Moving to the US from the UK - IT Worker with no degree
Discussion
Hi All,
I'm looking to relocate to the USA with my family, ideally to one of the hotter states, and was wondering what success people here may have had when they don't currently have a degree.
I don't work for a company that I can transfer to the USA with, so I'd need to start with fresh applications to companies as an 'unknown' and I don't currently have a degree (10 years experience in what I do, IT Service Management) but I am currently studying for a Degree with the Open University.
I've seen jobs that I think I would be good at, but as I have no right to work there, I'm aware it can be complicated. My wife doesn't, and wouldn't work - the jobs I'm looking for we could support ourselves and our newborn comfortably - and we have a decent amount of savings to take with us to act as a buffer.
I'd be really keen to hear from anyone who has made the jump, and what challenges and successes they had first hand, opposed to just reading through more blogs and the like on Google.
I'm looking to relocate to the USA with my family, ideally to one of the hotter states, and was wondering what success people here may have had when they don't currently have a degree.
I don't work for a company that I can transfer to the USA with, so I'd need to start with fresh applications to companies as an 'unknown' and I don't currently have a degree (10 years experience in what I do, IT Service Management) but I am currently studying for a Degree with the Open University.
I've seen jobs that I think I would be good at, but as I have no right to work there, I'm aware it can be complicated. My wife doesn't, and wouldn't work - the jobs I'm looking for we could support ourselves and our newborn comfortably - and we have a decent amount of savings to take with us to act as a buffer.
I'd be really keen to hear from anyone who has made the jump, and what challenges and successes they had first hand, opposed to just reading through more blogs and the like on Google.
I'm aware of the difficulties in the journey ahead, no worries on that score!
I think with my degree outstanding, the fact that I'm 1 exam away from the top qualification in my field probably means I still need to bolster the education credentials.
I guess my issue is I could do with finding a company that are US headquartered and work for them in the UK On top of the above.
I think with my degree outstanding, the fact that I'm 1 exam away from the top qualification in my field probably means I still need to bolster the education credentials.
I guess my issue is I could do with finding a company that are US headquartered and work for them in the UK On top of the above.
I work in IT service management, and specifically around business relationship management (getting the business what they need from IT) which in my experience is usually with the other core IT functions in head office, rather than offsite. That said, some companies do have a few roles on overseas centres, but it's unlikely that they would be in my area of expertise.
All that said, I have no idea what company you work for and what office you are opening in the US, so for all I know you could have the role I do based there.
All that said, I have no idea what company you work for and what office you are opening in the US, so for all I know you could have the role I do based there.
Thanks for all the comments everyone. It may look hollow, but I genuinely do appreciate the honest nature of your feedback. This is very much a dream, and it does need to be mixed with reality.
We've dreamed of emigrating for years, and it came very close in 2010, but to France (A major plane building company based in Toulouse) but sadly that didn't pan out (we both got flown down there, had a few days to do sight seeing, went in for the "interview" which was basically 'we want you, but in Hamburg' and I turned it down...) I was willing to learn the language, and my wife already spoke decent French. We didn't want Hamburg because of the climate, which was a major driver for Toulouse.
I think it might be worth explaining why we have 'chosen' the US, and based on that, I'd be interested in others views.
1 - My wives health. She isn't in the best of states, and suffers from ME. We have found that warmer climates have a distinct improvement on her health, and whilst that might be the placebo pill of being on holiday, it genuinely does seem to work.
2 - The US seems to be an 'easy' transition for a brit. There's no language to learn, and I'd risk saying cultures are comparable - it isn't as different as if we moved to Saudi as an example.
3 - Ease of access. You can regularly get decent flight prices too and from the states. Whilst we don't want family over every weekend, and we are realistic to how little we will probably see of them post move, we would like to try and pay to get them over now and again.
Australia and New Zealand look absolutely incredible as places to live, but the 20+ hour flight time and colossal cost puts us off a bit. If it is so much easier to get over there, maybe we need to reconsider this, and balance the issues of distance with the reality of how irregular visits are likely to be.
That obviously isn't everything, but its a few points to cover. I think from what you are saying the US probably is going to be almost impossible, and we need to 'fluke' our way over.
I've applied for a couple of jobs on the off chance in the US - both in California - and had written replies to both. Both said I was well qualified, and would have gotten to interview if I had the right to work in the US already, but they didn't feel they would be able to support me through a Visa process at that time due to other applicants.
I appreciate the detail regarding Visa's and the process, and I think we need to try and make it as 'secure' as possible - relocating with a wife and child and getting an immediate 'get to the airport and get out of here' alert doesn't feel particularly 'secure' to me, so I think this needs further research from myself.
Again, thanks for your time and honesty guys.
We've dreamed of emigrating for years, and it came very close in 2010, but to France (A major plane building company based in Toulouse) but sadly that didn't pan out (we both got flown down there, had a few days to do sight seeing, went in for the "interview" which was basically 'we want you, but in Hamburg' and I turned it down...) I was willing to learn the language, and my wife already spoke decent French. We didn't want Hamburg because of the climate, which was a major driver for Toulouse.
I think it might be worth explaining why we have 'chosen' the US, and based on that, I'd be interested in others views.
1 - My wives health. She isn't in the best of states, and suffers from ME. We have found that warmer climates have a distinct improvement on her health, and whilst that might be the placebo pill of being on holiday, it genuinely does seem to work.
