zena01908

I'm on track to receive a first in my international relations course at Loughborough University in the UK (which ranks from between 4th and 13th in the UK).
I've undertaken an internship and have a great deal of work experience under my belt and am involved in some relevant societies- in addition I am also fluent in french and proficient in MS arabic and russian.

I have plans to apply for a masters in the field of International Relations at a US university in either New York, Chicago or Washington DC. Masters in the US are considerably more costly than masters in Europe but it has always been my dream to move there one day.

I also know that getting a work visa for the US is very costly for both the employee and employer which is why not many companies would be reluctant.
I'm a being unrealistic to think that I could get a job in the US after doing a masters?

md95065

I wouldn't go so far as to say that studying for a masters degree in the US will "likely" result in a job with an employer who is prepared to sponsor you for a work visa - it "might", but equally it "might not".

A lot will depend on how good you are at making connections and networking while you are in the US doing the masters. A lot also depends on how the job market in your particular field looks a the time when you are trying to get hired. What types of job does a masters degree in "international relations" qualify you for? Do you have any potential future employers in mind yet? If not, why not?

ian-mstm

It doesn't really cost the employee anything. The vast majority of the financial burden is on the employer.

Also, there's no such thing as a "permanent work visa". All visas are temporary by nature, since they all have an expiry date. Can you please clarify your intent? Do you want to live permanently in the US?


I don't think it's unrealistic, as it does improve your options. For example, there are 20K H-1B visas available each year specifically for people who have a US masters degree. Also, it'll give you 2 or 3 years to network with US employers.

Bottom line: so long as you realize that you might still not get a US employer to sponsor you for a visa, your chances are improved if you do a masters degree in the US.

Ian

ellie_gbr

An additional benefit to studying in the U.S. is the OPT period after you finish your course. The F1 visa allows for 1-3 years (depending on your field, STEM fields get the maximum time, which probably would not be the case for you), of work in a job related to your degree (you can't just work in McDonalds while you wait for something better). This is a great way to show a company how great you are and begin the process of the employer sponsoring you for a visa.

Bob

The missus has one of those. Unfortunately, it's worthless, but then she's a USC, so she only did it for academic reasons of interest.

As mentioned though, having a MA, may or may not increase your chance of getting a job over here, but studying here will increase your chance to network which can be helpful, certainly with trying to score a internship on a J1 and further lead to a H1 sponsorship.

All depends on how you go about spending your time while you study and what you hope to achieve with the studies.

bruceba

Your language skills will be a big plus.

Pulaski

Several people have mentioned networking professionally, ..... it also applies personally!