So I mentioned in my last post that Yan got the offer from London. At first glance, it appeared to be a pay cut, but after we got the final quote from HR that included a housing allowance and cost of living adjustment, we just about break even. So that's good news.
The catch is two-fold. One, Yan would still like me to secure a job before he officially says yes to the offer (he has been in touch with the London bureau chief daily and has kept him apprised of our situation), which on the surface is fine; I spoke with my boss yesterday and she was sad but supportive and gave me the name of the person in HR to speak with about transferring to our London office. If that happens, great, but if London doesn't need anybody at the moment, well, it could become complicated. I doubt I could secure a new job before Yan needs to accept the offer and set a starting date.
The other headache is getting our dogs there. While the UK has recently lifted its mandatory six-month quarantine, it has replaced it with a mandatory six-month waiting period following a negative rabies test at an EU-approved laboratory. No exceptions. We've contacted the government agency that makes the rules, asked our veterinarian, posted queries on the Urban Hound message boards, and spoken with other expats living in London with dogs, and despite the fact that our dogs have always been vaccinated against rabies and never missed a shot, they must either stay behind in the US for six months or enter into quarantine for six months. At first glance this appeared to be a deal breaker--giving up the dogs is simply not an option for us, and Yan said the job in London wasn't worth breaking up his family, even if only for six months--but after a fair amount of sweet talking both Yan and my parents (my parents have three cats; Simon eats cats), pending my transfer, the dogs are set to go live with them in Houston for six months. Yay!
Oh, and sadly (for me, anyway), the Ovulation Arsenal will have to be returned to the medicine cabinet, at least until we figure out which country our future child might be born in.
.
UPDATE: I began this post on Tuesday, and after much ado was finally able to speak with the proper person in the London office of my company on Friday. She was quite helpful and enthusiastic, so I am updating and getting ready to email my resume to her as we speak. I am feeling cautiously optimistic. Funnily, I've been telling people that our odds of moving to London are about 75/25 in London's favor; Yan (a natural pessimist) has been saying 10/90. We'll see who wins this particular bet.
YAY! Congratulations! That is so exciting...I'm keeping my fingers crossed for your job working out!
Wow, London! I'm so jealous!
Posted by: newlywifed | Thursday, 06 July 2006 at 01:47 PM