last 5 years from those guys. They deliver pretty fast and most importantly – they have one of the best prices around. Selection is not that great, but you cant be perfect in every way, I guess.
Thanks for writing such a helpful blog post. I've 4 year old son (Sept 2012 born) and I moved here last week. I'm looking for school for him, provided details to Dept of Education and still waiting for appointment. Couple of questions:
1. Whether 4 year old (pre-K) is eligible for public school?
2. Generally, How long I may need to wait for confirmation for admission? -
Hi Anne-Marie,
This is Seema and we will be moving to NJ in Jan 2017 and we have a daughter who is Oct 2011 born. I have few questions which are as below:
1. Will the schools accept admission in the middle of academic year
2. Also my daughter has not received all the required vaccinations. So will there be any complications in her admission. And what can be done now. -
Interesting read! I moved with my family to SF a year ago and even though there is a great choice of healthy options here the portion sizes are sometimes so big that I can share the kids meal with my two daughters!
We have nearly filled our house with second hand furniture from Habitat for Humanity Resore in Wayne. It's in good condition, bargin prices and money goes to a good cause.
I am Pallavi and we will be moving to NJ by mid December. I have a daughter who is May2007born. I want to know will admission be possible for her in public school in mid session. Also all her vaccinations are done except one pending which is at 10years. Can it be done after shifting to NJ..will it have any problem in her admission? -
Wtf is this list? Had me "larfing" so hard. I'm American and I couldn't even read half of your "American pronunciations". Seriously? What the heck part of America are you talking about? Have you even ever been here? lol
Would be curious on your opinion on this one, we are both Australians who have relocated to NJ. I completed the whole process and got my NJ Drivers licence without a road test, my wife completed the whole process but requires a road test. Both of us have exactly the same licence, but my wife's was considered void and mine wasn't…
Logic was because there was no donor code or conditions on the licence (e.g. spectacles) and therefore void as described in the book. I will probably go back to the MVC in Newark to understand the difference and I also curious if we wait until the road test what licence she will get when she passes the test…
Any opinions / commentary would be appreciated.
Hello Anne-Marie,
My son was born in NY and is an American Citizen, but we live in Istanbul Turkey.
He has never attended any school in USA as we came back to Turkey when he was two (now he is 15).
We are now planning to enroll him in a public high school in NJ for 2017-2018 school year starting from 11th grade.
However, we cannot move to US but we know a family who currently resides in NJ, who are also ready to become my son's parental guardian by signing caregiver authorization documents.
I know that my son can enroll in a public school, but my question is; if he stays with the non-relative family in NJ, do we have to pay a tuition fee to the public school or will it be free.
Thank you so much in advance.
My license requires renewing, so I went to the local DMV with my 6 points of ID, one being my UK passport with visa and I-94 form printed out by the Global Entry Booth at Newark Airport when I last arrived in the country after a business trip. The TSA officer who issued my GOES approval repeated many times "Keep the I94 from the booth it is the only official proof you are entitled to be in the country", so I take this as a formal official I94 form. When they checked my ID at the DMV they told me they needed an Admission Number from my I94 and this GOES version did not carry that number, this admission number is used to check my immigration status with the DoHS computers even though this is the official I94 issued by the DoHS system!!! So I had to go home, login to the CBP website and print off the current I94 (complete with Admission Number). I returned the next day, the ID checker remembered me, she said "Oh so glad you brought the right form, but sorry the DoHS website is down today so we can't check your immigration status, come back tomorrow"…. I'll update you on tomorrow's visit…
I am so envious of you guys, Brisbane expat living in Indianapolis.
Other than tim-tams in the Kroger and tiny vegemite at the 'international store' there is no such thing as a pie or sausage roll here, let alone beef sausages!I miss musk sticks something chronic and proper australian Milo (South am Milo tastes and is textured odd)
Thank you so much for such a clear and helpful reply.
Yes, I will also check with the school district accordingly, and in case need more advise, will write you back.
Best regards from İstanbul
Mehmet -
You are spot on with these words. I'm also Aussie and have spent time in the US. They use different pronunciations all over the country. Many words from Boston for example sounds very similar to Aussie pronunciation 'Shark" being an example of this. These Americans complaining have probably never left their state which is also something I found quite typical in my time spent there.
I've worked in this town the past 7 years… absolutely love it!
I'm a song writer, just wrote a song about this beloved Montclair and can't wait to release it to the public. The title: "My Old Town Montclair" -
Thanks for such a informative blog!
Thanks for keeping up your blog. Really enjoying it, and relating to it, although I'm 4 years newer to "the project" than you are. I'm curious, what sort of swear words do you find don't even register here…. first letters will probably do, so as not offend the Aussies reading this 🙂
Well I never knew..I'm a former Aussie living in Portland Oregon the past 17 years an all this time i thought the weetabix was the same as back home weetbix.didnt even notice name diff.i also thought the British Cadburys was the same which brings me to ask the question how much does the milo tins here differ in drink.? I love milo.
Australia def has better food in my opinion.
I got married a couple months ago and changed my last name at the social security. I changed my name at other smaller agencies too. The SS did not have any issue verifying me I assume bc I was able to get my new social security card with my new last name that day. I arrived at the DMV to change my license after changing at the SS. They could not verify me?! They said I needed a 2nd verification. I had everything. My expiring ID, my marriage license, my EAD, mail, SS, etc. They could not verify me, but the SS could? That doesn't make sense. So I did my ten day wait, and the system had verified me. I went back and they said it still shows "in review" why is that? When on my end its verified. I need to drive and now I have these two last names. My legal name is changed through marriage and SS but not my drivers license and I feel like this is ridiculous. UGH.
Help. Any advice?
Texas Girl, bridget
[…] Six fundamental FAQs on New Jersey Public Schools: for new Aussie expats […]
We are moving to NJ in April 2017 from India. My son will complete 2nd standard in India. Now iam worrying that in NJ for 3rd grade by september he should be 9. But he will was born on November. Three months difference is there. Will they allow him for 3rd Grade in NJ?
