Newbie

Hi Julia,
I moved here back in December of 2009 from Seattle Washington with my wife who is English. There are so many things to ask the recruiter and for you to consider yourselves that it will be hard to get all the answers on this site. Be prepared for some though times and some major adjustments. It seems easy in theory but in practice it is difficult. To start with the dogs. You can either apply for a pet passport which gets them into the country without being quarantined for six months. Price wise it is about the same. When we looked into bringing our dog with us it would have been about $5,000.00. The transport company said that that covered everything from pet passport to the flight. I don't remember who it was though. They also said that there was a 30% chance the she would not survive the trip due to the stress it puts on them. We don't have any kids so I have no answers for you on that. You will have to retake your driving test, practical and theory, difficult to pass. You have a better chance of passing the practical if you hire a driving instructor. I have been driving for over 25 years, everything from a motorcycle to a fire truck and I failed my first time.
If you are coming for a few years then I suggest you leave stuff in storage. The company may pay to ship you out but not back. Will they be sorting out your accommodations or will you need to find a place to live? Will they be finding jobs for both of you? The economy here isn't much better than the States.
I have to honestly say that after three years things are just starting to smooth out. If you can accept that it will be very difficult for all of you for awhile and walk into this without rose colored glasses then experience of living in a foreign country is fantastic. Not too many Americans move out of the state they are in let alone the country.
If you like to travel it's nice because you can hop on a ferry and be in France, Belgium, Spain, Holland in a matter of hours. Flights to the continent are cheap and plentiful.
Just remember that it's not easy but it will give you a whole new perspective on the world we all inhabit.