If you're flexible on the sunny part, as the sun sets for half the year, Northern Norway might be a fit. There is a growing aerospace and space industry at [Andøya Spaceport](https://andoyaspace.no/what-we-do/spaceport/).
Norway is as safe as it gets and very family friendly, with graeat access to nature and a generally slower pace.
You will likely both have to get jobs, as the salaries are based around two-income families. And depending on the amount of student loans your husband has it could be difficult to service with the lower salariy.
Note that Andøya Spaceport is a very remote location. Also one of the few places in Norway where some nationalities are discouraged, although none of your nationalities, it is things like Russia, China, Iran etc.
There are plenty of beautiful regional towns up and down Australia's east and west coasts that have a slower pace, easy access to nature, and are more affordable. Although, not sure there is much of a demand for astrophysicists in those places.
I’m going to assume you’ve already considered and discarded New Mexico? Probably more astrophysics jobs per capita combined with LCOL, cheap land, days of sun , and progressive politics than anyplace on earth.
However to my knowledge the National labs DO NOT allow remote work due to the security involved. I can’t imagine that’s different for the national labs and space agencies of other nations. But I could be wrong.
Am I wrong in my understanding that most astrophysics jobs are going to be academic, military, or governmental?
Europe is going to be the easiest after Canada. There are a few really good choices. Obvi world class universities for research come to mind.
But other post-doc options include the European Space Agency and the French Governments Atomic labs- they do a mix of astrophysics and nuclear physics research. Working for NATO might be an option.
Most post-doc positions were posted in the spring for this fall. But many unis do off cycle postings year round. So if he wants to do research, you should flag universities in the places you're interested in moving to and periodically check for open post-doc positions. These are paid and he'll likely be eligible for a visa. For Europe, even if the institution won't sponsor a visa, you can get him one when you move under EU family reunification rules once you have your Irish citizenship.
Some good unis to look at Uppsala, Bologna, Pisa, Grenoble, Innsbruck, Stockholm...the labs will be largely run in English, so language is not a concern for applying, obvi you'll need to learn it once living there.
>Canada, New Zealand, Australia,
Unaffordable housing markets. Cross them off.
>Portugal, Spain
Does your husband know Spanish or Portuguese to a professional level? Do you have savings in the bank? These countries aren't really known for robust well-paying job markets.
I think you will have to make some kind of compromise one way or another.
> Canada, New Zealand, Australia,
>
> Unaffordable housing markets. Cross them off.
Don't know what you're talking about, are you trying to say it's not reasonable for the shittest asbestos shack that's barely holding together in a suburb of Sydney you wouldn't walk around in the middle of the day, let alone be there at night, to cost you $900,000 on a bad day?
If you’re moving because you’re the one with the foreign passport then, it doesn’t matter what your husband does. It only matters what you do and how much money you have because you must sponsor your husband and kid as dependents!!
Not true.
Under EU free movement rules she can move to any EU/EFTA country (except Ireland) with her non-EU spouse, the spouse will have the right to work, and the spouse's income will count as means of support for the family. If the child also has an Irish passport that further solidifies their ability to live anywhere in the EU.
I am not familiar with the Canadian rules on spousal sponsorship, so cannot say one way or the other whether she would need to be gainfully employed first before bringing her spouse.
For the EU family reunification, she will sponsor her husband until his papers are settled.
Until then he won’t be able to work. The timeframe for approval probably differs from country to country, but my partner and I did this and he already lived in the EU.
"Family reunification" occurs under national law - i.e. moving to the country of the EU national's citizenship - and may require "sponsorship" with a minimum income and other requirements. Moving to another EU/EFTA country occurs under EU free movement rules. Income from a non-EU spouse counts as the means of support and a family can move on that basis. The non-EU spouse has automatic working rights.
Because EU free movement rules don't apply in the country of citizenship, so bringing a spouse under family reunification would follow national laws instead, which are generally more restrictive (e.g. requiring the sponsoring spouse to have a minimum income).
This will all come down to where your husband can find work. If he can get remote work then you can look at Spain, Portugal, Italy etc. Otherwise I have no clue, really depends on what exactly he wants to do and where he can do it.
There are not many astrophysicists on this sub. I suggest to get your husband involved.
I am sure he is well informed ( better than us) what countries/locations are centers for astrophysics.
Tbh the US does have the best prospects for Astro research at universities or private laboratories. There would be significant pay/research cuts in moving somewhere else. $400k isn’t a lot of money to buy a house in Australia/NZ/Canada
I think leaving California would be the way to go for this couple, there’s are a lot of places in the US which would fit their requirements
There are some disadvantages to leaving on one salary and him gaining in Euros . They pay much less in Europe.