I think my case is kind of different from others. Firstly i am an f-1 student from Missouri were i passed my driving test but did not received my DL card. The reason from Missouri motor is that i need to submit my most recent I-20 and it took like almost 3 months for my university to generate my new I-20 because its holidays reason and they are kind of busy but by that time i moved to NJ. But now my DL test paper from Missouri has been expired so do i need to take test here in NJ again or DL paper from Missouri can help here to get my NJ license. -
I have a class D coach licence from UK what do I need to do in order to drive a bus or coach in New Jersey USA
Hi, Loved your article. I went to the DMV to renew my license and get plates. Had my 6 points and filled out forms and submitted them. Computer came up with a error on my Social Security number of. NJ not State of Record. "NJ not state of record." She told me to call social security to fix this issue and that shes seen this before with a bunch of others. No biggie. Can anyone shed some light on this computer issued error. NJ not state of record.
Bread, bread, bread!! I'm sick of eating stale, sweet sandwiches. I miss visiting my local bakery and getting fresh baked bread. The chocolate is a biggy too. Hershey's tastes like vomit. My American husband had the honour of trying Cadbury and now is as big a snob as I am. I refuse to subject my kids to low quality chocolate. Pieface is an embarrassment to pies. No good. The pie got Americanized and ruined the whole thing. Whistler has the closest thing to a pie and sausage roll if your ever out that way.
Indian Expat in NJ
My first name matches in India driving license but last name in India driving license is like letter but in passport its expanded.
In such case after clearing online computer test will it be possible to get DL from Lodi ?
My India International License shows correct Full name first and last, not sure if DMV conside International License because its book and paper type chip based like Indian driving license
We moved over from Australia in April last year & when I was browsing your site this article caught my eye.
Like many people would, we brought our phones with us from our previous country – in our case 2 iPhone 5s handsets from the Telstra network in Australia. At first I was wooed by the coverage map of Verizon so I headed straight to their store to buy some new SIM cards.
After the usual conversation about SSN / lack of credit score I decided it would be easier to get a pay as you go plan & handed the phones over to the sales girl for activation. No dice. Nothing. Nadda. Turns out that Verizon uses the CDMA carrier network, whereas most of the rest of the world uses GSM.
Luckily I was able to back out of the Verizon deal without any cash being held & found success with an AT&T prepaid SIM instead.
The AT&T Go-Phone is a good enough deal. I have our phones set on auto-renew each month (around $30 / month a phone for their unlimited plan & have also added a $5 / month bolt on for 200 minutes of talk time to land lines back home in Australia. Not bad compared to what I was used to paying back at home.
I have come unstuck at times when I've been on international travel since the Go-Phone options for international roaming are almost non-existent turning the handsets into a useless lump pf glass & plastic when abroad & off wifi.. I get around this by buying another SIM when I get to where I'm going though.
Hope that helps.
Jase -
This is great to know. i moved to http://www.drhorton.com/New-Jersey/New-Jersey/Glassboro.aspx and my sister just passed away and her son is moving in with me and i didnt know much about the schools. thanks so much
My brother goes to school in Newark and my mother lives in Jersey City and that is where we plan for him to go to high school. There was a miscommunication in what school he should apply to so he ended up not applying to any Jersey City high schools. He was accepted to Marist but we cannot afford the tuition. How should we approach this? We are looking into Dickinson, County Prep, and McNair and I am well aware that their deadlines have passed…
hello. My foreign driver license is expired. Can I still use it to skip my road test?
No you cannot. I sent mine off to the UK for renewal, but because I didn't have it they had to put me down as a new driver as oppose to experienced driver (of 15 year argh). I have to do my road test.
I am writing to you to inquire as to whether you have any jobs or work that I can perform in the fields of Data Entry or Virtual Assistance. My other areas of skills are in Writing and Editing.I am an American expat presently living in New Delhi, India. I have experience in Data Entry, Virtual Assistance, and I can perform any work that you may require as long as it can be done online or remotely. If you would like to see my resume please let me know and I'll gladly send it over to you. Or you can check my online resume at my own site at http://www.CoreyCananza.comThank you for your consideration.Warm Regards,Corey Cananza
Hi Mike,
Have only been to America on holiday and it was great. Found Americans very nice but surprisingly innocent. They literally cannot pronounce "Canberra", (Can bra) our capital. Their mouths can't form the sound; looks like they've had a stroke. Also "Antarctica", they say Anarctica like its a kind of appendage to the Arctic. -
My son was born on Oct 10th 2012 and misses the NJ School District cut off by 9 days for Kindergarten. From what i read and hear (from talking to our local elementary school principal) is that this is a strict deadline. But I also read in several sites the use of words like "usually" not flexible which leads me to believe that there may be some exceptions made. Can you suggest somewhere to find if historically any exceptions have been made? Our son appears to be academically and socially on track for KGN and I want him to be in an environment where he is challenged. He is certainly not going to be intellectually stimulated enough if he has to do one more year of preschool.Thank you in advance for your help!
Hi, I recently moved from Aussie to USA. Can you recommend a sugar free / no high fructose corn syrup preferably white bread? I just can't seem to get a taste for American bread.
Also. I really miss Aussie sausages too -
I'm not sure if others have had this issue, but just today I passed my knowledge test and when the woman at the MVC attempted to validate my UK licence, the book they use to do so had an outdated image of the UK licence, without the Union Jack flag which has been on all UK licences since July 2015.
Because the licences look different they insisted I must now return in 20 days to do a road test. I tried to show her the UK government website on my phone showing my licence is indeed valid but she was sticking to policy:"If it isn't in the book I can't validate it".
I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if they managed to resolve it?
Hi Simon! This happened to me on Saturday! I am so annoyed, my license is perfectly valid in my country but the NJ DMV won't accept it because the version I have "isn't in the book". Ridiculous. On top of that, I also had another valid license from another country but they wouldn't look at it because I had already shown them a license they wouldn't accept. I can't believe the stupidity of the system, it just doesn't seem to be in the hands of people who have a brain. I also have to take the road test now. Absurd.
Thanks, Mily
My niece has been homeschooled, now 8 soon to be 9 and is thinking about going to public/private school. What requirements are there for homeschool chilren entering public/private school?
