cestrache

Hi folks,

Husband and I are in a bit of a quandary! He's a US citizen, I'm a UK citizen and we've been living here in Blighty for the past six years. We met when we were both teaching English in Japan, and six years on we're yearning for another adventure. We always saw ourselves moving to the US eventually (we've both spent time separately in New England and love it there) - we came back to the UK so my husband could study his PhD in English, and now he's finished it feels like the time could be right to make the leap.

My husband wants to pursue a career in academia - not the easiest profession to get into at the best of times, and looking nigh-on impossible here in the UK right now, given massive cuts to university teaching budgets. He's currently teaching at the secondary level here but hates it. He's been offered some temporary adjunct teaching work in his hometown of Charleston, SC, starting this August. From discussions with a number of very credible contacts in the US, it seems like this is his best shot of getting a foot on the ladder of his dream career. I'm having a number of concerns about moving however, especially regarding my own employment prospects once we arrive.

We don't plan on living in Charleston (I don't think I could cope with the politics!) - the hope is that we could move to one of the bigger East Coast cities where we're presuming there would be more opportunities for me, but I'm still worried about my employability in the US. I currently work in a marketing and communications role in the public sector. I have previous experience of fundraising and communications in the non-profit and higher education sectors, and have just completed a professional marketing qualification (in other words, plenty of transferable experience that means I could be quite flexible, though I recognise that my lack of private sector experience could be a problem). I also have good BA and MA degrees from Russell Group universities, speak three languages other than English and started my career on a public sector graduate management programme here in the UK. I realise though that this probably means Jack s**t, given the state of the economy, and the fact that I have no US experience (other than working on a summer camp in NH 10 years ago!).

Any advice/ comments people have on the realities of the current US job market - especially in the East Coast cities (top of our wish list are DC and Boston) would be very gratefully received. I'm on a temporary contract here in the UK, so I could find myself unemployed come next March anyway (which could be a reason to take the plunge) - however, I'm aware I'll probably find it easier to get another job in the UK, where my qualifications and experience are well recognised, than in the US.

Another concern we have is the Affidavit of Support, and whether my husband would be able to provide adequate proof of earnings if he's on a temporary contract. We're resigned to having to be apart from quite some time if we decide to go ahead with this, but if it looks like it would be 6 months or more, we'd have to think very hard about whether we're really up for it.

We're both in our early 30s, have no mortgage or kids (or plan to have either anytime soon) so it feels like there's a limited window of opportunity to be adventurous again and take a risk... However, it feels like it could be just a bit too much of a risk given the economic climate!

Apologies for the long post - you can see there's a lot of agonising going on here! Thank you in advance for your advice/ thoughts!

nethead

To get a foot in the door so to speak your husband could look at local community colleges in your preferred areas first. I know where we are they require at least a masters to teach.

The NE has an abundance of universities to look at and apply to, but you're right a lot have cut funding etc and English professors probably aren't as in demand as say maths.

I think (and that's just my own assumptions) your resume sounds pretty good and the fact you speak 4 languages has to be a massive advantage.

Noorah101

Hi and Welcome to BE.

It will take about 8 - 10 months to get your Immigrant Visa in hand, so you have time to put out feelers and do some networking to see what kind of jobs are out there for you.

If your husband moves to the USA ahead of you, and earns around $19,000 a year, he can sponsor you on the I-864. Your combined assets can also count (cash savings works best).

You can visit the USA while the Immigrant Visa is in process, so you can job-hunt and make some connections on a visit.

Rene

Married2abrit

Make sure your husband gets his UK citizenship before you leave (if he hasn't already). Best of luck on your next phase in your life!!

Bob

Definitely should be the priority if he hasn't

As for the job market, depends....plenty of uni's and the like in and around Boston, but going to be really hard going in a lot of the non tech type positions, especially without local experiences.

Network, check out the smaller colleges and the community colleges, there's quite a few good ones around the various suburbs of Boston too.

No idea about your job prospects, quite a bit of marketing work going, but mostly for experienced people, with the local markets. You'll need two salaries though living in the Boston area as it is horridly expensive.

Rose tea

Speaking purely about the academic side of your question...I'm in academia (about to leave). You're right, the job market here for academics is terrible. Still, I know people who have managed to get jobs in English recently, and they are a certain 'type' from what I can tell: very Type A, multitasking, willing to sacrifice their every waking minute for work and yet still somehow managing to find time to raise kids and be married...the American work culture writ large I suppose. Interestingly, everyone I know who got an English job in academia recently has found it in the NE.

I don't know anyone who's happy adjuncting - they are, like your husband, thinking of doing it as a way to get their foot in the door. Sadly, though, it seems that their foot is often left stuck in that door and it's very hard to progress to their dream job (i.e. TT position). Read the Chronicle of Higher Education (www.chronicle.com) for some more insight into this issue, and consider posting to their forums too. Lots of international people seek advice on there.

Good luck with your decision. I took a risk moving here and it paid off, but I had to leave my intended field of work in order to stay.

Gerber

I'm in the same boat as your DH (different field). My DH (UKC) and I decided we'd relocate after I obtained my PhD. He has a steady job, which he abhors and does not cover our expenses, but there is absolutely nothing available for me in my field (UK). I know several colleagues who still do not have an academic post and they received their PhD's 3-4 years back. However, across the pond there's openings, although I'm not sure about your husband's field, in particular.

I cannot comment on the US job market directly because I'm not there as of yet. I would say, though, that there's quite a lot on offer through H-net. I recently noticed a lot of academic jobs posted for the DC area. I also check local colleges and universities in the area I'm interested, since not all of them post on H-net. And, yes, networking is very important these days.

As for your qualifications, I think you have an excellent set of skills and experience. With your language skills alone, you should have no problem finding a job. If you go, make sure you have your university transcripts.

Concerning sponsorship, does your DH have a family member in the US that can sponsor you? My father is sponsoring my DH (joint).

If it's just the two of you, then why not give it a try? You can always come back if things don't work out.

Best of luck in your decision.