blah

Hi,

I know it is pretty unlikely to happen anytime soon (if at all!), but i'm looking at moving either to the US or to Canada...preferably the US, but understand that it is much more difficult!

I'm 22 and live with my partner and 2 year old son. I'm currently studying for a degree in French and Italian, will graduate in 2012. Is there anything I could do to boost our chances? My partner was recently made redundant and is looking for a change...would studying be a better option or to try and find work in a company with US offices? Where we live there are several international firms, but not sure how likely transfes would be (obviously quite a way down the line).

I was looking at possibily applying to a post-grad course in the US...but financially it wouldn't be viable right away anyway, especially if it would only mean being there for a year at the most anyway, it doesn't seem wort the cost. Would it be best for me to work after graduating and gain 'specialist' skills (not etirely what right now though) or to do a masters? I was looking at translation but not sure how useful my chosen languages are in the US.

Sorry this probably doesn't make much sense...i'm half asleep writing this, any advice would be great...I know it's a long shot, but I do like a challenge!

meauxna

Please read the pinned thread: Really Really Read Me.

The French helps for getting into Canada. Maybe that will be a better way forward?

Bob

Depends what you want to do with your skill set.

Studying is certainly a good option...a friend from school has been teaching French at a very good Californian college for some years now, but then again she has been spending the last few years getting a phd as well as getting a book published. Was pretty niche kind of French language skills though.

Rose tea

A regular Master's programme often takes much longer than a year. There's a reason that many US unis will give you up to seven years to complete your courses - some people need all that time just to finish. And that's not even touching on a PhD! As for the cost, US postgrad courses can be very expensive, but only if you pay full-time out-of-state tuition. You would be a fool to do this. My postgrad degree in the US cost me £0. Same for most of my international friends. There are completely legitimate, above board ways to do this. I moved to the US at your age to study. It's possible, but you have to be okay with all the visa restrictions. A student visa can, again with many restrictions, be a path to a work visa, much further down the road.

Kustberg

This is indeed interesting. Im assuming it wasnt online from university of phoenix or something
how did you manage to do that?

Rose tea

No, not an online degree, it was indeed a "real" one. University of Phoenix would most definitely not be free, not even close!

I got funding. It's not hard to find info on funding, just look around by university or department.

blah

Thanks for this! Will have a look into it now, seem like a fairly good option. What kind of restrictions are there? Sorry if it's probably a stupid question!

Rose tea

Lots. You can't work off campus. You can't work more than part time. Your spouse and/or kids can't work. Many people can't work during the summer so you're going without income for 2 months per year. You can't get below certain grades in your courses. You can't drop from full time student to part time. Your spouse and/or kids can't work at all. And, at the end of it, if you don't find a job, you have to go back to the UK.

That said, if you want a way to live and study in the US for several years, get to know life in the US while making a low stakes commitment (you have to show ties to your home country to get the student visa in the first place), and have the chance to possibly transition to a work visa at the end of it all, it's a great option.