I have NO clue what I am doing :)

Wow, I feel really over my head! My husband is getting possibly getting transfered from CA to London and we would be moving this summer with our two little girls (age 2 and 4), I have TONS of questions and any help would be **REALLY** appreciated!!

1. I am mostly concerned with moving into a family friendly neighborhood where my hubby won't have to commute a ton. He will work in central London. Any suggestions on neighborhoods?? Or specific apartment complexes?? Is the cost of living much higher than Southern CA??

2. My daughter would start Kindergarten in the Fall here in CA, are the public schools in London good? Are private horribly expensive? At what age do they start?

3. We are looking into renting a flat in the city somewhere, will we be able to find places with parking spaces, washer/dryers, all those amenities I am used to??

4. I have heard that shipping our stuff over can take 6 months? Is this true??

5. We have two cars now, do most people sell their cars and buy new ones in the UK??

6. Is London very kid friendly? Are there lots of safe, pet/child friendly areas?? (We also have a dog

7. Anything else?? Any helpful info or advice would be very much appreciated!!

Hi, and greetings from Northern CA!

I am also struggling with a sudden move, it doesn't seem so sudden now since we found out in Jan, and all the chaos that comes with it. My DH is being transferred he leaves in May, and I'm heading over in August.

The only question I can give insight on is about COLA. We are being transferred from SF, we live in the city, to London. So far we have been shocked at how expensive apartments are, about 2x what we currently pay. We have been looking in comparable neighborhoods to where we live in SF and similar size (1300sq ft) flat as what we have today, for a point of reference.

I am sure all the very well informed people on this board will give you tons of great advice!

Good Luck

Welcome to UKY! 

I hope the moderators are able to move your questions to the right locations, as they'll be more likely to be answered. 

Hi there, I cant answer any questions re: children and families, but I'll try to help with the rest.

3.  Yes, but do not be surprised when being told you have to rent the parking space in addition to the flat.

4. Not six months.  More like 2 months.

5. I would suggest doing this, yes.  Some people bring their cars over, but its usually easier and cheaper (and easier to drive) in a right hand drive car. (although, if you will be living IN London, you may find that you dont want/need a car)

6. I find the UK in general to be very dog friendly.  Dogs are allowed on the Tube, trains and buses and in many pubs too.  Again, if you are living IN London, you have Hyde Park, Primrose Hill, Battersea Park, and many more beautiful areas to walk your dog.

7.  You'll have to be more specific on this one!

You need to use the pet passport scheme for your dog and it takes 6 months to complete. 

There are threads about it on here, so if you are moving this summer you need to get started right away.