2 - The US seems to be an 'easy' transition for a brit. There's no language to learn, and I'd risk saying cultures are comparable - it isn't as different as if we moved to Saudi as an example.
3 - Ease of access. You can regularly get decent flight prices too and from the states. Whilst we don't want family over every weekend, and we are realistic to how little we will probably see of them post move, we would like to try and pay to get them over now and again.
Australia and New Zealand look absolutely incredible as places to live, but the 20+ hour flight time and colossal cost puts us off a bit. If it is so much easier to get over there, maybe we need to reconsider this, and balance the issues of distance with the reality of how irregular visits are likely to be.
That obviously isn't everything, but its a few points to cover. I think from what you are saying the US probably is going to be almost impossible, and we need to 'fluke' our way over.
I've applied for a couple of jobs on the off chance in the US - both in California - and had written replies to both. Both said I was well qualified, and would have gotten to interview if I had the right to work in the US already, but they didn't feel they would be able to support me through a Visa process at that time due to other applicants.
I appreciate the detail regarding Visa's and the process, and I think we need to try and make it as 'secure' as possible - relocating with a wife and child and getting an immediate 'get to the airport and get out of here' alert doesn't feel particularly 'secure' to me, so I think this needs further research from myself.
Again, thanks for your time and honesty guys.
arfur said:
Barbados is safe as houses ... commenwealth
Very British in lots of ways
Cool, thanks for the advice.Very British in lots of ways
I've just seen some interesting roles in Gibraltar, will do some more research, wonder if I could hit gold and do some sort of stepping stone role where I find a company overseas somewhere like Gibraltar/Barbados that also has US offices. Do some time in the first location, move onto the US in the future maybe...
Dr JonboyG said:
I don't want to be the 34th person raining on your parade but your plan is divorced from reality and will not succeed. At best you will come to America, spend a few months here and then get deported for working illegally and at worst you will starve in the streets.
The sort of job you want will require you to have permission to work already, and they check this electronically when you start: http://www.uscis.gov/i-9 Unless you have an advanced degree or a job already in hand with a company sponsoring your visa you can honestly forget it - unemployment is not shrinking in the US and why would a company employ you over a native who doesn't need a visa, especially for a job where there is going to be a large talent pool already?
Your wife is chronically sick and so you want to move to a country where there's no national health service or universal coverage and where medical treatment is more expensive than anywhere else by a factor of two? Are you being intentionally stupid or had you *really* just not thought that one through for more than 15 seconds?
If you want a warm climate somewhere this might actually work what about the various bits of Europe like Spain or Greece or southern France or Italy?
I'll try and take the post in the constructive manner intended...The sort of job you want will require you to have permission to work already, and they check this electronically when you start: http://www.uscis.gov/i-9 Unless you have an advanced degree or a job already in hand with a company sponsoring your visa you can honestly forget it - unemployment is not shrinking in the US and why would a company employ you over a native who doesn't need a visa, especially for a job where there is going to be a large talent pool already?
Your wife is chronically sick and so you want to move to a country where there's no national health service or universal coverage and where medical treatment is more expensive than anywhere else by a factor of two? Are you being intentionally stupid or had you *really* just not thought that one through for more than 15 seconds?
If you want a warm climate somewhere this might actually work what about the various bits of Europe like Spain or Greece or southern France or Italy?
I don't want to go into the deep dark details of my wife's health issues, but suffice to say there is no treatment, no medication, no cure. We qualify for no support here in the UK - to quote the DWP 'because she might get better one day' - so I struggle to see how having to pay for healthcare will make one shred of difference. The illness if you care enough is ME. I would imagine the 'worst' thing that could happen is a loading on the healthcare costs, and I'm not to worried about that. Every job that is appropriate for me states healthcare for family, so if we need to pay a top up on top of that, so be it.
I'm guessing there isn't a huge talent pool for the roles I'm interested in based on the responses I had from the speculative job applications I did previously. I was identified as one of the strongest candidates, and in their words I would have got to interview if I was locally based.
All that said, it is looking like I will need to find an alternate route out there, but this isn't something that I'm going to look at this thread's responses and give up on.
I'm going to investigate the european and British Overseas Territories options, and see where we can go from there.
I'm seriously serious, but I'm not desperate to the point of wanting to get over at any cost in a matter of weeks. This is a huge transition and something we need to work through at a sensible pace.
It must be the right job, in a location that is right. Thats a huge ask, and we are aware there may be initial compromises that need to be made, equally, I don't want to get there 'at all costs'.
It must be the right job, in a location that is right. Thats a huge ask, and we are aware there may be initial compromises that need to be made, equally, I don't want to get there 'at all costs'.
Matt Harper said:
We could very easily fill this thread with US healthcare horror stories, but I'm not sure how relevant that would be for the OP. His partner has ME and that is a condition that isn't even recognized as a treatable illness by most US insurers - so pre-existing or otherwise, it wouldn't be covered, as they have no way of coding it - rather like S.A.D.
In no way am I trivializing the significance of ME, but as with ADHD not being taken so seriously in the UK - same applies to ME here, I think you may find.
Thanks for the post. Appreciate your empathy regarding ME, and realisation that, in the most part, medical professionals just shrug their shoulders. In no way am I trivializing the significance of ME, but as with ADHD not being taken so seriously in the UK - same applies to ME here, I think you may find.
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