Hi everyone,

I’m new to the forum and looking forward to being an active member. Apologies if this has been asked before, if so, I’d really appreciate being pointed to the relevant thread.

I’m currently a Senior Electrical Engineer based in the UK with over 15 years of experience. I’m a British citizen and am exploring the possibility of relocating to the United States.

At the moment, I’m unsure of the best way to approach this. I’ve reached out to engineering managers on LinkedIn without much success, and I’ve also applied for roles advertised on U.S. job websites but haven’t received any responses.

What is generally the best path for securing a role in the U.S. as an engineer? I understand that visa sponsorship would be required, but I assume this is typically discussed once a job offer is on the table. The biggest challenge so far seems to be getting that initial opportunity.

Any advice or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

As a side question for engineers currently working in the U.S.: how do you find it? From what I can see online, pay appears to be significantly higher

Pay is significantly higher but so is the cost of living.

Honestly, I'd say your chances are slim at best. My husband works for one of the biggest engineering consulting firms, they simply don't need to hire overseas for most positions these days. Hiring somebody new means waiting a long time for them, plus spending a small fortune on their visa. They do transfer people though, so if you can get a job at a multi-national and then look for internal roles, that'll be your best bet.

You're not likely to get a response applying in LinkedIn or the internet, as a general rule if you have skills that a company needs, they'll find you on Linked In and you'll be headhunted via there. So make sure your profile is up to date, and your 'open to work' is set to the US. But I'd still say an internal transfer is going to be your only realistic option.

Best of luck.

Hey,

Thanks for the response, what you said is exactly what has been coming up in my research also.

The internal multi-national route was something I have my eye on also, have you heard anything in relation to this being successful and simple route? For me to do this, I would have to join a U.K company and work for them for at least 1 year before I could apply for internal routes to the US.

What is the work life balance like? I am hearing US is more work priority with less vacation time than the U.K but have better pay as a result

Cheers

Vacation/holiday is significantly less than the UK. It is typical to start with 2 or 3 weeks annual entitlement and go up very slowly from there. Some companies offer more but that is typically only if they really want you and then you can negotiate much better terms. Or, if you relocate with your existing company then you would keep what you currently have. There is typically no “sick” time, it all comes out of your annual entitlement. If you are anything other than a run of the mill worker, many companies will expect rapid responses and effort outside of office hours including when on vacation, but perhaps that is true in the UK as well now.

It is much easier to lay off and fire workers in the US, with many states permitting firing for no cause. Compensation is usually at the companies discretion and it’s not unusual for there to be nothing at all. And for there to be zero notice. Unless you have a green card, if you lose your employment you would typically have to leave the country very quickly, within weeks. So lots of risk unless relocating with an existing employer and even then you want a relocation agreement is place in the event things do not work out for any reason.

Pay is typically higher but factor in less vacation and the cost of health insurance which is substantial and essential. Car insurance, dental work and healthcare is very expensive (even with insurance). Other than that I do not find the cost of living to be too bad, likely will be if you live in one of the major cities but that is true of any major city worldwide.

My husband was an internal transfer, and people move all the time. If you've got skills they need, it's fairly normal in a large multi-national to move around. A L1 visa is easier for them, particularly if they have a blanket petition, so it cuts down on the cost and wait time. Whereas if you're a new hire it's likely to be a H-1B visa, which has a fee of $100k, plus it's a lottery each year, plus you have to apply in April but can't start work until October. So as you can imagine, that's not that appealing to US businesses when they can hire somebody already in the US almost instantly and at little cost.

Depends on the company and the seniority level. My husband gets unlimited vacation, but that's pretty rare, 10 days seems to be the standard. And re: better pay, see my comment above - the cost of living can outweigh that. Where I am (Boston), you'd need about three times your UK salary in USD to give you an equivalent, other places will be nearer 2-2.2 times. So for example, if you are on £100k in the UK, you'd need $200-300k in the US for a similar standard of living. So don't just look at the salary, you need to factor everything else in as well.

I agree on the CoL comments above. For my family, 300k income is comfortable, with all the insurances etc. New England area. Lifestyle comes into account.

It's a large country. Is there any specific area that you are interested in moving to? TBH, it's better if you are willing to go anywhere there's a suitable job as opposed to setting your sights on a specific place. And is there a reason you are looking to relocate here? Have you spent much time in the US? Just you, or you plus a family? Not being nosy, more info will help people to advise you more appropriately.

You might need to work for a multi-national that has branches or HQ in the UK, and USA for at least 2 years before looking to relocate. That would mean that you are serious about the job, and not just as a means to get to the USA. Then look for internal job opportunities and/or promotions that might mean a move overseas.

Curious why an electrical engineer is on the list of acceptable jobs for a work visa. I would think it is a field that has enough US Citizens qualified for this employment. US and UK electric systems are different.

For heavy duty equipment with standard (220-240V) needs it is worthwhile to consult foreign electricians. They prob dont have to be in the US though

Electrical engineering has a long list of applications. I hold a degree in EE myself and did the internal transfer with my international company, my special experience being the interfacing of computers to run highly dangerous chemical plants. My initial secondment was on the commissioning team building a new chemical plant in Louisiana and training a local team to run it afterwards.

I have an EE degree too but spent my entire career in aerospace. I worked in a niche specialist area of aviation for 10 years in the UK before moving abroad. USA was not my first stop (and in fact I never wanted to come here in the first place) but I was headhunted by a firm in the south in a location not typically associated with tech and where recruiting from out of state was quite difficult for firms with specialized staffing needs and they made me a good offer and sponsored me for an H-1B so I came anyways. But the current administration does not look favorably on the H-1B visa program and has priced them out of reach of all but an elite few mega companies.
Anyhow, do you really want to come here? This is a country which has filled me with rage and reduced me to tears recently. Sometimes I think my original reluctance was well founded.

I started my career in the defense industry working on guided missile systems before switching to the chemical industry because we wanted to move “up north” back to our roots, and the defense industry was concentrated in the south. Three years later it was a Sunday evening that I was internally head hunted to move to Texas on a 3 year visa. We had 2 small children so it was a bit of a tough decision but we are so pleased we made the move which ended up being 29 years. We had a great time and moved back in 2016 just before as this recent madness started happening. Our children independently followed us back in 2017 and 2022 and we are all happily living back “up north” .

"Electrical Engineer" or "Double-E" is a truly professional role requiring a degree as a minimum. "Electrical engineers" are usually employed to design complex electronic systems such as your iPhone. I think you are thinking of Electricians (which, while a VERY repsectable profession in its own right and very well paid these days), is an entirely different thing.

Interesting. My old man was an EE at Bae. One of his mates/colleagues got a job with Boeing in Seattle. Sorry that was 40+ years ago and I have no idea what the transfer involved. But incidentally his daughter was my first girlfriend and shes lived in Vegas the last 30 years! I know. Not helpful!😀