Thank you for taking the time to provide great insight of what to be mindful about our choices in NJ. My wife is going to be having a conversation of opportunities she may have with her company of 25 years. The main head quarters is in Flemington NJ. With this conversation, there may be the opportunity for use to move to NJ. My wife is a logistics manager and I am on my senior year receiving my bachelor's degree in Human Resource Management with the desire to get my masters in managerial and leadership. We currently live in Washington state and are eager to discover the area that would fit for us if the opportunity comes about to move. We are both in our mid forties and don't have any children. I'm trying to exhaust all avenues to help us to make the right choice of township and housing for our life style. Any information that you can provide would be a wonderful asset in making the best decision if we decide to move to NJ. Thank you for your time. Blessings…
Very Respectfully,
Jason Denver -
[…] необходимые документы (весь процесс неплохо описан тут), я ответил на каверзный вопрос про дату свадьбы ? и […]
Hi Anne-Marie,
First, thank you for putting up such an exhaustive guide for expats. Have gone thru quite a few of your post in past couple of days as I plan to relocate to NJ early of May17. Much appreciate you putting your experience as an expat.I will be relocating along my 8 year old who has just completed his 2nd grade here in India.
Regarding my queries,
1) By age and his current grade, he should start with grade-3 in Oct'17; but given we will land in May..would you suggest getting him enrolled in May/Jun itself for Grade-2 or just start with Grade-3? Does school allow such a late enrollment May/Jun? Don't want him to be at home for 3-4 months and lose rhythm.
2) As I will be working in NYC and living in NJ, my primary consideration to pick a locality/township will be good schooling.. based on your experience..pl suggest public school that should be high on my priority list.Much appreciate your insight.
Thanks, Puneet
I have lived in five different states in four different regions of the US during my 60 plus years on the planet. Many of the pronunciations in the supposedly American column of the table are merely the New Jersey dialect. The best way for a newcomer to learn the national "average" pronunciation would be to watch television shows that are produced for a nationwide audience, such as network news shows or multi-episode prime time dramas.
I grew up in Montclair and moved out after thirty-five years because I needed to find a less stressful, congested and friendly environment in which to raise a family When I lived there it was a wonderful place with residents who had deep and long roots in the community that went back generations. Although it was clearly run by people who could be described as WASPs, the blacks, Italians, Irish, Jews all co-existed and over a hundred and fifty years, built a superb place to live. As Zana (previous comment) points out, today there are a lot of transplants living in Montclair. Many are OK, but most seem to be aggressive, obnoxious and self-centered New Yorkers, albeit economically well-off, who think the world owes them a living. While the town has never looked better with homes being renovated and an interesting mix of artsy-types including restauranteurs constantly being added, beneath the veneer, the soul of Montclair has been lost. The new resident is the type who pushes in front of you on a Saturday morning when your waiting in line to buy stamps at the post office, while their Land Rover is double parked outside blocking traffic. They proudly bore you with pictures of family trips to Europe in the summer and skiing in Switzerland over winter break but their children are largely ignored, non-supervised and are essentially raised by wolves, growing up with all kinds of emotional baggage. Unlike in the past, the town is very transient with many living beyond their means and never staying long enough to add value, character or history to this previously wonderful gem.
Hi there,I check your new stuff named "Great NJ Towns to Live in: Millburn Township in Essex County – Expat Aussie In NJ" like every week.Your humoristic style is awesome, keep doing what you're doing! And you can look our website about proxy list.
Oh Shoot! We are about to embark on this same journey as you in a few months. We have had to reign in our swearing for the Japanese but looks like we will be doing more pruning when we get there!
Just found this blog, thank you so much real insight particularly being a family and not a single. It has been really helpful for many questions I had and things I hadn't even thought about. Lots of tips in here, I am looking forward to your next blog article.
Noted – stock up on coffee around Thanksgiving or suffer the consequences.;-) -
I just stumbled across your blog and I'm so glad that I did: such great information!
My wife and I are moving to NJ from Tokyo this summer and have recently started the visa process. Having gone through all the trials and tribulations of getting visas then permanent residency, a driving licence, insurance etc in Japan, I can appreciate how important it is to have all personal information recorded correctly. At least this time around, the officials will (sort of) speak English!
Keep up the good work!
We are residents of NJ moving from one district to another in June 2017. My son is a special ed student in an out of district placement. He is going to finish in one district and start afresh in another district in September. The period during the summer where he receives ESY (extended school year) is in question as he is going to be moving from one district to another. The district he is going to be moving to will do the student registration only in mid July for september and by the time he is registered he would have missed most of the ESY. Please advise us as to what we can do for him to receive ESY services this summer. -
Thank you so very much for providing this information. Has resolved a lot of the questions I had only just started to ask. Time to sell some electronics before the move to L.A.
Hi Anne-Marie,
Thanks for putting this exhaustive guide for newcomers in NJ.
We are moving from Montreal, Quebec, Canada to New Jersey. Historically, my son completed grades 7 and 8 in Singapore. Did not finish grade 9 in Singapore.
Have to repeat grade 9 upon moving here in Montreal. Will soon finish grade 10 before moving to NJ this summer.
My questions are:
1. Will there be any difficulty for my son entering Grade 11 in NJ?
2. Any chance of repeating grade 10?
3. Will NJ school credits all his grade 9 and 10 subjects taken in Montreal, Canada to comply with the high school graduation requirements?
4. Will he be re-assessed again?
My son was born on October 2000 and we plan to relocate on July 2017.
Antler. -
There is a very good article about this subject here:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Electrical_systems -
Hello, I need to check whether the foreign Marriage certificate can be used to get points in MVC NJ, coz my passport just got expired. I have an work authorization card, Social Security Card, Debit card and other address proofs. And application for asylum is pending. Not sure what to do next.
I have students coming from Asia and the school year is different where the school year begins in March until Jan of the following year rather than the Sept to June. My question is that a child born in 2006 would have finished 1st semester of 5th grade and child born in 2004 would have finished 1st semester of 7th grade but would like to enroll them into 6th and 8th grade respectfully, would that even be possible with the Tenafly school district or will they have to repeat the 5th and 7th grade? I would like them to attend class with peers their age.
