Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

I’ve got a couple of questions regarding the US, so I’m hoping you guys can help me out.

Q1) Chances of Emigrating to the USA
I’ve always wondered about my chances of emigrating to the US, so I wanted to write a post detailing my background to see if I have a good chance of moving across the pond in the future, seeing as I’m only 23 at the moment.

I’ve got a strong educational background with two degrees from two russell group universities (I know this won’t mean anything from a US employers perspective). For my undergraduate degree I received a 2:1 degree classification. In order to undertake my masters degree in Marketing, I received a £2,000 scholarship. I was awarded a Distinction (1:1) degree classification for my masters degree, and not only that, but an edited version of my thesis for my masters degree is going to be published in the Journal of Marketing Communications next year.

I’ve had a quick look at Pulaski's Ways, and I think the only chance of me getting a visa to the US is through an L1 transfer, as I don’t fancy pursuing a PHD for a student visa, and I’m currently in a long term relationship, so marrying a US citizen is out the question (for the moment anyway!). So far, the closest I’ve come to being employed by a multinational company was an interview with Universal Pictures, but unfortunately they gave it to an internal candidate anyway… but it’s always something I can aim for in the future once I have some marketing work experience under my belt, as I presume I’d have to be a manager of some sort before asking to be transferred. I’ve also come across the O1-A visa, and I have one of the three requirements (I think), with my thesis soon to be in an academic paper, so that could also be an option too, if i become an expert in Marketing… although I’d imagine that might be tough to prove, so perhaps the L1 is more realistic.

I know the grass isn’t always greener on the other side (same s*** different country springs to mind), but I think I’d definitely like to give it a go, as it would give me something to aim for in my career too. I know I might have a long process ahead, unless something very fortunate comes my way, but I’m looking forward to the ride, and seeing where it takes me, and perhaps one day I’ll end up in the USA on a permanent basis.

If anyone has any opinions and advice about my chances of coming into the US it would be much appreciated, or if there are any other ways I could come to the US that I haven’t thought of yet!

Q2) Interning in the USA

At the moment, I’ve been unemployed since I graduated from my masters degree in January. I'm ideally looking for Marketing roles. I’ve been looking at getting experience, and my hairdressers daughter has just recently finished a year long placement in New York, which she found via her University as its part of her placement year. This got me thinking about perhaps looking for experience abroad too. It’s something I’ve always fancied, but never had the chance (or balls) to do, and I’m wondering if now would be the perfect time to give it a go, as I don’t have any job commitments at the minute / family etc.

I’ve been looking around about US internships, and BUNAC offer a 12 month placement on a J1 visa, which would be perfect for me (although you have to find your own placement first). I figured not only would it give me international experience (and may help me when I come back to the UK), but it would also allow me to do something I’ve always fancied experiencing - living and working in another country. Plus, it will allow me to see the ‘other side’ of the USA rather than just from a tourist perspective (and to see if I’d actually like living there). It’s not something I’m going to do for certain, as I’ve got to factor in a lot of things first, but it’s certainly something I’m considering. I’ve reworked my CV into a resume, and I’m currently on the look out for any internship opportunities / websites, so if anyone knows of any positions or websites that would be useful to me, that would be appreciated too.

If anyone has any ideas on where to find internships etc from or their thoughts on me interning abroad, it would be much appreciated too.

I think that’s about it - sorry for the long post - I can imagine you get these questions all the time.

Thanks for reading, and any advice / opinions that come my way!

Re: Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

You have the educational side done so now you need experience. All you can do is try. In the US it is becoming the norm to have a Msc so you are on a level with US grads but your disadvantage is the cost of hiring you so you need to be special.
Do you have your own website? What are you doing to kick start your career?

Internships - take a look at this website Career Sushi - Your Digital Resume & Portfolio for Job & Internship Listings. You may get lucky. Get on linkedIn and build a network..

Get a job and get into a company - no matter how low and work your way up and then in a while, move companies to those with international presence. May take a few years or may be not.

Good luck.

Re: Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

The J1 would be a good idea, simply because it puts you in the US with a chance of meeting people face-to-face. It is true that the cost is a hindrance, and getting an H1B in the now annual lottery is not exactly a lock, but being there gives you a greater chance IMO.

Re: Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

Also.
Keep any social media squeaky clean. Many potential employers use it as a filter.

Re: Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

Bear in mind that not all multinational employers are huge, household name corporations. There are lots of medium sized companies with a presence on both sides of the pond, especially in areas like marketing, advertising and digital. You might find my employer's Marketing Engineer Program of interest.

Re: Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has given me a response. At least I know a move to the US isn't out of my reach yet - just a lot of hard work involved.

The Marketing Engineer Program looks really interesting, so it's definitely something I'm going to apply to. Thanks for letting me know about it! :)

Re: Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

I first came to the states from the Uk through bunac on an intern visa. I basically found the internship myself by targeting the areas I wanted to live/work, going online, finding the local white pages and looking up businesses where my skills applied. I have a degree in archaeology so I looked up archaeology companies and sent them a copy of my CV and a cover letter explaining that if they hired me they would have to fill out minimal paperwork for me to get a visa but once they did I would be legal to work in the USA. I got quite a few responses and ended up going to work in Virginia for 18 months....long story short I met a local and got married....that was over 10 years ago lol. Internships are out there but you have to be patient and send out lots of emails and letters. I found that companies outside of the big metro areas of NYC, Philliy, Boston etc were more apt to hire. Good luck.

Re: Possibility of Emigrating to the US / Interning in the US
 

It's good to hear someone that has gone through the BUNAC process too, and how you achieved your internship. It's definitely helped and given me some ideas for approaching companies in the US. Thank you so much!