My Plan
 

Hi everyone !

I`m a new member on this board so first of all I will introduce myself and explain my situation:

As you already noticed after my first sentence, I`m not british and my mother tongue is not english. (I hope to join this board is okay, in spite of not being british..???).

Actually I`m a student here in Munich (Germany), but I live here only since 1 year. My hometown is Zurich, Switzerland. After my high school diploma I have been living and studying in Geneva, were I felt very at home.

Next year I will finish my studies here in Munich (I`m tired of learning) but I won`t stay in Germany. My plan is to move to the USA in 2005. I have to mention here, that I`m also US citizen, so that I`m not concerned by the visa question. unfortunately I have never been living in the US and I have no relatives there.

But how to proceed to this big step? It must be difficult to find a job without us job history and an awful english. My plan is the following: After my uni degree I move to the US , to a low cost-living area and look for a low-payed employment to advance practice my language skills. After some month I change to a "better" place in terms of job offers. Logically a big city.

As student i work 20 houres per week in a bank. So my best chances to find a job is in this sector because I have a bit of experience. Now my questions: is it difficult to "enter" into a bank and to advance? for example start as teller and after a while getting a better position? Is anyone here who knows little bit the job opportunities in this sector? My main problem is that I don`t know the us job market at all.....

Is my project realistic or rather naive?

I`m looking forward to the feedbacks and excuse my awful english, I hope it is getting better while posting in this forum and reading your posts.....

thanks and cu, Nick

You might want to have lessons to improve your English whilst you are still in Europe.

There is almost certainly an English language school, perhaps there is a British Council office in Munich and they usually offer English tuition. You may wish to pay for private lessons from a native English speaker. Is there an English-speaking group at your university?

Where do you want to live in the US? Have you thought about checking if the German or Swiss investment banks in the US (eg. Deutsche Bank) have graduate trainee schemes?

I would guess that a lot of recruitment for banks takes place in the American universities (eg. the 'milk round'). Unlike European banks, it seems that the vast majority of banks in the US are very small scale with only a few branches serving their local communites. The largest banks I've heard of are JP Morgan Chase (mostly around New York), Bank of America - which has just taken over Fleet, and HSBC (British based bank).

Perhaps the German Embassy in Washington DC may be able to help with advice - they probably have an American-German Business Council, perhaps the Swiss Embassy does too.

How about finding out about job opportunities at the United Nations? Or an entry-level job in pharmaceuticals - there are some Swiss owned companies in New Jersey (I think Novartis is Swiss owned? Schering-Plough?) or Swiss airline? :)

Thanks for your answer !

you`r right , I should improve my english :o

at the moment I`m too busy and can`t have language courses, that`s why I think it makes sense to move to the US and first spend about a half a year in a low payed job before applying for a better one....

to answer your question "where in the US I would like to go" : the West in general is a nice place to live. California, Arizona, .... ,

but as you mentioned above, the moste financial companies and multinational firms are at the east coast. It`s clear that I chosse my place according to the job. And maybe, later , after a successful l settledown I can move again.....

yes, Novartis is a swiss company. But you think that they care if one is american or swiss. I think nobody is waiting for me. Perhaps it is an advantage that I have dual citizenship swiss/USA........??????
okay, thank you, anyway it`s not urgent, I have still a year here in Munich .......

Hey Nick,
I think your English is very good considering it's not your first language.

Re: My Plan
 

It's not a big deal that you're not British yet a member of this site. Just bear in mind that most members are British so there's many British views that are voiced...

It's not clear but you intend to emigrate to the US without a Batchelors degree?

If this is true, this puts you in a disadvantageous situation. There are many people emigrating to the US without any US job history but US employers hiring for professional positions expect candidates to have a Batchelors degree at a minimum.

If you don't have a Batchelors degree, the jobs you'd be able to apply for are quite limited. However, working on your American English language skills would be a good idea. Start now.

You may also want to consider getting some kind of US recognized qualification for "English as a second language". I don't know what's nationally recognized. Please do some websearching (maybe at US university websites).

Since you are a native speaker of German, it would be wise to use this to your advantage, e.g. in bilingual employment. If you know French or Italian too, this would also be helpful.

I live in central North Carolina. There is an area called Research Triangle Park (RTP) nearby that contains many international companies. Here's the link to a page about the largest employers-
http://www.rtp.org/index.cfm?fuseact...employers.html

This is also the site for RTP and you can read about the area and the other employers within RTP.