I really need help, my son is 6 soon to be 7 in November and is in kindergarten, teacher is recommending retention, he goes to school #5 in garfield nj, he would be 8 when he goes to 1st grade, my question is if I move to another town, can he go to 1st grade in another school as normal, or the new school would ask me for report cards from last school? Or does the schools are able to see if a child attended kindergarten before, please help me, I'm a desperate mom, -
Hello Anne-Marie ,
Thanks for all he info you are providing here for nj newcomers.
we are expected to arrive to New Jersey by jan 2018 , from Germany , my daughter will be exactly 6 .
The problem is she doesn't know any English. So what's the situation then , will she attend kg untill october 2018 to be in 1st grade ? Or should she wait to the following year ?
And would a school accept her with no English knowledge? And does the school provide any kind of English classes to such cases ?
So sorry about all this questions , but i'm really worried from the impact of language change on my daughter.
Your reply will be much appreciated -
Hii, I see many related posts/questions here. Mine is similar but not exactly same. Your advice or help is greatly appreciated.
Let's say my first name is "ABC", middle is "PQR" and last is "XYZ". My name is same in all the documents and in my CA driving license. I just moved from CA to NJ. and I'm here on H1B visa. So, my name correctly appears in all the documents and in CA driving license as "ABC PQR XYZ".
Now, in NJ, they are giving me license as "ABCPQ XYZ". They are truncating the middle name and adding it to my first name. There's no space between my first name and 2 letters of my middle name". That completely changes my name. When I asked them, they are like you can change you name in USCIS. I tried calling them a lot but they are not responding at all. What should I do? Shall I accept license as "ABCPQ XYZ". It will not help me to use my driving license as id anywhere.
Please advice. Please help.
Hi, My passport from my home country (Costa Rica) expired 4 months ago and it is under my Costa Rican name (with surname and two last names).
When my wife and me did the immigration process and we request an Employment Card and then a SSN I changed my name and I used just my name and my first last name.
With this two inconvenience, the expired DL and the mismatch between the name in my SSN and EC do you think I will need to do the hole process of the NJ license? -
Hey, I was wondering if you had any recommendations for snacks from the USA that you would want to send back to Australia for people to try. I am looking to buy some food items for a friend in Australia but don't want to buy something that they could easily get themselves!
Hi my sister is 18 an coming from south america to newark new jersey would it be possible to enroll her in high school? She jus turned 18
What is the shop in Montclair where you buy Cadbury chocolate?
BIANCA, a Romanian (in Europe) moving to Seattle.
Hello to everyone and thank you for the shared information.
I am 25 y old, never had a driver's license and i would like to begin that process as soon as I'm established in the US. i will be coming on a L2 visa (as a spouse).
Can anyone tell me if i will be eligible for a driver's permit and what kind of documents i will be needing? Also, how much does the driving school cost and what does it really include for a beginner like me to learn; How much will the writing/driving tests cost?Keep being amazing and thank you again,
Bianca -
Hi –
for non us citizens- would an expired drivers license suffice as proof of driving experience?What if the license expired 4 years ago? Is this still considered as driving experience? Or I need to go through the entire process as a first time driver?
What can I do if DMV made a mistake in my name when they issued me a license? This is not a legal name change request. This is when DMV left out
my first name from my birth certificate. I don't know how they did that. Maybe
I talked them out of it (this occurred in 1994). Yet I still got a driver's license.
Is that impossible? What can I do now? -
Hello, I am thinking about moving to west orange NJ next year 2018. My daughter will be starting full day pre-k in NYC this coming September. She has a Nov 10th 2013 birthday. In NY she would qualify for kindergarten next school (sept 2018) even though she wil still be 4 when the school year begins. Do you think it would be possible for her to start kindergarten in NJ even though the cut off is Oct 1 if she has school records from New York that states that she has completed a NYC DoE pre-k and that she is registered for Kindergarten in NY. I would hate for her to complete pre-k in NY and then move to NJ and have to repeat Pre-k again.
Yes Americans misspell and mispronounce a lot of the English language, and that does REALLY annoy me, but I'm Australian and I don't think Australians say some of those the way it says Australians do.
Two examples
The word is actually correctly pronounced KILL-o-meter and not kill-OM-et-er. If Australians say kill-OM-et-er then they are mispronouncing it.
Americans don't pronounce car as kair(which from the spelling I assume is the same as care). Americans actually pronounce car as carrrrrrrrrrrrr(and I don't know if I've added enough r's)
Tuesday Morning always has a good selection of home goods, lamps, rugs, bedding, occasional furniture like lounge chairs, small cabinets and tables, and miscellaneous accessories. They have several locations.
This is Sulakshana from India, we are planning to move to New Jersey in April 2018.
I would like to enroll my son into kindergarten, his date of birth is 19/11/2012 and currently he is studying in junior kindergarten in India and his session will be finished by March 2018.
As mentioned in this blog that sessions for kindergarten starts from September and registration should be done by Jan – Feb.
So I would like to know for registration presence of kid is essential or not?
As I discussed we will move by April so he will sit idly for 4 months so what can I do to make him engage, can i enroll him into play school?Thanks and regard,
Sulakshana -
My son is an expat and I have been looking for food gifts to order.with everyone these days having so much stuff/clutterI would rather order them foods or experiences. In my searches I have found the following :
I had attempted to make sausage rolls and pies when I visited but failed unfortunately. However, I know of a few places that can help you all-
1. https://www.facebook.com/TheGreatAustralianBite/menu/# It's an Australian restaurant in Aurora Colorado. They sell pies and sausage rolls too.
2.www.dubpies.com ship their pies and sausage rolls across US from Brooklyn NYC.
3.www.aussieproducts.com are good for other stuff like mustard pickles, solo soft drinks,biscuits,Bundaberg ginger beer, cereals, Cadbury chocolates,fan tales lollies etc.
Btw I agree about US bread it is the pits! I ended up buying the more expensive wholegrain breads just avoid the sugar breads.
