Starting Life/Work in US - Tips and Stories

[ladymd]

^ Check this out:
http://www.femalenetwork.com/girltalk/index.php/topic,102731.msg1927992.html#msg1927992

I think this is my very first post in GT!

Super thanks sis, very helpful

[ladymd]

Sis, pahabol pala. What shipping company would you recommend for sending stuff ahead to the US? I don't have a relocation package, so sagot ko ito. Plam ko sana isend to a friend who's living there na. Thanks!

[catherine]

^^^what about the joint account with my husband, will that give me good credit history?  Sorry dami kong tanong but I want to know how other couples manage their accounts and get good credit record.

[i_miss_sleep]

@ladymd, i pm'd you.

@catherine, joint account is good but not good enough to build scores. try to get your own. in my experience, i got my excellent score (744) after 3 years since moving to US. my husband i were able to obtain a mortgage. 2 years later my score gained more points (786) and probably because of how we manage to pay our debts on time plus the number of years of membership with those banks is another factor.

i have 3 credit cards all under my own name. 1 savings/checking account, a mortgage i share with my hubby and a victoria secret (a mistake and had cancelled). our cars were already paid full at this point. my fico score has always been higher compared to that of my hubby's. I don't know why. could be because he has more bank accounts than mine. i guess everything has to be in balance. they look at how many loans you have and your ability to pay.

it will take time to build score but you'll definitely get there. a credit score isn't a factor if you are not trying to obtain any loans anyway. but since you are new, but unless you have the means to pay your purchases with your own money, you'll need to buy a vehicle, get a house. your credit score becomes the boss at this point. but once your settled and you have the basic stuff for survival, you won't need them for a while.

haba...sorry...got carried away!

[catherine]

Thank you.  I don't really think I would need it, I just want to know my options sis, para naman hindi ako masyadong dependent di ba? Thanks again

[si_ako]

help naman mga Sis, is it really strict there in US when it comes to giving paracetamol for infants/children? i mean, if your child has a fever, you must bring him to a doctor first before giving any paracetamol? im just worried sa baby ng kapatid ko dun, almost 38 yung body temperature then ayaw nila painumin ng paracetamol, dalhin pa raw nila ng hospital, sabi ko sana naman wag na tumaas pa. bakit dito naman sa australia hindi ganun. please advise naman. thanks a lot

[little_missy]

^^ hi sis! based on my experience hindi naman strict.. pag may fever ang baby ko i just call the nurse and tell them what's going on... pag high enough ang temp for a fever pinapabigyan naman ng paracetamol. Usually it's Tylenol or Motrin. Palagi lang tumawag muna ako sa nurse to get the exact dosage based on her actual weight and age.

Then pag wala naman other infection like cough, colds or ear infection and 3 days na may fever pa, saka ko na sya dinadala sa doctor. 

[si_ako]

^thanks a lot Sis, will tell my bro about it. just one more question, kung mabibili ba over the counter yung paracetamol for children? thanks

[little_missy]

You're welcome! nabibili naman sa grocery and sa drugstore yun.... meron for infants meron din for children...

[huckleberry]

^^dagdag ko lang...hindi paracetamol ang gamit na generic name dito, acetaminophen.  baka kasi maghanap sya ng paracetamol e wala talaga sya makikita. 

[si_ako]

Sis little_missy and huckleberry, many thanks! will inform him.

[misao]

Hi! Tanong ko lang. I have no work experience here in Manila pero nagkaron naman ako ng mga temp jobs tipong 1 month lang na assistant or encoder after graduation. Sideline ko rin yung computer hardware servicing while taking up short courses sa MFI (Cisco, Linux, etc.) years ago. Hindi ko lang talaga linya ang programming.

Gusto ko sanang mag-take ulit ng classes kaya lang wala akong idea on what to take that would help me land a job when I get to California hopefully this year. Sabi kasi ng dad ko mahihirapan akong maghanap ng work kung wala akong work experience dito. What do you think mga sis? What other skills do I need to learn? Thanks.

[little_missy]

^^ Hi sis! i think yung experience mo will help you on your skills pero you still need to be certified sa state na papasukan mo.

I think kakailanganin mo pa mag aral ng Certified Nurse Assistant class before you become a CNA/caregiver dito sa states....

[twelvth_goddess]

How much kaya mag-aral ng nursing sa States?

[little_missy]

f^^for nursing I don't know... but I talked to a community college counselor few months ago and found out that nursing here in the states is a very competitive course. 

Ang dami daw nag aapply to get into the program pero mahirap pumasok kailangan ng mataas na GPA. Some people are waiting for a year or two just to get in to the program.  nung last fall daw there's 1,500 applicants but only have 350 seats available for them.

Sorry if this may sound discouraging, i'm just saying what I know... me myself was discouraged when I found out. Kaya i try ko muna mag CNA para malaman ko din kung ito na nga ang gusto kong career.

If your in the Philippines baka mas ok pa dyan nalang mag aral... and for sure mas cheaper.

[twelvth_goddess]

^^Thanks for the info sis. Siguro nga dito muna ko maghanap ng nursing school na hinde masyado mahal.

[nelcemf_6265]

hi! i need to know your experiences or ideas about purchasing an open ticket. plan kase namin umuwi ni hubby s philippines s november. he'll stay there for 3 weeks, ako naman maiiwan don for few months. bale si hubby lang ang meron definite date ng balik dito sa US, ako di pa sure. mas mura kase if round trip ticket ang purchase namin compared s one way. pwede kaya na open date ang ticket pabalik ko dito s US?

all insights are very much welcome! tia 

[mooncake and leaves]

^ i think puwede. pero siyempre mas mahal. i think kapag 6 months ka, ilang daan din ang kaibahan nun. pero di ako sure ha.

question: yung landline kasi namin is at&t- puwede kaya na ang internet ko is verizon? tia.

[xthine]

^^Ladymd..have you considered applying for an international driving permit?  It could end up being useful while we wait for our SSN and US driver's license.  The posts at PMD recommend that we wait 3-4 weeks before applying for social security. Although I know someone who matched this year and is already in the US, he applied for SSN soon after he arrived.

[seduce_me]

Hi mga sis, I just wonder how much a trip to a spa costs? anyone here have tried it? Just had an idea of getting one for me and hubby, it's about time we get one, we never had one since we moved in here.

affordable ba? hehe