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Are my UK qualifications recognised in the US?

Are my UK qualifications recognised in the US?

Old Jan 8th 2004, 7:54 pm
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Default Are my UK qualifications recognised in the US?

I can't seem to find any information on this on.

I have various qualifications including an ECDL, NVQ in Administration and OCR exams in word, text and audio processing (typing to most people!)

Does the US work place recognise these qualifications or would I have to take new exams to find work in the US?

My fiancee lives in California if this is relevant.

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Old Jan 8th 2004, 8:27 pm
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Default Re: Are my UK qualifications recognised in the US?

Originally posted by Spaminette
I can't seem to find any information on this on.

I have various qualifications including an ECDL, NVQ in Administration and OCR exams in word, text and audio processing (typing to most people!)

Does the US work place recognise these qualifications or would I have to take new exams to find work in the US?

My fiancee lives in California if this is relevant.

There has been considerable discussion about UK and other non-American professional and academic qualifications on this forum. Please do a search on past threads.

Anyone looking for employment in the US has to seriously Americanize their CV into an American resume. There have been numerous threads on this too in this US forum. Please do a search.




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Old Jan 8th 2004, 8:47 pm
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Wink

I have done a search and have found some topics that are related.

It would seem, from what I have read that one can have one's qualifications transcribed but at great cost.

I thought that, as this is a web site dedicated to helping people moving around the world, there might be some more personal response.

Perhaps someone who has moved from the UK to the US and has found employment. How difficult it was to persuade prespective employers that their qualifications were relevant and valid.

I am sorry if you felt asking this question was un necessary but so far I haven't found the information I was interested in.

Thank you in advance to anyone who is instersted in giving me any help at all with this.
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Old Jan 8th 2004, 9:41 pm
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Here's my experience.
Unless you have a degree from an acredited UK university then your qualifications count for zip.

I left the RN with a HNC in engineering, various city and guilds in associated engineering subjects. O levels in various subjects.
Plus all the associated deplomas, certificates that I obtained from having served in the Navy for over 20 years.

They all counted for nothing. They mean nothing to employers in the US.
I did pay to have my qualifications 'transcribed' for a US University ($100) They assesed me as having an associate degree (Not much)

It's not all doom and gloom though, the thing that got me a job was having my CV translated into an American resume.

They were impressed with my wide range of skills and experience that I had picked up in the military.
I beat out candidates with master degrees to get the job I have now.

So, advice; pay someone over here to write you a damn good resume.
I used http://resume.monster.com/ It was well worth the $300 for the personal service that they offered.

Good luck with everything.

Last edited by excpomea; Jan 8th 2004 at 9:45 pm.
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Old Jan 9th 2004, 2:17 am
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Originally posted by excpomea
<<snip>>

It's not all doom and gloom though, the thing that got me a job was having my CV translated into an American resume.

They were impressed with my wide range of skills and experience that I had picked up in the military.
I beat out candidates with master degrees to get the job I have now.

So, advice; pay someone over here to write you a damn good resume.
I used http://resume.monster.com/ It was well worth the $300 for the personal service that they offered.

Good luck with everything.
One of the best purchases I've made to help me find work in the US was a book. It's called "The Resume Catalog: 200 Damn Good Examples" by Yana Parker (www.damngood.com). This books covers resumes for people/academic/employment history from overseas and also focused resumes for people in different industries.

It's substantially cheaper than $300.00 to get a "professional" customize yours. I highly recommend the book. Remember to get the latest edition (3rd I think).





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Old Jan 9th 2004, 6:34 am
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I totally agree about the resumes. I got lots of American friends to send me theirs so I could customise my own. I've already had a good response sending it out, though I won't be able to work there for a few months.
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Old Jan 9th 2004, 6:59 am
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Thank you. Very useful and helpful contributions. I will be dependant on my fiance when I do come to the US until I can get work so the more research I do now the better.

Any experiences with applying for work from the UK?

Thanks again and good luck to anyone else looking for work
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Old Jan 9th 2004, 7:16 am
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I've been sending out my resume from where I currently live in Spain. I haven't gone too much into the EAD situation with potential employers but I've got good feedback so far. I'll be freelancing so I'm in a bit of a different position.

I think it's a good idea to test the waters but bear in mind it could be a while until you get your EAD and are legally able to work. Until I get to that stage I've been building up contacts and getting a list of places I can target for work. Once I get there I'll be doing some serious schmoozing.

I take it you're going in on a K1 Spam. How far along are you?
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Old Jan 9th 2004, 2:01 pm
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Originally posted by Spaminette
Thank you. Very useful and helpful contributions. I will be dependant on my fiance when I do come to the US until I can get work so the more research I do now the better.
You will empower yourself by doing research about writing resumes, job hunting. Don't be afraid to ask questions of professionals (like recruitment agents) to get advice about your resume. I got agents to critique my resume and that advice was invaluable.

Any experiences with applying for work from the UK?

<<snip>>
In the current economic climate, it's my honest opinion that it's exceptionally difficult to find work if you're outside the US. Also, based on the information you've provided about your qualifications (you mention nothing about your employment history), candidates for work in your area are to be found very easily so an overseas candidate would not looked upon too favorably (i.e. an employer wouldn't hold a job for you).




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Old Jan 9th 2004, 3:30 pm
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Default Re: Are my UK qualifications recognised in the US?

I agree with excpomea’s comments. “O� levels and “A� levels, NVQ’s, etc. mean zip here. Accredited degrees do seem to count. Also, same for some professional qualifications seem, but even then the professional might have to sit an exam. Also, some professionals find it easier than others such as scientists (with PhDs); I guess science is science no matter what country you are in. So, some qualifications seem to travel better than others. The good news is you can describe your job experience and get some credit for that. Also, you can go to an accredited school here (with, e.g., a night program) to get a recognized qualification. But such an investment comes at a cost.

Originally posted by Spaminette
I can't seem to find any information on this on.

I have various qualifications including an ECDL, NVQ in Administration and OCR exams in word, text and audio processing (typing to most people!)

Does the US work place recognise these qualifications or would I have to take new exams to find work in the US?

My fiancee lives in California if this is relevant.

 

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