I hope this helps someone out! -
You have the pronunciation of yogurt all wrong. It's pronounced YOE-GURT in America or YAW-GURT in the UK. The "R" sound definitely does not get thrown out.
Hi Anne-Marie,
Hope you are doing well!!
Need your suggestion, As I have been moved from India To USA four months back and staying Columbia Ave Jersey City, now my family is joining me on 27th Sep 2017. I would like to know what would be procedure to take admission in PS.
Do I need to take any appointment or directly I can go or is there any site where I can enroll.
Your early response will be appreciated. -
Hi, I passed my written test at Rahway on Tuesday and when I went up to collect my license the lady told me she couldn't give me my license because my home license( South African btw) doesn't have my full name on it. It has the initials of my first two names and my surname, she said it doesn't match the name on the system and when I tried to tell her that the initials are my first and second name not my last name she refused to listen to me and said I have to do a driving test. Could you please advise me on what to do because the driving test is really unnecessary and even if I pass it, it won't make a difference because my name will still remain the same on my license.
The last two pics are from the street I used to live on, Cambridge Rd. I now live in Texas, so it was great to come across these by chance. So glad you posted them and in hi res. Thank you!
New Jersey has an out of control traffic problem. Allowing people licenses without a road test is absurd. Your licsence is a privlage not a right.
Interesting article! I never thought about a few of these. #9 Goodwill is an actual thrift shop. They accept donations, and resell the items received by donation. Some people consider Goodwill a charity, others do not — it's political. Here's the Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodwill_Industries Salvation Army is similar.
I highly recommend Urban Natural Home Furnishings in Paramus, NJ – they have only American Made, modern, high quality furniture that's built to last. They also have organic mattresses that are super comfortable. Check them out you won't regret it http://www.urbannatural.com
As some kind of credential, I've lived at the forks of Long Island, NY since I was three (currently 26), and a few of these pronunciations had me thinking I'd been living in "Brizben" or something. I mean I knew people in New Jersey spoke a little funny but this is making me think we need to send some dialect coaches down there ASAP!
In your defense, a lot of these words would be on a "East/North vs. West/South US" list. I can't even guess how this would have turned out if you went north of NY instead of ever so slightly south. I've heard comedians give the British shit for developing such wildly different accents over such short distances but us Americans (and, as I've heard, you Aussies) aren't that different. I can tell you now that if it wasn't for quick trips into NYC over the course of my life, as a sort of immunization, I'd likely stumble a bit trying to understand your basic Brooklyner!
For my own sanity, I'd like to list out the things I seemingly (although probably not) say like an Australian;
(You must've been in Little Britain when you heard that one)Israel
(only hicks should be saying eye-tal-yen, you've been warned)Kilometer
(A mo-beel is what you put over a baby crib. I'd personally say mo-bill is close to how most Americans say it. Although we, or I, seem to randomly switch to mo-bile)Harassment
PSS – Congrats to me for being the first 2018 commenter on this 2014 post! 😛
Hey There,
We live in Brisbane, and are relocating to NJ 30 July 2018 – husband will be working in Mahwah, and we'll be initaly staying in Montclair. We have two boys aged 9 and 7. Schools are a concern (I understand we will be too late to put then school preference forms in for Montclair township which need to be in by June 1) and also concerned there may not be many rentals at that time of year. We are also considering Ridgewood and possibly Ramsey or Mahwah, but think we would have a better "experience" somewhere like Montclair for its diversity and proximily to NYC.
Would you be happy to do a phone consult with me? I understand you at are back in Sydney, but that's not a concern for me – I can still benefit from your advice. Please advise costs and timings.
Regards, Cath
Hi Cath,
We only recently moved to Ridgewood from Sydney with our 2 yr old son and 5 yr old daughter (we're both originally from Brisbane though). My husband is working in Mahwah so the short commute, big houses, great schools and good downtown were the attractions for us. We're still settling in as have only been here 10 weeks but happy to help out if you have any questions about Ridgewood!
All the best with your move!
Hi Amanda – I must have missed your initial comment back in March but have been revisiting some old info to help us settle into NJ. We're currently staying in Montclair but
are looking for a house in Ridgewood or Glen Rock. Hope yiu ar settling in well. Would love to make contact. All the best. My email is email@example.com
Hi Anne Marie,
I look forward to reading your new blog on repatriation, as we are about to embark on the same journey after 4 years in New Jersey! Your words of being "a different person from when I left " resonated with me, as I feel in 4 short years I am very different to the me that left and how will I adapt to a very different lifestyle of a "non-expat".
Thank you for being a wonderful source of information whilst I lived here in NJ.
Best Lynette -
[…] Aussie, E., 2015 Five places to live with great downtown in nj, Retrieved from http://www.expataussieinnj.com/five-great-downtowns-in-nj/ […]
This page was really helpful to me, so I'll leave my experience here in the hope that it helps others. I already had a driver's license from Austria, so I wasn't required to do the road test. For the 6-point ID I presented my passport, green card, SSN, and a bank statement. The knowledge test had several questions (more than five I believe) about learner's permits etc. which I didn't study well because it doesn't affect me. I still managed to pass albeit with six wrong answers. The vision test took literally 30 seconds. All I had to do was read a line of letters and five colors. I spent around two and a half hours at the DMV and after that I had my driver's license!
Good luck on your move back to Australia, my family and i have moved from NE Victoria to Morris County NJ.
We have been here just over a week now, things are obviously very busy trying to settle in, but just wanted to say thank you for all the help that your blog has been in preparing us for this move! Googling the main points of interest/advice is easy, not it was the little things that have really helped so far! So thank you and good luck ! -
Or for a signature look and terrific quality try British Cottage in Red Bank, NJ.
Hi! Very helpful website! I have a specific situation I think not previously covered if you can help. I am in the US on an O-1 visa, which has just expired. I have applied for my green card application just before this expired (I am married to a US citizen).
