Bob

Unless they own their own business...but then again, would need niche skills to then compete against the under table businesses.

The missus, her mate at work is going out with a chap who is a one person business and doing quite well, but he does really high end custom jobs but mostly high end restorations, making all that parkay flooring and the like, but he has to cover a large area and based himself in upstate NY and travels all over.

So not very typical then.

Sally Redux

When I have had work done on the house, there has been a head honcho and then different guys turn up to do the donkey work on different days. If you ask after one, it'll be like, "oh yeah, don't know what happened to him." So it doesn't seem like they're full-time employees as such.

It's all rather a mystery really. That's why I was asking the OP about what his friends do, as that may give him more of an idea about conditions and what path they used. I don't think there would be any shortage of labour or skills in areas with Latino immigrants, maybe different in other parts of the country.

scrubbedexpat099

It depends, some of the skill set is also suspect, especially if you recruit from outside Home Depot.

Better if you are in a licensed trade.

Bnet36

Penguinsix, I stand corrected. I often get them confused and should have checked which way round they were before posting. Right to work laws often means lower wages, benefits and pensions etc. and when both laws are in effect the employee has not leg to stand on really.

Bridges01

i really appreciate all the info people are giving me but i think i am being a little misunderstood, im not after some sort of life advice or even advice of whether the move is the right or wrong decision for me. like i said before im pretty confident that the skills i have would be useful to a potential employer as im not just cheap paid labour i have spent years becoming a master fitter in all types of flooring and tilling, i can lay soft wood, hard wood, vinyls, marmoleum, vinyl tiles, luxury vinyl tiles, all types of carpet (which there are quite a few with big diiferences) ceramics, stone, slate, all types of natural flooring from sisal, coir to seagrass and plynyl. i can lay artificial grass. ive done floors for major events like wimbledon, royal ascot and the british grand prix. ive laid floors for major companies like aston martin, redbull, mercedes, moet & chandon and the main meeting hall at the celtic manor hotel where the g20 summit was held a few weeks ago. i can also fully prepare any job measure, price, order materials and set out borders and inserts. i can speak to and take a client every step of the way through a job and if need be reassure and install confidence in the task at hand. i know im ranting a bit but its a little disrespectful to think that someone stood on the street corner could achieve the same finished product as a skilled tradesman. some people might like to spend cheap and get a cheap end product but there are a lot of people out there that will spend big and would expect perfection of which i intend to supply. so in that respect with the experience i have and attention to detail i think that i could be a real asset to any reputable flooring company. it is my intention to set up my own company in the future with that ethos installed. i am well aware of the turbulent us employment market but the economy is growing again and if everything i am reading about the us (and seeing here in britain) continues i really think there will be no shortage of work. we were looking at the east coast anywhere from north carolina to virgia to vermont so its a real broad area. i have a 10 year old and a 2 year old so my wife is a full time mum at the minute but were looking at maybe some sort of college or university course until the 2 year old starts school and she could go back to work. thanks

Bridges01

in my long ass list of things i fit i forgot to mention parquet flooring. this is exactly the market id be looking to get into. no matter how bad things are you can always rely on the rich getting richer and they all want floors done.

TMR

Yes but you've ignored all the advice above which says there isn't a visa you could realistically apply for. The only potential lead would be your wife entering the diversity lottery. Good luck with that.

scrubbedexpat099

Can he not enter as well?

sir_eccles

E2 is always a possibility if you have enough cash to set up a business and think you can undercut the day laborers.

Sally Redux

Yes you'll do great! Go for it.

Bob

Which is great.

Won't get you a visa though. No skills visa over here.

So a wedge of cash and investing in a business or setting up shop is the only way to go and that's a significant level of cash.

kimilseung

Some of those people on street corners are also skilled trades people who could not get a visa either.

Guindalf

All those skills and a dollar'll get you a cup of coffee (plus tax, of course )

Sorry, but it's all meaningless unless someone is willing to hire you and pay for a visa, which is extremely unlikely, as people are trying to tell you.

Get lucky in the lottery and you'll be in a position to get a job, start a business or whatever you want to do. Otherwise it's just a pipe dream. oh, and don't expect the level of income your 'qualifications' suggest!

Mr Weeze

Two of the cleaners in our office building were university professors in Cuba - maths and English.

scrubbedexpat099

Go Polar Bears