Transferring to SA in Feb. from USA

lmalin · #1 (**permalink**) 23rd October 2009, 06:56 PM

Hi Expats, A new phrase for me. My husband has just accepted a new job offer in Joberg, SA. We have many questions I hope someone kind will help us with and offer advice. I have a 16 year old who will just be starting to drive and have many questions from him. Questions are:

Do you drive on the right or left side of the road?

If we all have US drivers license do we need to do anything different to legally drive in SA?

If we currently hold car insurance is it easy to get car insurance in SA?

I hear talk of frequent car jacking, does the car insurance cover that?

How are the internet connections? My son is an avid gammer and plays on XBox Live and needs a good internet connection to be able to play with friends in US.

Does any other Expat out there have similar age kids? Do any of them go to the private school by the Embassy? I can't remember the name of it right now. Wanted to talk about the kids experiences there if anyone can help with that.

We will be living in Joberg or Pretoria area so would love to start a friendship online with any others in that area so we can meet when we get into town.

Thanks in advance for all your help. I've lived in Salt Lake City, Utah for over 30 years so we are all very excited about the new adventure. Can't wait to get to SA.

Look forward to meeting new friends.
Linda

Thatch22 · #2 (**permalink**) 24th October 2009, 03:03 PM

Hi Linda,

In SA they drive on the left side. And on your driving licence must be in English, so no problem to drive here with it. Ask from your insurance in the USA a statement, how many years you didnot claim from them, it will help to lower the primium and yes car jacking is most of time included.

Well a big disapointment for your son, no the internet is not fast and stabel overhere and expensive. And there also a lot of power problems, specialy when there is thunder.

There is a international school nearby, ask the embassy.

If your husband is going to work in Jo'burg, donot live in Pretoria, in the morning and evening , the traffic is terrible.
We live in Kyalami, outside Joburg on the North side. And if you like to live were a lot of expats are living too, go and look for a house in Dainfern, North side of Jo'burg, near Fourways.
If you google.co.za you can find more.

When are you going to come into SA??

Regards,

Annemieke

hhuberla · #3 (**permalink**) 24th October 2009, 07:51 PM

Hi,

Driving is quite rightly on the other side of the road. Your son will need to wait until he is 18 years old to be able to drive without an adult in the car. You can only get a 'learners' license at 17 but then you need to have someone with a full license with you. I think it's only in the US that children can drive from 16!

The internet is really poor compared to US and european standards. He will probably find online gaming very difficult. It's possible to get fairly high speed but international latency is very high which makes gaming rough. All the speed they advertise are 'local' speeds and international speed will be much slower. Also, there is usually a cap on international data transfer (and you will need to pay dearly for more).

Schools in SA are pretty different compared to the US too. Kids almost always stay in high school until the age of 18 (you can drop out at 16 but it's very uncommon). School discipline is probably higher than in the US and most schools wear uniforms. The education system is generally considered pretty good though.

You'll find that SA is a lot more 'wild west' than the US. You mentioned carjackings. This is a big problem. Insurance will cover this but there is a risk to life. You need to remember that nothign is worth fighting a carjacker for. This are almost always armed and very dangerous with no respect for life. You will need to grow eyes in the back of your head and always be aware, even in seemingly safe places like suburbs.

I don't want to scare you. South Africa is a little piece of paradise but it comes with it's problems. You need to be prepared. If you can go down there and see it. And, whatever you do you will need to accept very early on that it is nothing like the US.

Good luck - keep us posted!

H

lmalin · #4 (**permalink**) 25th October 2009, 06:45 PM

Boy, very interesting information. I don't think I'll mention the driving and the gaming issues to my son. He's pretty excited right now but that's just because he doesn't think there will be anything different when it comes to the gaming. It's probably a blessing in disguise, since he seems to spend way too much time on the gaming systems anyway.

The driving is going to make him sad but again, it might be another good thing. If car jacking and safety are issues he needs to learn to be aware of his surroundings before going out by himself in a car.

We have no illusions that SA will be like the US. My husband has been to Cameroon before, spending time in Yaounde and Dubaia. He experenced the mixed feelings of safety and fasination with the area. If my research has been correct, it seems like South Africa is a little better off than the Cameroon area.

We understand life as we know it will be changing dramatically, and that's what we're actually looking forward to experencing. While we are not looking forward to the issues of keeping safe, we are anxious to explore the continent. We think it will be a life changing experence for us all. My son has the typical teenage USA attitude that an easy, stressfree, comfortable life is a requirement and not a priviledge. We're anxious for him to get a taste of how the rest of the world lives and thinks. Salt Lake City, Utah is a safe little haven in the USA and, even though he's been to Europe, Mexico and other areas in the US, our son is pretty sheltered in his world views.

We are not sure of any of the exacts yet, as far as our living accommodations. We may have something already waiting for us provided by the employer, or we may get an allowance for housing. I believe my husband will be stationed closer to Pretoria than Joburg, any living areas better than others in Pretoria you might want to recommend?

Thanks again for your response. If you wouldn't mind, I'll probably be coming up with all kinds of other questions as we get closer to packing up and moving on.

I appreciate all the helpful information.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hhuberla

Hi,

Driving is quite rightly on the other side of the road. Your son will need to wait until he is 18 years old to be able to drive without an adult in the car. You can only get a 'learners' license at 17 but then you need to have someone with a full license with you. I think it's only in the US that children can drive from 16!

The internet is really poor compared to US and european standards. He will probably find online gaming very difficult. It's possible to get fairly high speed but international latency is very high which makes gaming rough. All the speed they advertise are 'local' speeds and international speed will be much slower. Also, there is usually a cap on international data transfer (and you will need to pay dearly for more).