– As my visa has expired and I don't have the green card yet, what options do I have to renew my now-expired Drivers License (it expired the same day my visa did). Will the new application (that has been acknowledged as 'received' by USCIS) be enough? Do I have to wait to receive my "Advanced Parole" card (that allows me to travel internationally while I wait for green card approval)? If so, do you think that would even be sufficient to be granted DL?
Thanks much!! -
[…] our delightful Sydney chapter requires substantial time and brainpower. 99% of our electrical items will not work in the U.S.A., and our car is right hand drive. We won't store our belongings (use it or […]
It is illegal to drive an Australian car in the USA
within a couple of years they require you convert it to American left hand drive. I had to sell my 4 year old car which I adored because converting would have cost more than the sale value of the carComputers are dual voltage
Phones are fineit's only my super nintendo and playstation I've been unable to use
I run an 'australian expats in the USA' facebook group. feel free to join.-
Rural Letter carriers ("Mailmen") in the USA often buy right-hand drive vehicles to use on their mail routes.
I find Italian Bread from Walmart is the most like Aussie bread, not sweet and has a nice chew.
English Toast bread at Walmart is almost same taste as in Australia. Only availble to toast though. ( expat Aussie in upstate New York for a few years)
Hi there,
We are in the process of moving to New Jersey from England, UK. We have three children in the age group of 17 (Year/Grade 12 A levels), 15 (Year/Grade 10 GCSE) and 8 years (Year/Grade 3). My eldest is reading Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Economics as his subject choices in A Levels, and he is currently in first year of two years A levels. The second one is doing her first year of two years GCSE (Year 10 and 11). We are expecting to be in New Jersey in June 2018, we would like to know the following;1.Cutoff date for the application or admission into High School in NJ
2. What Year/Grade would they be admitted into?
3. Subject choices: Can they continue with their Science and Maths subjects? if they wish to study Science and Maths, do they need to goto a specialist school or any High School in NJ offers these subjects?We understand that in USA the Grades 9-12 is considered to be High School where as in England it takes slightly different route where kids study 2 years of GCSE (called Year 10 and 11) and 2 years of A levels (called Year 12 and 13) and then they goto University for an Undergraduate Programme. In A levels students pretty much focus on the choice of subjects they want to proceed further in their Undergrad programme.
Please throw some light and help us with the advise and info
Bob -
Thank you for helping me demystify the mysterious cute animal that I saw the other day in my front yard.
I have just moved in Oakland, NJ. That day I stepped out of my front door, and to my surprised facing a cute strange animal walking up the cement steps in the front yard. After a second or two, the animal saw me and was kind of shocked it quickly turned its back and disappeared at the corner of my house. It all happened so fast I didn't have a chance to take a picture. It was the first time I see that animal and I kept wondering what animal it was. Now reading your article I know it's a groundhog! So lovely!
Thanks again and have a good day in this beautiful peaceful land! 🙂
I'm confused
do I need to step up because of the hertz?
or step down because of voltage? Everything I have read suggests the latterCell phones are FINE moving country to country. Back in 2011 an American sent me a US cheap flip phone to Australia. It worked fine in Australia..
2011 I took my Australian iPhone 4 to the USA and it worked fine.
I have used iPhone 4, 5 and 6 in both countries regularly switching between with no issues and no issues with the crappy flip phone either.If you have problems I'd say you are using items from the 1990s?
Now when it comes to the 90s.. here is my problem
All my computers are dual voltage BUTit's my Super Nintendo and my Playstation 2 from my childhood that I'd like to plug in in America.. I need to figure out how
please help -
Hello! Not so long ago, finally completed repairs in our apartment, and now choose beautiful furniture for our interior. We liked the corner sofa in the store https://casaeleganza.com/collections/living-room and still looked at the coffee table.
I've just returned from a trip to the MVC on Brunswick Pike, Lawrenceville, NJ, and I guess I was one of the lucky ones similar to the poster 'Yitz' above, in the sense that I managed to walk out with an NJ drivers license – in my case within only 2 hours. Probably because it is a Friday morning, and although the queues look pretty long, are perhaps not as long as other days.
I also didn't have to do the road test. Again, I think I was lucky and it depends on who you see. I expected after reading this blog my Spanish license would be an issue. Nope. The guy cross-checked it in his special book of foreign licenses and stamped his paperwork with 'valid'.
Some advice:
1. Practice online tests A LOT in conjunction with reading the manual. The online tests at https://driving-tests.org/new-jersey are excellent – I cannot recommend them more. It covers about 80% of the questions I was asked, the rest were a little newer but if you can nail the online tests well (I think aim more towards 90% than just an 80% pass), then you should manage the theory fine. But keep practicing – I suggest doing a 10-min online test at least 4 times a day for a week, cross-checking against the manual as you progress. This is my number one advice.
2. Go to the reception first, and explain very clearly what you are there for. In my case, I have recently arrived to the US with a Spanish Drivers license and wish to obtain a New Jersey Drivers license. Depending on how knowledgable the receptionist is, s/he will give you the correct paperwork to fill. I mention this as I visited the MVC before, and was given different papers at that time, possibly because I was not clear. As it happens, at that earlier time their systems were down so I didn't finish the process and left after an hour.
3. Indeed really make sure you have all the paperwork to cover the 6-point ID, and more if you can; I had my passport, DS-2019, an up-to-date I-94, gas bill, US debit card and social security card all ready. The receptionist asked me in yes/no questions about my paperwork which I could answer in the affirmative, and that helped a lot getting through.
4. The staff may sometimes be terse and rude. Try to be polite and accommodating at all times and keep answers short if you find that staff member being of that type. I've been to the MVC a few times now and the staff seem to be a mix of rude/professional-yes-or-no-answers-please/very friendly. Really don't kick up a fuss about anything as they could make things less smooth (although if you have questions for clarification of course you need to ask those).
My wife and along with my 4-year-old boy are planning to migrate to the USA, and live in the NJ area around Montclair early 2019.
Currently, I work as a Senior Manager in one of the banks here in Sydney, Australia.
