So I've been working as a "coffee bar clerk" at a Starbucks licensed store for about 8 months and have fallen in love with the Starbucks culture, less so with the licensed store management.* My girlfriend just received a college acceptance letter, and we will be moving to a new state in the fall of this year. I've spoken to a couple of partners and I'm really hoping to get a partner job in my new city. With this in mind, I have a few questions...

1) Has anyone gone from working in a licensed store to a corporate store? If so, what was the hiring process/transition like?

2) I submitted an application to corporate stores in my district a couple weeks ago (before I knew about the move), and haven't heard anything back. Maybe I'm just clueless, but is there somewhere on the website or via phone that I can check on the status of my application?

3) Anyone working as a partner in the Albuquerque, NM area? Any word on the current hiring climate?

*Edited for clarity.