Schools in SA are pretty different compared to the US too. Kids almost always stay in high school until the age of 18 (you can drop out at 16 but it's very uncommon). School discipline is probably higher than in the US and most schools wear uniforms. The education system is generally considered pretty good though.

You'll find that SA is a lot more 'wild west' than the US. You mentioned carjackings. This is a big problem. Insurance will cover this but there is a risk to life. You need to remember that nothign is worth fighting a carjacker for. This are almost always armed and very dangerous with no respect for life. You will need to grow eyes in the back of your head and always be aware, even in seemingly safe places like suburbs.

I don't want to scare you. South Africa is a little piece of paradise but it comes with it's problems. You need to be prepared. If you can go down there and see it. And, whatever you do you will need to accept very early on that it is nothing like the US.

Good luck - keep us posted!

H

lmalin · #5 (**permalink**) 25th October 2009, 06:56 PM

Hi Anne,

Thanks for the information. I was also told that he won't be able to get a license to drive by himself until he's 18. I guess that probably a good idea if safety and car jacking are issues. He can really get to know the area and be familiar with his surroundings before going off on his own in a car.

I believe my husband will be working closer to Pretoria than Joburg. How far is that from the area you live near? I've read other posts saying you really want to live as close to your work as possible to avoid the traffic.

It would be great to have someone to chat with regularly and get to know before we get there. Already having some friends in place would take some of the stress out of the whole moving experience. Of course my husband will be emersed in his new work environment and that will leave me to get everything in our world set up for proper living. Setting up utilities, finding pharmacies, transferring perscriptions, finding a doctor, where to shop, eat, find other entertainment, buying a car, getting insurance, etc. etc.. I thought I was going to be able to retire with this move but I'm sure I'll be kept very busy the first year just getting us settled in.

How long have you been in SA?

Thanks again for your response. I'll make another post as the other questions come to mind.
Have a wonderful day.
Linda

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thatch22

Hi Linda,

In SA they drive on the left side. And on your driving licence must be in English, so no problem to drive here with it. Ask from your insurance in the USA a statement, how many years you didnot claim from them, it will help to lower the primium and yes car jacking is most of time included.

Well a big disapointment for your son, no the internet is not fast and stabel overhere and expensive. And there also a lot of power problems, specialy when there is thunder.

There is a international school nearby, ask the embassy.

If your husband is going to work in Jo'burg, donot live in Pretoria, in the morning and evening , the traffic is terrible.
We live in Kyalami, outside Joburg on the North side. And if you like to live were a lot of expats are living too, go and look for a house in Dainfern, North side of Jo'burg, near Fourways.
If you google.co.za you can find more.

When are you going to come into SA??

Regards,

Annemieke

lmalin · #6 (**permalink**) 25th October 2009, 06:58 PM

I forgot to answer your question about when we're moving to SA. The plans are to get us there by the first of Feb. 2010.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thatch22

Hi Linda,

In SA they drive on the left side. And on your driving licence must be in English, so no problem to drive here with it. Ask from your insurance in the USA a statement, how many years you didnot claim from them, it will help to lower the primium and yes car jacking is most of time included.

Well a big disapointment for your son, no the internet is not fast and stabel overhere and expensive. And there also a lot of power problems, specialy when there is thunder.

There is a international school nearby, ask the embassy.

If your husband is going to work in Jo'burg, donot live in Pretoria, in the morning and evening , the traffic is terrible.
We live in Kyalami, outside Joburg on the North side. And if you like to live were a lot of expats are living too, go and look for a house in Dainfern, North side of Jo'burg, near Fourways.
If you google.co.za you can find more.

When are you going to come into SA??

Regards,

Annemieke

ROKZY · #7 (**permalink**) 2nd November 2009, 12:12 PM

An international driving permit will make your 'valid' US drivers license, valid here. Triple A can issue a permit to you. Get the permit in the states and not in SA. Also, FYI, the legal drinking age is 18 years. Do expect an adjustment period for your family. Some families love it (like mine) others are miserable. I think it depends on how adventerous you are and how much you mind sketchy people, power outages, or having the water turned off just after you soaped up in the shower.

Best!

hhuberla · #8 (**permalink**) 2nd November 2009, 12:41 PM

Even with an international drivers license a person under the age of 18 will not be able to drive around unaccompanied in South Africa. Your son will need to wait until he is 17 to get a Learner's license and then 18 to drive alone. As you said though - this is probably a good thing.

H

ROKZY · #9 (**permalink**) 2nd November 2009, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hhuberla

Even with an international drivers license a person under the age of 18 will not be able to drive around unaccompanied in South Africa. Your son will need to wait until he is 17 to get a Learner's license and then 18 to drive alone. As you said though - this is probably a good thing.

H

Thanks for the clarification hhuberla.

lmalin · #10 (**permalink**) 2nd November 2009, 03:36 PM

We're hoping to get more details from my husbands employer today. It's hard to know what we will be responsible for until we know what they have planned for us. We're also hoping that, since they have done this kind of international relocation a lot, they will be handling all the little details of permit, housing, etc. etc..

We are all looking forward to the adventure but I'm not sure my son, 16, will be as excited when he finds out his gaming on XBox live will be sketchy at best. We think it's great and hope he will spend his time doing other things than gaming. The power outages will cause some issues with that also.

I think we are going to be in the Pretoria area, any suggestions on where we should look for housing?

Thanks!

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROKZY

An international driving permit will make your 'valid' US drivers license, valid here. Triple A can issue a permit to you. Get the permit in the states and not in SA. Also, FYI, the legal drinking age is 18 years. Do expect an adjustment period for your family. Some families love it (like mine) others are miserable. I think it depends on how adventerous you are and how much you mind sketchy people, power outages, or having the water turned off just after you soaped up in the shower.

Best!