One of the questions that come to mind is how difficult will be for me to find a job out there. Can anyone share their thoughts on this please. -
Love this blog! I just found you while doing a search for expat blogs (as I am an American from New Jersey shore area and now living in Barcelona). Had to say hello and I love how you capture life in NJ – the ups and downs, the good and the ugly. You seem to have embraced life in the states well and I wish you so much luck 🙂 Enjoy the sweet jersey corn and amazing tomatoes – nothing like em in the summer 🙂
Oh I laughed out loud reading this……talk about hit the nail on the head, very well done agreed on all of them! The one's that bother me the most as a Kiwi that the Americans say is definitely herbs and apricots oh and two others I really notice that aren't on the list….
Mirror……mear er
Pickle……peck ilI notice a lot of the comments are saying this is just how New Jersey people speak but I know for a fact that most words on the list are spoken by every day Americans and actors presenters, political people et how many of them would have a New Jersey accent.
Hi Marie,
Trust you are doing great.
I am from India I have two kids. The younger one is 2.5 years old and the elder one is 10.5 years old (in 6th grade here in India) & would be moving to Edison, NJ in Sept. 2018. From what I've learned so far, that school sessions starts in Edison Public Schools from Sept. 1, 2018 & new enrolments have already started I guess. My major concern is that if I bring him in Sept/October (that is when I can bring him here soonest along with my wife & younger kid), would I be still be allowed to get him admitted at that time. I am afraid of seats getting filled by that time.
Also if I admit him in October, he would be admitted in 6th Grade. He turns 11 years on Sept. 11th. So if I admit him after that he would be eligible for Grade 6th in Edison, NJ which is his current class hence he would not lose a year.
Request you to please advise at the earliest. I really need your help to come out from this fear.
Appreciate for your help & guidance in advance.
Hi, I have a 9 year old son and he wants to move here in Deptford, NJ for this school year. He was from Guam, USA its a US territory in the pacific. Can he be able to enroll for this school year? Thanks.
I would like to have some advice on my Child's school. My son is going to go to Year 10 In September. Until now he was studying in the UK , however due to his UK visa refusal he could not go back after summer vacation. Therefore, I would like to enrol him in a school in Iselin New Jersey , we already own a property there and it is given on rent. We have also re-applied for His Uk Visa although it is taking longer than expected and it still very well could be declined. It is already August 16th and his old school will re-open on September 4th. We are considering moving him to USA public school in NJ as he was originally born in the USA and holds a valid Passport. My question is that if he arrives in NJ at the end of September or even a later date , what would be the chances of him getting into his choice of school and will they take him in. As well his choice of subjects in High School
Thanking you in Anticipation -
Hi Ann Marie,
I can't thank you enough for giving such a great advise and help. I would certainly carry all the required docs and will meet you in-person once I am there. Thanks a lot again for all your help & guidance. Stay blessed!!
Raj Kaushik -
The Curriculum of South Africa High school and Curriculum of High Schools in New Jersey differ, and what test must be done when moving to New Jersey, the children is currently in Gr 10 and Gr 12 in South Africa.
Hello!! Just found you as I was doing research for my Pre-K Class as we are in a postcard exchange and one of the preschools that we have is in Sydney Australia. I am going to copy some of you adventures of that is okay and send it to them.
Hi, I have just relocated internationally to NJ and stumbled on this as I was trying to figure out how to get my license converted. Is there a deadline by which I will need to convert my Aussie license? I seem to recall a 60 day limit but can't remember where I saw that. If that is the case, wondering if I can submit the paperwork then do the tests another day? I literally just signed a lease on day 55 of my 60 day window so now finally have a proof of residency…..if that is the case.
This list sounds exactly right to my Australian ears.
The reasons so many are disagreeing with you is because they're reading the pronounciations with American ears!-
yeah, it can be hard to realise how your accent makes you sound to foreigners. I'm from NZ and I can vouch that we pronounce most things similar to you aussies. My husband is American and I have heard him promise many words like on the list! but I showed him and he didn't agree with me that he said things that way.
First of all thanks a lot for this article, great information.I am moving from Australia to New Jersey early 2019. My son is born mid Sep 2011. He will be going to grade 2 in Jan, 2019. Can you please let me know which school we should pick and what is the best time to join the school. We are thinking of postponing my travel/move to Sep and enrolling him in grade 3 but is it possible to get enrolled in next grade when all other kids of his age will be in grade 2 in New Jersey.
Sulu -
Many of those American pronunciations are not general American pronunciations but regional ones. The same could be said for some of the Aussie ones.
Hi Anne Marie,
Got questions about pre-k admission in NJ, especially in Edison township. This is for my daughter who turn 4 in Jan 2019. Please help.
-Is there free pre-kindergarten available in the area?
-What is the process of applying to such pre- kindergarten programs?
– what are the timelines for admission to such program?I'm confused as we couldn't get any email back from Department if Education and each preschool/ daycare centers seem to have their own ways of running the programs.
We will be moving to the area around April 2019. Please advise. Thank you.
I came across your blog and found it very interesting. I'm actually from Morristown, and I'm heading out to Australia! I will say that as someone who grew up in NJ, what you've said is pretty accurate. I'm 22, and I would say that religiosity is moderating, at least amongst people my age. Very nice to read your stuff and look at NJ from an Australian perspective :).
Also an Aussie living in the US for 10 yrs, Oregon and soon to be Texas.
Your comment of "son received detention at his NJ public school for saying the word 'damn', an expression we wouldn't have even blinked at."….. I too had the same issue. Damn instead of Dang… and Hell instead of Heck. Made me LOL. A relaxed aussie culture and don't take things seriously as the US. One country lives to work and the other works to live!Enjoyed the read!
I live in jersey city and today I visited DMV Bayonne and the experience was unexpected. I carried most of the documents and lady asked for my paystubs during document check. I carried passport, I94, PSEG bill, ATM card, Bank statement, Credit card statement, SSN, lease document. But she specifically mentioned pay stub which I never expected. I got print out of selected documents which I had to provide and that official said why you are giving to me this 6 point id printout. This was very wierd . Will try again 🙂
Hi Anne,
I seek your advise on high school admission process for my son in grade 11 starting Sept 2019. We are currently living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and will be relocating to the US (New Jersey). My Son is currently in grade 10, studying in an American Curriculum school in Dubai, UAE. He will complete his grade 10 in Dubai by summer 2019 and will need to start his high school 11th grade in the US.
