moving to America any advice?

[green-green-green]

Hi my name is Michelle I currently live in Scotland with my 3 month old daughter and my Fiance, we are thinking of moving to America and I am trying to get as much information as I can.

We dont really have any idea where about we would like to move to so if anyone has any suggestions then please feel free to say.

I would also like to gather some information about nurseries and schools, I would like to work when we move so therefor would need a nursery for my daughter.

What kind of jobs are availabe as both me and my fiance are untrained in any professions and are working in shops at the moment but would like a job with promotion options and good career path and wage. How hard is it for Brits to find work in America?

[Bevdeforges]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

Where to move in America is entirely related to where you can find a job. The way the visa process works for the US is that in most cases you have to be "sponsored" by either an employer or a direct family member (parents, children, adult brother or sister). And "sponsoring" (called "petitioning" in the US regs) costs the person or company doing it.

Unskilled laborers they don't really need more of over there, and chances are you will find it difficult to get jobs with no university and no experience in a needed trade. To have any chance of a working visa for a job with promotion options and a good career path you really need a university degree plus at least a few years' experience in the profession. The other "gotcha" is that, under some working visas, the worker can bring family with (spouse and children), but the spouse will not be eligible for a work visa.

As far as nurseries and schools are concerned - the public schools are locally controlled and most public school districts these days start with kindergarten (age 5 or so), though there are still districts that do not include kindergarten. Nurseries (or nursery schools) are privately owned and operated, and so you normally have to pay to enroll your child.

As someone else said here on the forum recently, where there's a will there's a way. But it will take some time to get the sort of training and experience you need to qualify for a visa, and it pays to have a clear picture of what you're up against. Do check the website of the US Embassy in London Visa Services U.S. Embassy London - they have quite a bit of information about the various types of visas and the process for applying.
Cheers,
Bev

[emohit]

Hi Michelle,

Since you do not have any specific professional experience or training, you would find it difficult to find a job here in the USA.

There are many types of work visas, but most of them require specific experience and education. There is one H2 visa which caters to other types of works. You may want to check if that visa is something that may pave the way for you here.

All the best,

[synthia]

The US has reduced the number of work visas for skilled high tech workers, people with master's degrees and PhDs in fields where there is a shortage, and this is for people who have found jobs with employers who are willing to go to a considerable effort and expense to hire them. So your chances of getting into the US are virtually non-existent. I, too, hate to tramp on your dreams, but I also hate to let you think that you have a chance, because you really don't.

To get in, you would need a work visa. To get a work visa, you need an employer who not only is willing to go to the effort of sponsoring you, but can prove to immigration that there are no Americans who can fill the job. Since we are in a recession, and unemployment is high, there is no reason for an employer to try, and no chance of success.

Why not look at Australia or New Zealand, where they are more welcoming. They issue visas that allow you to work and don't require that you have a job in order to immigrate. They allocate points based on things like relatives in the country, speaking English, age, and skills. There are tests on each of their immigration web sites that you can take to find out whether you qualify.

Check out the Australia forum. I think there is a sticky there, at the top, with the information you need.

[LadyLily43]

Green; I am American as well; and I would like to say that even though it might look grim to try and get in; as others would say; it is never totally impossible...To be honest though; your best bet would be...for both you and your fiance...if you both could get taught or trained in something that would indeed get you a work visa much more easily...Though it was over 50 years ago; my father and mother did just that. They were originally from WWII Poland; but they eventually found themselves in first various refugee camps, but then both got scholarships to study at Universities in Great Britain; my dad eventually getting a degree from Edinburgh...Though it first took him a little bit to get up the ladder in his field; he eventually became an International Tax Manager here in the US. and worked for such companies as Allice-Chalmers, Textron, Sanders Associates and CalComp. I am not saying there won't be some difficulty because there will be; but impossibility is only as true as you and your fiance will allow it to be.

As to any information we can give you that will be helpful...I remember Bev giving this same VERY GOOD information to someone else, and that was to try and check out as many newspapers as possible that might be online... They will help you mostly with any available real estate companies in the area as well as give you an idea of what housing might be like cost wise in some areas. Also though; if you call the Chamber of Commerce for any city you might be interested in; most have a welcome package that will give you ideas of local businesses and personal needs: real estate companies; local medical and dental facilities; local stores for both groceries and sometimes clothing as well; hardware stores; etc...Also decent apartment rentals are not as easy to acquire in some places as they are in others...in smaller towns such things as apartment complexes might even be non-existent to all except adjusted income living needs; so when it comes to paying rent for a place to live; if there are no apartment complexes for normal rent where you might want to move to; then you can easily find out about people who might have rental properties available through either the local real estate agents or through a church you might be hoping to attend...I include the church idea only because in the case of some small towns; the people you end up renting from could very easily also be going to the same church you wish to...It is true right now for my husband and I...the couple we rent from own a local important construction company, and we are all Catholic going to the one Catholic Church in our town...