Definitely try to visit the areas of the US that interest you. The cost of living varies tremendously in the US as does the weather. California is definitely one of the most expensive states to live in and many cities on the East Coast have high costs of living. However, if your hometown is Zurich, you might not get such a shock.

Talking of shocks, the quality of life is quite different in the US too but you may be mentally prepared for that.

Anyway, this is my 5 cents, as the saying goes.






NC Penguin

How the **** is he a US citizen who speaks little/no english and has no relatibves in the USA?

Major TROLL alert i reckon.

Easy. His parents could have been expats in the US and returned to Switzerland when he was very young.

I know a German girl who was born in Canada and has a Canadian passport, but her parents relocated to Singapore when she was a toddler. She was in my daughter's class in Singapore at the British school as her German wasn't good enough for her to attend the Deutsche School (although her younger sister went there).

I have Brit friends who had babies born here and have returned to the UK.

Duncs; didn't you know that any baby born in the US is automatically a US citizen?!
:D

I'm officially Canadian but don't speak a word of it. :D

There are a lot of time wasters come on here to mess everyone around. I am suspicious myself. If he is a US citizen and a german why come on UK expats? I smell a troll but fine if you want to write 150 posts to a progressively more awkward german man who is really a 15 year old spotty tosser in manchester or somewhere go ahead.

Duncs; :D

First: Hell, I`m NOT german citizen, I live in Munich since one year as I wrote above.

and why I come on UK expats board? I thought this could be a good opportunity to communicate in english and at the same time collect informations about life in the US. Sure there are german expat forums, but I think they poste in german, a language I already speak fluently and is not very important on the other side of the Atlantic...

And of course I could join also a US board, but in my oppinion it`s better to talk about my plans with people who have already done the experience, they know much better the difficulties I will face than someone who has been living since ever in the US.

why am I US citizen? my birthplace is Chicago because my parents wehre deployed there by a swiss company but moved back to Zurich about one year after my birth. So I have never "realy" been living in the States and of course I don`t speak english.

I hope this explanations helps. on the one hand I understand that you are suspicious because this is internet anyone can write anything, on the other hand I didn`t "mess everyone around" like you wrote.

So you're not in Manchester then Duncs?


:D

@ manc1976

thank you , you reassure me.



@ NC Pinguin

No, next year I will optain my "Master of Arts" here in Munich. I`m talking about this low payed jobs because I thought this could be a wise start before applying for a "better" job. Make little bit of money and at the same time improve my english and maybe get US references which could help for a further job seeking.

And thank you for posting this link. good to know that a lot of important companies are represented in NC. I searched also the internet about NC and saw that some banks have also settled down there. This could be a possibility, because its much cheaper as e.g. NY or Boston. The problem is always the same: where cost livings are high, are the better job offers. Where cost living is low, are less job offers. So to find something in between would be the solution....

unfortunately I probably will not have the possibility to visit some regions before moving......

concerning the english: TOEFL (Test of english as a foreign language) is the most recognized test in the US. But needs a lot of preparation, so I`m not sure to do it until next year because university takes me a lot of time at the moment.

If you aren't able to visit before moving over, try Miami. Compared to much of the rest of the US, it's relatively inexpensive. There are people from all over, so less than perfect english isn't a big deal. Best of luck!

Poor English may be fine in Miami, however good Spanish IS required almost. How is your Spanish?
There are many areas of the US that are cheaper to live in- the west (CA at least) as you mentioned is of the more expensive.

No-one can write that fluently and speak little/no English. My Son is a USC, but were we to move back to the UK he would have no relatives here.

Haven't come across many Swiss expat sites, have you? and if so, perhaps you could link to them?

Could be a troll, but the subject is harmless enough and relevant to many, so what's the problem?


------

Nick, You're English seems fine to me. Hell, even the Americans aren't that good at it. :D If it were me, I'd just come right over and give it my best shot. What's to lose? Try to get your qualifications "converted" into US terms, and have an American peruse your CV/resume. Expect to work at MacDonalds while you jobhunt, and to be complemented on your Jamaican accent :rolleyes:;)

I'm dam sure it is a whole lot better than my Swiss or German for that matter!!!!

LOL over the comment re Jamaican accent, probaly will happen.
Suzie
:D

Thanks everyone for the advices.