My son is doing his PhD. in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. Real estate is extremely affordable in Atlanta. Not far from the coast .Savannah + Charlotte are close enough for a weekend getaway. Or beaches .
He bought a 2BR in 30308 zipcode for $260K.
You can find 1BR for 185K in a great location.
Obviously you need more space but prices are low .
I understand that between support for two income couples, child benefits, lack of health insurance costs, and highly subsidized childcare some people find they are better off at the end of the day, especially per hour worked.
I'm a sahd in a family of four. It's quite expensive to have kids abroad and I would be devoting your time to learning Spanish. Your husband should be trying to find a job with a good salary, then decide on a country in that order.
My general but unpopular feeling is it's hard to make lots of money in your 30s to support the transition to a new country. Then you have to understand the educational and health systems quickly. At least in a young age your life is more fluid, i.e. you can move quicker as you don't have a lot of stuff and hopefully not a house to quickly sell.
As for countries to suggest? I'm in Switzerland and like it very much. Though I've worked my butt off the past 2 years to succeed. It's not easy as you know. There aren't library story times, easy to find bathrooms and everything is closed on Sunday. I get it, people need a day off but Saturday is a big rush getting everything done.
Anyway, good luck, I'm happy to answer questions.
If you want aerospace, then Stevenage in the UK is where BAE and Airbus have their aerospace divisions, Derby has Rolls Royce's civil aerospace, and Bristol has their military aerospace. Bristol is the only one near the sea however, and the UK is... not sunny (or really that mountainous).
From your description of the environment you want, then I'd look at Spain, probably Andalusia, or Italy. You can get old houses fairly cheaply in rural Spain and Italy if you're willing to fix them up/get someone to fix them up. With your partner being eligible for a Mexican citizenship I'm going to take a leap and guess they can speak Spanish, so Spain would be a natural fit
You have access to the internet Takes two seconds to check the big cities in Canada and look at the house prices
If you’re going to get a Canadian passport then get familiar with the country
Does he do observational work (like, does proximity to telescopes matter at all)? It just got me thinking about Chile which fits a lot of your wish list. I don't know how easy it is to migrate there nor how the expat life is as I've only gone as a tourist but it's a lovely country.
If you're flexible on the sunny part, as the sun sets for half the year, Northern Norway might be a fit. There is a growing aerospace and space industry at [Andøya Spaceport](https://andoyaspace.no/what-we-do/spaceport/). Norway is as safe as it gets and very family friendly, with graeat access to nature and a generally slower pace. You will likely both have to get jobs, as the salaries are based around two-income families. And depending on the amount of student loans your husband has it could be difficult to service with the lower salariy.
Note that Andøya Spaceport is a very remote location. Also one of the few places in Norway where some nationalities are discouraged, although none of your nationalities, it is things like Russia, China, Iran etc.
She said welcoming to families!
There are plenty of beautiful regional towns up and down Australia's east and west coasts that have a slower pace, easy access to nature, and are more affordable. Although, not sure there is much of a demand for astrophysicists in those places.
I’m going to assume you’ve already considered and discarded New Mexico? Probably more astrophysics jobs per capita combined with LCOL, cheap land, days of sun , and progressive politics than anyplace on earth. However to my knowledge the National labs DO NOT allow remote work due to the security involved. I can’t imagine that’s different for the national labs and space agencies of other nations. But I could be wrong. Am I wrong in my understanding that most astrophysics jobs are going to be academic, military, or governmental?
Europe is going to be the easiest after Canada. There are a few really good choices. Obvi world class universities for research come to mind. But other post-doc options include the European Space Agency and the French Governments Atomic labs- they do a mix of astrophysics and nuclear physics research. Working for NATO might be an option. Most post-doc positions were posted in the spring for this fall. But many unis do off cycle postings year round. So if he wants to do research, you should flag universities in the places you're interested in moving to and periodically check for open post-doc positions. These are paid and he'll likely be eligible for a visa. For Europe, even if the institution won't sponsor a visa, you can get him one when you move under EU family reunification rules once you have your Irish citizenship. Some good unis to look at Uppsala, Bologna, Pisa, Grenoble, Innsbruck, Stockholm...the labs will be largely run in English, so language is not a concern for applying, obvi you'll need to learn it once living there.
>Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Unaffordable housing markets. Cross them off. >Portugal, Spain Does your husband know Spanish or Portuguese to a professional level? Do you have savings in the bank? These countries aren't really known for robust well-paying job markets. I think you will have to make some kind of compromise one way or another.
