ChristopherNY

To Whom It May Concern,

My name is Christopher and I'm 18 years of age, and currently studying in the UK. It has been my dream my entire life to live and work in the US, and I was wondering if there was any advice that someone could give me on achieving this. I apologise if this request is not very specific and hence difficult to advise on, but any help someone could offer would be truly appreciated. With regards to my future occupation, I am going to take a pure mathematics university course very soon, and hope to possibly become a secondary/high school maths teacher, and I would like to know whether this is a career that could successfully get me to the US? My knowledge of the available visa is not great, so I'm wondering if you would be able to enlighten me as to whether this is a possibility? And if so, would you be able to explain the routes that I'd need to take in order to achieve this?

Once again I apologise if this is a rather vague enquiry and that I could possibly have obtained this information elsewhere, but I would like to hear from people who have actually achieved my dream and as of this moment the specifics are not my greatest concern, although if they should be please tell me! I'm extremely grateful for any advice someone could give me.

Christopher

Pulaski

There have been a number of threads started with similar questions to yours already this year, and one within the past 2-3 weeks about immigrating to the US as a teacher.

To summarise: Getting a degree is more or less essential, teaching is not likely to get you a job in the US, (your chance might be a little higher as a university lecturer), and your best shot may be on-line dating!

Go read the two Pulaski wikis in the US section of the wikis tab, above.

sir_eccles

Why?

LinkTen

Hi Christopher,

There are a few ways of emmigrating to the US. The easiest is marriage. If you have $500,000, you can 'buy a green-card'. You can also start a business with less money ($150,000ish), but this does not get you a green card and is not the best visa to have IMO. Immediate family who are US citizens can also sponsor you.

If none of the above apply for you, then you are likely looking at a work visa (H-1B visa). To get this, you must hold a degree, 12 years work experience or a mixture of both. The position you are being hired for must require a degree. The company who are hiring you must 'sponsor' you for the H-1B visa.

The likelihood of you getting a job which will sponsor a H-1B straight out of university is slim, so you'll need to get experience and then start applying for jobs to be in with the best shot.

Unfortunately, teaching is very unlikely to get you a job position in the US. There are many unemployed US citizens who are teachers. State schools I doubt can even sponsor overseas teachers who require the H-1B visa, so your only option would be private schools such as the British School of America, however they require teachers to have experience, preferably IB experience.

One thing to note, immigration reform is currently on the table. In the proposed plans, people who study for a masters in a STEM field within the US will be given green cards, so keep an eye on that.

All the best.

ChristopherNY

Thank you very much Pulaski and LinkTen, I apologise if this type of question has been asked before and I know that is a common forum no-no, so to say. Looks like teaching might not be the path for me, fortunately I have many available options to me with a degree in mathematics so this is not a huge disappointment!

Thank you once again, very grateful

Noorah101

Hi Christopher, Welcome to BE.

I don't think a career in teaching secondary school math is going to get you to the USA via a work visa. There are tons of teachers out of work in the USA who are willing to be re-hired, and a school isn't likely to pay the $$$ it takes to get someone a work visa from abroad.

That said, if you enjoy math, you still have some options. A degree is essential (the higher the degree, the higher your chances of getting a work visa to the USA).

Here are some possibilities:

1. Get a degree in a math-related field (maybe accounting or statistics), work for a company in the UK which has offices in the USA, get some experience, and then ask to be transferred to the US office.

2. Get a bachelor's in the UK, then get your masters level degree in the USA. This opens doors to making contacts in the USA who might employ you once your degree is finished. It also opens the door to meeting American women...and if you meet the love of your life, you can marry and get your green card.

3. Get your higher degree(s) in the UK, in some field of math, and become so well-known that you qualify for an O visa. You'd need to have done very special things in your field, be well-published, write a book or two, etc.

4. Look towards teaching at a University rather than secondary school. This might lead to a J-1 type visa as well as an H1B.

It's good that you're doing your research early. You're looking at at least a 5-year plan to get to the states, maybe more.

Rene

LinkTen

I had a plan to become an ICT teacher before I started my degree, so I know how you feel. I'm starting my final year in September, and plan on doing something else for a while after university before looking at teaching. I'm one of these people that believe the best teachers are the ones who have other jobs/experiences rather than those who dive straight into teaching from university. Sorry if I offended any teachers on here.

Pulaski

You, and others, just want to rain on everyone's parade, don't you? There is a difference between dispassionate realism, and just being rude!

sir_eccles

No, it's a genuine question. Why is it your (Christopher's) dream to live in the USA?

Without answering that and being true to himself it is quite likely that he will be disappointed with the outcome when he finally gets here.

Michael

But normally people should try to follow there dreams so that they won't have regrets in the future even if things don't work out as they planned.

ChristopherNY

Thank you very much for your advice Rene, I'm honestly already feeling like I have a much greater sense of direction with my plans as a result of all of your comments I like the sound of doing my Masters in the USA, this is a very real possibility for me and who knows, maybe I might just meet the love of my life haha! Looks like my next stop is eharmony!

Thank you once more

Pulaski

I don't recall him asking for advice on that point!

LinkTen

Start saving now (for both e-harmony and a masters ). A masters in the US is 2 years usually, and can cost upwards of £30k.

Trixie_b

My advice is slightly different to that you've been given, apart from get qualified to do a job your passionate about, and maybe that will lead into a career in the US, but don't focus solely on the US.

TRAVEL, travel and travel some more. There are great working visas for the under 26 yr olds in Australia

The more experience you gather, the more life experience you collect the more valuable you will be to an employer.

sir_eccles

I'm not saying people shouldn't follow their dreams. I'm suggesting people should analyze that dream carefully to see what it is that they are looking for. This will help guide them to the right part of the country and career-wise to point them towards the right job that can support that dream. It can also help us give more helpful advice.