scrubbedexpat096

Hello currently looking at moving our family over to the USA in a couple/few years.


​​​​​​Wife is an American citizen, who plans to attain duel citizenahip before moving, two.kids are currently awaiting US passports.


Which leaves me getting my visa before moving.


That's the easy part 🤔 ......


So we will have a relatively small amount of money to move with, and in the fortunate situation to be will be living with relatives to begin with. So hoping to bumble our way through the first year before hopefully being in a situation to purchase a property With the funds we have after building enough credit history for a mortgage (been researching on here for tips on building a good credit history)


This is where it gets a bit trickier, my wife has minimal qualifications (US based) for basic office work which should make it fairly simple for her to get work in this field and earn a sensible wage hopefully.


Now I have very little in the way of formal qualifications after GCSE, and have spent 15 years building a career as a Chef with moderate succces.

However that's not something I wish to reignite in the US I'm not sure there is quite the same culinary scene and wish to stay away from chain restaurants.

I have thought of taking a sideways step into food sales which could enable me to earn enough and attain a sensible work life balance.


Could anyone suggest some qualifications I could work towards making me more attractive to US based employers? Someone has mentioned cpsm in procurement would this be worth doing or would my experience be enough to land this kind of position?


Ohio/PA border is roughly where we hope to land!

civilservant

Can I be blunt? You're going to find it very difficult to walk into anything other than a relatively low paid, low benefit job - this is simply because you have no qualifications to speak of, and have no career history in anything other than the field you no longer want to be a part of.

I can't answer the part about relevant qualifications, because i have no idea about the field, but I just wanted you to realize what you are getting yourself into in the US. If you don't have a degree, your application will go in the shredder a lot of the time for anything other than an entry level position..

scrubbedexpat096

I'm fully expecting that to be the case and budgeted as such, but since I have time on my hands before the move I'm willing to obtain qualifications that will improve my appeal to potential employers.


Basically wondering what would be the best procurement qualification that I could obtain before entering the states.states

tom169

Why not a bachelor's degree? You mentioned a few years. Probably still time to enroll to start this year!

Noorah101

I agree. A degree is very important in the USA, rather than qualifications (except maybe in the IT field).

Rene

carcajou

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "food sales."

Normally I would agree with the other posters that a university degree is a pre-requisite but not sure in your particular case with your particular angle. You should get a sharper idea of what you mean by "food sales" and chat to an adviser at a community college etc about prospects and ways forwards. Ask your wife what a community college is.

When you mention OH-PA border - did your wife grow up there/is from there? Or are you not that familiar with it but just have relatives there?

It's a particular part of the country that has some challenges right now.

scrubbedexpat096

Outside food sales would be the title in the US I believe. Basically selling to the restaurants on behalf of the wholesaler.


Yes that is the Area family are based, pretty dead economy around there, but that does mean I can do pretty well housing wise with the money we have and not have quite such a high income needed to sustain ourselves. It is the area she grew up in, somewhere we frequently visit too.


Will look into a bachelor's but may well be a bit expensive currently, although well aware it should pay for itself long run.


Also would need to check details if I say moved part way through the course.

ddsrph

scrubbedexpat096

Plan is to steady myself in food based sales using knowledge of hospitality I already have, hopefully my UK knowledge will be of use to make me a little more creative than some others.

Then can move elsewhere in sales or perhaps decide it's not for me at all and retrain once there.


Thanks for all the advice so far certainly plenty to mull over as we start the long haul to visa and beyond.

carlrush

I work for a large food manufacturer that sells to Wholesale and QSR (Quick Service Restaurants) across the US. A few thoughts that might help you;

Sales in the food sector won't require a degree but will value sales experience and relationships you have built. If you want to make the move, get started with sales in the UK and try working with companies that have a US presence. Even if you're not dealing with the same people when you get here, an employer in the US will at least recognize the name/products on your resume (alongside the real sales experience).

Research & Development is another area you could consider, especially with your background. It would take you out of the restaurant environment (and working hours!) but not out the kitchen. Again, you could look in to a degree or certifications and if you could start working in R&D in the UK then you'd have a better chance here. Location you're looking at will make it harder to be prepared to move to a major city (Chicago, Philly etc.).

Finally, there's a real shortage of Quality Assurance/Food Safety workers. You're more likely to find food production plants in the area you're moving to and I'd bet some have QA openings. There's plenty of information out there and some institutes will offer certifications that are valid in UK and US.

Hope that help and good luck!

BenK91

An associates would be a good start if you're looking for something in the IT field, which you can then essentially 'top up' with certs. MS, AWS, ITIL, Cisco etc etc etc.

scrubbedexpat096

Perfect your exactly the kind of person I was hoping too comment, not a fan of R&D having dabbled a bit with creating menus for.large chains in the past.

QoS and food safety could be something, I have quite a high level cert in food safety already

carlrush

You're welcome Just playing it forward as this forum was invaluable to me for my move.

No one has mentioned it yet but you should make sure the "relatively small amount of money" you're moving with is enough for your wife to sponsor you. Sounds like she won't have a job in place before you arrive and so savings will come in to play (unless you have a joint sponsor).

There's plenty in the 'Marriage Based Visa' section on this if you're not sure.

scrubbedexpat096

Yes have looked at that, we will be getting a family member to sponsor me

carlrush

Nice

Sounds like you're in good shape and getting your options thought through well before you move.

Good luck with it all!