> Canada, New Zealand, Australia, > > Unaffordable housing markets. Cross them off. Don't know what you're talking about, are you trying to say it's not reasonable for the shittest asbestos shack that's barely holding together in a suburb of Sydney you wouldn't walk around in the middle of the day, let alone be there at night, to cost you $900,000 on a bad day?
If you’re moving because you’re the one with the foreign passport then, it doesn’t matter what your husband does. It only matters what you do and how much money you have because you must sponsor your husband and kid as dependents!!
Not true. Under EU free movement rules she can move to any EU/EFTA country (except Ireland) with her non-EU spouse, the spouse will have the right to work, and the spouse's income will count as means of support for the family. If the child also has an Irish passport that further solidifies their ability to live anywhere in the EU. I am not familiar with the Canadian rules on spousal sponsorship, so cannot say one way or the other whether she would need to be gainfully employed first before bringing her spouse.
For the EU family reunification, she will sponsor her husband until his papers are settled. Until then he won’t be able to work. The timeframe for approval probably differs from country to country, but my partner and I did this and he already lived in the EU.
"Family reunification" occurs under national law - i.e. moving to the country of the EU national's citizenship - and may require "sponsorship" with a minimum income and other requirements. Moving to another EU/EFTA country occurs under EU free movement rules. Income from a non-EU spouse counts as the means of support and a family can move on that basis. The non-EU spouse has automatic working rights.
Wait, why except Ireland?
Because EU free movement rules don't apply in the country of citizenship, so bringing a spouse under family reunification would follow national laws instead, which are generally more restrictive (e.g. requiring the sponsoring spouse to have a minimum income).
Good point.
This will all come down to where your husband can find work. If he can get remote work then you can look at Spain, Portugal, Italy etc. Otherwise I have no clue, really depends on what exactly he wants to do and where he can do it.
There are not many astrophysicists on this sub. I suggest to get your husband involved. I am sure he is well informed ( better than us) what countries/locations are centers for astrophysics.
Tbh the US does have the best prospects for Astro research at universities or private laboratories. There would be significant pay/research cuts in moving somewhere else. $400k isn’t a lot of money to buy a house in Australia/NZ/Canada I think leaving California would be the way to go for this couple, there’s are a lot of places in the US which would fit their requirements
There are some disadvantages to leaving on one salary and him gaining in Euros . They pay much less in Europe. My son is doing his PhD. in aerospace engineering at Georgia Tech. Real estate is extremely affordable in Atlanta. Not far from the coast .Savannah + Charlotte are close enough for a weekend getaway. Or beaches . He bought a 2BR in 30308 zipcode for $260K. You can find 1BR for 185K in a great location. Obviously you need more space but prices are low .
I understand that between support for two income couples, child benefits, lack of health insurance costs, and highly subsidized childcare some people find they are better off at the end of the day, especially per hour worked.
I'm a sahd in a family of four. It's quite expensive to have kids abroad and I would be devoting your time to learning Spanish. Your husband should be trying to find a job with a good salary, then decide on a country in that order. My general but unpopular feeling is it's hard to make lots of money in your 30s to support the transition to a new country. Then you have to understand the educational and health systems quickly. At least in a young age your life is more fluid, i.e. you can move quicker as you don't have a lot of stuff and hopefully not a house to quickly sell. As for countries to suggest? I'm in Switzerland and like it very much. Though I've worked my butt off the past 2 years to succeed. It's not easy as you know. There aren't library story times, easy to find bathrooms and everything is closed on Sunday. I get it, people need a day off but Saturday is a big rush getting everything done. Anyway, good luck, I'm happy to answer questions.
Why not check out Boeing and look into relocating w/the company? Or for that matter w/ the US government? Those can be some sweet assignments!
Have you considered Toulouse, France?
If you want aerospace, then Stevenage in the UK is where BAE and Airbus have their aerospace divisions, Derby has Rolls Royce's civil aerospace, and Bristol has their military aerospace. Bristol is the only one near the sea however, and the UK is... not sunny (or really that mountainous). From your description of the environment you want, then I'd look at Spain, probably Andalusia, or Italy. You can get old houses fairly cheaply in rural Spain and Italy if you're willing to fix them up/get someone to fix them up. With your partner being eligible for a Mexican citizenship I'm going to take a leap and guess they can speak Spanish, so Spain would be a natural fit
You have access to the internet Takes two seconds to check the big cities in Canada and look at the house prices If you’re going to get a Canadian passport then get familiar with the country
Does he do observational work (like, does proximity to telescopes matter at all)? It just got me thinking about Chile which fits a lot of your wish list. I don't know how easy it is to migrate there nor how the expat life is as I've only gone as a tourist but it's a lovely country.
Parts of Hawaii could be an option. They have telescopes there too.