In one sentence, the big question so far is : which city/region in the US is the appropriate one to start the "new life"

You recommend:

- North Carolina
- Miami (I don`t speak spanish....)
- the east coast in general

do you have some other tips? for me this question is crucial because I have no idea about the structures in America. I mean the prices (living costs), job opportunities and so on.

considering the following 2 scenarios:

A) I move to NY city. After 1-2 weeks it should be possible to be employed by BurgerKing and live in a room that costs about 1000$. Thanks to my savings and my 5$-job I`m able to survive during about 5 monthes.

Now I feel sure enough to send my resume and to face an interview.

B) I move to North Dakota. After 1-2 weeks I work for BurgerKing. The room I live in , costs maybe 500$. But for sure for example I need a car and don`t earn as much I would in NY.
To find a better job in ND is much more difficult then it is in NY, so that I will have to move again what is another $-factor.

So in NY I have much more possibilities to find a job in the bank sector than in ND. Otherwise I can live longer in ND on my savings if I can`t find a job.

mmhhh, not easy to decide.

Why not try to get a job in USA before you move....
The following link has over 2000 bank clerk positions available in USA...

http://www.careerbuilder.com

Much more stable way to move... Could allways fly over for a week for interviews.......

thank you for this link, could be very helpful in the future.....

I have a friend, (married to an american citizen) and he tried to find a job before joining his wife in the US. He told me, that almost no firm answered to his applications, probably because he was too far away ??? he has good qualifications.....

once he was on place, it was much easyer to find a job he told me.

the second problem is that I don`t feel ready for an interview yet concerning an interesting position because of my English, that`s why I thought to spend some time in the US before looking for a job I want to do in long term.

but you are right it`s a much more stable way.

cu, Nick

Ahh, North Dakota. It's like Switzerland without mountains, money or people. It other words, it's cold and there's not much there.

That was rather an example to illustrate the dilemma: start the new life in a more economicly weak region which is cheap in terms of cost livings or move directly to a big expensive city with better job opportunities. ???

I have an other question :

In a book about emmigration to the US I have red that the credit history is very importent.

Is there a way to built up the credit history before moving ? Is it perhaps possible as holder of an american express credit card here in Europe ? maybe the european office could transfer my "european credit history" to the office in the US just before I move ??

So I would have already a CH ..?!?!

Or are there other ways?

does anyone has experience ? that would help the start in the US, I guess.

I was going to suggest San Francisco. Lots of Swiss expats there and here at Tahoe.Swiss and Germans seem to feel VERY at home here and there would be lots of support to help a newcomer to adjust. Strong sense of community. I actually met a Swiss lady in DC last week who lived in SF for 35 years and skied at Tahoe regularly.
She now has an apartment in DC for business reasons but lives mostly in Switzerland. I am invited to visit anytime. WHOHOO!!

Downfall - not the cheapest cost of living but most young single people quickly find someone to share an apartment with and the rates of pay are better than many parts of the US imho.

San Francisco would be a nice place too........since I found this pictures I`m interested in :p

http://www.foto-julius.at/reise_san_bericht.html


Nick

If I were you, I wouldn't put California as your starting point in the States. Once you've settled in the US and saved some money and got a employment history, you could make CA the second place you live and work.

The cost of living in CA in general would wipe out most of your earnings if you start work as a young grad without any American employment history. e.g. housing, utility bills, gas (petrol), car insurance, food.

thanks Penguin, for your answer.

probably you`r right and California is not very realistic.......rather a dream.

After some lecture I think the good in-between-solution is Chicago. I saw housings for about 600-800$, for example this one:

http://www.apartments.com/search/oas....x=82&cont.y=3

there I don`t need a car what is another argument and Chicago is cheaper than e.g. SF, NY, Boston, ..., and it is still a financial center...

I will concentrate my research on Chicago.....what do you think ?

Till next year I hope to save ~ 10 000$ (depends on the exchange rate) that would allow me to survive min. 5 months without a job.....

In a nutshell, the answer to your question is "no". My British credit history is not recognized in the US nor would any credit lender take it into account. I have just bought a house and my mortgage lender would not look at my British credit report.

If you have an American Express credit card, it might be worth asking them if you could transfer your credit limit to a US based American Express card.

There have been numerous threads on the topics of establishing a credit history and getting credit in the US.

Do you have an American parent? If so, if they have lived in the US and have American issued credit cards, you may wish to ask them if you can become an additional credit card holder (if they will alllow you to do this). By doing so, you'll acquire some of their credit history. However, only do this if the American parent has good credit because you don't want bad credit to go on your credit report.