Three final notes so I don't inundate you;
1) try and check for local grocery stores in the area you might be moving to; at least in a LOT of areas; you will find most grocery stores though not always part of a large chain; will still have a web page...If you are trying to live on a budget; this will help you to know how to budget any money you plan on spending for food...I don't know about in Great Britain, but here many grocery stores also include gas/petrol stations and will list the price of gasoline/petrol on their website...which by the way here goes by the gallon; not the litre...If you want to either IM me here; I will be happy to help you with links to websites for the things I mentioned...Chambers of Commerce; grocery stores and the like...

2) Some of the more well known real estate agents that are over in Great Britain are also here in the US. One that comes to mind is Re-Max...they are pretty much all over the US...

3) One other thing you should know is about stores like Walmart vs. a normal grocery store and department store...There are quite a few advantages to shopping at a Walmart because even though they don't list everything they have within a single store; a Walmart Super Center does have just about everything under one roof; the closest thing I could say to compare it to over in Europe would be Italy's store called Standa...though I have not been to Italy for 20 years so they might not even exist any more...The point is that like Asda; Walmart is extremely good for low prices on every day items including deli, produce, tinned, dried, frozen and dairy products, as well as inexpensive clothing, toiletries, healthcare, electronics, household/kitchen, bathroom, hardware and automotive items....and on the food; their store brand items are just as good in taste and quality as name brand items...and you can save quite a bit buying their items vs. buying name brand...Normal grocery stores are not bad either; especially in some of the larger cities because they have their versions of Super Stores as well...though in their case it usually means they have a much larger variety of types of food... sometimes including much larger varieties of produce; larger amounts of ethnic foods; also little places to get both a quicky dinners as well as even small places to eat right there should your schedule be a little too hectic to cook...

I hope though this information might have inundated you; that it was at least a little helpful...

Good Luck
T. Vandal

[twostep]

Michelle day-care and groceries will be your least problem. You and your fiance need a visa. Unless you are married you will need individual visas.

Employment, family reunion, marriage to a citizen, investment are the very basic visa catagories. The USISC site will give you details. USCIS Home Page

[dibbledeb]

I am an American. It is very expensive to live here and the costs are rising astronomicaly. Minimum wage is just under $8 per hour. Most of these jobs are not enough to support a family, basically that is all you will end up making without college education.
Get training in a specific field before coming here. Most Americans are college educated so there is quite a competition for jobs.
If you are not educated, plan on making no more than minimum wage.
Car factories are laying off thousands of workers, General Motors just layed off 3,500 workers. Its tough just to get a laborers position, not many available.
Gas prices are souring, its roughly $4 a gallon and because of that, food prices are reaching an all time high. My grocery bill is $180.00 per week for family of 5.
Depending upon where you live, you have to consider heating costs as well.
NY State is extremely pricey.
Another thing to remember. You may be making a minimum of $8 per hour but you don't..you are taxed on everything you buy... and every bit of income you earn, and its just not pennies.

How do you plan on support yourselves with a 3 month old?
Daycare costs are outrageous. That will take your half your salary just for someone to take care of your precious daughter.


America is a wonderful place to live, but even the American people struggle day to day to live without decent incomes.


I have 2 daughters that make minimum wage because they are students.
There is no way they can live on their own with the salaries they make. Therefore, they live at home with me.

You have a baby. Health Care is very expensive, unless you have a good job and your employer has good benefits, that alone could do you in.
Many self employed Americans don't even have health care benefits.

I don't want to discourage you from coming to America, it is a great Country.
But please do your homework before you come. You have a little one to think about.

[HDG]

Question 1
Can anyone tell me if being a, qualified teacher in secondary education would be a good profession for living in America?

Question 2
Is there a way to serve with the US Army to gain Citizenship?

[Bevdeforges]

Originally Posted by HDG

Question 1
Can anyone tell me if being a, qualified teacher in secondary education would be a good profession for living in America?

One big thing about America is that most "qualified" or "certified" professions do their qualification at the state level. You would have to contact the state education board of whatever state you were interested in to find out their requirements - which are often quite US-dependent. (I.e. a certain number of hours of training in specific subjects at the university level.)

I'm not sure if a foreign teacher qualification is transferable to most US states. That does leave private schools, however.

Originally Posted by HDG

Question 2
Is there a way to serve with the US Army to gain Citizenship?

Actually, there is. And I recently read an article (in the NY Times, I think it was) about the Army recruiting from overseas for precisely that program. There was also, however, a recent article about how long it is taking for the US to process citizenship papers for those who have earned their citizenship through military service.
Cheers,
Bev

[LadyLily43]

Sorry that I can only help you with the first question, but if you mean by secondary education schooling for kids aprox. aged between 14 and 18 years old; (our highschool ages); good teachers are always needed in many different areas of the country, but the avg. pay is only good depending on your needs. Salaries range from about $35,000 to $59,000 depending on how long you've been a teacher. Since you would be just coming to the US; I would imagine your starting pay would be closer to the $35,000, and that is IF; as good as you may be; if your credentials meet the requirements of the school system you are applying at. Also you will need to request information on professional requirements from the department of education for whatever area you might be thinking of moving to so that they can tell you what you need to do to get a teaching licensure...