Most high school websites that we checked only mention about admission process in 9th grade. The process of international relocation's in higher grades is not mentioned in the school websites.
We prefer to be living in NJ and seek admissions in one of the best high schools preferably in Bergen county such as Bergen County Academies .We are flexible in terms of location.
Please advise who we should contact and the process for high school admission in 11th grade. -
any secial going on the week or the april 22-to april 25
Hi Anne Marie,
This comment is a much later than your article, but I wonder if you know of more helpful DMV locations like Lodi, but closer to Edison or Trenton?
My SSN is from Maryland where I lived earlier, and I am on H4, my spouse's H1 is from Maine, but work location is different, so its going to be tricky.
I can drive, but of course, I prefer not to take the road test if I can avoid it 🙂 -
It must be an upper class Montclair thing. I have read dozens of your posts and still cannot get over this thing about swearing. I have traveled throughout the USA as well as Europe and Australia etc and know of no place on earth where swearing is as common as NJ. I was perfectly at home in Australia because I caught no S… about my language and constant use of the word F… and G..Da…it all. LOL. Cheers -
for the Americans getting triggered, the author is writing how US pronunciation sounds to her ears, from a foreign country. I am also not American but I hear things on american television shows this way as well. Just because he do not hear or don't realise that it sounds this way doesn't mean that others can't hear it that way. it's like they said with the "mobile phone, rubber foam" incident. In America, the Aussie word for phone sounds like foam. and mobile sounded like rubber, which is really out there. don't get so offended. people hear what they hear.
I'm a student moving to Newark from Melbourne. I have a probationary drivers licence about to get my full licence in two years,
My question is, can I drive with my DL from Victoria, in NJ, or do I need to bring an IDL?
Hi Anne Marie,
MY son is in 1st grade in india and we are planning to move to new jersey in early december will it be possible to get him in mid year to any public school in NJ? -
Hi, I am in the US with a K1 visa and was told by the DMV in Lodi that I cannot get a NJ driver's license because I am not a legal permanent resident. K1 lets you enter the country once so that you can get married (which we did in July!), and we then applied for adjustment of status which lets me stay in the country at least until the adjustment of status process is completed – which is currently 5-7 months.
This means that they don't want to give me a NJ license but on the other hand I cannot use my German/international driver's license for more than 60 days…
Any ideas or good advice on how to obtain a NJ driver's license on a K1 visa and which DMV to go to?
Hi, I've just discovered your site. We are currently expating in India but are from Qld, and moving to NJ next year. One thing I'm really unsure on how to handle is how do I explain the lockdown drills to my kids? They are grades 1 and 2 currently. Do I need to tell them (ie, will they hear it from school anyway) that it's to hide incase a person with a gun ever comes into school and starts shooting at people??? This will give them nightmares, I can't imagine they will be able to sleep easily and they won't want to move to America. Also, do you know the Summit, New Providence, Glenfield, Chatham and surrounds type area? I've been googling schools, townships and houses in these locations, but it's so hard to know which one to focus on…. I know everyone is different, but do you have any favourites out of them (with a nice feel to the town, excellent schools, safe, pretty, friendly people, etc)?
Also, thank you so much for all the information on your site – it's extremely helpful. There's so much to learn here, and it's so nice to finally find an Aussie expat to US (NJ!) site that has so much great information.
hey i have been though your post and i have a question that was not covered. today that is on october -25 2019, i have visited the dmv with all my documents. i oved from mobile alabama to New jersey. i am an international student and my college is in KY. i was denied a drivers licence because my college is not in new jersey. My college DSO also gave me a DMV letter with my current address but they denied me of my drivers licence. could you please let me know if there is a state law not to issue drivers licence if my college is not in the state
Hi Anne Marie. We are travelling from Brisbane on 6th December and staying on Christopher Columbus drive near grove station. We have friends who live in Montclair (Aussies from Perth) and we are wondering what their is to do in winter where we can meet them out that way. Any ideas?
Hi Anne
what about when I need to go to another country for 10 days my son is in kindergarten and he needs to go with me I have to re-register him for school when I will be back how the process work I have to fill out all papers and documents one more time? -
Well, yes, New Jersey is not as cold as most people think. I am 13, and lived here all my life. The temperature almost never drops below 10 degrees Fahrenheit. January probably has an average high of about 40 degrees. However, they never talk about New Jersey's summers, in which it reaches about 95 degrees in mid-July. It is also very humid in New Jersey, so get used to that. Below is the average high/low for each month in Central Jersey:
Jan: 40/24
Feb: 43/25
Mar: 51/32
Apr: 63/42
May: 73/52
Jun: 82/61
Jul: 86/66
Aug: 85/65
Sep: 78/58
Oct: 67/46
Nov: 55/37
Dec: 46/29These estimates, however, may not capture what the weather feels like. Since New Jersey is very humid, it may feel like at most 110 in mid-July and at least -10 in mid-January in Fahrenheit. The Winters feel like Canada in the Winter, but feel like Florida or Texas in Summer.
Hi Anne,
I can imagine how this whole page is so useful for everyone.
My kids (of age 15.9 son and 12.6 daughter) are moving here in NJ. They have already cleared their 10th and 7th grade in India. My questions are:-
1- Documents required
2- Which grade they will be admitted to?
3- which specific immunisation reports are required?
4- will there be any admission test?
5- They would like to continue their current grades of 11th & 8th.Please help me get the answers.
Thanks in advance.
Monica -
Thanks for this article.
Any update regarding Covid and how things are working now?
Also, is it possible to get the permit and take the knowledge test on the same day?
Of course, the DMV is not answering their phone lines at all 9too much of a Covid risk, I guess)Thanks,
Lisa -
We have fox and an occasional coyote here in Roseland, nj in the western part of busy Essex county.
Thanks for this – we're hoping to get an appartment or house to rent in the short term shortly. Are there any tips or helps – we are just west of Manhattan ideally – or updates? Thanks
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