argyl1

Thank you for the information. That helped clear up some issues.

argyl1

You have a PhD and can't find a job in the UK??? That's discouraging to the rest of us who are also looking for work over there. What kind of work do you do for the government?
I'm a "Stay at Home Mum", and I don't have a PhD, but I'm thinking of getting some training before we make the 'big move'.
I heard there's a shortage of Social Workers in the UK.

davispigeon

Argyl1: I think the problem is that with a PhD, my skills are SO specialized that it's hard to even find positions to apply for. I work in pest management and jobs are scarce in that field. I qualify for loads of jobs but because I don't have the specific experience they want, I don't even get a callback.
Sigh. Maybe I'll hire a headhunter.

snowbunny

The odds are against you finding a similar job simply because the population is so much smaller. Also, the 'pests' found in California are not the same as those found in the UK (of course). Which specific experience do you lack, and is it possible to gain those in the US? If not, could you go for a while without work, and perhaps do some post-doctoral work at a UK university that would give you experience?

Best of luck,
Amy.

gardnma

Yeah, thats why I've done the shot gun approach to work (not literally) experiencewise......a bit here a bit there.

Look, you've got a PhD.....you really need to use the resources that other Dr's use. Like you say, a headhunter.....or a top-end placement firm. You are a niche employee looking for a niche job.......need to have a "marksman" to help you place. If I had a PhD (don't have a M.S. for that matter), I wouldn't be scanning the papers, be out looking for the type of network that suits the educational level and job type.

Professional Org's?
Universities?

Oh, one last thought.......ever get the sense of being "overqualified" for a job? They don't need to know you are a Dr right? After all, you do have a BSc...... Maybe that will get you the experience you are lacking......

thelegalalien

I've been away 6 years and just can't forget our green and soggy land. If I were single I'd move back but have an American wife who is quite happy where she is and a daughter who was born in the US.

The homesickness has been helped by landing a job that lets me get back multiple times a year; a half-way house as it were. I could put my foot down and say 'Right, we're off' but would be putting my wife through what I'm going through now in terms of leaving family behind, or worse in that it'll be refused.

There will come a point when my daughter gets attached to the US and then that'll be that, I'll be stuck here until I die, so I feel under pressure to do something in the next couple of years. If only the sodding houses back there weren't so expensive at the moment!

davispigeon

"ever get the sense of being "overqualified" for a job?"

YEP!
It's hard to not mention my Ph.D since that leaves a four year gap in my work history.
I know I won't be doing the same thing (don't WANT to do the same thing), it's more the equivalent skills that I was looking for in ads. Sigh. I'll have to hire someone or go through a specialized placement agency but they're not that easy to find.
Amy, I'm looking around for jobs within environmental protection that I could transfer to. I think if I got a couple of years US experience in water or air quality, I would be more marketable when we move. There are lots of those kind of jobs advertised (I'm on a couple of job list servs).

snowbunny

Yup -- two ways to look at it: working for a governmental agency enforcing regulations, or for companies who need guidance at meeting those regulations. Surely there is a UK society for people in this field and if not, a European society.

davispigeon

Amy, yes, there are some orgs for environmental jobs and I get their emails with job listings. Now it's a matter of fitting myself into one of those jobs!